Not an average day.

Those that know me well would say that I’m not usually backwards in coming forwards, although I do maintain that I’m a reluctant extrovert. However, I do believe that one role of leadership is to celebrate the successes and recognise the achievements of my team. Intrinsic motivation is needed if one is to achieve sustained, high quality teaching and learning, however, external motivation is the form of recognition does go a long way. Anyway, this post isn’t for me to harp on about the Ordnance Survey Award for Excellence in Geography Teaching, but to say how surreal and humbling the whole day was.

The highlight for me was hearing the acceptance speeches of the main medal winners, amongst them Michael Palin. He even laughed at my joke…. The geography geek in me also loved looking at some of the Royal Geographical Society’s Collection, including Captain Scott’s tea mug and the first set of physical geography textbooks. The image above is of a coffee pot, something very close to me heart. To be included amongst such company was crazy, and to be amongst the previous recipients feels a little wrong, after all I’ve just had some fun along the way. The day also marked a bittersweet moment and my attention turns from geography to whole school issues.

But here’s the important bit:

Thank you to Priory Geography members past and present. Without you going along with my hairbrained, controversial and sometimes completely plain wrong, I wouldn’t have been able to stand on that platform. Thank you to Mo, Jo, Sam, Lisa, JP, Charlotte, Nial, Lauren and Alec. Work really shouldn’t be such a delight. Thanks to my ever patient Line Manager, Jan and for those at Priory that trusted my professionalism and direction.

Thank you to the geographers who have shaped my point of view, chiefly Noel Jenkins, Alan Parkinson, Dan Raven-Ellison, Ollie Bray and Jamie Buchanan-Dunlop. The Royal Geographical Society, Ordnance Survey and Southern Rail for getting me there on time. Thanks also to Partners in Learning and all of the other organisations that I’ve doorstepped to blag thing from…

Thank you to my family – geographer in training Henry (3) and my geographer widow Kelly and my brother-in law Mark for supplying the jacket at the last minute….

Most of all, thank you to those that told me that a life of desperation and no hope didn’t need to be the design for my life. Not bad for an underachieving son of a wife-abusing miner.

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David Rogers

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