Teach Primary Issue 18.4

Q A & 1 What is your idea of perfect happiness in your job? I don’t work in the classroom anymore, but I do support schools as a neurodiversity specialist. I want to make an impact, so I like to work with people who share my passion for neurodiversity and are looking for simple solutions to improve things for neurodivergent pupils and staff. I love my work and I’m really passionate about my mission, so I’m very lucky! 2 What is your greatest fear at work? As a neurodivergent person, I have incredible imposter syndrome – there’s this constant voice in my head that tells me I’m no good and that people are going to think that I’m talking utter rubbish, or that they won’t like me. It’s an inner monologue I battle with all the time. I talk about it on my social media channels a lot because I find that sunlight is the best disinfectant. Through sharing my experiences, I hope that other people will feel the psychological safety to be able to be honest about how their neurodivergence affects their own life. 3 What is your current state of mind? In spite of the ridiculously high exclusion figures released in April and the huge number of anxious non-attenders we have in schools in Britain, I’m optimistic! The 6 Which words or phrases do you most overuse with your class? I no longer work with a class, but with the delegates at my training sessions I do have certain catchphrases and have often thought about creating some kind of Catrina Lowri bingo card. I use words like ‘identity’, ‘belonging’ and ‘inclusion’ a lot. I also say “I’m not a doctor, but as a qualified teacher…” quite often, because the people who attend my courses tend to talk about the neurological workings of the brain. 7 What do you consider your greatest teaching achievement? When I worked in a special school, a girl with tuberous sclerosis learned to drink from a straw. This life skill was far more important to her than any A* at A-level would have been to a child who was academically able. 8 What is your most treasured teaching possession? Probably my memory stick. It contains so many presentations and materials I’ve built up over the years. TP neurodiversity movement is gathering momentum. Most people hadn’t heard of it around five years ago, yet, this week alone, I’ve heard important conversations about burnout and masking on mainstream radio, television and in the press. And also, perhaps things have to hit rock bottom before we can start to build them back up again? 4 What do you consider the most overrated teacher virtue? ‘Professionalism.’ It’s too broad a term. What does it even mean? To me, it’s just getting on with the job of teaching the children; not all the paperwork that goes along with it. But teachers get measured by spreadsheets and policies, not the happiness or ability to learn of their pupils. 5 On what occasion do you lie to your class? When I worked at an international school in Cologne, Germany, my Year 5 class asked me what I used to do before I was a teacher. I spontaneously told them that I used to be in the band ‘Steps’ before they got famous, but that I’d had an argument with Fay about borrowing her nail varnish, so left the band. For a while I would show the children dance moves every day after lunch. I’m certain that most of them believed that I was actually a former pop star. We take the famous Proust questionnaire and pose eight of its questions to a fellow educator. Take a peek into the deepest depths of a teacher’s soul... NAME: Catrina Lowri JOB ROLE: Founder and director of Neuroteachers EXTRA INFO: neuroteachers.com/training “I find that sunlight is the best disinfectant” 82 | www.teachwire.net F EATURE S BACK PAGE