#Nurture1516

Having just looked back at my nurture 14/15 post, it was interesting to reflect on my hopes. #DLChat has continued, my ulcers have been kept at bay, most of my closest friends remain fit and healthy and my children are doing well.

Reflections of 2015

Computing

Despite feeling like it has taken a back seat to SEN this year, I managed to deliver a keynote at a conference in March, have run a code club at East Harling and have employed mini digital leaders. Although I feel I don't have enough hours to remain at the cutting edge, I know I am still doing my bit. #DLChat continues, though it maybe needs a rethink this year.

My children

Ben came home in July and will commute for his last year at uni. This is good as I can pester him to work hard and to try and keep normal hours... We have a lot of study chats now I am a student again and it is lovely to have him home. Jake has bought a house and I am dead proud of him, even though it has left me feeling very emotional. He is moving next door to one of my best friends at primary school and although I know she will be there for him, it feels a little weird that she might see him more than I will.


                                                                                                    Yoga

#nightrunner

One of my hopes last year was to find a yoga class. I failed with that, but have found a pilates group. The phrase 'zip it up, front bottom, back bottom' is now one of those that pops into my head at all times of the day! I have also started running. After years of being a fine weather fartlek* runner, I bumped into a friend who told me I could run without stopping, that the first km was always the hardest and that I just needed to tell myself that I could do it. The next day I ran 3km without stopping. In my jeans. This carried on 3-4 times a week for a few weeks until I bumped into the same friend who said her husband thought he had seen me out running in my jeans and they'd had a good laugh about his eyesight... I had to admit that I didn't feel confident enough at that point to put tracky bottoms on, so if anyone saw me walking they wouldn't think I was a naff runner... Looking back it seems a bit ridiculous now. My son started running with me a bit later in the year, which helped me up my pace. Despite preferring to run alone (or with Jake - but we don't talk so that doesn't count) I said yes when I was asked to join in a charity run. Realising that I wasn't that bad was a really good feeling! As I'd been out once in company, I decided to join a local running club. I've not looked back! I'm not particularly competitive, but know that keeping it up is great for my asthmatic lungs and wellbeing (I can only concentrate on my breathing and looking where I'm going whilst running so have a real brain break). I feel like I have conquered the 5km and have managed an 8km route on occasion.

* Ben is doing a sports science degree and has told me that what I refer to as fat lady's running (I know that's not PC, but I didn't coin the phrase) whereby you run for a bit, then walk (and repeat) because you don't have the stamina to keep going, could be passed off as doing it that way on purpose i.e. fartlek.

County moderation

I trained to be a county moderator last year, which proved to be very interesting. We had to offer four dates to work, then were told that the county was being inspected ... you guessed it, on one of the dates I was moderating. It was ok though as there were five moderators in that day and I was the only newbie, so I thought I might be left alone ... Nope! The inspectors plonked themselves down on my table and looked at how another moderator and I were hosting the sessions.  It was all good though as we were commended on the way we moderated work. Phew!

Social media and blogging

They have both taken a back seat this year, much like computing. I haven't had to time to blog properly and have started and not finished about 10 posts over the year. I have stepped back from twitter as well, for two reasons: it takes up too much of my time reading the posts that I think will inform my practice or following interesting threads; some of the arguments/statements on twitter were raising my hackles. I'm sick of the phonics debates. I'm sick of high profile secondary teachers slating primary teachers, then refusing to answer challenging questions because some of us are too insignificant or don't have enough 'celebrity' status to respond to.

I did set up a deputy head FB page as a place to share SLT stuff, which I will try to promote next year. I think it could be a valuable resource if we get enough people sharing. I have tried to support @SENexchange, but must do better, and have almost kept up with #dlchat.


My hopes for this year


Family and friends

Life is precious. A tragic death in the family before Christmas reminded me of that. I will continue to ensure that at least one day each weekend is spent with family and friends. I hope that I will become a nanny at some point (Nanny Pidge) though next year might be wishful thinking. I hope my lovely friend Sue gets better and that other close friends have good news about health issues in their families. I look forward to bicycle shop / prison cafe meet ups with Jenni, Becki, Rubes and Judith, seaside walks with a range of friends and lots of afternoon teas with Linda, Sal, Jo and Becca. I hope I get to more gigs next year than I did last year.

