What does 25 years of teaching look like?

On the first day of my first teaching placement (St Wilfrid’s in Crawley) the other trainee was using the internet to make worksheets. I couldn’t believe this was something you could even do.

My first job was in a deprived coastal town. The classes could be tough, but there were fantastic students there. Two stood out for me - Tom and Ellie. I bumped into them in a queue for Suede tickets - kudos. Years later, I called my first child Eleanor.

The headteacher was a role model for me - Mike Tate. He trusted me to cover for the careers coordinator on maternity leave in my second year. My first post of responsibility. My colleagues used to tell me I would be a headteacher some day. I thought they were mad.

I taught adult education classes in the evenings teaching computer literacy. Some didn’t know what a mouse was. Some were unemployed and doing the course to upskill. Here was some twenty-something upstart teaching the course. They were very patient with me.

I moved area and secured a job on the same day as my girlfriend (now wife). This was before mobile phones, so we didn’t know we had each been successful until we arrived at her sisters wedding that afternoon. I walked into the reception & put my thumbs up, to a round of applause.

Every Friday, most staff would head over to the pub for lunch. A couple of pints then back to teach.

My head of department was a legend. He got me into economics, Neil Young and Van Morrison. He told me that if I ever left he’d break my legs. When I left, he didn’t, but they bought me a t-shirt that said “Anal, but proud of it”.

The head was a bully. He used to scream in people’s faces in his office. It is where I learned the phrase “b******t umbrella” to describe the main role of a head of department.

My next job was at a girls’ school near Oxford as head of department. I loved that job - nothing better than having your own team.

The job required me to teach A Level economics for the first time. The previous HoD had been an Oxford ec’s graduate. Before she appointed me, the head took me to one side and said “Look me in the eye and tell me you won’t f**k up my economics results”. I promised I wouldn’t.

In their first exam, my year 13 all got A grades.

The head was a fearsome matriarch from California - Jeanette Hebbert. She was great. I learnt so much from her.

My tutor group were amazing. I brought in a layer of my wedding cake to share with them. I learnt that teenage girls really like wedding photos.

We were a language school. I got to travel to Hungary and the US on various projects. Lots more money about in those days.

My next job was as an AHT, also thanks to the specialist schools thing. This time in a boys’ school. I worked with big business and learnt how to network. I even started a small tech company at one point. That period in schools felt exciting.

There were some really hard times too. One of our staff was murdered on the school grounds. Horrific. Being part of a senior team managing that crisis was formative, to say the least.

I had my first Ofsted experience as part of a senior team - requires improvement. We deserved it.

I was told in a lesson observation that I needed more plenaries. Three part lessons were all the rage. I remember thinking it was nonsense.

Job number five was as Deputy Head. That was when I started to love mountains, thanks to the schools expeditions. I worked with a great team. Learnt so much. Data was the big thing. I was the data guy.

My headteacher got a new job the day before I got my current job. The poor chair of governors! That school was the hardest to leave.

7 years later I’m still headteacher... the longest I have stayed in one school. We’ve been through four rounds of redundancies, huge budget cuts and a pandemic. Nothing in the previous 18 years fully prepared me for this. And yet it all probably helped in ways I don’t realise.

Good times. Hard times. Hundreds of brilliant colleagues and students. Inspirational leaders, and some ropey ones too. All good experience. If you’re looking for a career, you could do worse than teaching.