Withdrawing from circulation

Jack was a young technology teacher in a big secondary school. His department had its own specialist building across the car park from the main block. At breaks and lunchtimes the small group of teachers and technicians stayed in the department to have their coffee and packed lunches together. Jack felt obliged to join the group, but was aware of being shut out of the social and professional buzz in the main staffroom.

What is the right thing to do?

Every teacher needs to be firmly on the radar of as many people as possible across departments and in senior leadership. From the start, Jack should have set up a routine of visiting the staffroom frequently enough to get to know a wider range of colleagues.