Dear Mr XXXX,
It’s GCSE results day 2019 and 33 years since I sat my O-levels. Thinking about the young people that I have taught, receiving their GCSE results today, has motivated me to write to one of my former teachers.
You taught me in the early 1980s as the Year 7 class teacher and Deputy Head, at Park Hall Primary School, Stoke-on-Trent. My last year at Primary shaped my future and like you, I chose the teaching profession, taught Year 6, and became a school leader.
You taught me in the early 1980s as the Year 7 class teacher and Deputy Head, at Park Hall Primary School, Stoke-on-Trent. My last year at Primary shaped my future and like you, I chose the teaching profession, taught Year 6, and became a school leader.
Your greatest skill as a teacher was the high expectations you had for your pupils. You expertly read aloud high-quality children’s literature, books that I still recommend to students in our school, you taught creative writing better than any teacher. You challenged us to make bold word choices, you modelled inspiring writing, and you gave me the confidence to reach creative heights that I never achieved again at High School.
Extra-curricular activities were always a strength at Park Hall. I played in the orchestra, ran cross country and played football for the school. You taught me to play chess on the front foot, where an attack was always the best line of defence. I can still hold my own against most chess players, however, when I applied the same approach to a game of croquet at my posh Cheshire neighbours, they never invited me back for a return game!
It was 1982 when I left Park Hall and political tensions were high. We started Year 7 under the backdrop of a summer of riots from Brixham to Toxteth and ended the year with The Falklands War. You never shied away from talking about government policies- policies that were having a devastating effect on working-class communities like Stoke-on-Trent.
Finally, I want to thank you and the 95% dedicated teachers for giving me the gift of confidence. The confidence to speak up for vulnerable children, the confidence to speak out against educational and social injustice, and the confidence to support colleagues were all forged in your class. I am now about to start my fifteenth year as a Headteacher and the lessons I learnt back in 1981-82 continue to influence the way I behave as a teacher and school leader today.
Best Wishes,
Simon Kidwell
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