Independent Schools Portal
  • Home
  • About
  • Professional Development in 2021
  • innovatED Magazine
    • innovatED Issue 1
    • innovatED Issue 2
    • innovatED Issue 3
    • innovatED Issue 4
Picture

Blog Page

Teaching: The greatest profession of all

7/5/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture

by David Winfield

On Wednesday night, a dear headteacher friend asked if I could help out as he had several members of staff who were ill. I was delighted. As a teacher, you sometimes just wake up and there is a frisson in the air.  You have a clarity of thought, a sense that all is well with world and you just know that today... well, it’s going to be a bit special. And so it was on Thursday.
‘The Donald’ may have all but secured the Republican nomination and ‘The Gibb’ may not have known the answers to the grammar questions that he has set our 10 and 11 year olds, but I felt the summer sun on my back for the first time this year as I strode into school. As I did so, the earnest chat of a group of year 5s wafted across the playground, ’I wonder what it’s like to be slapped by a big-fish?’  It was a privilege to hear the range of opinion as the weighty question was debated. I couldn’t help wondering myself!

So, into school and a high-five from Des, the caretaker from Leicester. He’s been doing it all week, apparently. Into the staff-room and not one, not two, but three cakes. It’s Denise’s birthday. The staff-room is already a hive of activity as the plans for the post-assessment Year 6 residential are being finalised. The birthday girl (mid-fifties in body, mid-twenties in spirit) summed up the mood: We go to places of our choice, sharing the excitement of an educational adventure with children who are thirsty for knowledge and it’s paid for by someone else. Honestly, what’s not to like?!
​

Year 6 are awesome in their class assembly: The culmination of a topic about asylum seekers; it encompassed a mock game show where winning asylum was the prize and there was an incredibly moving presentation that followed. At times hilariously funny, hard-hitting throughout and in the end there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Such well-rounded, caring, amazing children.  Their respective Senior Schools will be very lucky to have them.

My teaching spider-senses started to tingle mid-morning when the Rowling group suddenly went very quiet as they were making the chocolates they had designed. Most of the melted orange chocolate had disappeared. Where had it gone? Another mystery for Poirot to solve.

I want to be able to tell you that it was Fish and Chips for lunch.  But sadly, this recount is grounded in hard facts and is no flight of fancy. This was Thursday, sadly, and not ‘Fishy Friday’ as the children call it. It mattered not. Thursday is treacle sponge and custard day. And yes, there was still room for an enormous slice of Denise’s lemon drizzle cake. Or two.

After lunch it was time for science, and time to explore what one child initially kept calling ‘elastic-trickery’. Wonderful! I also really enjoyed clarifying that, ‘no, they weren’t called the dark ages because there weren't any floodlights.’

The after-school lower key-stage two football training was very satisfying. Real progression with positional awareness and one-touch passing. The Head, though, was very direct during the post-training cup of tea (and slice of carrot cake - don’t mind if I do). ‘It’s been 3 years without a trophy.  I’m not a man of infinite patience'. Said with tongue in cheek, though not without feeling, before bursting into a fit of giggles. As a Plymouth Argyle supporter and headteacher, he is a beacon of perpetual hope!

And so off home.  Another high-five from Des. Getting into my car I overhear one of the football boys excitedly telling Mum about the final match of the year that is coming up and how important it is. He could be talking about the World Cup Final.

