Gave my notice by October

Gave my notice by October - my NQT Year

Thank you @abster for giving me the excuse to indulge in selfies. This is also a bloody hard story to write because my NQT year was crap and I almost left teaching. What follows may sound negative, so if it's the first time you've come across me, read some other stories of mine first. If I sound like an arrogant brat, I won't wriggle out of that one because I probably am. I'll let you decide when we share a beer / coffee / joke.

These two pictures were taken at some point during my NQT year during Duke of Edinburgh Expedition training - I was the instructor for University students from Portsmouth. I've chosen these two deliberately as I can sum up my NQT year with two words: Isolating and Edgy.

(The header image is from a fav wild camp spot in the Careddau -I'm not going to say where because it would spoil it ;-) and earning the Freedom of the Ogwen Valley by leaping between Adam and Eve on the summit of Tryfan. The 'f' is a 'v')

I bloody hated teaching, so much that I had given in my notice by the October in order to return to poorly paid outdoor instruction. Anyhow, in an effort to stay on task....

Route and first role

Planned to join the RAF whilst at the University of Exeter. Almost killed myself in a car accident. Reconsidered. Planned to travel for three months, came back quite a while later. Bagged a Geography Degree at the University of Portsmouth, did a PGCE at the University of Durham. My first role was in Southampton in a school that closed. I was a geography teacher and put in charge of Leisure and Tourism. I was entertained with a Year 9 tutor group.

High points

I need to think about this....

Right, it was having lots of time to climb mountains.

The other thing it gave me was a big long list of what not to do if ever I was in charge.

Low point

Not really enjoying teaching but finding that I could do it without much effort. Sound arrogant, but colouring in doesn't require much planning. I didn't feel challenged and therefore gave in my notice and planned to quit teaching. A mix up in communication meant that I stayed on to complete my NQT year, mainly for the money.

I basically spent the year uninspired. In a word, it was bollocks year.

Most surreal moment

Giving marriage counselling to two 40 something parents.

Biggest challenge of the year

Having to lead Leisure and Tourism with some of the most wonderful but equally challenging young people ever. This included running trips and visits very early on. Having the stomach to stay the course.

My advice to an NQT would be

Don't join teaching because it's easier than making a decision. Develop your own manifesto for teaching and remember why you made that decision. Ask for help but don't be afraid to make waves.

Say no, focus on making teaching the best it can be. Walk around the school during your NQT periods and say hello to staff and children.

How come you're still here?

I got another job (mainly to run Leisure and Tourism again), struggled by for a while and then a bloke called Jeff Stanfield came into my classroom. He told me what I did was a little more than OK. Made me wonder what I could do if I tried a little harder. He probably doesn't know it, but he basically lit a big rocket and fired it. I haven't looked back. Thanks Jeff. The words you say made me the teacher I aspire to be.

High Impact, Low effort

This month is the start of the #29daysofwriting challenge. I enjoyed this last year and will be using my Staffrm account to post. I'll also be reporting here, both to give a little more detail and to keep a log of what I have written. The challenge developed a great sense of community last year, which is why I'm choosing to write on Staffrm. What I would say to those who are new to writing or don't want to run out of ideas is: Write for yourself. Clarify an idea, write something out loud. The process of distilling thoughts into writing is immensely beneficial to your practice. If other read, comment and respond, that's a bonus. Ignore the muppets who know nothing of your context, style or students. Mix it up - I like to read about real stuff from real classrooms and schools and also about other stuff. If we always write about school, how does that work for workload? If you've nothing nice to say, don't say it. So, the following has been

What makes a learning experience profound? Personal reflections and possible implications for classroom practice.

I have recently begun a Leadership Pathways journey. As part of the first core day, we were asked to reflect on a profound learning experience. This got me thinking about how many profound learning experiences I have both been involved in, and how many I have been able to give to others. Our group came up with a huge long list, but these are my five. Emotional Connected Demanding Reflective Collaborative As always, these are personal thoughts and quite mixed up. I put them here so that I can look back on them (plus they’d get lost inside my world-cup-free brain) 1. Emotional I can’t think of a time where deep learning hasn’t engaged my emotions. From being awe inspired to that tingle feeling when a student gets a light bulb moment. From this-is-the-happiest-day-ever, to I-think-I’m-about-to die. How often do we engage the emotions of those we teach? Here, I would argue that having a safe learning environment is not always conducive to profound

The danger of Teaching and Twitter conversations: poorly formed bipolar arguments.

Sometimes in life, there really are only two options. Get the wrong one and you can look like a muppet. Take this useful sign for the toilets in Morocco. I successfully navigated it, choosing the right option. The result? No egg on my face. As a mountain leader, there are many right or wrong decisions that I’ve faced, as there are all over life. It’s not a good idea to let inexperienced young people walk themselves down Snowdon. They may die or be seriously injured. If someone is showing the signs and symptoms of hyperthermia, you need to treat it fast in a specified way. There is no real arguing with this sign: Other options are less obvious. Take this sign recently spotted near to where I live: Now, I wouldn’t consider sleeping in a bin. However, faced with a sub-zero night, I could see the appeal. The danger? Being tipped into one of those huge lorries with a compactor. (by the way, I only really considered all of this thanks to questions from my four year old boy).

David Rogers

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