Through a high stakes and narrowly quantified definition of performance, we allow institutions to appear that they are high performing by externalising some of their true costs: they make other actors in the system pay some of the price for their results…
Category: Wellbeing and workload
Wellbeing
The dictionary says wellbeing is the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy. As hinted at with the use of the word “comfortable”, the happiness is usually taken as sustained contentment.
Working hours
I have a theory. It is based only on anecdote and idealism, not hard evidence. When in control of their work, many people would thrive on about four hours of intense and productive work a day…
Crisis 9: Eldorado remains remote
If you’d asked me three weeks ago about the prospect of reducing office space and increasing homeworking, I would probably have been quite enthusiastic. This week, the monotony and isolation are kicking in. The physical toll of screens and long periods of sitting, the temptation to schedule back to back calls, the lack of a […]
Kindness
Reframe what you consider to be kindness and your concept of welfare. Think bigger. What may be kind in the moment can be cruel in the longer term. Indeed, is it kindness at all, or the avoidance of conflict?
Teacher Development Conference 2019
These are parts of my speech to the 2019 cohort of Teach First at the Teacher Development Conference in Leeds. 1735 brilliant new trainee teachers; it was a thrill to meet them. It was hottest day in a very hot August, in case you’re wondering about sartorial choices…
Losing perspective
This is what happens when you lose your sense of perspective. Things that are actually quite small loom large, things that should be seen as significant seem small. You pay attention to the wrong things. You ignore massive problems. You over- or under-react. Your judgement and wisdom and intuition as a leader depend on your sense of perspective…
Imposter syndrome
The work you have chosen is demanding. You will struggle with the responsibility, the uncertainty, the comparisons and the criticism. But you belong exactly where you are, making mistakes, second guessing yourself, taking the flak and making the world a better place…
Note to self 