Diary of an NQT: Showing enthusiasm

January days can feel pretty dank. The dark mornings combining with either frost or torrential rain makes any job less inviting. However, with teaching, our craft is to facilitate the interest and motivation to learn, therefore we are constantly trying to find those little jewels of passion within our subjects.

I have been thinking a lot of late about how my interest and enthusiasm, for both the pupils and the subject, makes such a difference – but this doesn’t always come naturally.

When you can feel enthusiastic and excited that pupils have arrived in your classroom for an adventure of a lifetime (within an hour!), it really does rub off – on their application to activities and curiosity to find answers or results. I know I plan more creative lessons when I am enthusiastic and I suppose that attitude is the same for pupils. It also works the other way – when pupils arrive excited it can raise my game too.