Teaching is never always great ...

So many cool things to tell you this week; from the Chair of Governors congratulating me after an event after seeing my award on social media (I've only met her once or twice this year!), to the launch of a school Computer Science Instagram account after pressure from my LVs for an account to share their work and learn.

But this week I really wanted to talk about how social media distorts perception even more than we do in real life.

I obviously started writing these posts after the wonderful training by Julie C. on "the writer as a thinker". But, I am wise enough to realise that it is important for marketing, both for your organisation and yourself, to ensure that you have a positive story to tell.

So, as well as arranging my thinking about each week's events, I obviously try to ensure that you get a positive view of me, my department, and the school.

I talked last week in an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion video about my disability, and how most people are unaware of it. Not because I hide away from it or lie about it, but rather I always put on my positive face when I'm at school. I don't want to be defined by my disability but rather for the great work I do.

Social media is the same, but on steroids!

So I thought this week I would speak about all the little stresses, strains, and mistakes that every teacher makes every week. All those little things that if we dwelt upon them would drive us mad, but that make us humans just like everyone else.

One of my students called me a "pickme" boy a while back. Now, I have to admit to having had to look this up as I didn't know what it meant but essentially the idea is using self-deprecation in a manipulative way. And, of course, you see this all the time on social media.

This article is not one of those, I hope. It is hopefully just a lightning rod to ground you in realising that for all the amazing things we manage to get up to at the school and in my department, we are no different. I may play the part of the "Superhero Head of Department" on here, but the reality is, these are the selected stories that paint the picture I want, and not the day-to-day reality of teaching.

So where to start?

I think the best place to start would be with the amazing new Teaching and Learning website that was launched in school this week as part of a week-long series of Teaching and Learning events.

I have been congratulated on it in Staff Briefing, and by email, and face-to-face.

But the reality is that Kirstin Pettet did 95% of the work on the site, as well as organising the whole T&L week, daily tips and a LIG. I did very little work on it at all, but as it is Digital, and as it contains all the Digital Learning weekly tips plus teachers' Digital Learning Action Research write ups I have been bathed in reflected glory.

Now, I could say it was because of all my work on Digital Learning that we chose a Google Site and that Kirstin decided to learn to create her first site. If I went back far enough I could say that I inspired the first Digital Action Research write-up on using Google Sites in school and that this inspired the use this time. But the reality is that none of this is true.

I just work with amazing colleagues and I have nothing to do with half the amazing stuff they are doing with Digital Learning!

I actually sit here and wonder how in the world Kirstin found time to do all of it!

As you might have realised from last week's post, I fell behind with my work. I spent around six to eight hours last weekend writing reports that were due on Monday. Now, I am not usually one of those that gets things done at the last minute (except maybe when I am student myself!), so I don't like being behind like that.

So between a combination of being behind and being tired because I didn't really get a weekend to recharge, I defaulted back to my normal state of being this week. For those that don't know, I describe my normal state of being as "a Grumpy Old Man". I can see myself becoming my grandfather who the whole family joked about ... and that is me now!

And, in fact, one of my team had to tell me I was being grumpy this week!

Typically, it has been another long week so I am still tired but the end is in sight now and I know I can crawl through to the finish line and then crash out!

I knew I was tired when during the week I left my form room (at one end of the school) and walked to my classroom (the other end of the school and up on the second floor) to find I was missing my glasses. Now, as those of you of a certain age will know, reading becomes impossible without your glasses!

So I traipse back to my form room, interrupt the fantastic Karl Mackrory discussing Nazi Germany to try to find my glasses. Which I do manage to find, underneath the tables at the front of the class!

Because, that is where we, apparently, put our glasses during form time!

And I could go on ...

But the moral of the story is, I, like all my colleagues, struggle, get tired, irritable, miss deadlines and all those other human things. Just because you don't read about them on social media, and not often from me, doesn't mean we are perfect, or even just great. All teachers do amazing work!

Well done to you; if for nothing else than managing to stand up in front of all of your classes this week (and if you missed one; don't worry, I've managed that too!)

And next week I will be reviewing the amazing first year I have had with the school and department ... so the complete opposite to this!

Have a great week. The Summer long-recharge is nearly upon us!