A Teacher's Tales

Readers familiar with Dylan Thomas will recognise the play on words in the title of this blogpost. Thomas first published his poem ‘In My Craft or Sullen Art’ in 1946, which deals with the poet’s art in the purest form. Rather than earning money, poetry is a thing of love dealing with the love and philosophy of life. It is a poem I have thought about lots over the years, and particularly when in the classroom.

Teaching at its best is an art form, a mastery, a craft. The expertise involved in orchestrating the perfect lesson and living it in action is something quite magical. Not all teachers achieve this or ever experience it. But I would argue that for those who do, it’s because they have truly mastered their craft. They probably have a certain mentality or mindset too, much like Thomas expresses in his poem. They focus on the beauty and charm of teaching and learning and not on personal ambitions or monetary gain.

Recent school holidays have allowed me to spend quality time with my adult children, both in Laugharne (where Dylan Thomas once lived) and in France (I started my teaching career as a French teacher). During these holidays our discussions have centred around their plans for the future, and I have helped them with their Uni essays, dissertations, CVs, and job applications – provoking me to reflect on my own life choices.

From attending Swansea University (based in Dylan Thomas’s hometown), to studying a joint honours degree in English and French and eventually pursuing a career in education, I realised that I have always made decisions from the heart. I never set out to study in Wales or to study for a particular profession and I certainly never wanted to be a teacher. What I have chosen to do at each stage of life’s journey is to stay true to myself and pursue my passions at the time.

In Thomas’s poem, there is emphasis on the poet being a self-righteous person who does not write for fulfilling any ambition or earning money. The poem deals with the more subtle and deep nature of poetry which deals with or rather dwells in the depth of human nature and philosophy rather than a means of livelihood or a way to show off.

For me, listening to my heart to find my art has been a fulfilling journey to date. A career in education, that started in Wales and has taken me to France and beyond, has been about so much more than any aspiration or simply paying the bills. Teaching is who I am and where I belong, when I’m in my craft or sullen heart.

In My Craft or Sullen Art

My new job sees me responsible for “wellbeing” in an international school environment. Since the meaning of wellbeing is so multidimensional, the scope of the role is huge and if I’m totally honest, can be somewhat scary at times! Apart from leading on all manner of wellbeing projects across the community, I also line manage the boarding houses, the medical centre staff, the safeguarding team, the student support services and the pastoral systems. These are arguably the most vulnerable areas of a school community, where key protocols, legislation processes and health and safety measures need to be strictly followed.

Difficult conversations 

It’s not surprising therefore that in the past week I found myself in a meeting about how to have difficult conversations. Difficult conversations are part and parcel of leadership, and I started thinking about how I have handled these in the past. Some examples include not allowing a student to study a particular subject because they haven’t met the criteria, calling a parent when something unfortunate has happened to their child, telling a colleague that they haven’t been given a promotion, dealing with a complaint which is hard to defend…I could go on. But in my experience, I have found that these conversations become less difficult when you stay true to yourself and the values for which you stand. When you believe in what you are doing, remain authentic, open, transparent and communicate well with a clear sense of direction you gain the strength required to handle such scenarios and be an effective leader.  

When identifying my leadership style over the years, I believe from feedback and from my own self-evaluation that I am a kind leader. And whilst we shouldn’t confuse the word ‘kind’ with ‘nice,’ I do believe in the words that were instilled in me by my mother: “it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.” This saying has influenced the way I live and the way I work. I have consciously carried these words with me over the years because I wholeheartedly believe them. But it took me quite a while to realise that being a kind leader is a good thing.

Being too nice? 

At the age of 21, I interviewed with the NHS for a position on their graduate management program. It was a lengthy process, consisting of a variety of rigorous assessments and I was really pleased to reach the final round. It was disappointing therefore not to be offered a place in the end and I was provided with the feedback that I just seemed too nice to cope with some of the demands of the role, despite meeting all the other criteria. Fast forward twenty years later, with a successful career in education to date, I received almost the exact same feedback following an interview for a leadership role at a school in Dubai: “you’re just too nice.” For some, leadership is about maintaining your status, being strong and having people do what you say. For some, kindness is seen as a weakness, a watering down of decisive decision-making, or just the latest fad in a long line of new-fangled leadership style. Even though these experiences made me question the meaning of leadership and whether it was for me, I knew I never wanted to move too far away from my own fundamental beliefs despite wanting to grow, learn and recognise my own areas for development.  

