“On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was,“ “It’s October 3rd“ Mean Girls, 2004 I had no idea 3rd October was “Mean Girls” Day. For many years, I have worn pink on Fridays to show my support for inclusion and LGBTQ+ inclusion – not that anyone has ever asked me. So it was a […]
When I’m interviewing potential new teachers, I often ask, “Can you share an example of where your thinking has shifted from: I used to think this, but now I think this?” I don’t ask this because I’m seeking a dramatic conversion story. I ask it because I’m genuinely curious about how people open themselves up […]
-ocracies Often, the best learning in our classrooms is not planned for. In one of my lessons this week, we went off on a tangent about how different governments might respond to the same issue differently. We thought that a democracy might call for a vote, an autocracy might impose a decree, a technocracy might […]
At the end of every school year, I feel it: the compression. Teachers are finalising reports, marking exams, writing references, and preparing next year’s curriculum and timetables. Parents are emailing. Students are burning out. What should be a celebratory end to a fantastic year starts to feel like siege warfare. Everyone is trying to get […]
I am trying to decide whether I have read a lot of books this year or not. Not that it matters, of course. I’m not counting. It’s just that I know that reading is a great place for me to “be well” and that does matter. As much as I would love to have a […]
There’s an old English saying that I often mutter when I’m being worn thin by seemingly excessive demands: “Do you want the moon on a stick?” This week alone, the question has crossed my mind on at least five occasions in conversations I have shared. They (parents) say They (teachers) say They (parents, teachers, students, […]
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 met up with an old friend last week for coffee (actually, he’s not that old; it’s our friendship that’s old), and we talked about someone we both knew from our school days who is very successful and a bit of a big shot (as it were). And I said to my friend, “But you’re […]
“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 […]
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