Category: Leadership

Challenge, Instinct and Resilience

Featured, LeadershipPublished onUpdated on13 Comments on Challenge, Instinct and Resilience

My first week in my new post as Deputy Head Teacher has probably been the most challenging five days of my career. Unfortunately I cannot be as candid about my experiences as I normally would be, due to a number of reasons, including some legal ones. Let’s just say “a baptism of fire” would be an understatement.

The week has been all about firsts. When you are starting somewhere new, everything you do will be for the first time. Learning about the routines for assembly, end of playtime, dinner routines, seeing behaviour policies in action, dealing with incidents. When you are thrust into situations where you are a little unsure or even completely unsure, it is a huge challenge.

Carrying something to write on has really helped as things to do, information and names have come thick and fast. I have also punctuated so much of my work with a smile, a joke to lighten the air with colleagues.

Strangely enough I have walked away from the last 5 days with a better understanding of myself, my resilience and ability to adapt. I understand the importance of my open mindedness and have a clearer appreciation for the inner strength you need to stray way beyond your comfort zone.

I have learned that you cannot plan for every outcome in certain situations and that sometimes you learn a lot more about people and yourself when all you are able to do is react. No time to think, just react. With everything stripped away, you are just left with your professional instincts.

This week I have learned that I can be visibly calm under intense pressure and the impact this has on those looking to me to lead. In fact I have surprised myself with my ability to think with clarity when pressed, it hasn’t been an act, but simply how I approached situations this week.

No other 5 day stretch has ever examined and pressurised my professional facets as those just gone.

I know for certain that I am lucky to be part of an amazing staff, a fantastic group of professionals who have supported and helped me through a tough week. I am very grateful to them for that. It is a week to be included in the memoirs one day.

Photo by Markus Spiske

If Fish Were Ideas

Leadership, Networks, TwitterPublished on1 Comment on If Fish Were Ideas

Pete and Chris, an assistant head teacher and a newly qualified teacher, enjoyed sharing ideas for learning with me. But it was when I showed them Twitter and where to find future ideas that they saw the potential of online networks.

Give a teacher an idea and you spark an interest for a week. Lead a teacher to a community and they will have ideas for a lifetime.

Whispering Change

Blogging, Curriculum, Leadership, NetworksPublished onUpdated on6 Comments on Whispering Change

1348695144 5ff9e097c8 mIs the sun beginning to set on a cumbersome educational landscape? One that is too rigid to quickly adjust to what leaners need and what they want from the future. A system that looks on as grass roots spread wider and wider beneath it.

I am in revolutionary mood as I return from some inspiring conversations with people at #BectaX.

Can those of us who recognise the need for change, rise above the cynicism? Rise above the barriers and the blocks. Let us be determined and positive, and make change happen in small ways, where we are, where we can.

Perhaps it is wrong of us to ever have believed this change will occur from policy. I am sure you are like me in that you have never waited for policy to define your practice. Each of us has a certain amount of influence, an ability to change 1 or 5, 30 or even 500 students’ experiences of school. If we believe it should be done, we need to make it happen in every small way we can.

I have stood in a room with hundreds of people whispering. It is very loud.

If we all make a small contribution, a small effort of change – if we all whisper, our voices will be heard. Here are some whispers:

  1. Talk to your students, to your classes about technology. Find out how they use it at home and what they enjoy. Plan to do it again soon.
  2. Take what you find out (formally or informally) to someone else in your institute. Better still get your students to explain it.
  3. Show someone how you use Twitter or other online tools to connect with teachers. Do it as often as you can.
  4. Write a blog post about your ideas. (Or even start a blog for your ideas!) Share your experiences, frustrations, successes and hopes for your work.
  5. Share an interesting blog post you have seen with someone who may never see it.
  6. Ask on your blog or on Twitter for other schools to connect with. Share the process with your class and give them an insight into what is happening at schools in other countries.
  7. Help someone on Twitter by retweeting a request for assistance. You never know where that ripple will stop.
  8. Let your children or students teach you how to use something.
  9. Find ways to help parents better understand what you do in school and how their children are using technology.
  10. Find out what your students think of blocking websites. What do they think is “safe” internet use.
  11. Consider managing your own internet filtering. At least have the conversation.
  12. Ask your local authority to unblock useful websites. Keep asking.

Whatever form your whisper takes, raise your voices. We are louder together.

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I Hope…

Curriculum, Leadership, My classPublished onUpdated on10 Comments on I Hope…

My son will soon be pitched headlong into full time education. As a father and a teacher I have certain hopes for the kind of experiences he will have in the next 15 years or so.

I hope he will be in classrooms that are bright and engaging.

I hope that he will think school is exciting, where ever it is.

I hope there will be people that will find out what makes him happy.

I hope all of his successes are celebrated.

I hope he gets outside to see the world at every opportunity.

I hope his class sizes are smaller.

I hope that there will be teachers that understand what engages him.

I hope that technology is part of how he learns, but not the only part.

I hope teachers will really understand learning and not just teaching.

I hope that when he is learning he will be able to choose the technology and tools that he needs.

I hope that his teachers help him with this choice and stand back to let it happen.

I hope his achievements in one sector are not disregarded in the next.

I hope someone inspires him.

I hope he is encouraged to learn about the things that interest him.

I hope he begins to understand the world beyond his school and his home.

I hope that someone will help him understand what future contribution he might be able to make.

I hope that learning happens in a whole myriad of places.

I hope the teachers he encounters understand what technology means to him outside of school.

I hope his teachers feel free to innovate.

I hope he is happy.

I hope he is safe.

What do you hope for?

#newleaders

Leadership, Networks, TwitterPublished onUpdated on1 Comment on #newleaders

4013729209 91c6d8f8edDoug Belshaw and Stuart Ridout were instrumental in the production of the fantastic #movemeon book,

“Tips, ideas and suggestions for all teachers from the Twitter community.”

The book was created from the tweets of fellow Twitter users, all collated with the #movemeon hashtag.

Another effort was soon started after this one titled #newleaders. I will soon be one of these new leaders and so this week I asked Stuart Ridout if we could give it a fresh look.

The tag has gained momentum over the last few days with hundreds of tips and ideas suggested about school leadership.

You can see all the tweets here at TwapperKeeper.

For the first book it took over 300 individual ideas, tweeted with the tag, to produce the book.

This is the edu-Twitter community press!

Crowd-sourcing the sort of professional development advice we need. The power of this sort of advice is in the origin: our peers.

I have no doubt that in time other topics will emerge we can contribute to. If each of us makes a single 140 character contribution we can achieve so much together as a community.

Please help with this new book by writing a tweet with your leadership advice and don’t forget the hashtag…

#newleaders

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