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
mental health
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
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
To do or not to do
One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done. Marie Curie We all use to do lists. For food shopping, reminders for our children, holiday packing and of course at work. From the back of an envelope to a computer screen, this most simple of reminders seems to … Continue reading To do or not to do
When things go wrong
‘We learn from failure, not from success.’ Bram Stoker There are times in our working lives when we all feel a little bit lost. A project goes wrong, we feel we’re losing the class or a job ends badly. When we are going through this we feel pain, frustration or disappointment. This creates a sense … Continue reading When things go wrong
Part 2/ Helping our children to be happier – mental health and Maslow
In Part 1: Part 1/What's wrong with our children? I described how children have been affected by Covid-19 and tried matching this with the Maslow model. I explained that establishing positive mental health will mean recreating pleasure in the physical world, building the happiness that only people bring and finding again the lack of purpose … Continue reading Part 2/ Helping our children to be happier – mental health and Maslow
Part 1/ What’s wrong with our children? Mental health and Maslow
Children have made it most of the way through this pandemic. But having spent three months isolated from friends, stuck with their family and watching the adult world grind to a halt around them, many are mentally in a mess. It’s been tough for all of us. Some have faced the deep pain of loss, … Continue reading Part 1/ What’s wrong with our children? Mental health and Maslow
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