Tomorrow marks my final day as a teacher. While I'll still be doing some supply teaching over the next few days, this feels very much like the end of a significant chapter in my life.
Looking back over the past eight years, I can honestly say that teaching has been an incredible experience. I've met some fantastic people along the way, worked alongside dedicated colleagues, and had the privilege of teaching so many wonderful young people. There have been countless moments of laughter, pride and genuine joy that I'll carry with me for years to come.
I've also done quite a bit as a teacher, developing over 200 lessons' worth of materials, including slides, worksheets and supplementary materials. I have taught my area of expertise in computing and have gone above and beyond expectations in my subject knowledge, for example, when discussing interpreters and compilers or agile methodologies. I have led the school's digital champion program (not at my current school, but it was on the cards) and increased computing numbers (for example, from 8 pupils to 51 in one year). I developed my own slideshow engine, DragonSlides, which allowed pupils to join interactive lessons where they answered questions or completed tasks on the slides as we went through them as a class. I developed DragonDocs, which provided pupils with much more interactive worksheets and assessments. DragonDocs also uses AI-based, context-aware marking to ensure marking is fair and equal for all.
Of course, it hasn't all been easy. Like anyone who has spent time in education will understand, there have been challenges, frustrations and difficult periods that tested me both professionally and personally. Some of those moments brought me down and made me question whether I was on the right path.
Despite that, as I reach the end of this journey, it isn't the challenges that stand out most. Instead, I find myself looking back with a real sense of gratitude and, if I'm honest, a little sadness. Eight years is a long time to devote to something, and teaching has shaped a huge part of who I am.
While I have made the decision to move on, I leave with far more good memories than bad ones. I'm thankful for the people I've met, the lessons I've learned, and the experiences that have helped me grow. As one chapter closes and another begins, I'll always look back on my time in teaching fondly.
Me teaching back in 2016
I have been in my teaching career for 8 years now, and I have finally stepped out of it. This was an incredibly difficult decision because I didn't have a job to go to in the meantime, and I was also giving up a job I really enjoyed.
Maybe this is just a break, or maybe this is forever; I don't know. I just need to step away from it for now.
It's such a difficult thing for any teacher to leave a school where they've done things to improve pupils' outcomes, built great relationships with pupils and staff, or built systems that enhance staff's working day. That's what I feel I did at Knox, and leaving Knox was tough.
But it was the right thing to do, least of all to allow me to grow as a professional.
This week, week two, saw me finally start to feel integrated into my faculty (not necessarily the whole school yet, but faculty is enough after one week) and having nice chats with pupils who are already showing me a bit of respect. I've also gained a good understanding of how things work here and have come to accept I am not at Knox anymore. Whilst, of course, I will miss hundreds of pupils who will be there to inspire and support, new pupils will come and take their place.
However, I must never forget those moments I had at Knox—the school I'd wanted to work at since I was 14. Those memories mean a lot to me.
I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I am. Yesterday, I left Knox for the last time after three and a bit years, and it's been a tough couple of weeks in the lead-up. There are so many wonderful members of staff I've worked with that I'll miss seeing every day. But even more painful is not seeing the pupils who make my day every day. Particularly my National 5 class, who I'm so proud of, but also very sad to be leaving—I'd hoped to stay with them until they left school in S6.
I remember leaving Newbattle 3 and a bit years ago. I initially decided to leave due to an argument with someone. I was planning on leaving mid-term without a job to go to because it destroyed what little remained of my mental health after having COVID just a few days before (and for those who follow my blog, you'll know COVID hit me hard). I stayed for the kids, and it was tough.
In a previous post on my blog, I posted that I would be rebuilding some of my lessons and focusing on improving them. Ultimately, improvements are centred around three core areas:
- Quality assurance/moderation of my materials
- Pupil voice and feedback
- Changes to the curriculum
One of the first areas I'm working on is tightening my learning intentions and success criteria, with the first step being the introduction of "We are learning to" and "Your success criteria" statements being included in all lessons.