A move to people led leadership 

Fortunately, after 23 fulfilling years in education, I now believe that being kind, empathetic, fair and staying true to myself is not only right for me, but is the right thing to be. Currently, being a kind leader is the next step in people-led leadership and is quickly being seen as essential to success. Already, some leaders are managing to build their profit and lead with kindness. Some are managing to place their people first and please their stakeholders year on year. According to William Baker & Michael O’Malley: “in order for companies to improve, the people of the organisation have to become smarter and more resourceful and work together more effectively over time. For this to work, people have to care about their work, the company and one another. This requires the expert orchestration of a kind leader.” Kindness empowers people to lead with positivity, purpose, and an open-mindedness that embraces new ideas. If leaders show kindness, they accelerate trust and in turn create happier, more empowered employees, who will be inspired to deliver better results. A kind leader is a strong leader, and I couldn’t relate more to Jacinda Ardern’s famous words,  

One of the criticisms I’ve faced over the years is that I’m not aggressive enough or assertive enough, or maybe somehow, because I’m empathetic, I’m weak. I totally rebel against that. I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate and strong. 

Knowing your values 

I am proud to be working for an organisation whose core values include acting with kindness, working together and imagining better. I am proud to be working alongside a team of people who share this mindset. I am proud also to witness my own children, now young adults themselves, enjoying life in their unique ways and gaining such satisfaction from growing up with those same values that stem from that simple piece of advice offered to me by my Mum: it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.  

 

Just as the Shakespearean saying goes, all that glitters is most certainly not gold, and in today’s social media world, the phrase has never been more true.  Back in the day, I visited the glitzy city of Las Vegas on honeymoon and struggled to find a top-quality restaurant. A “bigger and better” place it may well be, but don’t try looking for even bog-standard French cuisine or you’ll be more than a little disappointed. Similarly, whilst living in Dubai – known for its glamour and luxuriate lifestyle, discovering a cheese board with a good chutney as opposed to marmalade and strawberry jam is nigh on impossible! And whilst waking up to guaranteed sunshine every day is advantageous, the absence of the other three seasons, including the need for fluffy socks, woolly jumpers and log burners, makes life less enriching.  Consider the ‘insta versus reality’ trend, which tells us not to believe everything we see and not to assume that fakery is real. Well, the same goes for education and we must never judge a book by its cover when rating schools.

Buildings or communities?

Let’s first consider school buildings and facilities. Of course, all education establishments need to be safe and in a decent condition. However, the difference in school premises can be very wide-ranging, particularly when we think about schools globally. There is everything from the makeshift corrugated metal and wooden classrooms of Nepal to the state of the art, aesthetically pleasing and fully equipped private schools of Los Angeles. But is the quality of education received, along with the care and experiences provided, really that different? When I worked as Head of Sixth Form in a state school in Wales, our Head Girl had to take a school inspector on a tour of the grounds and as they were walking the inspector turned to her and said, “you can’t be happy with the quality of these buildings”? She replied by saying, “I agree they aren’t the best but there’s a lot more to this school than the buildings, such as the quality of relationships between our staff and students”. It was a great response, and it reflected how proud she was to be part of that community. A community that may not have been so obviously great looking from the outside, but one that was doing a lot right on the inside with much heart and spirit.

The marketing dilemma

When we see schools using social media for marketing purposes, we really should ask ourselves if what we see from an outside perspective really is representative of what happens on the inside. Or are some schools just portraying a desirable image or delivering deliberate messages? After working in fee-paying schools in countries such as the UAE, which face tough competition for pupils with new schools rising from the desert faster than sandstorms, the need for clever marketing of schools is understandable. However, the constant updates of school activities via social media are exhausting to view let alone be involved in and it does make you question whether anything of real substance is happening. Some establishments seem to be ticking so many boxes, meaning they couldn’t possibly deliver on all of them to a high standard. Surely, it is better to master something than be a jack of all trades and consequently deliver only on mediocrity? It also makes me stop and think when I see school staff promoting themselves through their schools, instead of the students being at the forefront of everything. Schools do need to keep a social media presence nowadays but when you look carefully you will realise that the schools with little to prove have just the right balance between self-promotion and keeping a low profile. Beware of schools that over-promote and ask yourselves why they need to resort to that.

The league table game

We should also stop and think about how schools are rated in inspections and league tables. We all know of a great coffee shop that didn’t score full marks on the food hygiene scale because a bit of minor paperwork was missing, and the same goes for schools. Sometimes great schools don’t fare as well as they should. And consequently, not so great schools do well. The expression “playing the game” springs to mind when thinking of school inspections and those with a game plan can and do win – from taking troublesome students away on a residential trip during inspection week to bringing in vases of floral delights and adorning the corridors with magnificent displays for inspection week only. Covering up the cracks in the same way that I use a snapchat filter to hide my wrinkles! Honesty, unfortunately, is not always the best policy!

