MTPT Founder, Emma Sheppard, explores all the opportunities available to English teachers through The MTPT Project and our wider community.
There are quite a lot of English teachers in The MTPT Project community… or maybe there are just a lot of English teachers… and three quarters of them are women. Or maybe as founder, I hung out in a lot of online English spaces over my two maternity leaves and life as an English Lead Practitioner with small children…?
For all these reasons and more, the English teacher community within The MTPT Project is healthy and thriving, and there are all sorts of ways to combine our identities as readers, writers, grammarians, storytellers and dramatists with parental leave, or flexible or hybrid working around our children.
Start with… one of the many inspiring case studies from the English teachers in our community.
Get equipped with… bluetooth headphones and an Audible subscription (we wish they sponsored us, but they don’t) or a stack of Young Adult fiction that you can speed through satisfyingly with newborn brain.
Consider… our tips for reading, writing, engaging with film and theatre, and taking trips with your baby to areas of local interest. Our blogs are filled with tips around buggy access, sites of local interest, reading and watching recommendations.
Go a little further… by engaging with the online CPD videos from LitDrive, their regional and national conference, or even consider proposing a CPD session yourself. Founded by former MTPT East Midlands Rep, Kat Howard, LitDrive are always baby-friendly and considerate of your needs.
Love online CPD even more… and explore the offers available from former MTPT Trustee, Funky Pedagogy, and the English Association.
Speaking of the English Association… did you know that they sponsor three 1:1 coaching places per year for their members? Jolaine Foxe, who engaged with the coaching during her second maternity leave said:
“My overall experience has been extremely positive. Coaching has given me a much-needed push to realise goals that I have had for a while, but haven’t been able to articulate or action. The most valuable aspect has been the time to reflect and filter through my thoughts, so I can establish my priorities in this challenging season of my life. Just the act of formulating plans has helped releive some of the pressure I have felt in regards to goals that have not yet been achieved. I’ve enjoyed the whole process and recommend the opportunity to others!”
Thanks, Jolaine for this wonderful feedback!
Wait… there’s more? Indeed! Anyone who wants to engage in a little creative writing themselves is warmly invited to join our West London Representative, Myfanwy (also editor of Teaching Shakespeare, fellow of the English Association, and champion of the London Association of Teachers of English (she really loves English)) to set up an inaugural MTPT Teachers as Writers community. Just drop us an email, and we’ll connect you with Myfanwy.
Or… if you want a space to share your latest read and get all sorts of recommendations from fiction to edu-books in an informal “book club”, our Hampshire Regional Representative, Emer would love you to join her in her new MTPT Book Club WhatsApp group! Drop us an email to get involved.
Recent Comments