If I’m hearing correctly, educational standards are worse than ever. Teachers are saying that kids don’t just dislike reading more than a few words; they can’t. They don’t just hate writing more than a few words; they can’t. And even when they do write, you either can’t read it, or the grammar and spelling are […]
I’m “fast awake”. It’s 0600, alarm beeping, I have 10 mins, check phone, 37 WhatsApp messages, 26 emails, 9 Linkedin alerts, triage most of those and then check BBC news, same old, check BBC sports, football, great result for Brighton, cricket not so good, snooker, Ronnie not playing again, check share prices, ticking up, then […]
I may be overthinking things at the moment. Today, I saw a boy sitting alone with his hands holding his head. He’s anxious. He’s stressed. He’s lonely. Of course, I don’t actually know what’s up with him, but that’s what is going through my mind. Life can be hard, and I assume this is another […]
“I am Loki of Asgard and I am burdened with glorious purpose” Loki utters these words in the first Avengers film, sharing a belief in his pre-ordained right to power. At the risk of being a spoiler, it doesn’t end well for him. The use of the word ‘burdened’ is used (I think) because Loki […]
“How’s your grad speech going?” I’m not sure what other people do when they are asked to write a speech, but I find it takes way more time than I have, way more coffee and wine than is healthy, and way more stress and anxiety than I ever expected (even though it was the same […]
A Little Bit of Struggle I popped in to see how my daughter was getting on with some maths home learning this week. She was stooped over her laptop, hands up against her head, and she was clearly struggling. She looked up at me, grimacing, and I immediately wanted to go over and help her […]
“All we need is another photocopier.” When I started teaching, I promised myself that if I stayed long enough to become a school leader, I would install a second photocopying machine to improve staff morale and wellbeing. Nothing was more frustrating than having to join the queue of grumpy, pre-caffeinated teachers waiting for their turn […]
All you want for Christmas (literally) Adapted from my 2023 end-of-year speech to High School students and staff… As I walked around the school this week, I was uplifted by the excitement from staff and students in the high school. I also could not help but notice the thousands of gifts that were being carried […]
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity opens up to go to the most prestigious chocolate factory in the world. Everyone wants to go, but there are only a few places available. So, a lottery is set up in the style of a treasure hunt for one of five Golden Tickets, hidden away in […]
This timeless story is about four people: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. It starts with Everybody saying that the education system is broken and something needs to change. It’s assumed that Everybody will kick things off because they always go on about it. Everybody says nothing will be the same after COVID-19, AI will change […]
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