Having lived and breathed the Welsh education system for such a long time, including during the national ‘banding’ system launched in 2012, has made me doubt this whole judgement process and question its purpose.  How much of it truly provides the insight and knowledge we need to ensure our children are receiving the education they deserve and how much is a political agenda and a media trap? An example of this is when an academically low performing school in a deprived area of Swansea East scored the highest rating in the whole of Swansea, beating higher performing schools in Swansea West, schools which are recognised as being some of the best secondary schools in the UK, not only in Wales. How does that work? Yes the dedication and determination of talented teachers is a factor, but we should also know it is easier to add value to pupil outcomes in disadvantaged areas, especially when the percentage of students receiving free school meals is a key factor in the rating. Likewise, it is easy to achieve academic success in schools that select their students for entry based on academic performance. But did parents in the city and county of Swansea move their children to the best rated school in Swansea East? No. Of course not. Because they could read between these lines and see through the deceiving media headlines and the political agenda. And just for the record, I have no allegiance to any of these schools and I recognise the immense hard work of the staff in them all, albeit for the different pressures they are under.

TripAdvisor for schools

Whenever I read inspection reports or articles in publications such as Which School Advisor, do I believe them? Mostly not, I take them with a pinch of salt. These articles are usually written by the school itself – paying in one way or another for an advertised slot in the magazine. I once read an article about a school I was collaborating on a project with, the words in that article felt very familiar, almost a carbon copy of the words I had written in a prospectus about my school. The write-up did not accurately reflect the school in question at all. So my advice is that you always question whether these kinds of school reviews are independent and come with in-depth analysis because my experience is that they do not. Just like Trip Advisor, they serve a place in the market which drives competition and profit making and yes, paint over any cracks with the glossiest of deluxe paints.

Some words of advice

If you’re a teacher looking for work or a parent in search of a school for your children, please take these words of advice. Look for the simple things because if the basics are in place, the foundations solid, then the rest will blossom. Just as each individual student is unique, then so are schools and it is vitally important to best match the two.

There are three key signs to look out for in truly great schools:

1. The students love their school are proud to be there
2. The teachers love their school and are proud to work there
3. The parents and governors love their school and are proud to be associated with it.

With this kind of stakeholder satisfaction, the academic results, inspection ratings, league table positions and written reviews will all take care of themselves. If you talk to just a few of the people in these groups you will have all the information you need to make a wise decision, without looking at any ratings or reading any reports.

One final thought to conclude, and please make of it what you will: a diamond in the rough beats a fur coat with no knickers every single day of term. All that glitters is not gold.

There is a lot going on in the world right now. The ongoing global pandemic being one major crisis still affecting us all. I have been reading widely around decision-making in the time of COVID-19, with a particular interest in how society can thrive post-pandemic. How will people change and grow, rebound and succeed in the wake of a pandemic?

Personally, my family is facing a time of major life decisions. We currently live abroad and had originally planned to do so for a few more years yet, however this may come to an abrupt end. This is partly due to personal circumstances, partly due to the pandemic and possibly partly due to me being older and wiser with regards to my ability to make decisions. And this is what got me thinking…has living through a pandemic made me think and behave differently or am I simply getting better and more confident in my decision making as I age? Decision making has never been a strength of mine by the way, quite the opposite, and apparently typical for a Libran, should you believe in that kind of stuff!

In October I took the brave decision to resign from my job as a deputy headteacher, without having another position lined up. Never in my life have I taken such a risk, and yet never in my life have I ever felt so sure about a decision being the right one. I have totally surprised myself with my own actions and have been trying to unpick them ever since, leading me to write this post.

According to one of the many articles I have read, we rarely make decisions in a vacuum – even if they seem entirely personal. And we are influenced by those around us more than we might think. This certainly rings true to me. My sons, since they were born, have been without doubt the most important people for me to consider when making decisions. As they are now both planning to return to the UK for the next phases of their lives, I know that I want to be closer to them. Not just to make me feel happier, in perhaps a selfish and maternal way, but really for them to be sure, if they aren’t already, that they are the priority.

It has taken me until 44 years of age to fully appreciate how lucky I have been in life and to realise that I was the priority for my own parents since the day they knew they were having me! I was not planned, I was totally unexpected, and my parents were prepared to turn their whole lives around to make mine the best it could possibly be, and that is a gift that very easily goes unnoticed.

Knowing you are a priority in someone’s life and indeed knowing what our own priorities in life are allows us to experience meaning in life. Throughout history and across cultures, social scientists, philosophers, religious scholars, poets and lay people alike have grappled with the all-important issue of meaning. Indeed, the search for the meaning of life is the primary motivation in human beings – from young children asking “why” questions to make sense of the world, to adults, like me, seeking more meaning at work.

For me personally, I know that the primary focus of my decision was my family, but it was made in the context of Covid-19, my professional development, the experiences of my friends and the things that happen around us every day; the things that shape you more and more as you grow older.

Whether due to the pandemic or to me getting older, I have realised that when we take responsibility for our choices and actions in day-to-day life, we can spend more time on the things that really matter to us. I have also realised that there is never a “right time”.  As the sayings go, “there is a never a good time to make a hard decision” and “there is no time like the present”. So, the best time to do anything is now. Take that first step toward your goal. Waiting will only make you older, not wiser.

