Michelle's Teaching Insights

As I come to the end of my seventh year teaching secondary mathematics, I’ve made the decision to step away from full-time teaching for a while.

It isn’t a decision I’ve made lightly.

I genuinely love teaching maths. There are few things more rewarding than watching a student who once believed they “just aren’t a maths person” develop confidence and achieve success in a subject they previously found challenging. Those moments are what have kept me motivated throughout my career.

So why now?

Quite simply, because I need to.

Seven Years of Learning

Since my NQT year in 2019, I’ve invested heavily in becoming the best teacher I can be.

I’ve explored behaviour management, inclusive teaching strategies, effective deployment of teaching assistants, curriculum design, subject knowledge, leadership, and pastoral care as a form tutor. I’ve completed professional qualifications, attended conferences, taken subject knowledge courses, listened to countless education podcasts, read excellent books, and followed some truly inspiring teachers and education specialists online.

Like many teachers, I’ve spent years collecting ideas. Small improvements, different approaches, and better ways of doing things.

The more I’ve learned, the more I’ve realised just how much is possible.

The Frustration

Ironically, the more I’ve developed professionally, the more frustrated I’ve become.

Not because the ideas aren’t good, but because there’s so little opportunity to put them into practice properly.

I can see ways to improve my lessons. Better ways of sequencing topics. Teaching for depth of understanding rather than just procedural fluency. Making stronger links between mathematics and other subjects. Improving scaffolding. Using different tools to better support struggling learners.

But there is one thing that always seems to be missing.

Time.

Time to develop resources properly.

Time to collaborate with colleagues.

Time to evaluate whether a change has actually improved learning.

Time to reflect.

Instead, every available moment is consumed by the day-to-day demands of teaching.

The Endless Cycle of Initiatives

Teaching has always evolved, and that’s a good thing. Education should never stand still.

However, one pattern I’ve seen repeatedly is the introduction of new initiatives without removing the old ones.

There are new priorities, new systems, new strategies and new expectations. Sometimes these come from changes in government policy. Sometimes they’re driven by inspection frameworks. Sometimes they’re inspired by an excellent course someone attended last week that seemingly promises to solve a long-standing problem.

Each initiative may have genuine merit.

The problem is that they accumulate.

Rarely does anyone stop to ask which previous initiatives are no longer serving a purpose. Even more rarely are staff shown clear evidence of whether a new approach has actually had the intended impact.

The result is predictable.

Conscientious teachers simply keep trying to do everything.

Eventually, something has to give.

The Curse of Knowledge

Perhaps this is the curse of knowledge.

The more you learn about teaching, the more improvements you can see.

The more improvements you can see, the more aware you become of the gap between what you could do and what you realistically have the capacity to do.

Does that mean we should stop learning?

Absolutely not.

Professional development is one of the best parts of this profession.

A Remarkable Profession

Teaching is full of extraordinary people who generously give their time to help others improve.

They write books.

They share blogs.

They host podcasts.

They speak at conferences.

They openly discuss what has worked, what hasn’t, and encourage others to keep refining their practice.

I’ve benefited enormously from their generosity, and I’m incredibly grateful for everything I’ve learned along the way.

A New Chapter

Taking a break from full-time teaching doesn’t mean I’m stepping away from education.

Far from it.

I still love teaching mathematics, and I still believe it is one of the most rewarding professions there is. But I’ve reached a point where I want the time and space to reflect on everything I’ve learned over the past seven years and to explore how I can continue making a positive contribution to education in different ways.

Over the coming months, I’ll hopefully continue working in education on a part-time basis while also offering private maths tuition. Alongside this, I want to dedicate time to something I’ve rarely had enough of during full-time teaching: thinking deeply.

I want to develop resources that genuinely support teachers and students. I want to write about the ideas I’ve encountered throughout my career, reflect honestly on what has worked well, what hasn’t, and where I believe we can do better. I want to revisit those countless books, podcasts, conferences and conversations, not just to consume ideas, but to evaluate them, connect them together and, hopefully, turn them into something useful for others.

Teaching has given me so much over the last seven years. I’ve been fortunate to learn from outstanding colleagues, authors, speakers and educators who have generously shared their knowledge and experience with the profession.

Now, it feels like the right time to give something back.

This isn’t the end of my journey in education. It’s simply the beginning of a different chapter. One where I hope to continue helping students, supporting teachers, and contributing to the profession that has shaped so much of who I am.