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The last ten years – where did they go?

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Where have the last ten years gone? I remember so clearly the Millennium Street party at my mum’s house, and the turn of the century. It’s hard to believe that the last ten years have passed so quickly! 10 years ago I was single, bouncing from relationship to relationship but now I’ve been in a long-term relationship with my partner for over 9 years. In that time we’ve travelled the world together (well selected parts!), we’ve bought a house together, become proud uncles.

Some things that probably should have changed haven’t. I still aspire to lose some weight (I manage it, then put it back on).  I still don’t read enough books, I watch too much television, I spend too long on the Internet, although it’s hard to believe my internet bill 10 years ago was around £70 a month!

I still work in the same school (although at more than double the salary I started there on) and am still doing a job I love, with a very special and unique group of people.  I’ve rediscovered a love of science teaching since becoming an AST, and this role has allowed me to work with a wide range of professionals from schools across my local authority (and beyond).

What for the next 10 years?

I don’t want to think about the end of the next decade – I’ll be 48 which seems so scary now! Hopefully I’ll be mortgage free, but will I be working full time or part time? That depends on the current educational climate, but with teacher bashing and identical educational policies on both sides of the political fence, the future doesn’t look rosy for teachers!

I know I should move on professionally, but I don’t need more money and there’s a lot to be said for doing a job you like.  I work in a fantastic school with an excellent head who trusts his staff to do the job he asks of them.  Staff have a lot of freedom to get on with their job and innovate, and yet we are a good school with outstanding aspects.  Working in this kind of environment combined with weekly visits into other (usually mainstream) schools puts me off a change in workplace.  I also know that a move up would mean a change in my educational priorities and I wouldn’t be able to focus as much on teaching science, which is the reason I love my job.  I suspect I wouldn’t have as much time to share my ideas and resources with science educators around the world.

Maybe I’ll dust off my NPQH and rejoin the school leadership game, but that would require a change in education culture and I don’t see that happening in the next 10 years.

As for myself, I’d like to see more of the world, but the most important things are to have my health, my friends, my family. I’m ready whatever the next decade brings, your life is what you make it.

Happy New Year everyone!

 

(Originally posted on Tumblr)

Girls and pink microscopes

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Thank you @sanmccarron on Twitter for pointing out this blog post about girls and pink microscopes/tools.

The author makes some excellent points and you begin to wonder who designed these products and for what purpose (to look pretty or to be functional?).  I’d agree that presenting positive imagery of successful (and everyday) female scientists is more likely to encourage women into science careers.

Perhaps we are looking too deep.  At the end of the day the makers of pink products want to sell units, that is their driver rather than encouraging women into science.

(And I wouldn’t mind a pink microscope, mine are all a boring grey colour.  I kitted out my lab with pink headphones and they boys all use them too – we don’t believe in gender stereotypes at my school!).

(Originally posted on Tumblr).

To quote the Daily Mail – it’s Rip off Britain

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Look at this offer for a Macbook from the Apple store in the US for Students.  Google tells me that $728 is £458.  Even with VAT the price would be £526.  Care to guess how much it costs in the UK Apple store with student discount?  That’s right – nearly 50% more!

mac2 mac1

 

Perhaps if we could buy Macs at these prices in the UK they would have a bigger market share (Apple – pay heed and stop your price fixing!)

(Originally published on Tumblr)

Why I won’t be using my school laptop – a rant about policies!

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latitude_d531_dell I’ve been using my own computing hardware at school for quite a while now – it’s well secured (better than school issued ones) and also runs better AV/security software.  I prefer to use my own kit because it is better quality and with a range of software which makes me more productive.  I’ve spent 2 years learning how to use Office 2007 to the point where I flounder around on Office 2003 trying to more than the most basic of tasks.  I even bought a net-book to use at work to save on desk space (from my own pocket!).

 

Last week our ICT technician/network manager came to see me – it turns out my hardware shouldn’t have been on the school network, which meant having to remove my net-book (and the spare desktop in my classroom).  He apologised since he was the one who set it up, but he had never been made aware of the policy.  In fact no-one at school apart from the ICT coordinator was aware of the policy.

 

Fortunately my net-book has a built in 3G broadband card so it is still fully functional (apart from having to use a local printer).  I won’t be using my school issued laptop since it would reduce my productivity and therefore increase the time I spend working.

 

This brings me back to policies. A policy is only worth having if it is shared with staff, and all are familiar with its intentions and operation.  A policy on a shelf that nobody knows about it not worth the paper it is written on.  The number of schools that I’ve been to that have shelves full of unshared policies is staggering.  This ethos needs to change.

 

In my case the little-known policy led to bad feeling and resentment, needless expenditure on my part and also makes the school look unprofessional.  A classic example of how policies shouldn’t be used.