As we raise awareness of our mental health this week at MTS, I thought I’d suggest a list of wellbeing actions for the community. I hope the following list of tips will help you keep your mental health in check, and I hope they set a good example of how we can safeguard each other a little.

Music – Listen to your favourite tracks or play an instrument to help you relax after a busy day or to lift your spirits.

Emails – Try not to look at emails late at night. It’s impossible to switch off if we’re checking our inboxes.

No technology – Come off social media by 9pm. Switch off the screens and don’t let the blue light impact you negatively as you switch off yourself.

Train – Exercise your body and mind by walking, running or working out. Even better if you do so in the sunlight for a daily dose of Vitamin D.

Apples – According to science, an apple is better than caffeine for boosting our bodies and brains. Eat an apple a day to keep the doctor away.

Lunch – Make sure you take a proper 30-minute break to eat at lunch time. Don’t rush it.

 

Help others – Your families and loved ones need a bit of you too. Plus helping someone makes you feel good.

Eat well – Try to eat a balanced diet with plenty of vitamins and cut out unhealthy foods and drinks.

Avoid stress – Knowing what triggers your stress and knowing how to cope is key. Write things down and deal with them one at a time.

Let people know – Ask for help if you’re feeling low or stressed. There are many people in school who can help including teachers and counsellors.

Take time to have fun – Try to make time to do the things you enjoy like painting, watching TV or just setting some time aside for yourself.

Have plenty of sleep – Sleep is really important for our physical and mental health and helps us regulate the chemicals in our brains.

 

This isn’t a magic wand. Following the check list a little or a lot won’t change the world. But even a small impact can have a positive effect on you all. Give it a try and stay safe and well everyone.

If you had to think of something that represents the month of September, then “back to school” is likely to feature. With images of new uniforms, clean pencil cases, shiny shoes…you get the picture. Typically, teachers and students would be recharged from the summer holidays and raring to go again. The start of a new school year has always been my ultimate favourite time on the school calendar. September 2020 however, for teachers like me, feels more like “back to the future” than “back to school”. And despite my attempts to try and look fresh and presentable during this past first week of term, in reality I have resembled Back to the Future’s very own Doc Brown on a bad day!

The irony in the term “back to school” is not lost on me this year; I am not actually back because I never actually left! This year has witnessed school leaders and staff having to adapt from the comfortable norm of being in command in a classroom full of students, to being pale shadows of themselves as small blips on a tiny screen. This transformation took place overnight and was only the start of what was to come. Whilst working around the clock to adapt to online teaching and remote learning, schools naturally had to continually improve this practice on top of predicting external examination grades according to complex, confusing and unclear guidelines. All of this took place at the same time as writing readiness plans, making videos and preparing the premises for eventual reopening. And just when we thought we were winning, along came the exam fiasco. Government U-turns placed schools instead of examination boards on the front-line following result’s day. Please believe me too when I say that this list goes on, and on, and on… I feel more exhausted now than I usually do at the end of a normal school year and the fact is we are only in week one of this academic year, in what is now known as the “new normal”.

I wonder if anyone knows what the “new normal” looks like in schools like mine? It really is like something out of a sci-fi movie, whereby disembodied digital headteachers address classes of socially distanced students wearing masks in order to deliver assemblies! For us as teachers “student bubbles” mean small groups of students remaining together in an area of limited space. For us this means running between two classrooms wearing headsets with microphones and earphones, à la call centre, to simultaneously teach learners in school and those at home. There is no time for break or lunch as we need all hands on deck to ensure nobody breaks the rules. Health and safety and delivering the best education possible are our absolute priorities and ones we will not compromise on. This really is more difficult than rocket science.

The best thing about it all though, is that nobody is complaining. Being able to go back to school, even in such unfamiliar territory, has been every teacher’s dream. And that feeling, the buzz, of being in the physical classroom again with the company of our students is second to none and it certainly did not disappoint this week. Despite wearing the mandatory masks, big smiles were clear to see in the eyes of everyone, parents included, who were so happy to return to drop offs and pick-ups. This positivity and can-do attitude have managed to conquer the many anxieties, worries and emotions that we are all feeling right now and has filled me with hope for the new future.

No one’s year has gone to plan, but by boosting our indifference, we are harvesting hope. So, what if 2020 isn’t cancelled?  What if, like Marty McFly, “we won’t need roads where we’re going”? Instead we need to travel on hope and optimism for the rest of 2020 and based on the first week back at school, I am advocating the following:

1. Don’t set yourself crazy goals that are based on the way things were a year ago. Set new goals that are manageable, achievable and tailored to the present moment.
2. Be as focused on others as you possibly can. This is so easy to do, so satisfying and we all really need to support right now. Reach out, boost, re-connect, check in, give someone a lift.
3. Whilst supporting each other as individuals, collectively we must keep on learning, adapting and improving because when teachers stop learning, so do students.

