Reflections

The first weekend of the school summer holidays.  The sun has come out, it's stopped raining.  I have six weeks to spend with my lovely daughters.  I have some bits and bobs of work to do, like typing up my Y5 Spanish scheme of work and planning lectures for Primary Ed students at my alma mater, nothing too strenuous.


All the while I am reflecting on the academic year that has just finished, and thinking about how it has matched up to my expectations from September.  All in all, I can't help but feel that this year has been a real low point career-wise.  My decision to go it alone after my redundancy last August coincided with rarely-cover, The Cuts and the continued uncertainty of languages within the KS2 curriculum.  Consequently I have had not had the opportunities that I hoped for to speak and consult.  I seem to be pigeon-holed now as "just a primary teacher" and my experience across four key stages is overlooked.  Am I not pushy enough?  Should I be networking more for more opportunities?  Hopefully things will get better from next September.  I already have a few things lined up, and languages are finally going to have a definite place in KS2.


Teaching-wise, though, things are good.  I used to quite enjoy teaching KS3 and occasionally KS4, but I never thought to myself that I loved it.  I used to get the sinking feeling every time I drove to work.  I'm not quite sure how I managed it for 14 years.  But I love KS1 and KS2.  They amaze me with how much they can remember from week to week, how they take on board complex notions like gender without questioning them and saying they are rubbish.  I look forward to seeing the children every week and finding new and exciting things for them to do.  Thank you, children.


I think I shall bear in mind these words from David Frost: "Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally."