David Rogers

As an ultra marathon runner, I'm used to speaking to myself.  Self talk is really important in teaching and leadership.  Quite often, I wish that I was less observant so that student with their coat on wasn't visible to me etc. However, I’ve seen too many leaders look the other way. Here are some techniques I use based on no research whatsoever, just what I do. 1. How should I react? The first bit of self-talk concerns what to do about something.  Everything that happens can be classified into the two areas above.  I save myself energy by focusing on the stuff that I can change including having a strong routine at the start of the lesson, whether my running daps are well fitting.  I can't do anything about the weather outside, I can just make the decision of what equipment to wear. Unlike the weather outside, I can influence the climate in school. I see Government interventions and Ofsted as the weather (don't like the current raft of initiatives?...

The photo about was taken at  Þingvellir  in Iceland. It's where the Mid Atlantic ridge cuts straight through the country.  Those are my feet as I'm trying to show that you can climb between the continental plates of Eurasia and North America.  Of course, the actual rift valley is around 7km wide, and the students I take are far more sensible with their own images: Anyway, getting to the point.  Þingvellir is also the sight of the 'first' parliament of sorts (although it wasn't democratic) as the Viking descendants met each year to share laws, settle disputes and get the women pregnant.  There may have been some horse trading too.  The place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The place is epic special and not far from this place, Regan and Gorbachev signed some Perestroika agreements. (see you've learned something, right?) People coming together to celebrate and reinforce the ethos of a school is one of the most important events in a school. ...

This is a quick, rapid fire post before I head off to eat pizza and pack for Iceland.  These are thoughts, not fully formed and don't necessarily reflect my own point of view.  These came to me during a 7 mile bimble (a jog whilst enjoying the view) along the South Downs yesterday.  It was getting dark so anything to detract from the wild foul.  I've been on the courses and read the books. Thing is, I'm not sure how those who advocate well being link this to their desire to drive teaching to be great.  How do these two things fit together when teaching across a school, or in pockets, is less than great?  What do you do when everyday is heartbreaking knowing that some children just aren't getting the education that they have the right to?  It's like drifting across an iceberg filled lagoon in the dark - all looking fit until you hit one of the bloody things. A big part of my job has been to challenge and support teachers.  It has been a big pa...