It’s been a while since my last post. Occasionally, life gets in the way and it shouldn’t, but it does.
Everything I write is inspired by what I do in the classroom and this, although different in tone, follows the same tact.
Everyone in education has a story about an inspiring teacher that gave them the push either emotional or physical to try harder and really propel them in to education. I too have memories of certain teachers from school who introduced me to the classics, fostered a true passion for poetry, showed me that writing is not only an outlet but an art form; yet during my training and long after, there has been one person (other than family) who inspired me to not only carry on through the hard times but to really think about the theory and the cyclical nature behind what we do every day.
This person has inspired me through her collaborative development of TEEP, based on Alistair Smith’s Accelerated Learning Cycle and her passion and drive for all things educational. With a wealth of experience behind her as an English teacher, head teacher and trainer; Dee has always been the teacher that I aspire to be. What she said and how she ‘did it’ in a holistic yet groundbreaking way, just made sense and she packaged it, not with the idea of making money from it, but because it was her passion and she, beyond anything else, wanted to share it with others.
Through TEEP, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet so many inspiring people who challenged me to think beyond the everyday and explore further the theory behind the ‘magic’ of the classroom. Challenged, engaged and most importantly inspired by each level of TEEP that I’ve progressed through; it gave me a structure that all-too-often engaged at university, is forgotten when we leave.
Romanticised as it sounds, I’ve always been quite passionate about the notion of ‘teacher as learner’ and TEEP (and Dee with Ant and Ian); taught me that making mistakes is where the learning happens, usually the most fruitful learning. That’s what we need to be passing on to our pupils. Fear of failure is the greatest barrier that children need to overcome.
She may not get a front page spread in the TES commemorating what she has done. She should. Quite apart from the lives she changed as a Head Teacher, mother, grandmother and friend; she was an inspiration to both new teachers and old. Her understanding of and passion for education and doing things just a little bit differently, changed people’s attitudes and shaped some of the most amazing educators I know.
I hope you will forgive my indulgence in such a public forum, but this lady needs to be cherished and remembered. Her work and steely approach to everything will be treasured by those that knew her and admired, through TEEP, I hope by those that didn’t. Either way, in a climate when teachers constantly seem to be under the political hammer; I will take a step back, remember everything she taught me and channel that in to striving to be even half the woman, educator and inspiration she was to me. If I can do that. I’ll have succeeded for my pupils.