The teaching is the point

When you’re in the throes of the school term it’s easy to think about the next holiday. To look forward with excitement to that dreamlike last ringing of the bell signalling the time to pack up and go home. Of course, that’s normal. Teaching is a hard job. It’s relentless and frustrating. It’s easy to …

Inspire your students with a creative writing workshop

My favourite part of teaching English has always been creative writing. I suppose that's no surprise considering I am a writer myself.   Last week (November 2019) I was asked to deliver a creative writing workshop for a school in Kent. It's something I'd thought about doing for a while, so when they asked, I …

What’s the difference between travel and a holiday? HONG KONG is out now

What’s the difference between travel and a holiday? I know, I've released a new book and sharing abstract question like that – bear with me, it will make sense. For me, it’s very simple: When you’re on holiday, you’re in a place that exists just for you to enjoy yourself. I’m thinking of luxurious holiday …

Five things being a teacher has taught me

As teachers, we always talk about the progress of our students. We watch them arrive (if you're a secondary school teacher like me) bright-eyed in year 7, and grow almost unrecognizably through to year 11 and sometimes even on to the sixth form. It's one of my favourite parts of the job, which I always …

The Recovering Creative

  My name is Luke and I'm a recovering creative. We meet every Thursday night, me and the other recovering creatives, down at the local church hall. Together we share stories of past week's temptations. Some overcome with applause, some succumbed to with derision. This week a lady talked of an inventive filing system she thought …

Set boundaries to protect your creativity

  In modern times the idea of boundaries have picked up a bit of a bad rep. You wouldn't be blamed if images of a glass ceiling, elitism or even xenophobia came to mind when boundaries were mentioned. This is the notion that there is a boundary stopping you,  holding you in, or keeping you …

What do YOU want to be when you’re older?

One of my favourite things about teaching is the conversations with the students. The unstructured, random ones that spin from their learning in all sorts of weird, wonderful and insightful directions. Often, I'll finish a lesson a few minutes early just to make time to spend a few minutes to talk, it's always well worth …

Staying creative in cold, short days

The winter can be hard for anyone. Getting out of bed, it's dark, by the time you get to work dawn is just breaking, but then as you walk back to your car after the day, it's closing in again. As a creative person, I find this particularly difficult. To be creative I need to …