Reflections of an ex-head teacher

Something caught my eye on my social media timeline yesterday. It was a post about an event called 'Empathy Week,' and as I write a lot about empathy being one of the key characteristics of effective leadership, I decided to investigate further. Empathy Week is a big deal as it is not just a national event, but a global one. It launched in 2020 and the website states that last year they involved over 330,00 students in 54 different countries. I must be honest that up till yesterday I had not heard of it but it is backed by big hitters such as the BBC and The Times newspaper, so with a bit of luck, it will become even bigger this year. It is free to register your school for Empathy Week, and for me signing up is a complete no-brainer as the aim of the organisers is to develop "the crucial skill of empathy in students aged five to eighteen". They will provide teachers with resources for the classroom as well as access to assemblies and other live events throughout the w...

I am going to start my post today with a quote from the greatest TV show of all time, The Simpsons. Although to the uninitiated it may appear to be a silly cartoon show full of wacky characters and fun but meaningless catchphrases, those of us who have been enlightened understand that it is actually a study of the human condition as well as a time capsule showing us the good and bad of every aspect of pop culture from the past 30 years.  Anyway, back in 2001 the show broadcast an episode called 'She of Little Faith', which focused on the search for the meaning of life that Lisa Simpson, the daughter of the family, was going through. As part of her journey she spoke to other residents of Springfield, and I want to share with you a short excerpt from a conversation she had with two of them, colleagues of her father named Lenny and Carl. Lisa: Lenny and Carl? You guys are Buddhist? Carl: Oh, yeah. If I didn't have inner peace, I'd go completely psycho on all you guys all t...

It was a tradition at my school, as I expect it is in many schools, to celebrate the end of our year six children's time with us with some events at the end of the summer term. This usually involved their families, too. I remember one year during the annual parents versus children rounders match when the adult team—and let's be honest, it was the dads—took it so seriously that they thrashed the children so badly that the class teacher ended up having to have a strong word with them . Things were even more interesting a couple of years ago when we were particularly pleased to say goodbye to some of the parents. It wasn't just the relationship between school and parents that had been challenging; we were also aware that some of the parents really didn't get on! The first event we had to negotiate was the leaver's lunch. This was one of my favourite traditions and involved the children planning and cooking a meal, which was then shared between all the families of the c...

The following post is taken from the manuscript for my still unpublished book. The book is designed as a manual for the new head teacher and the section I am including below is one where I describe the particularities and challenges involved in building positive relationships with different staff groups. I hope that you find it an interesting read and that some of it strikes a chord with your own experiences.

Recently I did a 'deep dive' post looking at the development of the use of the computer in classrooms. As a child of the seventies, my formative years were at the start of the age of the personal computer, and as a teacher and then a headteacher my career ran parallel to the introduction and growth of the Internet and then the mobile technology revolution. Being just the right age to map my life and career in this way made it an interesting exercise, and brought up many long forgotten memories involving my interactions with technology at different points of my life, some of which I want to share in this post. I want to start by going back to my time as a class teacher in the late 90s and early 00s, when I took on the role of ICT co-ordinator for my school. One of my favourite things to do was find new websites to share with the staff so that they could use them with their children. Even back then, in the dark ages, there was some great content that we used to enhance our curric...

This seems like the good day for another 'leadership lessons' post, for tomorrow is the day when the 47th President of the USA is inaugurated. As the incumbent of this position becomes the most powerful person on the planet, and is known as 'the leader of the free world', there must be something we can learn from their leadership, right? So, why don't we analyse Donald J. Trump by focusing on the characteristics of what I term as a 'cultivational leader' to see to what extent that he possesses them? Let's start with 'empathy'. A cultivational leader needs to demonstrate empathy for others, so can we identify episodes where Trump has shown this? Two examples come immediately to mind; the first was during a rally in 2015, where he was accused of mocking a physically disabled journalist. This reporting was sadly inaccurate as he was in fact showing so much empathy with the individual concerned that he was attempting to inhabit the man's body and...

Our scene opens on a snowy night outside a theatre. Christmas lights and wreaths hanging from street lamps tell us it is the festive season. A man in a brown overcoat comes in from the cold, but he passes the ticket booth without paying, as he is not here to see the show. As he opens his locker and grabs his spray bottle we can see that he is a janitor, although photos stuck to the door of his locker suggests he has bigger dreams. He sings in a low soft voice as he goes about his job. The sound of his voice catches the attention of some of the other employees throughout the theatre, who stop and take a moment to enjoy his singing. Our scene shifts to the stage, where our mystery man taps a chord on the piano before starting to mop the floor around it. It seems that he is dreaming of being on the stage and performing to an adoring audience. We cut to a lady in a smart suit, who appears to be his manager, perhaps the manager of the theatre. She pulls out her phone and we can see that she...

I would like to begin by clarifying that the title of this post is intended to be somewhat ironic. I have noticed the term 'Wellbeing Wednesday' used frequently in schools, and I must point out that this approach is flawed. Wellbeing should not be confined to a single day each week; for it to be truly effective, it must be integrated into daily routines on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday as well, and perhaps even more crucially, over the weekend! Each Wednesday I am planning to publish a post themed on one of my own recommended wellbeing strategies. They will be strategies that you can use to support the children, to support staff, or to support yourself. They will be achievable, realistic and hopefully fun too! The theme for this week is 'Pick a Team'. I was considering calling it 'join a team' but I appreciate that many of us don't have the time or the inclination to physically do that. If you do then good luck to you and I am sure it will have a pos...

Today is the first time I am not starting a new year as a head teacher. The first day of the spring term was for me always one of the least pleasant in the year. My thoughts are with those who are on their commutes this morning, as no matter how much you love your job, the first day back after Christmas is always hard.  The following post is a reflection on past experiences. The First Day of Term The alarm shrieks at you to tell you that Christmas is over. You didn't need it though, as for the first time in two weeks you were fully conscious hours before it went off. Why does it seem darker now than it did in the week before schools broke up? Apparently the nights are starting to get shorter now, but it doesn't seem that way. An extra spoonful of coffee in your favourite mug has the desired effect and drags you out of the house and into the car. You curse out loud as you realise that you have to sit there, prolonging the holiday for a few more minutes, whilst the windscreen def...