My message for new teachers: school isn't just about teachin

Retired assistant headteacher Dave Tucker reflects on his career and shares some advice for NQTs.

Dave Tucker recently retired as assistant headteacher at Darlington School of Mathematics and Science.

By the time I was 25 I was in charge of one of the top seven pig herds in the country. I'd left school at 16 and followed in my dad's footsteps, becoming a farm manager on a north Yorkshire estate. I quickly reached the top of my game and not before long I was exporting pigs all over the world.

It was then that the work stopped being as satisfying because I realised there was nothing for me to improve on. I needed a change, so nine years into my career as a farmer I decided to train as a teacher.

I went to Northumberland college of higher education and was one of the last people to do the teacher's certificate – this was before teaching became a degree-level qualification. Training was very different back then; it was all theory and, although we visited schools, we didn't get put in front of a class until our third year.

At that time, teaching appealed to me because I loved sport and my first job was as a PE teacher. I immediately loved the job, and working with children. The biggest challenge was getting the youngsters to accept me, and realise that I wasn't going anywhere. Children often don't treat supply and cover teachers right because they know they're going to leave.

Young people need stability in their lives, especially the low- to middle-ability ones or children from broken homes. I retired this summer, and the relationship I had with the kids at school was phenomenal, in part, because they knew that I wasn't going anywhere. During the past decade I've only had seven days off sick.

Although I became head of my PE department and eventually assistant headteacher, I never had any ambition to be a headteacher because that takes you away from the kids. My strength was in the pastoral and behaviour management side of things, through which I could have a major effect on the young people and our staff.

By the end of my career I was basically the head of pastoral care, dealing with all sorts of things – from young people who had problems at home to students who'd split up with their girlfriends or boyfriends.

As a teacher it's easy to just think, "Oh come on!", but to lots of 12-13 year olds falling out with the best friend they've had since year 5 can be the biggest thing in the world. These problems matter because they affect behaviour.

Sanctions such as detentions or exclusions can be used by schools, but there are other things to try first and building a relationship with students is important.

I call all new teachers "baby teachers" and I always tell them the same thing: when you get to school it's not just about teaching. If there's a trip, go on it. If you can go out with the youngsters for a walk on a Sunday (we have a walking club), do it. These things let children see that there's more to you than simply being their maths or English teacher. Teachers who have the best relationships with students are the most successful.

Exam results are important there's no doubt about that, but my school's ethos was to turn out rounded children who believe in themselves and go on to do great things. I do worry that we're going back to the bad old days where everything depends on final end-of-year tests. We have lots of former students in their early twenties doing really good jobs, which they wouldn't have if they hadn't had the chance to resit exams.

I taught for 35 years in total. The thing that kept me going was watching the kids do well. We as teachers get to see young people scrub up well for the prom, in their big dresses and suits. Lads who I couldn't get to wear a tie throughout school dress up. Then in August we're there for them during results day if they need a shoulder to cry on.

I was at my last school for 20 years and saw it through special measures, when we were given notice to improve, to coming through it all and getting a good rating from Ofsted.

Of course, I'll miss teaching a lot but even though I have retired I will still go back to help with fundraising, and to see how everyone's getting on.

source: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2014/jul/27/new-teachers-school-not-just-about-teaching

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