We’ve all been there and done them – and, if you’re a teacher, you’ve even probably supervised them: Tests. Formal written tests are carried out under exam conditions, which includes silence and just getting in with it – on your own. I’ve never done a test where I could use someone else’s expertise – it’s […]
My son gave me a mug for Christmas. One of those red mugs with the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ slogan that was designed as a motivational poster during the Second World War but never actually released for public consumption. The ‘Keep Calm’ message has been adapted, used and abused endlessly over recent years – […]
I’M JUST DOING IT…! If you have kids, you’ll almost certainly have heard them using the word ‘just’ in the above context – meaning, of course, ‘I’m about to do what you asked me to do <insert your own time period> minutes / hours ago.’ The word ‘just’ is so often used as an excuse […]
Social networking sites seem to have neared breaking point today as individuals and organisations flooded their pages with posts and updates bidding farewell to 2014 and welcoming in the new year. I myself spent considerable time reviewing and sharing posts that I came across whilst browsing. But why the almost universal obsession with the new year? […]
I was working with a Year 5 class this week that consisted of quite a mixed bunch of children, many of whom were also very mixed-up emotionally: they had issues relating to each other, issues listening, issues managing themselves and issues taking pride in their learning – or just taking learning seriously. All that […]
Today, I taught Year 2. It was like going into the wild. What astonishes me – but, more importantly, concerns me – is that far too many children I meet lack the essential skills to manage themselves, to manage their responses to situations, to manage their relationships with each other, to manage their learning. And here many of us are, […]