I'm Going Back To Hogwarts

It's amazing how quickly things can change isn't it? On Friday I received an email informing me that the job I was going to in January no longer existed. By Monday I was accepting the offer of a job in an outstanding mainstream school - a school I know well and love dearly. It's a big school, but it is a place that genuinely cares about its learners. The staff are amazing and there is a wonderful atmosphere. Some wit called it Hogwarts because of all the staircases. They will pay me properly and I will work my butt off for the kids.

I went in today to do DBS admin (for the third time this year) and to meet people. I met my new form - lovely bunch of Y8 lads who just wanted to know if I was a stressy, shouty, angry, strict teacher. I asked them what they thought, and one lad said he thought not.

Why's that? I asked him.

Because of the way you are speaking now, he said.

So I reassured them that I am quite strict - they need to behave and get to school on time - but I don't get angry with my students because it is not productive.

I think we'll get on fine. They have clearly had a lovely form tutor in Miss Mc who has done very well with them, and they are a credit to her. Even if they are in Slytherin and I have always been a Gryffindor tutor!

I also met the outgoing member of staff whose timetable I am taking on. She had prepared a beautiful handover pack for me with everything I needed - very professional and very helpful. I am sure that wherever she is moving on to will be very pleased to have her.

What is interesting is that I noticed myself having a slightly different agenda. I met with my new Head of Year and was able to ask him about the form. Some students were flagged to me by several people and I had questions. A year ago I would have asked questions, but now my queries are informed by a deeper knowledge of psychology, mental health and safeguarding.

Walking into a mainstream classroom I was struck by how I read a room differently now. Going into a classroom full of very tired Y7 children, I could see several showing real signs of strain. There were some behaviours that looked a lot like anxiety. The teacher clearly felt that the class were not behaving well, but actually she was doing well with a class of kids who were just completely overdone with all the end-of-termness of it all. Perhaps I should not have gone into that classroom. I am aware that I may have made a younger colleague feel under pressure, but selfishly I needed to engage with those kids. To make sure I still could. I'll make it up to her.

One encounter reassured me that I am doing the right thing more than anything. I met a nervous looking Y7 boy in the corridor and automatically asked if he was ok. He said he had been sent to look for someone in DT.

What room? I asked him

He was not sure, but the boy - whose name he could not quite remember - would be with Miss M.

Would you like me to come and help you? I asked

He would.

So together we found Miss M, and (somewhat miraculously given the vague details the child had retained) the boy in question. On the way B told me he was a bit nervous because he was going to have a new English teacher after Christmas.

That will be me, I told him. He looked at me and I smiled. He smiled. Job done. If only all children could be reassured so easily. Change is daunting.

In some ways it is daunting for me to go back to the piles of marking and the pressure of data. In many ways it is a relief to go back to what I know. The challenge will be to apply what I have learned in alternative education to my mainstream classroom. If I can do that successfully then I will be very happy and have very happy learners.

Now, where did I put my broomstick and wand? I'm going to need them!