Any questions? Interviews often close with this seemingly easy query and this is usually the point I go into a tail spin. Not this time though. I’d just spent a full day outlining, elaborating, justifying my vision as to what the role of Director of English meant to me so, emboldened, (or delirious with exhaustion) decided to get #10%braver and bounced the question back to the panel. What did the role mean to them?
Most of the replies echoed my interpretation but the phrase that really struck home was how the post involved ‘moving up and out’, in (almost) the words of the inimitable Heather Small. The moving ‘up’ part was clear; the role carried with it leadership team responsibilities but it was the ‘out’ that really excited me; the potential to make a difference on a wider scale. After all, the opportunity to make a difference is why most of us are drawn to teaching in the first place. In fact, is that not what unites most of edutwitter? A desire to get to the heart of what matters. To keep moving forwards. To effect change, tweet by tweet.
For context, I was already Head of English and this was an appointment within my own school. I’d been in post six years and was happy with the progress made. So much had been achieved but yet I was frustrated as there was so much more I wanted to do. I sometimes felt like I was stuck on repeat. I could see ways that simple changes could be made and that those marginal gains had the potential for significant impact overall. The move ‘up’ means I can start to make those changes. It is this excitement about changing the system from within that has led me to start a blog.
The ability to reflect is empowering and writing a blog will allow me the space and time I need to question myself, to qualify my content before I press ‘publish’, to question if I have opted to learn the key lessons from my actions and mistakes. I hope those who wish to join me on my journey view themselves as critical friends. We are all working towards the same goal and I feel sharing my experiences may be of use to those starting out in new HoD, or similar, roles.
Tom Rogers tweeted about this recently. This has also partly been the inspiration for writing this post. I offered to be a sounding board for others starting out in new roles of responsibility and the responses I received made me realise there is a place, a need even, for a voice focussing on stepping up. I know I certainly won’t always have the answers. I’m not setting myself up as an expert, just a fellow teacher who is finding their way through the next layer of responsibility. If others can glean something useful from my highs and lows, fantastic!
Whilst the shift in roles from department lead to Director may be subtle it opens the doors to opportunity. It involves whole school responsibility wider than my subject and the opportunity to voice opinions as part of the extended senior team. To quote Heather, ‘I’m moving on up, moving on out, nothing can stop me’.
P.S. But if I forget myself and I go all Ozymandias, please step in and intervene. 💕
Live and Learn 