bbcteaching

Everyone loves a rebel. Where would society be without those people who are willing to stick their neck out and take a risk in order to challenge the status quo? Sometimes the way things are needs to be pulled, pushed and prodded in order to make things improve. Those rebels who are trailblazers, who go off the beaten track but beckon for others to follow are vital to develop society, technology, philosophy. At times, rebellion seems futile and society pushes back hard against those who are pushing against the way things are. But looking back over history, all the inventors, scientists, philosophers or faith leaders who have given us the big ideas have been rebels. Da Vinci, Newton, Curie, Darwin, Babbage, Einstein, Turing... all had to go against society and common beliefs to carry out their work for the development of knowledge and society. True rebels leave a changed society behind them, a new world with new ideas and new opening for future rebels to take advantage of. I wonder so...

Compassion is key at any point in our profession. Our main role is to educate but we are dealing with children so compassion should be a central value of all educators. Like Doctors, it is my belief that we should live by the phrase "First, do no harm" or "Primum non nocere". Every decision we make on an Educational or behavioural basis should be framed through the idea that we are focussed on benefitting our pupils' whole self. It  has long been my view that children only learn when they feel comfortable, when a child is under high stress then learning will not take place. This is no less important than right now, in the situation we find ourselves in now. Compassion seems to have gone by the wayside in recent weeks with the announcement about schools in England "re-opening" on the 1st June. The drive behind this, arguably premature, return to school has been framed around the educational impact upon pupils having already missed weeks of learning in...

  - First tell us about yourself. I'm 29 years old, a twin (people always think that's quite cool. It's always my favourite when they ask boy or girl and I say my twin is a boy. People STILL say are you identical? How though?) and I'm a teacher. I have been teaching for 5 years. I have been in the same school since I qualified. I have taught in Year 3 for three years and Year 2 for two years. I lead Computing, RE and the curriculum at my school. I have a huge passion for reading and writing. Picture books are my favourite things to share with my children. I haven't mentioned cats yet, so I'm sure you'll be happy about that... -           You made it so far... -           1. Why teaching? What would you be if you weren't a teacher? I've always wanted to help people or do something that supports people. Growing up, I wanted to be a police officer - helping the community. I'm not entire...

Unity What an important word at the moment. Apart from the odd few… individuals… that seem to have ulterior motives, the current crisis seems to have brought us all together. There will always be people who seek to take advantage of times like this but on the most part my experience is one of drawing together. It’s interesting that it takes such an extreme situation for our true ambitions to be revealed. Every school leader I have spoken to, or read about has one clear focus: pupils and staff. The mention of academic success, lost learning and the like has been few and far between. The concern has been on the individuals. The word Unity is an interesting one. Within unity is the unit, which as a Primary teacher makes me think of the Dienes equipment that we use sometimes in Maths. A small, white cube which is easily lost and often turns up in the wrong places. The unit seems unimportant, but without it the larger groups can’t be made. Each unit adds up to a ten, which adds up...

-           First tell us about yourself. My name’s Dan, and I’ve recently become a lecturer in primary initial teacher education at Worcester University after 14 years in primary classrooms. I specialise in computing at Worcester and in my previous role dovetailed teaching computing across the whole school in the afternoons with having my own year 4 class in the mornings. I’m passionate about classroom management and developing pupil-teacher relationships and classroom climates (hence the gawky Twitter name ‘Classroom Whisperer’). I don’t get out much - even before the lockdown - and spend my time with my wife, two young kids and researching for my education doctorate at the University of Birmingham. Oh, and I play football badly and support a team that makes mediocrity an aspiration - Gillingham. -           1. Why teaching? What would you be if you weren’t a teacher? To paraphras...

-           First tell us about yourself. I’m a primary school teacher from Sunderland #ProudMackem and I have a little girl, who calls me Daddy. Being a Dad is the best job in the world and I feel this defines me more than anything else in my life. I adore the Lake District and I regularly look at properties in the Lakes that I could move into and take on as a renovation project but that is purely fantasy for now. I’m also currently taking the first steps into becoming a children’s author. I have a few stories penned down and LOTS of notes recorded. My first ever short story I completed, after many many edits, is currently being illustrated and I’ll see where that journey takes me. For now though, it’s a wonderful passion that I enjoy. -           1. Why teaching? What would you be if you weren’t a teacher? I never actually chose to become a teacher. I’ve been very fortunate enough to...

- First tell us about yourself. I'm in my 11th year of teaching, having arrived late-ish at the age of 25. I spent my first ten years at the same school where I worked with some brilliant people, before leaving to start at a new place in September. I was just getting about getting settled before the closures... - Bad timing! I surprised myself with how long it took me to adjust. It will probably feel like we are starting again come September (or whenever it might be, in whatever form). - 1. Why teaching? What would you be if you weren’t a teacher? 1. I think I fell into teaching rather than ever feeling a great vocation towards it. I was happily employed by an independent record shop - started as a gap year thing, then developed into a full-time job and a real love. As the shop started to struggle, my parents gently suggested looking into ‘a proper job’. I’d always had lots of younger cousins and found it fairly easy to get on with them, so wondered whether there...

- First tell us about yourself. I’m Neil. Son of an English man and an Irish Woman so naturally, to keep both sides of the family happy, I grew up in Wales. Grew up in a little town called Carmarthen but got out and moved to London when I was 18 for a university where I did a degree in Primary Education. Completed that at 21 years of age and have been in the classroom since. I currently work for the Woodland Academy Trust where I am a Lead Teacher - so helping the teachers be the best version of themselves whilst also dabbling in reviewing the curriculum of the schools. - Sounds like an ace job. - 1. Why teaching? What would you be if you weren’t a teacher? I was very fortunate growing up   in having two parents that were still together and while we certainly weren’t exceptionally wealthy, we had a two week European holiday every year and so certainly were not living pay check to pay check. I definitely took that as the floor standard in terms of quality of life and...

- First tell us about yourself. I’m a Barnsley born, Lincolnshire based sport and film mad Headteacher with an obsession (well, it is!) for picture books and creative learning. Can’t believe I’m coming up to my twentieth anniversary in teaching (having failed as an illustrator) and on the way I’ve spent a few years as a teaching and learning consultant as well as a number of leadership roles. Never wanted to be a head at all but I wouldn’t have it any other way now. Live in a rural village with my patient partner, two teenagers and two cats who are off their trolley. - 1. Why teaching? What would you be if you weren’t a teacher? It was never the plan. I had trained to be an illustrator and had a few editorial commissions but found it difficult without living in London or Oxford where publishing houses were. This was 25 years ago so you still trawled around these places with a portfolio. I saw Gervaise Phinn talking about school life on an old Esther Rantzen t...