What do we do when we fall .....?

It's disheartening sometimes to see the hard work of your students disappear in the flurry of the examination rat race. The creativity, the intelligence, the drive and passion, all get swallowed up by the need to write in the right way, at the right time: to fill the box that JCQ has designed for them.

Sometimes the structures fail and take more of their energy, wasting it, refusing to recognise it.

So we need to regroup and strike out again for the next generation.

But how do we do that?

We do it by continuing to be who we are: teachers who see individuals rather than classes, people who notice the little things and colleagues who support each other in our common aim.

What do we need to do?

We need to test our students regularly and be honest in our appraisal of them.

We need to use every moment to prepare them for the challenges of exams.

We need to share our resources and ideas as we help each other.

Most of all, we must share our passion, our love of the subjects we teach.

Doctors, engineers, writers, sportsmen, artists and musicians are not born. They are inspired to be. That inspiration can start with a simple idea, a kind word, a new thought or an exciting day in your classrooms.

The Olympics were meant to inspire a generation. The thing is. We've been doing it for years.

Good luck with the start of term and remember what we do when we fall.

BC