ATL

Welcome

Lesley Ward is national president of ATL

Welcome to my first column of the new decade. I am sure that ATL will build on its successes of the past ten years, and go from strength to strength.

I always look forward to receiving Report magazine and, as president, I am fortunate to see the contents a little earlier than most. The variety and quality of its contents never ceases to amaze and interest me.

It was wonderful to read the article about our five members who have received awards as outstanding new teachers. Their comments really took me back to when I first started teaching in 1975: the mixture of pride in having your 'own' class, the exhilaration of having actually got a job; and the sheer terror of standing in front of a class that you are totally responsible for.

One of the things I very quickly learned was how to read the signs given by body language, especially the signs of an impending tantrum from a five-year-old! The article by Dave Vizard made me realise how much we all communicate silently, and how good teachers very quickly learn to interpret this silent means of communication.

We have all come across children whose scowl says "go away", but whose body language says "please help". I particularly remember the silent sigh of relief when one of my more challenging pupils came in with a smile, and the silent groan if he came in and slammed the door.

Over the past couple of years I have been particularly privileged in that I have been able to visit ATL branches all over the country and speak with members from all sectors of education. As Carole Horstead says, lots of our active members first get involved with ATL when they need help or advice - I certainly did.

This involvement can have a wonderfully beneficial effect on branches too - revitalising and re-energising, perhaps when some or all of the branch officials are about to retire. I have said many times before - go to your local branch meetings, you may be surprised how much you enjoy them.