Teachers Without a Title.

Over the Christmas break I have had plenty of opportunity to reflect. One thing I have spent a considerable amount of time thinking about is where my career is headed. In this blog I wanted to share my thoughts about that process and the conclusions I have drawn.

As an educator, there are a number of opportunities for people to progress through the ranks. You can apply for management roles such as Head of Department or Head of House, or higher up the ladder to Senior Leadership roles. However, my dilemma is that I’ve never aspired to be any of those. But at this stage of my teaching career, it was time to plot my future direction and decide, once and for all, on a vocational pathway with which I would be satisfied and which would provide me with professional fulfilment.

As I wasn’t sure where to start, I started to make notes - lots and lots of notes - in a note pad. I listed all the things that I have enjoyed in the last 12 months. I listed the career opportunities available to teachers and then listed the pros and cons of each of them. Also, I considered other ideas such as further study, career changes or even a change of school. I thought it was also really important to consider where I was in my personal life. After all, our career is important but it’s not the ‘be all’ and ‘end all’. There has to be a work/life balance.

As my page of notes grew longer, I started writing names. Names of people who fill the Senior roles at my school and considered what each of them brought to the role and to me. I then deliberated on what I could bring to these roles and whether or not promotion was the direction I was seeking. I quickly decided it was not.

Next, I listed the people who have shared their experiences and encouraged me through the learning journey I have been on. These are people I respect and who share similar interests, so I was sure that they could provide me with guidance and help me to reach that place of professional contentment. I was right. After meeting with several of these people, their affirmation and support of my work and ideas finally cemented my career decision.

You’re probably wondering by now where I see myself going and the answer to that is simple.... nowhere! I love what I do. I have wonderful opportunities to implement new things with new classes. I have made connections to share, support and most importantly keep learning from those who share my passion. I have the support from the leadership team and my peers to keep implementing ideas and trying new things to improve learning opportunities for my students. The deciding factor was my total belief in what I do and the happiness I derive from it.

I’m a teacher of 17 years. I have never been a Head of House, Head of Department or anything more than a classroom teacher and there is no shame in that. I’m proud of what I do and think it is an incredibly important and influential job. Good teachers are never forgotten by the students whose lives they helped to shape.

On this journey of trying to work out where I want to be, I have discovered I want to be in the classroom, in front of kids. That’s what I enjoy! I want be challenged to engage the kid who is disengaged. I want to hear the comments and laughter of the kids who are loving their learning. I want to have that opportunity to influence the kid who may remember me when reflecting on their own life’s journey.

Do I need a title?  I already have one – Teacher!

What makes you Innovative?

I recently read a blog titled, “No. Your 3D Printer does not make you innovative.” I’ve also recently attended an Educational Technology Conference where (surprisingly) there was a lot of Technology on show, but the prevailing message was that Pedagogy drives Technology, not the other way around. Technology is a tool that is used to enhance learning. These recent events got me thinking about what does make you an innovative Teacher? If it’s not the technology, what is it?

I’ve been lucky enough to work in a school where we have continually provided in our budget to refurbish rooms. We’ve painted walls, bought new furniture and hung different displays and resources. However, I’ll be the first to admit I don’t move the furniture that often. However when I have moved it, I realise how much more I should be doing this. This is the same with referring to resources and displays. What point are they if they are not there as references or inspiration for our students?

I have this ‘bug bear’ about people referring to a certain classroom as theirs. Is it really? Or is it your students? Are you in that room to teach or are the students in there to learn? As Teachers our focus should be on Learning NOT Teaching. Therefore our language needs to change to support that. If we are to support our students learning by letting them have input into their learning environment, then the language must reflect this. If we want them to take ownership and feel comfortable in that space then we need to change our language. It’s all about the learning!

If we want to be innovative in our teaching we need to be constantly working on our practice to try different things and hopefully learn like our students. Education keeps evolving and research into education keeps evolving. We need to constantly evolve with this to provide a meaningful education for our students. The minute we stop learning is the minute we give up and start failing in our role as educators. Failing is a buzzword in Education at the moment. Letting students fail and learn from that failure is vital in developing as a learner. We must be prepared to model this behaviour and allow ourselves to be vulnerable. But this does not mean not trying or evolving our practice. 

While I mention Teachers as learners, we need to learn, not just through trying new things, but learn through the plethora of opportunities there are for Teachers to learn from other teachers or areas of our community. Earlier this month I blogged about the value of Twitter for Teachers. Twitter has been brilliant for me to connect, share, discuss and learn. But there are so many more opportunities. The obvious are Professional Developments, conferences, professional conversations and PLC’s.  However, online you can connect through social media, blogs, chat rooms, webinars, online courses and connect globally with any of these. To be innovative, you have to be connecting with others and learning through connecting.

Further, to be innovative you need to be prepared to get ‘messy’! You need to step out of your comfort zone and away from the familiar. This doesn’t mean ‘completely throwing everything out and starting again’ but it does mean trying things that you might be uncertain about. Try different strategies, different learning environments or bringing in outside experts. As teachers it is easy to do the ‘familiar’, the ‘comfortable’, the same thing we have always done. But if you are really focussed on your students learning you have to be prepared to step out of your comfort zone and try something different. Don’t think about what could go wrong, think about what could go well!

Just like stepping out of your comfort zone, we also need to be prepared to let go of control. It’s only when we are prepared to do this that we allow students creativity, ownership and engagement to thrive. Let the kids take control. Whether that is the setup of the room at the start of the year, the direction they take the learning through their own interests or the Class Rules. I believe this is an important part of being an innovative Teacher and if you haven’t tried it, give it a go. You will be surprised!

The last thing I believe is important in being innovative is pushing the boundaries. There are lots of rules and policies and procedures that govern what we can and can’t do as teachers but rather than just accept them because it’s easy, challenge them. I’m not saying argue everything all the time, you don’t want to be that person on staff! However, if you believe that it will be beneficial to your students learning than definitely question it or ‘bend the rules’. The policy makers put these things in place to ensure the safety and well-being of our students but they also have to consider what our role and responsibility is and work with us. Sometime doing the right thing isn’t always doing the right thing!

Most of what I have talked about as being innovative really comes down to your mindset. I believe there are two types of teachers. Those that are here to teach students and those that are here to help students learn. I think innovation can be applied to both. You can apply it with fancy new shiny technology or you can apply it with a focus on what’s best for your students learning. I know how I innovate in my practice. How do you innovate in yours?