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Well that year went fast

Picture of Michael
Michael

It’s been a while since I’ve written an article, but I’m excited to be back and sharing my experiences with you. Like many of you, I was bouncing back from two years of lockdowns due to COVID, and unfortunately with how busy it was returning to school, I didn’t get to write an article for all of 2022.

As a teacher with over 20 years of experience, I’ve seen a lot of changes in the education system. But the two COVID years were extraordinary, and the move to online teaching was a significant challenge for everyone. However, after a year of face-to-face teaching, we were faced with new challenges and opportunities.

One of the significant challenges has been engaging with students who for some of them have spent most of their high school years learning online. Engaging students has always been a challenge, but after two years of online learning, the challenge has been heightened. As a teacher in the performing arts, I have found it challenging to keep students motivated and engaged in the classroom, especially as performing is a skill that you need to keep practicing, and many students didn’t get those opportunities when working from home.

The pandemic has taught us the importance of being adaptable and flexible in our approach to teaching and we made many advances during the COVID years. However it has been disappointing that some teachers reverted to traditional approaches and styles of teaching once students returned to in-person learning. Moving forward, it’s crucial for educators to continue to build upon what we’ve learned and incorporate new teaching methods and technologies to enhance student learning and engagement. By doing so, we can continue to provide students with the best possible educational experience.

As the Director of College and Community Engagement, I’ve got to see firsthand the importance of communication in making the transition back to face-to-face teaching as smooth as possible. Keeping parents informed and updated, listening to feedback and responding to concerns, and being open and transparent in all communication has been essential.

In some ways this year was tougher than the previous two. I like many other educators were not ‘match fit’ and I have never seen staff more tired than I did during this year.

However it is time to turn to the positive.

We have been through something that we hopefully will never see again, so it’s time to take the lessons we have learnt and move onwards and upwards.

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Across these episodes I’ve explored a range of themes: how the arts have influenced my leadership, the opportunities and challenges of AI in classrooms, and the behind-the-scenes realities of staging a school musical. I’ve also had the chance to talk with students and colleagues about community, connection, and the ways schools can adapt in times of disruption.
Book Review: The Connection Conundrum

In my earlier review of The Connection Curriculum, I noted Matt Pitman’s call for educators to prioritise genuine human connection as the foundation of thriving schools. His follow-up book, The Connection Conundrum, takes that message further. Pitman places teachers at the centre of change, reminding us that connection is not a program or policy, but a practice built through daily, deliberate actions in the classroom. For me, his strongest challenge is around professional courage. He urges teachers to take risks, experiment, and lead from where they are, without waiting for permission. As a school leader, this resonates deeply. I value nothing more than when teachers bring forward new ideas and learn through action. Pitman’s book is a timely reminder that teachers are cultural leaders, and that schools flourish when we trust and empower them to act.
Making Teaching Cool Again: How to Fix Education’s Biggest Crisis

The world is running out of teachers, and the impact is already being felt. Even in schools that appear fully staffed, the experience levels are often unbalanced, with too many new teachers and not enough experienced mentors. This leaves early-career teachers unsupported and increases burnout, with one in five leaving the profession within the first five years.

In my talk, I asked the audience to imagine a world without teachers. At first, it might seem like a student’s dream come true with no essays or homework, but in reality, it would be a disaster. Parents would be forced into homeschooling, workplaces would suffer staff shortages, and everyday life would grind to a halt. Who would teach young people to read a road sign or understand a payslip?