So, to recap: whatever you decide to do, you are neglecting to do a lot of other things.
Of course, for a teacher, this implies that we can never get it right. Even if we stay up all night planning, we neglect our assessments; no matter how hard we work on that assembly, we are neglecting our pastoral duties; by dedicating extra time to students with learning difficulties, we neglect those who are gifted and talented.
By acknowledging this – and taking it into account in our planning – we can reduce the likelihood of stress at a stroke. We can also change the way we work. Just by pausing in our lives, taking off our teachers hat and reviewing what we are doing, we can avoid over-committing in any particular direction.
This principle is particularly important in Teaching, and in any other discipline in which we strive for excellence on a daily basis. We all aspire to outstanding teaching, brilliant pedagogy, exceptionally good student relationships and peerless assessment. However, and but, and don't forget: it is logically impossible to focus on any of these things without neglecting all of the others, and it is physically impossible to achieve brilliance in everything (especially if, by 'everything' we include our lives outside of school).
Now then. Before we rush off and learn TM4T, you may sensibly ask 'what's in it for me?'. To find out, click here.
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