I know and feel only too well that physically we are in September whilst emotionally we’re still processing March, and this is the closest I’ve ever come to experiencing time travel. I also know that I can’t wait to go back to school next week for more. We can all make a difference. In the words of Doc Brown, “your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it. So, make it a good one”.

“No man is an island”. Just one of several quotes that has crossed my mind over these past few weeks. No-one is self-sufficient; everyone relies on others. I was around 19 when I first discussed the meaning of this phrase, which originates from a sermon by the seventeenth century English author John Donne, and it was with my roommate, Shelly, when we were both undergraduates studying English at university. She had chosen to write an essay with this proverb as the title. Little did we know then, that a time would come when this phrase would really ring true. “No man is an island” basically expresses the idea that human beings do badly when isolated from others and need to be part of a community in order to thrive.

During this period of enforced isolation and lockdown, I find the different digital communities, with whom I virtually interact, really interesting. Some are obvious and were never in doubt (my close family, best friends and work colleagues). Others are more unusual, such as totally new communities with total strangers or blasts from the past. All are equally satisfying. To refer back to Shelly for example and my other university mates, we don’t catch up so much as the years have passed and we rarely interact with one another on social media anymore. However, knowing that she had read my last blog post and commented on it was a real source of comfort to me in these strange times. Thinking about her and the times we shared together as students became the inspiration for this latest blog post, along with our shared passion for words, quotes and English literature.

Speaking of words, another more modern saying has been echoing through my mind recently, “in a world where we’ve never been so connected, we’ve also never been so disconnected”. This was written in the digital age, pre Covid-19 and in reference to how people no longer communicate in person and engage properly with others, even those in their own homes, because they always have their face in a phone or are constantly using some technological device. Whilst its meaning certainly still makes current sense, the sentiment has undoubtedly changed. The element of choice is now no longer there. When that phrase was written, one could have chosen to put down their devices to go and visit a friend or relative and give them a great big hug. We no longer have this freedom. That privilege has been removed. When this is all over, we may indeed be glad to take a break from our devices, but right now I’m not sure how we would survive these times without them? Maybe a revised version of the phrase should read, “in a world where we’ve never been so disconnected, we’ve also never been so connected”. “No man is an island”.

Another good friend was telling me how since lockdown she has virtually been meeting up with family members every weekend whom she usually never sees for months. My husband, who can be fairly anti-social if I’m totally honest, has started taking part in online quizzes with school friends he hasn’t contacted in years! People everywhere are rekindling relationships online which maybe they wouldn’t have done in person before Covid-19. And this is just one of the many positives to come out of what is actually a very difficult and tragic time for many.

Despite the positive lockdown stories, “life is not a bed of roses”. Admittedly, there are days when I feel like Bertha Mason! Not quite “the mad woman in the attic” perhaps, but certainly a deranged middle-aged female, cooped up in her Dubai apartment, not knowing what to clean or cook next and wondering how, in the 40 degree heat, she can possibly look out of that “room with a view” one more time whilst never knowing when she will enjoy the “paradise lost” that is life outside again. “Groundhog Day” is a frequently used term to describe working from home and home-schooling, whereby it all happens within the same four walls, and the phrase “I want to break free” has never held so much meaning. And yet I am fully aware that I am actually very fortunate and that my story and frustrations are far from tragic or even sad.

In fact, most of the time I am actually trying to make the most out of these unprecedented times. I am enjoying connecting digitally with all kinds of people from all over the world, whilst also having the time to live more creatively. Rediscovering old music, recipes, photographs, letters, poems, books and friends. Having more time to message people, to share and watch funny videos, to enjoy films and TV series whilst also finding the time to simply “stand and stare” and “smell the roses”. Being able to step out of the “rat race” and jump off the “hamster wheel” and take a break from the rushing involved with “living life in the fast lane” has allowed me, and I’m sure many others of us too, to refocus on what matters most.

Of course, for many reasons, I can’t wait to see the back of these times. Oh, how I long to travel again and how I can’t wait to be able to touch and kiss my relatives and friends and to enjoy being with them in real time, being able to “live in the moment” again. I am so looking forward to waking up in the morning without my first thought being that I am not going anywhere! Again. I want to enjoy a long, aimless jog, without worrying that I am breaking the law. I want to go to the pub. I want to go to the shops, take a taxi and spend money on an over-priced coffee. I want to go to the movies and dine in that restaurant I always liked but never got around to trying. I want to get a haircut, and last but certainly not least, I want to see my Mum. I never want to live through a time like this again, and yet I know there will be things that I will miss about these days.

