It’s November. It’s wet, and it’s getting cold. This morning I walked round a lake. It was pond-like, the air misty, even milky, and during the whole walk the sun promised to slip through, but never quite did. Willows stood upright, sharp and distinct, like pencil drawings. Tiny, industrious birds flitted from the bush ahead … Continue reading Walking in winter
Author: ianfrostblog
The joy of the job
We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy. Joseph Campbell There’s a scene in Star Wars – a New Hope that used to give me nightmares as a boy. Our heroes Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca find themselves trapped in the Trash Compactor on the … Continue reading The joy of the job
5 principles for better inclusion
Here are five simple principles we are using to help guide our thinking in the way we support our school leaders and SENDCOs around inclusion. Principle 1/ I don’t have to be an expert to play my part Working in SEND can be a lonely place. There is lots of technical and legal detail, and … Continue reading 5 principles for better inclusion
Cultivating humility
If you are humble, nothing can touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. Mother Teresa We love people who don’t boast, and want to be led by those who put others first, yet we seem to be surrounded by a ‘me-first’ culture played out both on the international stage, and … Continue reading Cultivating humility
Ten tips for new leaders
The first few days as a leader of a new team can be daunting, as you plan how you want to set your expectations, build your team and eventually lead change. Here are ten tips to help: 1/ Accept feeling you are an impostorImpostor syndrome is a deep feeling that you are not enough, despite … Continue reading Ten tips for new leaders
Leadership lessons from planting trees
It's taken us years of having a garden to consider planting a tree. We finally summoned up the courage last spring, partly to hide the gap of the big maples that the neighbours behind us took down a few months ago, and partly because we wanted to experience the joy of watching trees grow, season … Continue reading Leadership lessons from planting trees
Finding your mentor
A mentor is someone who sees more ability within you than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out. Bob Goshen. Who would you call, beyond your family, to share good news or to ask for advice or to share a difficult situation at work? Right now, many of us are writing plans for … Continue reading Finding your mentor
How to write your SEF (reflections on school self-evaluation)
Each year as a HT I would - sometime between May half term and September 1st - pull out my old SEF from a cupboard or laptop folder, and summon up the courage to rewrite it. Yesterday I met with five experienced current and past school leaders and, with a pile of our school’s SEFs … Continue reading How to write your SEF (reflections on school self-evaluation)
A positive way of giving a negative message
The way you treat people is what they become. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. When we sit down with a teacher after observing their lesson, we think carefully about all the myriad elements we might choose to feedback. And mostly we know to only select the one or two elements which are helpful for them to work on right at … Continue reading A positive way of giving a negative message
10 tips for more effective one-to-ones
Image - Gregor Cresnar One to ones are quiet, focused collaboration time for employees and bosses to connect. It’s their time, not yours. Kim Scott - Radical Candor We can all point to memories we have of great and terrible line managers we’ve experienced, and the shape of the clumsy boot-print or lifelong inspiration they … Continue reading 10 tips for more effective one-to-ones
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