In this episode, Claire meets with Heather McAvan, a former teacher and now founder and director of Mrs Mactivity, a website full of creative, original and uniquely designed learning resources. Heather talks about her journey to becoming a teacher and, beyond that, the events in her life which led her to enter the field of business culminating in her building her own educational resource company. Having worked in schools both in England and abroad, Heather discusses how attitudes and approaches to education in the UK compare to those internationally, and shares her thoughts on what could be done to improve both the perceptions of education by the wider public and the work/life balance for teachers. As qualified educators who have both successfully started their own businesses, Heather and Claire consider the similarities and common themes in their experiences, along with their shared desire to help and support hard-working teachers and educators as much as they can. KEY TAKEAWAYS

Don’t write-off educational trade shows. Although some of the wares on offer at educational business shows can be much less useful than they might initially appear, there are also a lot of companies out there who are creating really useful and well thought out products. Spending that little bit of extra time searching can uncover some ‘hidden gems’.
A lack of respect for schools, press negativity and disproportionate scrutiny are still causing problems. There are some stark differences between England and other countries whose educational systems are seen as more successful. The level of respect afforded to teachers in other countries by parents is usually significantly higher. This can be influenced by, amongst other things, the negativity of press reports which involve education. This can sometimes go hand-in-hand with the excessive scrutiny and monitoring of education: something which is rarely as involved (or sometimes even existent) in other countries who trust their teachers and schools.
Although it has received some criticism, the National Curriculum has a lot in its favour. Many international schools deliberately follow the English National Curriculum because of its scope, breadth and its considered design. It is highly regarded abroad and, while it might still have its flaws in some areas, it provides a well-thought-out basis for schools to design their own bespoke curriculum relevant to their school and children.
Teachers can be their own worst critics. It is not unusual for teachers to go through a crisis of confidence in their own abilities. At some point, either short-lived or for a longer period of time, almost all teachers will feel as though they are ‘imposters’ and are just ‘pretending’ to be a teacher. At times like these, relationships with colleagues can be key and having close links with others in school is vital to be reminded that you’re there for a reason, and that you wouldn’t be there if you didn’t deserve it.
Feeling confident enough to say ‘no’ is as important as saying ‘yes’. Teachers, by nature, are generally some of the most helpful and considerate workers. Many teachers, especially early on in their careers will take on more and more work – either willingly to be helpful, or because they are wary of saying ‘no’ to senior staff. However, teachers must always be mindful of the amount of work they take on, and the benefits of the tasks they do. There are ways to say ‘no’ to either preserve mental health or to challenge approaches and initiatives which might not serve an obvious purpose.
Marking is still one of the most time-consuming tasks for teachers. Although there are movements in the right direction in this regard – in particular with OfSTED’s clarifications in their expectations – the time teachers spend marking is still, in many cases, disproportionate to the gains made from the use of that time.
Teacher well-being and work/life balance problems won’t be solved with token gestures. The approaches some schools are t