Primary teaching is hard.
There’s no denying it and no getting around it.
There are no cheats in teaching.
There are no shortcuts.
It’s hard to be a good teacher.
It takes time, dedication and a great ability to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start again.
If you’re looking for quick fixes or you just want to get through the year with some peace and quiet then Total Primary probably isn’t for you.
But if you look at the faces of the children in your class and you see potential in every single one of them; if you believe that you have the ability to change children’s lives – for the better or for the worse – with your words and your actions…
…then you’re in the right place!
Hi, I’m Sally Michaels!
I’m a Primary teacher and SENDCo.
I’ve been around…
By which I mean that (as most teachers have) I’ve worn a lot of hats over the years.
And do you know what I noticed?
It took me ages to learn every new thing.
Every time I thought I was on top of my job, I was given a new role.
And the learning started anew.
And I thought to myself… Why is it so hard?
Why isn’t there somewhere that explains how to plan for children with Special Needs?
Why isn’t there somewhere that inspires me to teach music or poetry?
Why isn’t there somewhere that helps me understand how to make homework meaningful?
So I started Total Primary back in 2015 to help answer these questions and with the aim to help Primary teachers be the best they can be.
That’s it.
Sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it?
Well, anyone who knows anything about Primary teaching, knows that it’s not that simple.
Just as it takes a village to raise a child, so it takes a village to raise a good teacher.
So I created a village.
Whether you’re brand new or you’ve been doing this for years, we help each other out in the Total Primary village.
We share ideas.
We say, “Well done!”
We laugh together.
And sometimes we cry together.
But we’re always there for each other.
Want to move into our village?
Of course you do!
You’re more than welcome to.
In fact, the more the merrier!
Firstly, click over to Facebook and join our Total Primary: Engage group. With hundreds of members, it’s a great place to ask advice, share your successes and occasionally have a meltdown 🙂
Secondly, browse our blog.
There’s already a ton of useful information there and we’re adding new stuff all the time, like this poetry workshop from best-selling author Roger Stevens and this massive list of ideas of ways to expand your curriculum beyond the core requirements by Sue Vought.
And make sure that you sign up for the Total Primary Hub. This brand new space opened to members in August 2016.
The Hub is the comprehensive guide to mastering your first five years in teaching.
With online courses to walk you through everything from Special Needs to Educational Visits and with many courses aimed specifically at NQTs, this is a great place to find the sort of information it usually takes years to acquire.
Add to that our amazing online Community space exclusively for Hub members and you’ve got everything you need to be the best teacher you can be.
Total Primary Hub saves hours of asking around trying to find the right person with the right answers.
So take control of your NQT year and get ahead in your new career with the Total Primary Hub!
Finally, if you love to write and have fabulous knowledge to impart… Get in touch and start writing for us!
I’m so excited that you’re here. Total Primary has already helped so many teachers get a great start to their career – and I’m really proud of that.
But there are new NQTs every year! And we need to reach as many as we can so that they always have a place to turn for help and so that they always feel supported.
So if you know any NQTs, send them a link to our Facebook group or our blog and let’s work together to save our sanity!
Thanks,
Sally 🙂