As a Mum of 2 teenage sons, having this “family time” has really been a gift. We’ve played games, shared meals, had quizzes, tried challenges, held themed days and so much more, which would never have happened in “normal life”. I have loved not having to iron school uniform, follow strict routines and play the role of taxi driver. Every day I have a little bit of a lie-in, and I don’t have to worry about make-up. From following others on social media, I see that many people have created in house cinemas, bars, restaurants and gyms. It seems I am not the only one trying to maximize my enjoyment of life right now. When this is long gone, I’m sure we won’t hear the phrase “duvet day” or “PJ day” ever again. The “lockdown day” will be the latest saying to make the urban dictionary and its definition will be – a day for you to enjoy not having to do anything or go anywhere and just take some down time. Despite the tragedy and sadness of this pandemic, many of us will have memories of good days too. Not too dissimilar to what older folk say about the war days, where we “don’t count the days but make the days count” because “in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count; it’s the life in your years”.

These are tough times. I don’t need to point out the harsh reality of the number of deaths or the sad and tragic stories that people we all know have had to experience.  But many of us are getting through these times because we can still connect. “No man is an island”, and there are always words to turn to for comfort. Some of the go-to phrases I like to think of when feeling sad and when I need to be reminded of the positives are, “you can’t make a rainbow without a little rain” or “it is the darkest nights that produce the brightest stars” and “even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” Hopefully, we will come out on the other side of this, and we will be better people for having endured it. “Dare to dream” is something I’ve often told my students, because “somewhere over the rainbow” there is a “pot of gold’’ and “dreams really do come true”. “One day” Shelly and I will catch up for that drink, “for old times’ sake”, and I won’t take for granted being able to spend some quality time with those that matter to me.

My last post focused on lifelong learning skills and how these are difficult to teach, but essential to leading a fulfilled life. Leading a fulfilling life is something I have always tried to achieve and is something I intend to keep-up, but despite being very aware of how lucky I am in the scale of everything going on right now, I’m starting to feel like Covid-19 is really getting in the way.

I have now spent the best part of 6 weeks in strict lockdown: not physically being at school with my colleagues and students; unable to see my wider family and friends other than virtually; not able to leave my apartment for anything (including outdoor exercise) apart from cash withdrawal, emergency medical visits and grocery shopping; requiring a permit from the police to do any of the aforementioned activities, whilst only being able to do these things every 3 to 5 days. I know it is for my safety, the safety of my family and the safety of those around me, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard sometimes.

For a busy person like me, who likes to make plans, tick items off the bucket list and “fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run”, it’s beginning to feel tough. The worst part of it all is not knowing when this will end. Not knowing when and if things will ever return to any kind of normality. So perhaps now, more than ever, is the perfect time to home in on our life skills, on our unique abilities to cope with these unprecedented times and to identify these skills as our very own superpowers.

Of course, we all know that superpowers belong to superheroes, and not to ordinary folk like me or you, but maybe fictional characters aren’t the only ones with superpowers. Not all superheroes wear capes, the true heroes in the world right now are not Superman, Batman or Spiderman, but the key workers supporting us and caring for us. The carers, doctors, nurses, shop workers, delivery drivers and so on, who are all using their own superpowers to not only benefit countless numbers of other people, but hopefully to bring satisfaction to their own lives at the same time. Can understanding our own superpowers allow us to live a more meaningful and fun life? Why not ask yourself, your family and friends to help you identify yours. Do you have a superpower that stands out? In this current situation I’ve been taking time to think about mine.

Something that people often tell me is that I am a positive force, a smiley person who always seems happy. I agree that I am a “cup half full” type of person and I think that this ability can be helpful to those around me. It certainly helps students when they have an upbeat teacher in front of them and I imagine it encourages staff if school leaders are seen to be enjoying what they do. It also allows people to feel at ease and be comfortable in my company, but is this ability just down to my nature or have I practised it? Nobody can be happy all of the time, can they? After much thought on this I have decided that my ultimate superpower is in fact not positivity, but perspective. It is keeping a sense of perspective that allows me to feel happy a lot of the time. Whenever I start to feel down or stressed, I always ask myself if things could be worse, or what is the worst that could happen? More often or not, asking these questions reminds me of all the positives and allows me to be grateful and hence content and happy.

I think a number of superheroes are responsible for teaching me the importance of perspective and the first one is my Mum. I have inherited many quotes and catch phrases from her that I draw on all of the time, but the one that fuels my perspective on any given situation is the following: “only worry when you have something to worry about”. In other words, I only worry when I have to. I don’t get bogged down with the what-ifs or waste time thinking about what could go wrong. Instead I am constantly focusing on the present and on what is going well. Tomorrow is another day…

Professor Stephen Hawking is another superhero of mine. He always reminded me of how small we are in the grand scheme of the universe and this sense of perspective allows me to take risks and pursue opportunities whilst realising that the big things to us as individuals are really not big things at all! Paradoxically perhaps, his life story is astounding – he lived for 55 years defying a disease that should have killed him in 5. During that time, he was not just surviving but producing world-changing work. This cosmologist not only overturned our imaginations, he became an icon of mystery, curiosity and determination to understand this place we are in. Stephen Hawking taught us a lot about how to live.

