Empowering through PE

‘Miss I can’t lead the warm up… I don’t want to... they don’t listen…’ these are just a couple of examples of things I have heard whenever I have asked girls to lead warm up. At the start of the year, these were standard excuses which I accepted. In retrospect, I had not yet developed strategies to empower the students. I didn't know how to.

Around December time, something changed, I was no longer accepting this mediocrity. Instead, started to go through my register; let students know a week in advance that they will be delivering a short quick warm up the next week. Eventually I found that the students were suddenly motivated and looked forward to display their leadership skills, because of self-gratification that came with being empowered. To be pushed out of their comfort zones. To be praised. To achieve. To feel good!

The Year 9 girls at the 3v3 Basketball initiative launch at Nottingham Wildcats Arena. This was a great event!

Giving away my authority has been a challenge in itself. I know as teachers we love the control however, we need to recognise that control does not mean that the students are learning more. When giving away the control, it allows students to learn important life skills in a somewhat safe environment. Yes Jane did the warm up, not everyone listened to her but she persevered with it and towards the end, she had developed strategies which made everyone listened. She was able to make responsible decision making by not ‘doing it because everyone will not listen’. To step back and watch the growth, for me, that is a great win.

As a PE teacher I find empowering students is controllable. I recently trialled the Sport Education strategy. I start with different roles such as kit manager, warm up coach, referee and skill coaches and this worked brilliantly. The students were able to showcase their abilities as leaders and they fully immersed themselves within their roles. In fact, I even had one student who came up to me to tell me how one of their team members were not taking their role seriously.  

To conclude, teachers need to provide students the structure they need to thrive and grow socially as well as emotionally and allow them to be self-aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Because once they are aware of this, real work can begin to on that journey of empowerment rather than overpowering students.

Just a quick update, I have secured a new job which I start after Easter. In the last three weeks of my latest post and I am really enjoying the environments and atmosphere of the school. The Year 7 girls won the Nottinghamshire Schools Futsal Tournament and the Year 9 girls have just attended England Basketball 3v3 launch event which was great to see on International Women’s Day. Oh and my tutor won the best tutor last half term. #ItIsTheLittleThingsInLife 

New Year, new challenges and lots to be learnt...

Hope you have all had a well-deserved break! And if not, only a few more weeks until the February half term.... What a challenging and fulfilling first term I have had. I have learnt so much about, not only myself as a Newly Qualified Teacher, but also a lot about the trade. Most importantly, what a web of complexities this profession is.

Firstly, it took me about three weeks to know which building to go into for each lesson. What a relief that was! Another 4 weeks to know most of the students’ names, obviously there is still the odd names here and there that I am still learning. We have all been in a situation where there is a cluster of students and we can’t remember the names of any of them, you stare at them intently trying to remember at least one of their names. Finally, it comes to you, definitely Bob. As you blurt out their name with so much confidence and authority, they all laugh at you, so loudly. Why? Because that wasn’t Bob, that was in fact Billy!

I dare you to believe in yourself. I sure am starting to. 2018, I have a good feeling about this one.

At that present moment, I always get that feeling of stupidity and embarrassment, how could I not know Billy after teaching him for seven weeks. Then it dawns on me, there are at least 1000 or more students that I come across each week. To remember each one of their names is near enough impossible. I guess I have learnt that sometimes ‘excuse me young man’ works so much better, than trying to remember names, which if you do get wrong, they will let you know about it.

Another lesson so far this year has been remembering who is who within the multifaceted school environment. You know when you want to send a quick email to get letters sent out or get a quick print job done. Well there is someone for everyone one of those jobs and at times it is hard to remember who is who (not the Repro guy though, everybody knows him!). Which is why I have found it very important to keep communication going with colleagues within the department; within them they offer many years of experiences which I am finding very useful.

Well 2018 brings me so many opportunities and hurdles. Just because the teacher training year has finished, it does not mean that I have finished learning. I am finding I am constantly jumping hurdles. I have come to appreciate new starts involves me being proactive and it is indeed an on-going process. I want to by the end of the Academic Year to be fully qualified in teaching gymnastics. I also need to find a new job after Easter; reality has started to kick in as my maternity cover post is soon to come to an end… wish me luck! 

Surviving Ofsted

I have always wondered what it would be like to have Ofsted coming to inspect our school. The stigma that came with this has always unsettled me. That dreaded email came through, and I live to tell the story of how I survived my first ever Ofsted inspection…

I’ve heard there is a certain atmosphere to a school after finding out that Ofsted is due; especially if the last inspection did not go to plan. From observation, as our school received ‘the call’ most of my colleagues were focused and determined to ensure they were planned and prepared, so they can give the best account of themselves as teachers. For some, there was a hint of panic and uncertainty of how the couple of the inspection days will unfold.

My school life mantra...

As a first timer, I was both excited to showcase what I had learnt in the last year or so since I started this journey. At the same time, there was an air of panic and there were infinite what ifs that lingered in my mind. What if I have a poor lesson? What if I am not good enough? What if I let the school down? And the dreaded one, what if the students do not behave and it is an absolute shambles? All of these thoughts ran through my mind as I fell to sleep on the eve before the first day of inspection. Safe to say, those couple of days sleep were not the best.

I’d always thought I taught lessons which are Ofsted worthy all the time. On reflection, this has definitely not been the case. How naïve of me!  Some of my lessons are brilliant and I observe progression from all (ish) students, in others I am genuinely trying to stay sane and wondering how I had got myself in this situation. Stood in front 20 odd students, teaching... The fact of the matter is, it is somewhat impossible to have an Ofsted worthy lesson 100% of the time. There are many factors involved, some we control and can take ownership of. Others are completely out of our hands.

Although I was not personally inspected, the experience has been valuable and it has taught me to always be prepared as the old quote goes. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.