Rethinking Career Progression

There’s a fallacy in education where people believe that everybody should be working towards Headship, and that being a Headteacher is the pinnacle of progression in a teacher’s career. I hear so many educators speaking about themselves as if they are a failure for not reaching Headship or senior leadership. I keep coming across the

#BackToSchoolBonanza2023

THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED In summer 2021, the #BackToSchoolBonanza took place. With well over £3000 worth of prizes from approximately 40 or so generous organisations and individuals, it was definitely one of the biggest giveaways on here. You can read the original blog to find out more about the donations, the donors as well

Loneliness

It has been a long time since I’ve blogged. This last couple of years have been a rollercoaster of change, and I just haven’t had the headspace to share my thoughts on here for a while. 5 terms ago, I took on co-Headship at a school I had been based at for the best part

A curriculum of windows, mirrors and sliding glass doors

Over the last few years, I have started to intertwine the work of Dr Rudine Sims Bishop within my school’s (Grove Road Community Primary School in Harrogate, North Yorkshire) reading curriculum offer. Bishop’s windows, mirrors and sliding glass doors metaphor (below) was a real catalyst for my thinking, and from there I started to develop

Orla and the Magpie’s Kiss

I am delighted to be part of the blog tour for the fantastic ‘Orla and the Magpie’s Kiss’, by C J Haslam (cover illustration by Paddy Donnelly) It’s pretty rare that I’ll read a book and then go straight on to the sequel. I usually need a different style or genre of book, or I’m

The Great Fox Illusion

I am delighted to be part of the blog tour for the magical mystery ‘The Great Fox Illusion, by Justyn Edwards (@justynedwards). Check out the rest of the tour dates and accounts below: Growing up, I remember watching a TV show called ‘Breaking The Magician’s Code’. A masked, silent chap would perform and tricks and

Connecting with Authors and Illustrators

Inspired by my previous ‘Creatively Speaking’ conversations with the fabulous Darrell Wakelam and Maz Evans (available here: https://mrhtheteacher.wordpress.com/2021/01/10/creatively-speaking/ and here: https://mrhtheteacher.wordpress.com/2021/02/09/creatively-speaking-authors-and-illustrators/), Jon Biddle’s map of independent booksellers (https://childrenreadingforpleasure.blogspot.com/2020/07/independent-childrens-booksellers.html?m=1) and the work of the Patron of Reading organisation (https://patronofreading.co.uk/), I have decided to put together a map of UK-based authors and illustrators. Check out the map

Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good!

I am delighted to be part of the blog tour for the fabulously funny Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good. Prepare for chuckles, funky family trees, pockets full of faeces and…well, you’ll have to read Louie Stowell’s new book to find out what else! Loki is being punished and he finds himself stripped

New Year, New Me

I’ve been given a really exciting opportunity recently: to take on Interim Co-Headship from February through to the summer in my current school. Last year, I was dead set against headship (see my blog here: https://mrhtheteacher.wordpress.com/2020/12/02/i-dont-want-to-be-a-head-any-more/). So what has changed? Journey into headship As I’ve shared before, earlier in my career I was on track

Getting the most out of a placement

I have the pleasure and privilege to be mentoring another student teacher in the new year and it got me thinking: what advice does every trainee need to hear? I’ve collated a list of 10 useful points here, but please feel free to suggest more! 1. Treat all placements as a long-term interview This is