Whether you are entering a school as a graduate, or starting as an experienced teacher in a new school, starting somewhere new can be extremely intimidating. Schools are such interesting microcosms and getting to understand the seen and unseen in a new school is so complex. I have been fortunate to start in four different…
Maybe I’m the Exception – A 2020 Reflection
It seems that for most people 2020 will go down as one of the worst years they have had. Obviously COVID has ravaged the world and few people would have not been affected in some form or other. We have seen the devastating effects of the virus in Europe, Asia and America whilst Australia has…
Not All Schools
In one of my many roles throughout my career I have acted as a Head of Middle School – Teaching and Learning. One of the aspects of that role was meeting with parents who had essentially reached the end of their tether in regards to their students learning. The school was very academically focussed, with…
Uh Oh, I’m in Trouble
I never really found myself in too much trouble at school. Although probably quite cheeky, I managed to fly under the sun just enough to not get burnt. The time I got into the most trouble was in Kindergarten where for some reason I refused to hold up the letter U when we were doing…
When Colleagues Cause Conflict
On one of my recent regular trips from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane I was once again stuck in traffic. Sitting there on the congested highway, doing less that 10 km/h, my mind drifted to the lyrics of the song I was listening to. Thankfully Queen’s Greatest Hits was blaring and one of Freddie’s later…
Do I Know You?
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” – Theodore Roosevelt I have always found it both surprising and encouraging that AITSL Teaching standard 1.1 is Know the Students. There is so much research to indicate that students learn best when they feel known and supported by their teachers….
Become the Student
One of the things that took me a while to learn in my early days as a teacher was that I didnt know everything. I will be the first to admit that coming out of university I was probably a little too full of self-confidence in my own ability. I believed that I knew more,…
That Parent
I will never forget the first parent who called for my head. Oliver had plagiarized most of his Year 9 History assignment and, of course, I’d found him out. Now clearly Oliver made a mistake but we all know that life is not that simple. Somehow the issue was clearly my fault and the father…
Turn it Off
One thing that teachers definitely possess in abundance is a martyr complex. Most of the time that manifests itself in really positive ways such as going the extra mile to help a student, or volunteering to take up an activity because we know that our students will love, or desperately need it. We get into…
Be the Inspiration
My last blog post examined how teachers are often the brunt of societal attacks. The article concluded that we are so lucky that we get to make a difference in the lives of so many young people, that we should ignore the white noise. Recently on my Australian Early Career Teachers Facebook page I asked members to…
White Noise
Have you have had “that look” when you say you are a teacher? You know, the one that looks down at you and wonders why you settled or what you could have been? Have you ever heard, or even said the phrase “just a teacher”? Has anyone ever said to you, jokingly but you know…
Once a Teacher Always a Teacher
In my last blog post I discussed how students will google you. What they see on there is their teacher; the person who stands in front of the class a figure of authority. They are not capable of seeing you as anything else. This thought reminds me of a lecturer on my very first day…
Navigating Social Media
In my last post Getting Ready for a Job Interview I almost jokingly suggested (although you should) Google stalk your prospective interviewers. Whilst this is a great idea, it does bring to mind that you are likely to be “Googled” as well. One thing you can guarantee, particularly if you teach from about Grade 5 is that…
Getting Ready for a Job Interview
Applying: Assume your application was great and got you to interview. Well done! The school has seen something in you that they want to get to know more. You have already beaten probably a tonne of other candidates and are now in the last 4 or 5. When in positions similar, panels I have been on never went to interview…
Australian Early Career Teachers Association 