by Amy Ferguson * On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was informed of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. * On 31 January 2020, Britain officially exited the EU, the only sovereign country to do so in its history.

by Amy Ferguson As a professional, I am highly ambitious, meticulously organised, full of ideas and enthusiasm. Sounds great, right? It can be, most of the time. Simon Sinek once said our personal attributes can be our biggest strengths or our biggest weaknesses depending on the context. There are no

by Amy Ferguson One of the things I love most about Music is how much it embraces all people. Many children thrive in our subject who may struggle elsewhere. They find Music as a means of easy expression, a place to belong, a tribe. The other thing I love about

... do what the children do. by Amy Ferguson The environment is abuzz with energy, as young people from hundreds of different countries mix and mingle. Bilingual and trilingual students flip flop between languages effortlessly, expressing themselves in multiple tongues. They have an air of worldliness about them. They shift seamlessly

... AI AI ohh. by Amy Ferguson It is twenty years from now. A mother is singing her daughter a song before she goes off to sleep, one she remembers vividly from her own childhood. “Old Macdonald had a farm…” And yet the world is more different than we could ever

by Amy Ferguson As a child, I adored Disney movies. Nothing has changed. The first Disney movie I remember watching was Disney's Pollyanna. One memory that still resonates with me today is 'The Glad Game'. 12 year old Pollyanna played this game with the townspeople on

by Amy Ferguson The world is our oyster. There is nothing better than hopping on a plane and finding yourself in a new country. As an english speaker I feel very fortunate that, wherever I go, people often can speak English. However, when I visit a new country I always

by Amy Ferguson The highly anticipated review of Scotland’s education has finally arrived. With every appearance of a knight in shining armour, Professor Louise Hayward of the University of Glasgow has appeared on the horizon as Scotland’s educational future hangs in the balance. This review is full to

by Amy Ferguson 17 years ago, Sir Ken Robinson gave a pivotal speech about Scottish education. He asked the audience - Is our education system meeting the needs of our young people? Are we allowing students to nurture their talents, spark their curiousity and set off in a new direction,

by Amy Ferguson I recently revisited a book I hadn't read in a while - The Lazy Teacher's Handbook (linked below). Jim Smith illustrates beautifully the concept of teachers doing less so that our students can do more. The thing I enjoy most about this book?

by Amy Ferguson On May 17 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas. In this inspiring speech, McRaven discussed the small things we can do to incrementally transform our lives. Brailsford was convinced of the merits of a concept that he referred to

by Amy Ferguson When you type the above nouns into google, it spits out the following definitions: Teacher. a person who teaches, especially in a school."a history teacher" Screecher. someone who communicates vocally in a very loud voice. synonyms: bawler, bellower, roarer, screamer, shouter, yeller. It is

by Amy Ferguson Being a teacher is unlike any other profession. One of the points that is often made/celebrated/critised is the summer holidays. For between 6-9 glorious weeks per year, teachers are free of their students. Teachers spend this time travelling the world, resting and relaxing and enjoying

by Amy Ferguson It was a cold and dreary day in Scotland, like many others in the month of February. Spring had not yet sprung. The air was cold and thick with fog. We were preparing our students for their final performance exams. One student asked: “Do you get nervous,

By Amy Ferguson When I was growing up, I attended a local school. This school had a very mixed catchment - students came from all walks of life and sat shoulder to shoulder. I did what I was told, when I was told. I revised and studied and worked my

by Amy Ferguson Hi Teeeach tribe, I have attempted to write this first blog post a few times now. I find myself continually hitting a creative wall, unable to fully articulate how I’m feeling. I want to best serve this amazing teaching community, but I know I will make