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The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian

The secret teacher

A series of blogs by our anonymous insider lifting the lid on teaching. Would you like to be the next Secret Teacher? Got an idea for an anonymous blog post about the trials, tribulations and frustrations of school life? Get in touch on the following email TeacherNetwork@theguardian.com

2 June 2018

  • Three smiling children dressed as clowns

    Secret Teacher: teaching children without play was soul-destroying

    After spending time in early years, the focus on assessment and structured learning in years 1 and 2 came as a shock

26 May 2018

  • school children working in a classroom history class lesson

    Secret Teacher: the emphasis on British history is depriving students of balance

    Teaching to a curriculum that only tells one side of the story and creates a nationalistic generation fills me with dread

19 May 2018

  • Teacher teaching children in classroom

    Secret Teacher: I hated teaching – until I realised my school was the problem

    Stress almost drove me from the profession. But a change in leadership has helped me fall back in love with education

12 May 2018

  • Portrait of mature male teacher speaking to female during training course, with blackboard in the background

    Secret Teacher: the exodus of older teachers is draining schools of expertise

    The quality of teaching will suffer if we keep losing experienced educators who help younger teachers like me to develop our practice

5 May 2018

  • Close up teenage girl friends using mobile phones

    Secret Teacher: students need PSHE guidance but I'm not equipped to give it

    Issues around consent, social media and mental health aren’t easy to teach – allocating the job to a form tutor isn’t good enough

28 April 2018

  • Mini robots<br>EWG9E1 Mini robots

    Secret Teacher: I fear for the wellbeing of students under pressure to perform

    My school is working young people into the ground, and failing to give them the support they need to deal with mental health issues

14 April 2018

  • Penzance pinned on a map of UK<br>H7XAJH Penzance pinned on a map of UK

    Secret Teacher: my students know all about exams but little of the wider world

    We’re so focused on tests that we’re neglecting to expose pupils to ideas and experiences beyond the classroom

7 April 2018

  • ‘To me, it feels like a piece of the jigsaw is missing - my school looks for excuses to avoid focusing on outcomes.’

    Secret Teacher: my school dumbs down learning for students with special needs

    Young people with special educational needs should be given plenty of support to improve academically. They’re not getting it

31 March 2018

  • Silence<br>G0NRMW Silence

    Secret Teacher: my school's endless rules do more harm than good

    Students are often removed from class for the smallest misdeed, but we’re focusing on the wrong things.

24 March 2018

  • colorful letters. childhood education teaching.<br>G2DYGR colorful letters. childhood education teaching.

    Secret Teacher: we're setting dyslexic children up to feel like failures

    Pupils with additional needs are at a disadvantage in tests, and we don’t have the resources to give them the help they need

17 March 2018

  • Silhouette Of Woman

    Secret Teacher: I was undermined for a decade. Now I can call it bullying

    My inspirational headteacher soon became intimidating. It ripped my life apart – but I know I’m not the only teacher who has suffered

10 March 2018

  • Teacher supervises teenage students in uniform sitting examination in school hall

    Secret Teacher: the focus on exams is failing GCSE students

    Pupils are being left without basic research and essay-writing skills and ill-equipped for the rigours of further study and working life

3 March 2018

  • students and teacher in science class

    Secret Teacher: sensationalist headlines can do real damage to schools

    We’ve been labelled one of the worst schools in the country based on league tables – it’s undone much of the progress we’ve made

24 February 2018

  • Middle-aged woman looks at phone on hiking trip

    Secret Teacher: social media makes it impossible to switch off from work

    Weekends and holidays are dominated by notifications from colleagues about school, but I don’t feel able to opt out

17 February 2018

  • STwo young boys play football in a run down street with boarded up houses

    Secret Teacher: I'm faced with the realities of child poverty every day

    My pupils are resilient, loving and appreciative of what little support I can give them. But they deserve more

10 February 2018

  • Teacher and students in laboratory

    Secret Teacher: supply agencies are giving us a raw deal

    I thought being a supply teacher would give me flexibility, but the pay and conditions I’ve had to agree to make the situation unsustainable

3 February 2018

  • Young female teacher at her desk marking students' work

    Secret Teacher: I feel stuck in a profession that's making me ill

    I should be prioritising my pupils. Instead, I have become desperately stressed chasing marking and assessment deadlines

27 January 2018

  • Exam room hall with lines of desks

    Secret Teacher: education should be driven by evidence, not political whims

    Teachers need well-researched policies and methods backed up by evidence. Too often we get the latest ideological hobby horse

20 January 2018

  • A black male teacher marks essays

    Secret Teacher: the UK has a complex racial history. Why aren’t we teaching it?​

    Recent controversy over an H&M advert left my students struggling to make sense of the issue. The curriculum must do more to reflect the histories of ethnic minorities

13 January 2018

  • Teacher ticks a checklist in a PE class

    Secret Teacher: why can't my school just trust us to do our job?

    Strict directives and endless inspections add strain to an already stressful role and rob us of any autonomy. This must stop
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