The Quill ed.3
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Welcome
Working in a school has never been harder. How ironic, then, that as we celebrate a British Teacher, Andria Zafirakou, winning The Global Teacher Prize, I have chosen teacher workload as the focus of my latest newsletter, The Quill 3. Retention and recruitment have never been more of a concern with workload pressures cited as the main reason either for not choosing a career in teaching or deciding to leave prematurely. Thank you Andria for helping restore a sense of moral purpose when it was needed and for reminding us that teaching is hard work because it’s heart work.
When he arrived the audience was very small.
“Didn’t you tell them I was coming to speak to them?” he asked the Deputy who had organized the event.
“No,” replied the Deputy, “but it must have leaked out…”
Latest from the blog
Working SMART means working hard in the right direction.
‘I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy –
I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.’
Art Williams
So, teacher workload has once again been thrust into the spotlight. In recent speeches, both David Hinds and Amanda Spielman announced it was to be a key focus on their watch. Round of applause.
Kids may dance like nobody’s watching,
but they also pick their nose like nobody’s watching.
So we’ll call it a draw.
1. They create and pursue S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
2. They take decisive and immediate action.
3. They focus on being productive, not being busy.
4. They make logical, informed decisions.
5. They avoid the trap of trying to make things perfect.
6. They work outside of their comfort zone.
7. They keep things simple.
8. They focus on making small, continuous improvements.
9. They measure and track their progress.
10. They maintain positive outlook as they learn from mistakes.
11. They spend time with the right people.
12. They maintain balance in their life.
SJJ book of the month
Sapiens
by Yuval Noah Harari
A Brief History of Humankind
Animal-like humans first appeared 2.5 million years ago and Harari, master storyteller, narrates an extraordinary tale of our odyssey from the moment Homo Sapiens began to reign supreme (150,000 years ago) to today.
My boss just called me into his office to say I’ve been spending too much time on Twitter. Hold on, he’s saying something else now…
Though a small step for man this represents a huge technological leap for me!
I’d really welcome your feedback.
