5 Things I Love About My School

All too often we get bogged down with the day-to-day planning, assessment and form filling that we can forget what makes our work place special.

As we are heading into one of the most difficult stretches of the academic year, I feel now is as good a time as any to remind ourselves of the positives of our profession. Here are 5 things which I love about my school - The English Montessori School (TEMS).

1. Teachers are called by their first names
My school is a close-knit, family community. I love having pupils address their teachers by their first name as it contributes to the unique atmosphere and ethos. It helps develop the 'us' mentality, teachers and pupils together, rather than the 'us against them' mentality, which is so prominent in schools. Also, despite the continuous growth at TEMS, our small school family mentality is vital and makes my school what it is. I couldn't imagine being called 'Sir' again!

2. The staff
I know I've always got people to turn to if I need advice, guidance, or to simply blow off some steam. When the workload gets high or you have a bad day, our staff stick together. I work with some extremely talented and dedicated people and they feed my desire to improve. However, one negative is that we don't celebrate our own successes or sing our own praises enough. I think you are fantastic!

3. Fundraising days
The school places special emphasis on raising money for charity. Whether this is for Fundación Fabretto, The Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit (see example video below), or any other of the incredible causes which the school contributes to, the pupils and staff go to a lot of effort to organise these charity days. The pupils learn a great deal from these experiences and contribute to the wider society.

4. Residential trips
Each year group has their own annual residential trip. I have been fortunate to go on some of these, including camping, water sports, skiing and several trips to London (getting through airport security with 70 pupils is not an easy job). Had I stayed in England, these experiences would have been extremely limited. These trips end up being some of the pupils fondest memories of secondary school and it is a pleasure to be involved in this. I also find it helps develop teacher-pupil relationships, and it definitely helps create a positive learning environment in the classroom.

5. And last but not least... the pupils!
How could I not mention the pupils? They are full of character and life and they have excellent relationships amongst themselves and with their teachers. They are extremely motivated by achievement which makes my job interesting and different every day!

What 5 things do you love about your school?