Policies

Why Teachers Are Making It Up

Posted on 03-04-202513-05-2025by admin

Taskmasking and the Collapse of Trust

We are not okay. But we’ve been trained to act like we are (Toxic Resilience). Teachers everywhere are cracking under the pressure, papering over the cracks with a new form of quiet self-harm: taskmasking. Take your impossible workload, cut it into 50 meaningless micro-tasks, tick them off like a good little worker—and no one above notices you’re drowning.

This isn’t resilience. This is bullshit.

Schools are collapsing under the weight of BS bureaucracy, and instead of support, we get scrutiny. Instead of time, we get tasks. No wonder people are quitting. But for those of us still here? We’re keeping the lie alive. We’re breaking ourselves to keep up appearances. And the system, the MATs, the CEOs, fucking love it.

Communication Expectations Leadership Policies Workload

Journey to the Centre of the Dearth

Posted on 05-08-202418-04-2025by admin

Education is eternally confusing, like Biden on mushrooms and one of the most recent brain ‘trips’ is the introduction of Learning Journeys. These overcomplicated project overviews meant to guide students through their educational ‘path’, are akin to LCD hallucinogenics, have become a ketamine, k-hole, time-fuck for teachers AND are a disservice to students (like, errrr….opiods???). Learning Journeys are supposed to show students where they have been, where they are, and where they are going, but instead, they’ve become caricatures, showing only how not to use clipart.

Communication Curiculum Motivation Policies

Formal vs Informal

Posted on 04-04-202418-04-2025by admin

Why Schools Need to Drop the Formal Facade

The over-formalisation of schools has led to a disconnection between students and teachers, stifling genuine relationships and hindering active engagement, giving birth to an apathy epidemic. As students are confronted with the facade of conformity—teachers adorned in business attire, reciting scripted lines, each lesson following the same predictable script as the last—the essence of education becomes obscured by a fog of formality Yet, amidst this barrage of corporate bullshit and rigid systems, lies a yearning for authenticity. There is an imperative to reduce the formality reminiscent of 1920s business conventions and instead promote a more informal approach. This shift fosters genuine connections and restores the social contract between students and teachers.

Assessment Engagement Policies Time Management Well-Being Workload

The Mock Mockery

Posted on 18-03-202419-04-2025by admin

Ritual insanity

There are so many challenges facing education (urghhh), but this one comes to fuck me over at the same time every year: the cultish ritual of marking mock exams. As teachers, we find ourselves trapped in a cycle of wasted hours, futile efforts, and little to no benefit for our students. It’s an absolute absurdity and honestly, this divine convergence gives me about as much sense of clarity as an angry agnostic at a scientology conference.

Behaviour Policies Support Well-Being

An excess of exit passes

Posted on 07-03-202418-04-2025by admin

Navigating the Passpocalypse

A seemingly benign practice has evolved into an issue that’s impacting education far more than perhaps we realise, and as a teacher, it is definitely grating on me. Here is a typical scenario: a student raises their hand, brandishing a brightly coloured, laminated pass like it’s a VIP ticket to meet Taylor Swift backstage, and proceeds to step out of class. Seems harmless, right? Wrong. It’s become a significant issue: the overabundance of time-out passes is threatening to derail learning and I can’t shake it off. But before I go absolutely postal, it’s crucial to acknowledge that I fully support the use of these passes for genuine reasons and to those kids, I’ve got your backs. However, I can’t help but feel that they’re sometimes distributed to students who may not need them as much as others.

Communication Engagement Expectations Leadership Policies Workload

Branding vs. Substance

Posted on 29-02-202419-04-2025by admin

How Branding Eclipses Educational Integrity

The cry of ‘Just do it’ echoes from SLT as they fuel a frustrating trend, but are schools prioritising branding over substance? Schools, especially academies, are eager to establish a unique identity, often relying on shit slogans and bullshit-branded policies, and insisting on brand recognition. But news flash: brand recognition is earned, not imposed. And, beneath the surface lies a significant problem—a gap between branding efforts and the actual educational value they claim to offer.

Communication Expectations Leadership Policies

“Research shows…”

Posted on 26-02-202419-04-2025by admin

ie. I heard it on a podcast once

Within leadership-led seminars for teachers, a familiar refrain echoes: “Research shows…” But behind this authoritative phrase lies a glaring truth – an obsession with educational research often blinds senior leaders to the broader horizons of knowledge. Instead of embracing a wealth of diverse insights, they find solace in the comforting embrace of their own echo chambers, where education-derived research reigns supreme. But this myopic approach comes at a cost – a cost paid by students, educators, and the future of education itself… and honestly, IT’S SOOOOOO DULL!

Behaviour Expectations Leadership Policies Well-Being

The Business Dress Myth

Posted on 22-02-202419-04-2025by admin

How ‘smart dress’ is a red herring

In the classroom, innovation and student engagement should be paramount, but there is an alternate focus for some SLT because, let’s face it, they have fuck all better to do: the enforcement of “business dress” for teachers. While proponents argue that such attire fosters seriousness, it’s time to address the elephant in the room—this is a school, not a fucking bank from the 1920s. The impracticality of suits and ties in an educational setting is glaring, and the repercussions are profound.

Curiculum Leadership Policies Resources

Schools need teachers, not directors

Posted on 19-02-202419-04-2025by admin

The Great Hoax

In the cash-strapped world of education, where every penny and every minute counts, beware the conniving cash bandits that are lurking: the directors of subject. These supposed masters of academia find themselves perched on high salaries, yet their impact on learning is about as noticeable as a fart in a hurricane. This article aims to dissect this enigma and expose why directors of subject provide scant value to schools.

Behaviour Communication Expectations Policies Time Management Workload

Parents can be dick-trees

Posted on 12-02-202418-04-2025by admin

Navigate the Minefield of Parental Behavior

In the world of education, teachers find themselves not only attempting to mould young minds but also facing growing pressure to participate in discussions about behaviour with parents. Regrettably, a growing number of parents are finding it challenging to demonstrate appropriate standards of behaviour themselves — to the point, they are grade-a dicks and it is often evident that the apple hasn’t fallen too far from the proverbial dick-tree! Let’s explore the complexities and implications of this relationship between educators and parents, without reaching for the axe or box of matches.