My children are other superheroes who teach me a lot about life. Kids are more resilient than we realise and are often full of wisdom. I was really worried about how my 17-year-old son was coping the other day, having read an article about how this pandemic is the worst-case scenario for older teenagers who are trying to seek independence from their parents as opposed to being with them 24/7. After talking to him about how he was feeling, he said, “Well, I’ve been thinking and researching, and worst-case scenario is we’ll be in lockdown for a year, based on the effectiveness of the vaccine and I can cope with that”. I wasn’t expecting that answer and I hope he is wrong. A whole year of this! But his sense of perspective is surely helping him.

My Dad, just like me, doesn’t want to remain in lockdown for a long time. His perspective, as an older person, is that he wants to maximize the years he has left, “When you only have a limited number of years in front of you, a whole one is long time!” But he can always see the funny side. He is another superhero of mine because he keeps a sense of humour in dark times by believing in something else – not necessarily religion, but in an afterlife of some sort. We have had many discussions and disagreements on the meaning of life and on the importance of our existence. He is convinced that there is something else lined up for us after we die. I disagree.

For me, I think we have one purpose, and that is to positively impact on others around us so that they do the same. This ripple effect will then hopefully make the world a better place. I truly believe it is as simple as that. Maybe I am as simple as my final superhero, Forrest Gump. As he so rightly said, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you don’t know what you’re gonna get next”. It is because of the unpredictability of life that we all need to keep a sense of perspective and to remind ourselves of our human superpowers. I hope my perspective on life is one I share with all of those people helping and risking their lives in current times, and not with those who are wrapped up in their own egotistical bubbles. Recognising that perspective is such an important thing for me is helping me personally deal with these challenging times. Not everyone is a superhero, but maybe we do all have our own superpowers. I hope you unleash yours and hope that it helps you, whatever you are having to deal with right now.

It’s been a long while since my last post and lots has happened since then! I now find myself living in Dubai, working as a senior leader in education and currently playing my part in one of the world’s biggest stage shows, “The Coronavirus Pandemic”.

During the past month or so it feels like I have been working harder than ever, along with colleagues across the world, to completely overhaul a school-based education system into the virtual world of home schooling. And never have I been prouder to work in this profession. Teachers and schools have adapted in a moment’s notice to continue providing their students with the knowledge, skills and understanding that they need for their futures. And this last bit got me thinking…a lot!

The future. What does it look like? Did we have a better idea before this Covid-19 crisis? Has it changed forever now? What does this mean for education moving forwards?

In my role as deputy headteacher, I have a responsibility to oversee the curriculum in my school, and when planning our curriculum, we have to fully address “lifelong learning skills”. It has become one of those catch phrases that pops up all over the place in the world of education. Employers speak of the disconnect they find in graduates with academic qualifications, but not the right skills or mindset for the workplace; inspectors tell us that lifelong learning skills are one of the most forgotten aims of education; governments instruct us to include 21^st Century (C21st) learning skills in all lessons to equip students for an ever-changing world. And quite frankly this is a difficult job to do at the best of times.

Naturally, us teachers have talents in our own subject areas and with professional training we can effectively pass these skills on to our students. That is teaching. But how realistic is it to expect us to successfully pass on life skills? Is it actually possible to be able to equip the next generation with the skills they need for jobs that don’t even exist yet? Can we ever be sure we are adequately preparing students for a future world that is so very unpredictable?

And this is where things get interesting! It seems to me that the Covid-19 virus has achieved in a few weeks what educators have been trying to achieve in years. Take a moment to think about it…

The top 10 C21^st skills are:

1. Critical thinking
2. Creativity
3. Collaboration
4. Communication
5. Information literacy
6. Media literacy
7. Technology literacy
8. Flexibility
9. Leadership
10. Initiative

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out how and why the above skills have been vitally tested and highly evidenced during this pandemic so far. But add to that the other trendy words in education these days – “resilience”, “grit”, “independent research”, “enquiry-based learning”, “emotional intelligence”, “empathy”, “curiosity”, “risk-taking” … the list goes on. The list of human qualities and wider skills that are crucial to us all in surviving and coping with these unprecedented times is the same list that equips people to lead satisfying lives for as long as they live. What is that phrase again? Oh yeah, “lifelong learning skills”. There you go.

What I have witnessed from both colleagues and students recently has been nothing short of remarkable. I am confident that as time goes on, we will all continue to step up, evolve together and face the further challenges that undoubtedly lie ahead.

