Lessons learned away from the classroom

Sitting in my school lab on a miserable day I was thinking to myself ‘How can I keep doing this?’. I felt overwhelmed by the pressures that many teachers face – stress, workload and feeling underappreciated. Then a secondment opportunity arose for a temporary post as a programme manager at the Royal Society of Chemistry which seemed too good to miss. I knew it could make or break my teaching career and help me decide where I would spend the rest of my working years.

While on secondment, I developed my project management and communication skills. I enjoyed working with a wide range of people with different expertise and backgrounds. I took part in professional development which built my confidence and challenged me to think differently. More importantly, I had time to reflect on what was important to me.

Working from home and having more flexibility was great, but I realised I missed:

• communicating my love of chemistry to others,
• the vibrancy of the school community,
• the informal chats with learners in the classroom and around the school.

As my year away was coming to an end, I was surprised to find that I was excited about returning to school. But what had I learned away from the classroom?

• Not to stress about things outside my control and to be realistic about my workload.
• As a middle leader, I developed a better understanding of what motivates people and how to get the best out of them.
• That although teaching is hard, it is what I’m meant to do, and I love it.

I have now been back in school for a few months and have had time to reflect on how my year away has impacted my teaching practice. I am more willing to try new teaching strategies and resources. I have a renewed focus on building positive relationships with learners and colleagues and I have increased my awareness of subject-specific professional development opportunities. However, I’ve noticed another, unexpected shift. My mindset and attitude towards my job as a teacher have changed. I put less pressure on myself, I’m honest about what is achievable within my capacity and although I work hard to provide the best experiences for my learners, I know that, ultimately, I have to look after my well-being first.

I’m confident that these small changes will enable me to have the motivation and energy to stay in the classroom teaching chemistry – doing what I love – for many years to come.