BIG weekend

Travelling

I hope I get to China this year after an epic fail last year. I did manage Scotland, Munich, Whitby, Wales, countless beach trips and both days at the BIG Weekend, so musn't grumble! After climbing Snowdon last year on my birthday, I'd like to climb Scafell and Ben Nevis this year.


New SENDco award

It needs to be done. I need to stop grumbling about it! (Sorry Amanda...)

Digital leaders

I hope that we can do something innovative this year - possibly with @kevin_sait.

Reading

I want to manage to keep up with reading for pleasure in amongst the abundant SEN course reading. Our book club will continue and I have a stack of new books on my shelf to read. I got 'A Boy Called Christmas' for Christmas, but haven't started it yet ...


Sketching

It's therapeutic. I need to spend more time doing it. A child in my class bought me an A5 sketch book, which will now go to the seaside with me.

#Nurture 14~15

This is my first nurture post. I am writing it as part of my own well-being as I think it will be beneficial to think about all the positives from 2014. I didn't write one last year as all I wanted to do was settle into my new role and keep on learning. I believe I've achieved both!

So here are the best bits of 2014, in no particular order.

1. The spring and summer term of 2014 were particularly challenging, both at home and school, for many different reasons, but I finished the year with an overwhelming feeling of fulfilment and achievement. Sometimes, things that break your heart ultimately help you become more resilient. I have been incredibly well supported in my first post as a Deputy / SENDco and am proud to work with a team who care immensely about the whole child (not just the education bit). I have learned a lot about myself and am still striving to do better. Although everything happens at a fast pace, I believe that I have a relatively good work/life balance as I do manage to catch up with different friends every weekend and I get to the seaside often. Thanks @JenniH68 for all our Bicycle Shop/Prison Cafe jaunts in 2014, for being my inspiration and sounding board, for your wisdom and your silliness. You are my peacock-haired edu-twin!

2. I have survived my first OfSTED as SENDco (and Deputy). Phew. I have written about that previously (see SENDco posts).

3. I completed the Norfolk Talent Pool training and made some new friends and acquaintances on the way. There are lots of people I respect in education in Norfolk, but few as passionate and enthusiastic as @ms-jamdangory. It was lovely spending time with her. Spending my internship at West Earlham Infant School was also great (thanks @BinksNeatesEvans!) as it confirmed my strengths whilst providing food for thought and highlighting areas that I needed to develop. If the government were going to put one effective cpd strategy in place, then I think internships could be it. It's amazing what you can learn from other schools - that's why I loved being an AST so much. I read somewhere that the best schools are the ones that continue to look outward - and I strongly believe that.

3a. I passed the county moderation tests to become a ks1 moderator, just after OfSTED's arrival. I'm just pointing out here that I had to moderate work and write questions that I would ask the teachers about the child's maths, reading and writing, in the time the ks2 folk had to do just writing. I'm just saying, that's all.

4. I have managed to continue reading for pleasure throughout the year and our mini book club is going well. I have read books that I would never choose for myself - and enjoyed them! Notable (enjoyable) books in the last year were: A Tale for the Time Being, The Thirteenth Tale, Blood Song, The Girl on the Landing and We are All Completely Beside Ourselves. The time I spend reading has increased because the time I spent on twitter decreased significantly last year. I was very shocked by the public bashing some teachers were giving each other last year - we are all doing the same job and it's tough at times without 'colleagues' trying to ridicule each other. I realised long ago that my internet connection (and synapses if I'm honest) are not quick enough to enter a debate where you are limited to 140 characters and I admit that I have mostly shied away from sticking in my two-penneth worth. That said, I would like to bash some twitter heads together! Education is made up from many different subjects and teaching styles and thank goodness for that. People have different opinions and they can be as valid and valuable as each other. If I had been stuck with traditional teachers for my whole education I would have failed even worse than I did. Thank goodness for the variety! The point is, that I continue to read what positive disruptors have to say, because they challenge thinking rather than insult people, but the ones that are down-right rude I pass on by. Try it - you'll be amazed at how much time you save! (I have added to the end of this post the blogs that I continue to read, because they inspire/help me do my job well).

