Teachers can’t move at the moment for stories about excessive workload, lack of trust and teachers saying goodbye to the profession. I’ve written many of them myself, and the problems they express must not be ignored. In this piece, I write about how we can take the challenges and difficulties identified by practising teachers and move beyond them - not in an airy-fairy way, but by following some of the numerous examples of positive practice shared by my research participants.

My book, How to Survive in Teaching, is about more than just survival. It’s about thriving in teaching and believing that colleagues throughout the UK can also thrive in the right conditions, and is based on the experiences of more than 3,000 teachers, leaders and education professionals.

For each challenge identified in my book, there is a suggestion for a way forward. I examined these on three levels: at national level, at institutional level and at personal level. I’ll be exploring these three levels in my column over the next three weeks. So, to kick things off: the challenges we teachers face at national level. 

The first is the performativity agenda: being judged as a teacher according to data and outcomes. 

To tackle this, we need to: 

• Remember that we’re not alone and that we’re part of something much bigger. It may be tempting to prepare a letter of resignation in case the results projected aren’t quite delivered, but no individual, no school, no academy chain can or should exist in isolation.
• Stay confident in the fact that we know what we’re doing. There is a vast amount of expertise and experience in UK schools. It’s essential that we celebrate and nurture success within and beyond the school gates.
• Keep in mind that whilst data is hugely valuable, it’s just one tool in the armoury and just one piece of the puzzle. I’ve never known a family choose a school based purely on its data. The stories from other parents, the history of the school and its reputation - all of these have far bigger importance than numbers themselves.

Teachers ‘do have it good’

The second challenge is the constant changes to assessment, curriculum and government priorities. 

To tackle this, we need to: 

• Remember that with change comes opportunity. There’s always an opportunity for a literal and metaphorical clearing of cobwebs and a chance to refocus on what we need our students to be able to do.
• Be bold with leadership. “Rage more,” as Geoff Barton says. Say “no”! Protect the school’s interests first.
• Encourage positive portrayals of teachers in the media. All of us who write about teaching have a responsibility for this. Let’s publicise the triumphs as well as the frustrations.
• Keep our feet on the ground. It’s all relative; not all teachers are in crisis. Many continue to thrive. Most of us would argue that our salaries are fair and reasonable and that there are wise and compassionate leaders out there.

And I end with this quote, from a teacher who entered the classroom from a job in retail management:

“At no point since I decided to become a teacher have I thought of leaving. Before teaching I worked in retail management and the hours were incredibly anti-social. The pay was pretty averag,e too. Before that, I worked for a hig- pressure/target-driven estate agency in London, which again required long hours, sales targets, no job security or workers’ rights.

“Therefore, when people say the workload or the hours are too much, I find it hard to sympathise. I look at friends working as doctors and nurses or as lawyers or managers in private sector and they work long hours, too. I genuinely think that with the job security most teachers have, the holidays we get and the guaranteed pension we have (admittedly not as great as it was), we do have it good!”

Emma Kell is a secondary teacher in north-east London and author of How to Survive in Teaching

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