Silence, and why it should be compulsory.

When I mark work I need to do it in complete silence. I wish I was the kind of person who could listen to music or watch re-runs of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ without being distracted by McDreamy’s hair but I’m not. I actually go home pretty soon after the bell when I need to get something important done because I can’t concentrate with interruptions. Therefore working in silence makes absolute sense to me.

I’m in my 9th year of teaching and if I’m being honest I feel like I’m at my best, when I think about the endless card sorts I used to make and the time I got year 8 to build The Globe theater out of themselves I cringe inside. I believe that all PGCE students should be given specific time to bury themselves in research that can inform their practice, instead of creating mountains of folders full of paperwork. If you walk into my lessons now I can almost guarantee that you will walk into silence. And not as a punishment.

It has even been suggested that working in silence can regenerate brain cells. In a 2013 study involving mice, which was published in the journal Brain, Structure, and Function, Scientists compared the effects of ambient noise, white noise, pup calls, and silence on brains of the mice. Initially, the researchers wanted to use silence as a control in the study, but after two hours of silence per day, they noticed the rodents led to the developed new cells in the hippocampus. The key region of the brain that’s associated with learning, memory, and emotion.

‘If this level of noise continues, you will have to work in silence.’ Using silence as a punishment has never made sense to me, yet, in the past I have said it to classes. Why would we present the idea of having a calm, silent atmosphere to work in as a threat? Perhaps it’s the fear that an observer may suggest students are being passive learners or the myth that a happy classroom is a noisy classroom. I’d actually go as far as to say a noisy classroom is a truly terrible environment in which to work (unless the context is relevant).

I’d like to say that there was a momentous lesson when I suddenly realised that silence was the key factor in contributing to better effort and outcomes but there wasn’t; it was something that happened over time. I had to explain to classes that I would ask them to work in silence (but it wasn’t a punishment) a lot at the start but now I explain it is standard, expected behaviour in my classroom. Anyone disrupting the silence is considered to be disrupting the learning and not meeting my expectations, therefore sanctions will follow.

In ‘Battle Hymn of the Tiger Teacher’, compiled by the teachers at Michaela Community School their stance on silence is my dream: ‘We teach them that in lessons silence is golden, that it helps us to listen and learn.’ If I could, I’d also encourage their SLANT method across the entire school, ‘Sit up straight, Listen, Answer questions, Never Interrupt and Track the Teacher (or text, or speaker!).’

Implementing Silence:

Pupils must understand that silence is not a punishment, silence is golden.
Explain that silence creates a fair working environment for everyone.
State that working in silence is an expectation not an option.
Do sanction appropriately anyone who disrupts the silence. Be consistent with this.
Make sure that you use the word ‘silence’ and not ‘quiet’.

Thanks for reading!

Sources:

Silence is Golden: Science Says You Need Quiet Time to Get More Done

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Teachers: The Michaela Way, Edited by Katharine Birbalsingh, 2016

Why we should stop slagging off teaching…

Teaching gets people down. Let’s be honest, as teachers we are up against it, some of it out of our control some of it within but modern teaching is getting harder and it’s harder to maintain a sunny disposition when Michael has just thrown a highlighter across your classroom and no-one ‘On Call’ turns up meaning he once again gets away without a detention. That said, I couldn’t be without it.

In January last year my husband (also a teacher) became incredibly ill, he was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and depression and the man that I looked forward to coming home to everyday was no longer there, in his place was someone that I didn’t recognise; someone who couldn’t stop crying and couldn’t face leaving the house. Our life as we knew it stopped. We didn’t go out, we didn’t socialise and at risk of making it sound like it was all about me (I know that life was much harder for him) watching him struggle was the most painful time.

That time would have been all the more painful had it not been for three things; family, friends and my school. The support I received from my heads of department and my deputy head was never ending. Being the overly chatty person that I am (I’d literally tell my life story to anyone!) I told them about what was going on at home and they immediately sprang into action, on a daily basis asking if I was okay, asking if my husband was okay, whether I needed any lessons covering, if there was anything they could do. I had only been at the school for 4 months and they supported me like they had known me for years. They had never met my husband but they asked about him every day. It was invaluable.

So too were the pupils I teach. Whilst I’m not overly personal about details of my life with students they could sense something wasn’t right and on days when I seemed down there would be the occasional ‘Are you alright, Miss?’ or poor joke cracked and I would instantly feel better. I know it sounds cheesy but stay with me. Literature is one of the most important things in my life, it pains me greatly when people say that they don’t like reading; they’re missing out on so many incredible worlds! Coming to work and escaping to Animal Farm or accompanying Mr Utterson through London’s dark passageways was a joy.

Whilst one area of my life was in turmoil, it was invaluable to me to come to a place of work every day that was welcoming and friendly. To pupils who appreciated my efforts and one day even gave me a group hug. Schools are arguably one of the most compassionate places to work, not just for pupils for staff also. As I write this I’m painfully aware that not everyone works in a school like mine, people may think I’m looking at teaching through rose tinted spectacles but all I know is that my job got me through a very difficult time and for that I will always defend the profession.

Migration.

Being new to the Education Blogging game it would be true to say that I have little to no idea what I am doing…blogging wise, thankfully not teaching wise! Over the last year as my current school has gone from WJEC to AQA specs the blogging sites and guidance I have found on the internet has really helped with that transition. Now, I’d like to ‘give something back’…that sounds cheesy! To the community of English teachers who’s resources I have poached over the last year by sharing my own plans, ideas and thoughts.

I’ve worked in the same school for the last 7 years, beginning my career as a Cover Supervisor, which I loved and since becoming a teacher has made me realise how tough that job can really be when you don’t have established relationships with teaching groups, something Cover Supers have to contend with on a daily basis. Superstars, they should be better known as. I then completed my GTP and qualified as an English Teacher in 2012, continuing my career as an NQT and then fully broken-in classroom teacher. In 2014 our school merged with the feeder high school on the same campus and during that merger I was promoted to Head of Year 7. A fantastic opportunity that I loved and was grateful for. I led on year 6-7 transition and was part of building our new school’s reputation in the local area, aiming to raise numbers in our year 7 cohort. After that I took my year group through to year 8. But now, it’s time for change. Leaving my pastoral roots and my original stomping ground behind for pastures new and a new role with it as Lead Practitioner of English at another local secondary school.

“They” (whoever they are!) state that you shouldn’t work in any job longer than 6 years, though I’ve never been a big believer in following what people say and that you should go with your gut; my gut says it’s time for a change. And so I find myself, having lost my year 11 and 13s now that exams are complete, preparing for a new school, a new role and a new challenge. I’ve found some fantastic teaching blogs that have already begun inspiring me, my classroom displays have been inspired by a blog post from Freya Odell @fod3 and I’ve made lots of useful notes on how to establish yourself in a new school from a fabulous teacher and Head of Humanities I found on Twitter (his name escapes me – sorry!).

I’m currently planning a SOW for Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful for my year 7 class next year, knowledge organiser and ‘do it now’ activities, as well as an accompanying homework booklet to last 6 weeks of the term. I will post links to documents as I plan.

Let’s do this!