​And there it is. Why teaching is the greatest profession of all, summed up in one day. And there are four other days just like it every week. And the holidays aren’t bad either. Though life has carried me on to other exciting projects, I can't imagine ever losing the teaching bug.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All
    2005 Conservative Manifesto
    30 Hours
    3D Classsroom
    3D Printer
    3D Software
    3 For Free
    Adele Bannister
    Adobe Spark
    AEGIS
    Alan Thompson
    Andrew Goff
    Andrew Hammond
    Andy Falconer
    Andy Goff
    Animation
    Ann Marie Christian
    Anti-Bullying
    Anti-bullying Guide
    Antonia Clarke
    Apple
    App Of The Week
    Appraisal
    Assessment
    Assessment Systems
    Autism
    Back To School
    Barry Richardson
    Baseline Assessment
    Beatwave
    Bee Aware Initiative
    Bishops Univerity
    Bishops University
    Blue Apple Education
    Briefing Note
    Buncee
    Bursars
    Buying
    Buying Support Agency
    Cardiio
    Careers
    CAS
    Catherine Lees
    Charity
    Chatterpix
    Child Protection
    Child Support
    Choices
    Chris Forrest
    Christina Gabbitas
    Claas
    Claire Fuller
    Claire Stead
    Classroom Technology
    Clifton School And Nursery
    Clubs
    Code Combat
    Code Studio
    Collaboration
    Collaborative Learning
    Collaborative Purchasing
    Competition
    Competitions
    Compliance
    Computing
    Conference
    Conferences
    Conservatives
    Coopetition
    CoSpaces
    CPOMS
    Creative Writing
    Cundall Manor
    Cyber Cafe
    Cyber-security
    Dan Arnold
    Dan Seneker
    David Goulbourn
    David Horton
    David Paton
    David Winfield
    Department For Education
    Deputy Heads
    Devolve Me
    Dfe
    Difficult Conversations
    Difficult Parents
    Diversity
    Dotty
    Early Years
    Economics
    Ecoschools
    EdShow
    Edtech
    Education
    Educational Fads
    Education Policy
    Education Show
    Election 2017
    Eliziam
    Email
    Emil Willis
    Emma Warner-Reed
    Engagement
    E Safety
    E-safety
    ExamPAL
    Feel Real
    Festival Of Learning
    Finance
    Find Of The Fortnight
    Finnish Education
    Firefly
    Flash Fiction
    Flipped Learning
    Flowing Tales
    Formative Assessment
    Funding
    GBM Digital
    Gender
    Gender Stereotypes
    Globalisation
    Gooseberry Planet
    Governors
    Grammar School At Leeds
    Grammar Schools
    Grants
    Green Paper
    Grief Recovery
    Grieving
    Growth Mindset
    GSaL
    Hannah Wilson
    Heads4Heads
    Headship
    Health And Safety
    Helene Ruda
    Henry Smith
    Higher Education
    Hi Impact
    Hi-impact
    Holmewood House
    Homework
    Hyde Park School
    IAPS
    Icomm
    ICT For Leaders
    Incerts
    Incredibox
    Independent Schools
    Independent Thinking
    Innova
    Innovation
    Inspection
    Inspiring Teaching
    Inspiring The Inspirers
    International Higher Education
    International Study
    Internet
    Internet Safety
    Intrinsic Motivation
    Ishita Mandraka
    ISI
    IT
    Jack Adamson
    Jack Jackman
    James Tooley
    Jo Marsden
    Justine Greening
    Kahoot
    Karen Burns
    KCSIE
    Klick Technology
    Koma Koma
    Kylie Reid
    Lab Furniture
    Leaders
    Leadership
    Learning Environments
    Learning Ladders
    Learning Platforms
    Lego Life
    Leigh McGarvie
    Lily Foundation
    Lisa Ashes
    Literacy
    Little Food Company
    Loss
    Lucidpress
    Maria Brosnan
    Mark Davies
    Mark Doherty
    Mark Lomas
    Maths
    Maths Setting
    Matt Haynes
    Matt Koster-Marcon
    Matt Roper
    Meetings
    Mental Health
    Mike Abraham
    Mike Hargreaves
    Miles Berry
    NAHT
    Networks
    Nicola Clifford
    Nursery
    Nursery Education
    Outdoor Learning
    Outward Bound Trust
    Oxford Home Schooling
    P4C
    Parental Engagement
    Parent Apps
    Parenting
    Parents Tour
    Parent Teacher Relationships
    Partners
    Paul Brewer
    Pedagogy
    Peter Carpenter
    Phil Garner
    Philosophy
    Philosophy-for-children
    Pirjo Suhonen
    Playdemic
    Pobble
    Pokemon Go
    Pownall Hall School
    Premier Education
    Principal Resourcing
    Professional Development
    Programming
    Pupil Progress
    Purchasing
    Radnor House School
    Ransomware
    Recruitment
    Red House School
    Renewable Energy
    Resiliance
    Ross Morrison McGill
    Safeguarding
    Samantha Fisher
    Sam Antrobus
    Sarah Barthorpe
    Saving Money
    Savings
    School Communication
    School Outdoor Learning
    Schools
    Secret Parent
    Self Broadcasting
    Sensavis
    Shadow Puppet
    Sheilds
    Shropshire 3D Print
    Smart
    Smart Technologies
    Smoothwall
    Smootwall
    Snapseed
    Social Media
    Software
    Solar For Schools
    Sonia Gill
    Sonita Alleyne
    SOuL
    Splice
    St Bees
    Stella
    Stella James
    Stephanie Walker
    St Olaves
    Stress
    Stronger Together
    Stuart Bayne
    Student Debt
    Students
    Study In Canada
    Studying In The USA
    Study US
    Supply Teaching
    Sustainability
    TeacherIn
    Teacher Shortages
    Teaching
    Teaching And Learning
    Teaching Ideas
    Tech
    Technology
    Teresa May
    Termly Update
    Thomas Packer
    Three For Free
    Tigtagjunior
    Tigtagworld
    Tiny Tap
    Top Trumps It
    Tracy Gladman
    Twig
    Twig World
    University Funding
    USA University Study
    VEO
    Video
    Video Editor
    Video Enhanced Observation
    Videos
    Virtual Reality
    Viviana Doctorovich
    Wellbeing
    WomenEd
    Wonder Why Society
    Work - Life Balance
    Worrinots
    Yasemin Wigglesworth
    Yes Programme

    RSS Feed

Stay social

Picture
(c) Blue Cow Education Limited 2015-20.  All rights reserved.
  • Home
  • About
  • Professional Development in 2021
  • innovatED Magazine
    • innovatED Issue 1
    • innovatED Issue 2
    • innovatED Issue 3
    • innovatED Issue 4