5. I was asked to deliver the keynote at an ICT conference in March 2015, which was a lovely surprise, mostly because I have been less vocal about ICT/computing over the past few months. I'm honoured to be the positive female role model they were looking for - there are plenty others out there that I know of who are passionate educators too. I hope I can inspire the people who come (I'll be trying my damnedest!)

BB Janus!

Hopes for next year

I have many work based hopes, but in some ways the most important hopes are for my friends, family and personal well-being. I have no doubt that my work based hopes will be realised through hard work, great team work, enthusiasm, dedication and the passion that comes from colleagues and I wanting to be the best that we can can be.

1. I hope my son Ben pulls his finger out and gets some work done at uni! I'm dead proud of him, but he has not inherited my ability to balance social life with a good work ethic! In terms of deadlines, he's very last minute. com! Conversely, Jake can balance both and I'm extremely proud of his achievements, though I rarely appreciate his happiness in the middle of the night - especially on a school night!

2. I hope that my closest friends stay happy and healthy. They are my rocks and they keep me grounded (plus they always humour my hair-brained ideas.)

3. I hope I find a yoga class that I can get to. I've not managed Zumba for a whole term and it now feels impossible to go back :-/ I recognise that exercise is essential for my wellbeing though - and last year it meant that I caught up with another close friend each week. I need to reinstate this.

4. I hope that #DLchat and the digital leader network continue. I know that the numbers have reduced, but there are some amazing digital leader advocates out there. I truly believe that all schools should employ them, I just don't have enough time to shout about them through social media so often nowadays. I often get emails from other teachers asking for advice or talking about their achievements and it is lovely. Wouldn't it be even lovelier if all local authorities invested in a DL advocate for each county? Of course some counties are lucky. Bradford has @chrismayoh, @pederosa and others; Yorkshire has @gr8ict, working tirelessly to support and promote DLs; Norfolk has @L_S_Stone (who is keeping the DLN going at present-thank you!) @kevin_sait and @kezmerrelda (and me of course!); Brighton has @traceyab1; Arden has it's DLs, @Lizsaddler and @Danielharvey9; @headdowneyesup down South and @robertd1981 up North; and of course there's @clcsimon and @beklayton who I have got to know this year as other hugely dedicated and passionate educators. Three mighty giants, @ictevangelist, @milesberry and @chrismayoh have continued to support through #DLchat and the UK is lucky to have Chris back with his wit and (huge) wisdom. They are but a few people who deserve a mention.

5. I  hope that the crops of ulcers that I have had in my mouth for many years continue to stay away. Despite last year being frantic at times (and my sleep patterns haven't improved), my mouth has not suffered like it has previously. This makes a huge difference (anyone who suffers with ulcers will know exactly what a relief it is to have none).

Gosh, that's 5 hopes done. I could have written many more! I'm not sure anyone will read this, but it's been quite cathartic writing it, which I guess is the whole point.


People whose blogs I read regularly, because they inspire me, help me do my job well or save me a lot of hard work (or all three!). Thanks to:

Mary Myatt - lots of fantastic pearls of OfSTED wisdom here!

Michael Tidd- brilliant resources for the new curriculum

Cherryl-kd - SEN goddess and lovely lady, with pertinent posts

Miles Berry- my computing/ICT hero

Tim Taylor - creative, lovely chap who is well read and a huge font of knowledge

Mark Anderson - ICT genius

Chris Mayoh - another ICT genius!
Doug Belshaw - for open educational thinkering 

I read others from twitter links, like @teachertoolkit, @debrakidd, @emmaannhardy and @beklayton, @learningspy, @oldandrewuk and @headguruteacher but the ones above are more relevant to primary or ICT.