I grew up in Whitburn, a small mining village halfway between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and went to a primary school with the same name as the colliery just along the road, Polkemmet. From our school we could see the pit bings and, if the wind blew in our direction, we could smell them, too.

The 1984 miners’ strike had a big impact on our community. The eventual closing of the pit resulted in a number of people losing their jobs or being transferred to different pits.

Yet, despite the colliery being so close by, as a child I was relatively unaware of it. My focus was on the classroom, a magical place where I was transported to different lands - Ancient Egypt, Pompeii or deep into the Amazon rainforest.

I was immersed in learning by an inspirational teacher, Mrs Brownwight (pictured below). She was a lady with a smile as big as her heart, who engaged her class through nurture and creativity.

Learning to learn

I vividly remember working with my classmates to paint hieroglyphics on floor-to-ceiling length strips of paper, while wearing a Cleopatra wig I had made myself.

I remember banqueting like a Roman in our assembly hall and the sheer delight I felt when I received a postcard sent from “Egypt”. It was with Mrs Brownwight that I learned to learn.

When I reflect on my time as a teacher, and my role now as a curriculum maker, I can connect the impact Mrs Brownwight (or Maureen, as I know her now) had on me with how I teach four decades on from that formative time.

Her approach to teaching through thematic learning - or what we know today as interdisciplinary learning - enabled me to make the link across subjects. In doing so, learning was meaningful, rich and exciting.

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Mrs Brownwight’s hands-on learning approach gave me the confidence to create, fail and try again. Now, almost 40 years later, I find myself working with an amazing staff team in specialist additional support needs provision.

Interdisciplinary learning runs throughout our curriculum, not only in the “broad general education” that takes learners through the first few years of secondary school, but also in the “senior phase” that follows.

This is a community that has been created by teachers and other people we work with closely, creatively together providing opportunities for learners to experience a rich tapestry of learning.

Our curriculum approach has broken down barriers to learning, challenged stereotypes and created an environment for learners to thrive.

At the heart of our curriculum rationale is “learning for sustainability”, which we have interwoven through the curriculum, taking learning outdoors and into our community.

With funding from an Education Scotland’s Stem Nation grant, and some help from experts beyond the school, we have been able to train our staff team to create an outdoor space known as The Tiny Farm, where learners lead the way and can grow and harvest food. Next, they’re planning a duck pond using an Education Scotland Food for Thought grant.

Importance of relationships

Unknowingly, I have carried the relational approach shown to me as a child by Mrs Brownwight into my own practice when working with learners.

I learned early the importance of relationships, so I have been able to identify strengths in learners and catch their interests, opening up pathways for them as they travel through school.

I remain in touch with Mrs Brownwight, who is supportive of our work and the ethos behind it - she’s even made a donation towards our duck pond.

I’m very lucky to have had such an inspirational teacher at a young age. I hope that 40 years from now, our learners will have similarly happy memories of their time in school - because those memories can fuel you for decades to come.

Iona McCroary is principal teacher (autism) at St Modan’s High School, in Stirling