It will be gradual, especially as I will update them as I use them.
It's now common knowledge across my school at Knox Academy that I am moving to a new school, and whilst this is an extremely exciting moment in my life, it's also extremely sad for me.
I'm sad because I am saying goodbye to the school I've wanted to work at since I was thirteen or fourteen. I'm also very sad to be saying goodbye to an awesome group of staff who have become friends with me whilst I've been working here. And then the pupils.
This week has been particularly tough for me after seeing some of the amazing pupils I teach in tears or nearly in tears after finding out that I am leaving (I keep thinking back to when my teacher, Mrs Muir, left in Primary 3 and how sad I was, so I can relate to how it can be). The hardest thing about leaving Knox was leaving them, and I've actually been in tears each night this week thinking about leaving them.
When I first started at Knox, I'd planned to stay there for as long as I remained a teacher, but I'd promised myself that at the very least I'd be there till my current S4s left. Sadly, that hasn't really happened, and I'm sorry for letting them down.
People always say that you forget teachers over time, but the truth is, I have always remembered the teacher who inspired me most, Mr Laird, my History teacher in S1 and the person who inspired me most as a teacher. I'll never forget the last day I ever saw him - standing on the desk in tears, saying how much he's going to miss his class and the rest of the pupils that went to see him. I remember all my teachers who inspired me. You don't forget teachers. I always remember the wonderful kids who I've enjoyed teaching the most, too. I remember quite a lot of them from Newbattle, and I could name everyone in my registration class from there still, as they were a fantastic bunch. The same will be true of the kids at Knox.
But I need the new challenge, and my new school is the perfect place for that.
To quote Oasis:
Don't stop being happy
Don't stop your clapping
Don't stop your laughing
Take a piece of life, it's alright
To hold back the night
Over the next few weeks, I will be giving my resources an overhaul. I'm going to be looking at adding animations next to instructions to show pupils how to do things without having to read. I will also review the learning intentions, the conciseness of the content, and assess the overall quality of the content.
I got some awesome feedback from a parent of a pupil I teach (I also asked if I could share their feedback anonymously on my website). They said:
[My child] thinks the world of you and everything you do for the school. We also know all the great work you do for the school, and all we hear is great things about your class! We also love what you've done with your lessons by making them all online, and they are great. Thank you for everything you do!
I was, of course, over the moon with this feedback, but I also know I put a lot of work in for the pupils and do my best at all times! The comment referred to my DragonDocs tasks and the interactivity that it brings (which has been praised several fold in the last few weeks by many pupils).
It's very nice to get feedback like this from a parent, especially after having had feedback from some parents at the weekend, too, to add to this!
I have just made one of the most difficult decisions in my life.
Three weeks ago or so, I saw a post at Edinburgh Academy. I had always liked Edinburgh Academy (and as you may know, I also do one of their websites), and I was in a difficult position at work, which added to my decision to apply. And so I did, and I completed my application a couple of days ago.
I went for the interview, which I think went well. I taught a lesson before, and it went very well. I spent a lot of time preparing the lesson materials but did what I usually do and just naturally taught. In the actual interview, I was open and honest and felt right at home talking to the panel. I could see myself working here.
I was offered the job but needed to think about it.
Unfortunately, the journey was very difficult - and I only learned this on the day. Each way, it took around 1 hour and 30 minutes to travel. Compared to the five minutes down the road that I have at present, this was something I knew my body could not go back to (I remember doing this when I worked on the west side of Edinburgh back in 2017).
So, ultimately, my heart was set on the job, but my brain was telling me no.
I decided to decline the offer with great sadness. To me, this was not a choice—it was the only way this could go.
However, I still love Knox, and for that reason, it doesn't feel as bad a knock. I'm still glad I applied (and was offered the job).
At last, I can finally say that all of my slideshows have been updated to the 16:9 aspect ratio - something that I started to work on at the start of June this year to better utilise the space available. Further to that, I've brought changes to the designs that make them more consistent, updated the styles for different sections and much more.
