Nick Brown
Nick Brown
School: The Nobel School
Local authority: Hertfordshire
Area of work: secondary education
Qualifications: BSc maths, Loughborough University (1999); PGCE secondary teacher training, University of East Anglia (2000)
I wasn’t sure what to do when I finished university until my Dad suggested teaching. Since then, I never thought about doing anything else. I chose secondary school teaching because pupils are old enough to hold a grown-up conversation and really grasp the subject.
Career development may mean changing schools
My first teaching position was teaching maths to 11–18 year olds at the Nobel School in Stevenage. My head of department was my professional mentor and gave me structured targets to pass each week. After my NQT year I felt more confident and able to deal with any problems that might arise. I changed schools for a promotion to second-in-department and was later offered a position as head of maths. I then returned to the Nobel School to take up the role of director of mathematics.
Extra duties as head of department
As well as teaching a full timetable, I am responsible for the overall efficiency of the maths department. I have to check over paperwork such as development plans, yearly reviews, OfSTED reports and, of course, day-to-day homework and coursework. I also have to evaluate and organise tests and discipline bad behaviour.
Most days, I arrive at school at 7.30 am for an hour of administration before the school day starts. I spend most of my free periods marking work and finishing paperwork. I usually have a free hour after school before I tutor maths in the evenings. One of my best moments was when my class made me a leaving present: they put together a photo album and stuck goodbye messages inside.
Secondary teaching involves teamwork
There are days when you might feel like pulling your hair out but it’s all worthwhile when a pupil shows their appreciation for your help or achieves a surprisingly good grade. In the future, I would like to take on more responsibility but I wouldn’t want to cut down my teaching time.
I try not to take too much work home. It can be quite difficult being in charge of teachers with more experience – negotiation skills are essential. As a teaching department I think it’s very important to work as a team, just like in any other job.