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Showing posts from July, 2023

The State of Indepedence: A Review

Thanks to this second edition, this book has two main themes: living in a life post-COVID and dreading the consequences post-VAT. The aftermath of lockdown and the potential fee-riser that the Labour government may bring in. The world changed when the Elementary Education Act in 1870 was established. Education was a way to stop child labour. We've come a long way. The Independent sector isn't just about educating the elite anymore: it's more accessible than ever before. However, 7% pupils attended independent schools in 1960 and 7% still attend in 2020. The reason for this stagnation? Year on year fee increases, but also that the wealthier middle classes tend to chose a new house or a new car over fees. Do people value materialistic items over education? To start, some facts. Internationally, schools are expanding. 2,584 international schools in 2000 compared to 12,459 in 2021. The middle classes are rising. A report by UNESCO estimates we need 24.4m primary teachers and 44

The Teaching Mother

So...it turns out that teaching is absolutely awesome when being a mother. Who knew?! I guess you've got to know when to go back. In between children clearly wasn't the right time for me. Now, is. And it's wonderful. I've got the bug back. I'm constantly thinking about how to make the children's classroom experience more fun. But I'll try and start at the beginning. I'm currently listening to the buzzing bee caught in the skylight of our kitchen. He's trapped. He sounds like I used to feel when I didn't have my teaching outlet to express myself in. It was hard. I craved my old classroom and laughing with colleagues in the SCR. I'm back in the classroom and I've so far included Byron, my family tree on A0 paper going back to William the Conqueror (his illegitimate son is my Great Grandfather 32 times back), and I've been welcomed into my new rural Berkshire school with open arms. It's just idyllic.  My current surroundings is the r