I like long walks on the beach and endless strolls through the woods, and I enjoy considering the different socio-economic classes in my travels on the Tube about town. I like the rumble of earthquakes beneath my feet and a towering tsunami above my head. What am I? A Geography teacher of course. Besides the whole world being the embodiment of your subject, a joy of the job has been the proliferation, and outputs of, something called GIS. Now, I want you to sit up straight and pay attention because you’re about to get a quick lesson in somethin ..read more

Teenagers demonstrate a lot of inconsistencies. One day someone is their best friend. Next day they’re not. One day they want to be a goth, tomorrow it’s time to be a hippie. But one inconsistency I have never got my head around is how even some of the biggest slackers still like to see feedback on their work and assessments. It’s like, you never handed in homework, you spent your class-time sprinkling pencil shavings in Max’s hair and you left the exam room early…yet you feel a grave injustice when you haven’t had “enough” comments applied to your work? Anyway. Feedback is not only popular (a ..read more

With all of us being cooped up inside and missing out on the daily ups and downs of teacher life, now is the best time to binge on movies you never seem to have the time to enjoy. If you’re looking to feel like you’re back in the classroom from the comfort of your couch, in need of inspiration, or just wanting a bit of a boost, here are three classic movies that feature some pretty awesome and inspirational teachers. Obviously, there are so many amazing characters to choose from, but here are 3 movie characters that highlight why teachers are so essential (warning, spoilers ahead) : 1) Profess ..read more

Communicating with parents can be a dream but it can also be a HUGE nightmare for teachers. Yes, I said it. We’ve all met those parents who we just don’t know how to deal with – those names you dread seeing on your parents evening schedule. I’ve found dealing with difficult parents to be one of the toughest parts of the job. I’m by no means an expert, but I have encountered parents who I never thought would crack smile during parents evening or recognize the effort being put in to their child. Stepping back and practicing the below has really made a difference in my approach. 1)  &nb ..read more

“Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid.” Frank Zappa Unfortunately for some of our high school students, their time at school can sometimes appear to just be a bunch of boring homework deadlines or dates by which their assignments must be completed. Thankfully, there is a universally appreciated magic that we have at our disposal to enrich their classroom lives, and no, it’s not chocolate. One particular memory of music in a non-Music lesson has stuck with me from high school. The head of the Geography department ..read more

Former American President and Army General Dwight Eisenhower apparently once said that “The Jeep, the Dakota airplane and the Landing Craft were the three tools that won the war”. Other quotes attributed to him will also add the Sherman tank, bazooka and atomic bomb to that list. The natural question, then, is: what are the jeeps and atom bombs in the teacher’s stationary arsenal? 1 – A diary/planner The Number 1 item on the list for a reason. Homework, assignments, exams, meetings, reports due, marks due, parent correspondence. It is a teacher’s lot to have 99 things to do and then one more p ..read more

Cover teaching can be quite stressful. You’re going to a new school almost every day. The routines are different, the children are different and the rules are different. It might seem like every time you finally get your head wrapped around that particular school, you just have to start right over again. Here are some suggestions and tips to cover teachers I learned from my time supply teaching for 6 months: When you first arrive… 1) Arrive early at the school (if you can!) I found the earlier I arrived, the more time I had to get my bearings of the school, the classrooms and the cover work. O ..read more

Monday morning, the first bell’s gone. Ms Trunchbull is at attention outside her classroom, awaiting her young charges. 
“Morning Miss!”
 “How was your weekend Miss?”
Trunchbull glares over the heads of the inquisitive students in front of her. The luckier students receive a sneer or growl.
Across the corridor, Mr Keating’s languid gaze moves over the passing pack as he anticipates his own class. 
“Morning Sir!” 
“Good morning Jeremy” Keating turns and smiles at each greeting.
“How was your weekend Sir?”
“Just fine, thank you Mark, just fine. How did football go?” “Yeah good thanks Sir!” As a ..read more

As a teacher you can’t predict when you’ll get sick and need supply – being prepared ahead of time pays off. Here are some tips on how to prepare for a supply teacher as someone who has been a classroom teacher and a supply teacher and experienced the frustrations of both. Prepare your Class Early on in the year outline how you expect your students to behave for a supply teacher. Emphasise that you will check up on how they behaved. Tell them you will check a random sample of student books and ask for feedback from the supply teachers and then make a point of doing it. Supply teachers can use ..read more

Teachers are always told to differentiate, differentiate and differentiate. We all understand how important and impactful it is to the classroom but sometimes it’s hard to think of ways to actually do it, especially with all of the other things that are running through our minds constantly. We need to help each other out and offer ideas of practices that have gone successfully from our own experience and maybe that little idea can spark something in someone else. So, fellow teachers, I am here to offer some of the techniques and ideas I’ve tried and hopefully this will give you some form of in ..read more