Learning to teach during a pandemic - Hazel Pinner

We owe a debt of gratitude for the commitment of our teaching professionals across Orkney who did all they could to ensure the delivery of high-quality education to all children, young people and students over the past 18 months during these unprecedented times.

Their reaction to the emerging crisis clearly demonstrated their passion for what is a vocation, not just a job.

Parents and carers have a new-found deeper level of respect for our teaching professionals following periods of remote learning.

The schools in Orkney have returned this week after the summer holidays and three professionals have agreed to share their experiences of learning to teach through a pandemic.

Hazel Pinner is in her 4th year of primary teaching and moved to Orkney in August 2019, just eight months before the first UK lockdown.

Her path into teaching was also a little convoluted despite this being a childhood dream and having been inspired into the profession by a number of primary and secondary teachers, whom she is proud call friends to this day.

“I wasn’t confident with Maths when younger and so presumed I’d go into Secondary and completed a History MA at the University of Aberdeen with that in mind. Life though has unexpected turns and nine years passed before I entered the Primary PDGE programme at Moray House, Edinburgh.

“In that time through volunteer work and working as a Pupil Support Worker for West Lothian Council, I realised my heart was in Primary, and that current approaches to teaching Maths make far more sense to me which gave me the confidence to follow the dream I had held since age 8.”  

Many family holidays to Orkney had sown the seed and Hazel yearned to move to the isles.

“As my probationer year drew to a close in 2019, I saw that there were posts advertised and decided to take a chance. I secured a maternity cover post spanning the academic year and within six weeks had moved to Kirkwall from the central belt. I was working in Burray Primary school, which is a 3-class school and a very different experience to my first year of teaching in the Edinburgh-Glasgow commuter belt.

“I fell further in love with Orkney and was extending my knowledge and understanding as well as my teaching in a P1/2 class when the pandemic began to unfold. On the completion of the maternity contract, I made the decision that even without confirmed work I wanted to stay in Orkney and have spent the 2020-2021 academic year working as a supply teacher, with a mix of both short-term and casual supply roles. I am continuing in Orkney and will be working in Papdale Primary School in Kirkwall as a class teacher on a maternity cover contract.”

Hazel has experienced two very different lockdown teaching experiences.

“While I had completed my probationer year before moving to Orkney, it was really challenging as an early career teacher. I was really only coming into my confidence with teaching an early primary class when suddenly the where, how and what I was teaching underwent a massive shift. Maintaining a relationship with pupils was something my school prioritised and the platform we were using made that much easier as children could post photos, video and audio messages of what they were doing.

“Two very different lockdown teaching experiences”

“I was able to message and email with parents, phoning where appropriate, and also used a range of digital tools to enable me to read books and send videos to my class to help keep our class community together. In the last year, in terms of relationships with colleagues it has also been tricky, especially as a supply teacher, as I’ve been in and out of three schools across the year for varying amounts of time.

“That in itself then takes time to get to know people, but with bubbles, staggered breaks and lunches and social distancing, it was harder. In saying that, the staff in the schools I’ve been in have all been helpful and welcoming, making me feel part of their teams, even If only for a short time. We are incredibly fortunate in the leadership we have in Orkney schools as well and alongside being school leaders, the headteachers, deputy heads and principal teachers I have worked with also take a personal interest in their staff.

“We are incredibly fortunate in the leadership we have in Orkney schools…”

“Throughout this year, even when not working for a couple of headteachers I have had them checking in and keeping me in mind, from supply work to ensuring that I was doing well in terms of my personal wellbeing, which was very much appreciated.”

Hazel continued: “In the first lockdown in 2019, I was suddenly remote teaching a class of P1/2 pupils, and like most teachers, scrambling to work out how to effectively support and teach pupils when they weren’t in the classroom with you.

“It was a steep learning curve in terms of developing digital skills and working out with colleagues how to balance work provided online with active learning activities that encouraged pupils and their families to make the most of the amazing natural world and history on our doorsteps in Orkney. During the lockdown from January to March 2021 I continued to teach remotely two pupils whose family had relocated to North Ronaldsay, making them the only primary age children. While the Council sought to employ a teacher and reopen the school, which has been successful, I worked remotely with the pupils from October till mid-February, including live teaching sessions in the mornings where I could provide targeted teaching and support for both pupils.”

Similarly to Stacy, Hazel feels there have been positives to come from the experiences of remote teaching, with the need to adapt and look to innovation opening up opportunities to try new approaches and tools and which have now become part of enhanced support for learning.

“It has encouraged me to make a number of valuable professional and personal connections with a broader professional learning network than I would have otherwise, especially through the platform of Twitter. While we have a full and extensive calendar for Continuing Professional Development, the move online for conferences, seminars and books groups has allowed for different opportunities to connect and learn out with Orkney, allowing me to share my experiences and strengths as well as gain inspiration from others.

“I have been amazed at the resilience, understanding and care for others that pupils across Orkney have exhibited throughout the pandemic. While the majority were glad to return to school, obviously there have been a variety of experiences, emotional and behavioural responses both to lockdowns, the pandemic, and school, which are understandable as each family experience, each pupil experience has been unique depending on a number of factors.

“….each pupil experience has been unique….”

“Some pupils have flourished learning at home while others have found it distracting or difficult. For me in a primary setting focusing on Health and Wellbeing has given us the chance to ensure we know where each child is, not just academically but emotionally and mentally as well. With this understanding of our pupils, school staff are then able to work together to provide the most appropriate learning experiences and support that our pupils require so that they are able to progress in their learning with confidence and enthusiasm.”

Hazel feels much more important than what they do is why they do it.

“In my view, underpinning a good teacher are the values we hold which shape and guide our practice. For example, I could say good teachers should be patient, and in a classroom and school setting this is a necessary skill. However, why I should develop and apply that skill is more than just a word. If I am seeking to be an inclusive practitioner who is working to get it right for every child, then being patient is about knowing my pupils, understanding who they are and their situations, and how that can affect them in the classroom. It means putting the pupils first and considering the why behind the response, behaviour, or struggle to grasp a point of learning.

“That then also influences my planning as I look at the bigger picture of the pupils learning journey and look at the progression of their learning over the year and beyond, rather than just focusing on an initial snapshot. This allows for me to build in repetition and opportunities to consolidate and recall learning over a period of time to ensure pupils are confident and secure in their knowledge and understanding.

“…open doors into worlds beyond their own…”

“For myself, at the heart of who I am as a teacher is the commitment to social justice. Not merely in the content I teach within the classroom, but in that it guides me in how I consider my planning, the classroom environment, and the routines and practices of the day. I apply this value by then putting into practice the skills of patience, flexibility, being a quality listener, a reflective practitioner, being honest with my learners about my own strengths and areas for growth, valuing their voices, and using my love of reading to open doors into worlds beyond their own.”