Another thing I am certain of (and this is a message for all those students who cannot sit exams and for their parents who are worried about what this will mean) is that ‘Generation Covid-19’ has experienced the most invaluable lessons. Lessons far more powerful than any examinations can teach. Generation Covid-19 will indeed have the skills to ensure that not only they, but all of us will be better off on the other side of this.

Readers of my previous blog posts are forgiven for thinking that I am totally against the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification (WBQ). As pointed out by Qualifications Wales in their ‘Review of the implementation of the new Welsh Baccalaureate from September 2015’ (2016), all stakeholders agree that, ‘there is widespread support for the Welsh Baccalaureate and its aims of developing learners’ skills and experiences for further study and employment,’ and who am I to disagree? These stakeholders are made up of employers, representatives from HE establishments, members of the WJEC, the awarding body, and teachers themselves. These are educated people who have undoubtedly all contributed an enormous amount of time, effort and knowledge towards this qualification in which they believe.

Some of my own Year 11 students also view their Welsh Baccalaureate lessons in a positive light and I was very much in favour of hearing the opinions of the end users of the WBQ. My focus is on the WBQ at KS4 this time as KS5 is a whole new ball game for future posts! So here are a couple of comments collected from my pupils this week, “you learn lots of skills in Welsh Bacc like team work and leadership,” “It is all course work and you get a GCSE grade at the end without sitting an exam.” Indeed, from a whole school point of view this is a qualification that is accessible for all our learners. This is a qualification for the whole cohort that produces good results. This is a qualification that will contribute, as of this year, to the Level 2 Core Subject Indicator, one of the criteria on which schools are judged. Is this a qualification that can impact positively on data for schools across Wales? I think so. Therefore, is it in the individual interests of schools to make this a compulsory subject? Hopefully, as the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) is targeting a universal adoption of this subject for 100% of learners, aged 14-19, across all centres in Wales by 2019/20.

I was keen to get the views of my students to understand potential downsides as well and this was the view of Bethan, “When I see Welsh Bacc on my timetable I’m happy. I don’t think of it as a focused lesson, it’s a bit more of a chilled lesson and that means I enjoy the day more.” Of course, this comment could be taken in a positive way, especially given the rise in anxiety and mental health issues amongst teenagers these days. A bit less pressure in the school day may be beneficial, but that’s a whole new topic for discussion! Taking a more negative slant, is Bethan suggesting that her Welsh Baccalaureate lessons are less demanding? An easy option perhaps? I’ll let you read the following comments from other members of the same KS4 class whilst you mull that over:

“Welsh Bacc I think is a much easier option than other subjects you could end up doing.”

“Some people don’t take it seriously as it’s not like a proper GCSE.”

“I’d prefer to do something else as I believe there are more important options out there for me.”

“I have learnt certain things from doing the Welsh Bacc but I think I would learn more from other subjects if I could choose.”

“Whilst I think Welsh Bacc is good, I’d rather spend my time on something more worthwhile.”

“I’d probably rather have taken another option like French or something.”

I promise you these comments were totally unscripted. Whilst there are clear benefits to the WBQ there are also clear downsides for our learners. In my school and in many others, the introduction of the WBQ at KS4 has been at the expense of a valuable optional subject. And here I go again harping on about the lack of choice for our young people. Furthermore, the WBQ is often taught by non-specialists, like myself, and is given less time than other courses, and if we can gain good results with less hours and less qualified staff what does that tell you? A WBQ Coordinator from Newport commented, “All too often schools don’t give enough hours to the Welsh Bacc and use any staff that are left over and this devalues the subject.” Indeed, some of the recommendations provided by Qualifications Wales for the WAG in their review are to, ‘consider how to continue raising awareness and understanding of the Welsh Baccalaureate among centres, teaching staff, learners, parents, higher education and employers’. It is also recommended that the WJEC ‘should produce case studies highlighting examples of how different centres are successfully timetabling and delivering the qualification.’

So, are there centres out there that are managing to deliver this compulsory subject in a more beneficial way to pupils and teachers? I am pleased to say yes. One local school has allowed its KS4 pupils to hold on to their 3 or 4 option choices, as they have linked the WBQ to other compulsory subjects like Personal & Social Education and Religious Studies. These courses are all covered in intense periods of a week or 2 at a time, starting in Year 9 and finishing in Year 11, whereby the normal timetable is collapsed. This allows pupils to fully focus on the skills challenges involved with the WBQ for a short length of time and also enables the school to book in specialist providers to deliver sessions, making the qualification more exciting and relevant. In short, it’s a way of holding on to all the benefits of the WBQ for both pupil and school whilst eliminating the disadvantages. Qualifications Wales state:

‘Schools are determined to get this right as they see value in the qualification…’

‘The National BAC course is good and, as a result, is worth doing well…’

Clearly school leaders all across Wales need to be creative and innovative when it comes to the WBQ. It is not going away in the near future, if at all, so we have to make it work to benefit and not hinder our young people.  Perhaps it’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it.