Featured Teacher the support and encouragement of my wife Mags and the professional talents of so many colleagues . An example for me in my present situation is the exceptional intellectual ability of our Ta ’ allum Director of Education , Dr Mohammed Saefan whose lifetime of international education service includes setting up schools in the most challenging conditions in UNRWA schools .
What advice would you give to a teacher looking to move to Qatar from the UK ?
Embrace the cultural experience not the money . Above all , be respectful . The unfamiliarity can mean that you will need to be flexible , resilient and open-minded . Bring and contribute your own abilities , but do not seek to impose your own orthodoxy or come with a sense of superiority . Excitingly , you will be contributing to the Emir ’ s national 2030 vision where education is at the heart of national progress . It is a wonderful global experience , which will enrich you and your life .
Share 3 things that you do to keep staff motivated throughout the school year .
• We ensure that staff are kept well informed with achievements constantly shared and communicated daily . Success breeds success . A sense of fun also helps !
• The formal Ta ’ allum Rewards and Recognition Evening in a prestigious hotel is a shared experience where a variety of staff achievements are recognised from long service and academic results to positive personal contributions and teaching innovations .
• The Ta ’ allum Trophy for sports allows staff in the 3 Ta ’ allum academies to compete against each other in a spirit of friendly sporting rivalry throughout the year ! It ’ s amazing just how competitive we are ! football was a matter of life and death , famously replied “ No . It ’ s more important than that !” Qatar has a rich sporting infrastructure with opportunities to see the best in the world . I ’ ve watched AC Milan , Barcelona and PSG teams playing here recently .
2 . I enjoy Literature and have always read widely . Ian McEwan is my favourite author .
3 . Travel opportunities from the region are wonderful . We are so well positioned . Recently , we have visited India to see the Taj Mahal , Myanmar and Oman .
What is the greatest life lesson that I have learnt as an educator ?
In 1982 , when I was a young teacher in a very large Comprehensive school in Somerset , my father suffered a serious stroke . The Headteacher at the time took the trouble to write a simple note to my mother wishing for a speedy recovery with some positive words of encouragement for me . That small act of kindness 35 years ago had a profound and lasting impact on me and assured my total commitment and loyalty . I still have the note today !
It taught me how much people matter ,
Peter Kubicki , Head of Secondary at Al Jazeera Academy . ( Photo credit : AJA ) how small things count and as leaders what unseen influence we have to make a school culture positive .
Share one fun thing about you that would surprise colleagues ?
As a student , I worked on the maintenance gang at Wembley Stadium . This involved sweeping the terraces , letting greyhounds out of the traps for races , walking round with a shovel at the Horse of the Year Show ( I ’ ll leave you to guess the rest !) and best of all , sometimes being the little man in the white coat high above the crowd who changed the score on the then manual scoreboard at big matches !
What is the best advice that you have received and how has it helped you ?
‘ Never stop learning and looking to the future .’ Over time , this maxim has made me realise how much more there is to learn and how much I do not know . It has brought me sustainability , heightened awareness of the constant process of change in education and it has also emphasised the need to play to the strengths and skills of our team . The next goal for me is Arabic language learning !
What are 3 activities I do outside of school to create work life balance ?
1 . I am obsessive about football . My wife tells me “ it ’ s just 22 grown men kicking a bag of wind around ”, but I tend to follow the thinking of the former Liverpool football manager , Bill Shankly , who when asked if
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