Get off to a flying start - Learn and use the correct names

As a child, I remember how uncaring I thought it was when my dad couldn’t get my name correct. I only had three other sisters, how hard could it be? OK Eilidh is unusual but I still wanted to be remembered for who I was. 

Nowadays, with children of my own, I see how hard it is to keep names straight- especially when you apply this to a classroom and may see hundreds of students each day. A student’s name is special to them and it should be to you, too.

You don’t have to memorise every name on the first day of term. Nametags, nameplates and games will help you remember names the first few weeks of school. Jot down something positive that stands out to you about each student on the first day. Tall, short, red hair, looks like David Beckham, lovely smile etc.

Bottom line, if you’re not a 100% sure of a student's name, don’t use it! And if you don’t know how to pronounce it, ask. To remember the pronunciation, write it down phonetically. A student’s name is special to them and it should be to you, too. Your name is probably the most important word in your vocabulary. We all like to be shown respect by having our name remembered.

It would appear that head teachers and senior leaders are staying in post longer at the moment. Head teachers' union leader Dr John Dunford said the recession might have led senior staff to stay on in schools. 

Why are there fewer applications for early retirement? "In the financial uncertainty that exists in the country at the moment people are staying on longer."

Some recent statistics regarding staff vacancies 2009 26% of primary, 19% of secondary and 27% of special school vacancies were unfilled, compared with 32%, 21% and 38% respectively in 2008.

The union leader went on to say, "We will have to wait until next year to see if the demographic downturn - which has this bulge of head teachers in their 50s and 60s approaching retirement age - causes major recruitment problems."

1. Give a sincere compliment to a stranger
1. 2. Secretly put a flower or a chocolate bar on a colleague’s desk
2. 3. Pay for the newspaper for the person behind you in the queue
3. 4. Give your parking space to the driver behind you
4. 5. Send a handwritten thank you note to a friend
5. 6. Tell your partner or best friend how much he/she is appreciated
6. 7. Hug a friend or client you have never hugged before
7. 8. Leave a complimentary note for a colleague - anonymously
8. 9. Buy a lucky dip lottery ticket for a stranger
9. 10. Light a candle for your dinner table - even if you are on your own - you deserve it too...