A bbc Interview with @MrGPrimary

What´s that you say? THE Colin Grimes. The man, the myth, the legend? That´s right folks. Today´s interview delves into the mind of Edu Twitter´s greatest mystery. Who is Colin Grimes? Does he even exist? How does he look so good?
The Interview doesn´t answer any of those questions, but read on anyway.


Colin Grimes is an RQT teaching in Year 4 at Rothbury First School in rural Northumberland. He previously spent 24 years in the RAF before joining Cohort 1 of the Troops to Teacher ITT Scheme, a 2-year BEd programme run by the University of Brighton.

What made you become a teacher?
          - After working in the public sector for most of my life, I felt that the TtT scheme gave me an opportunity to give something back to society. I´m married to a teacher so had spent lots of time working in schools doing odd jobs. I am also a School Governor at my children´s school which gave me an insight into how schools work. 

So basically you wanted something that was more challenging than the Armed Forces. 


What is your favourite part of the job?
         - Working with the most amazing people on the planet: the children. Seeing them change over the course of a year and growing into exceptional people is just incredible.


What has been best thing you have done at work this year?
         - A toss-up between our Christmas performance and our end-of-year performance. Not a dry eye in the house at either. For my class leavers´ performance we rewrote The Chainsmokers and Coldplay´s Something Just Like This. The children loved it from the first time we played it and really made it their own. 

How are you so cool?


What is the most frustrating thing about teaching at the moment?
         - If I´m honest, it´s all the moaning. Teaching is a wonderful job and I feel we should embrace being the best we can be within our classroom. What we need is a period of stability, with no changes from the DfE/Government, to allow everyone to settle into the curriculum/exams etc. 
Education needs to stop being a political football, it is an area where real cross-party co-operation would reap dividends for our children. 


What songs would be on your driving to work playlist?
         - At the moment it´s Arcade Fire´s Everything Now, Radiohead´s OK Computer (my 11 year old is just discovering them!) or Chainsmokers´ Memories - Do Not Open.


What is the funniest thing a child has ever said/written in your class?
         - The most recent that sticks in my mind was one of our Y2 children on Monday at our performance. I was dressed fairly smartly as I was directing proceedings from the front; just before the children came into the hall the little lad took one look at me and said, ¨Mr. Grimes, looking smart- is that for the ladies?¨

Mr. Grimes answered, ¨Always...¨


What is your guilty pleasure?
         - Chocolate and singing loudly when nobody is around. Most days I´m the best vocalist in my car.


If you weren´t a teacher, what would you be and why?
         - There´s a strong possibility I would still be involved in military work in some way. I had been offered a lucrative job in Iraq, but it would have been at the expense of my family life which was the whole reason I left the RAF to start with. If no that, then I don´t have a clue. 


What are you passionate about (teaching-related or not)?
         - Teaching wise- it has to be Ed-Tech. I worked in a School that had spent a lot of money on iPads, only to leave them charging in trolleys all day. In days when school budgets are stretched this is criminal. I´m also passionate about providing real-world experiences for my class. We are an extremely rural community, almost totally white middle class and very little pupil premium. It´s my job to open a window to the outside world for these children to develop. 
Outside of teaching my main passion this year has been getting fit and losing weight.

From what I saw at Northern Rocks, you are a fine example of man-flesh. 


If you had to pick one subject/topic to teach on a loop forever, what would it be?
         - Cross curricular Maths/English/Computing/PE! I believe we don´t always capitalise on the opportunities to be cross-curricular. 

That´s cheating a little, you picked nearly every subject. 


What is the most effective resource/technology/app you use in the classroom?
         - iPad Camera and Airserver. Instant feedback on the whiteboard for all to see. 


What is the most effective routine/method/system you use in the classroom?
         - Consistent application of rules for all children. I also don´t reward expected behaviour. Children had responded well to that this year. 


If you had to pick 4 people (Twitter or otherwise) to invite to a dinner party who
would it be and why?
         - @chrisdysonHT just for his energy and drive, @MrHeadComputing because of his sage advice through my time as a teacher, @cjbracher because she believed in me early on. @RachelOrr because she is an unbelievable force of nature and pleasure to spend time with. 


What is the best and worst advice you have been given as a teacher?
         - Worst: don´t smile until Christmas. Best: be you, not a clone of your mentor. 


Final Question: What drives you as a teacher?
         - Knowing that I´m not yet the teacher that I want to be drives me to learn more. 


If you could choose one person who you´d love to have the bbc interview treatment, who would it be and why?
- @flymygeekflag or @thatboycanteach - both amazing educators.

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