For any teacher who has ever had a class that are angels for colleagues but Lucifer incarnate as soon as they cross the threshold of their classroom. Or who realised too late that their best-laid lesson plans were doomed from the start. Or who had their energy and enthusiasm sapped by a mood-hoovering staffroom Grinch. These problems will be a thing of the past once they've mastered the art of being a brilliant teacher. With plenty of practical advice and top tips, this book will show them how. The Art of Being Brilliant series was a finalist in the 2017 Education Resources Awards in the Educational Book Award category.

Celebrating Teachers: Making a difference, written by Gary Toward and Chris Henley, is a feel-good celebration of all that is great about teachers and teaching - and an exploration of the difference teachers make and how they do it. Forewords by Ben Bailey Smith (aka Doc Brown) and Sir Anthony Seldon. Gary Toward and Chris Henley believe that teaching is the best and most important profession. Now, you might argue that it would be medicine that should take that accolade - as medics save lives and mend people. But teachers create lives and 'make' people. They, in fact, create medics! This book celebrates the superhero of the classroom: the teacher. Teachers make a difference, and often that difference is life-changing. In this book, Gary and Chris look at some of the many cases where such a difference has been made and examine exactly what it was that made such an impact on the life of the young person - and they also highlight the key approaches that teachers might want to try out in their own classroom, with their own pupils. The authors link the real-life case study stories to what educational research and cognitive science tell us, and point the way for all teachers to adopt, adapt and develop these effective strategies and approaches in their own practice. And, in sharing these inspiring stories, Gary and Chris hope to offer an antidote to the negativity that too often circulates in the media around education and the teaching profession. An uplifting and insightful read for all teachers and educators.

There are many different names and acronyms for these amazing classroom practitioners: teaching assistants (TAs), learning support assistants (LSAs), cover supervisors, supply teachers, student mentors, higher level teaching assistants (HLTAs), learning partners the list goes on. The title doesn't matter but the quality of support, interaction and learning does. Whether you work one-to-one with individual children, support small groups or work with a whole class and whether you work in a primary, secondary or special setting this book is packed with ideas to enhance your practice so you can best support children's learning, while looking out for your own well-being and enjoying your role. You can dip in for top tips, anecdotes, practical strategies and advice on every aspect of the role, as well as have a chuckle as you go. For example, did you know there is a patron saint for just about everything? There is even a patron saint of failures, Birgitta of Sweden, who presumably failed to impress Ofsted on more than one occasion. If you scour the list you'll find that every occupation has a nominated guardian looking after their well-being. That is, except one classroom assistants. So, if there's nobody 'up there' cheering you on, you might need to find the resources within yourself and Andy, Chris and Gary can help. Because, let's face it, working with youngsters isn't for the fainthearted is it? What do you do if you are sworn at? How do you engage a reluctant learner? What about safeguarding? How do you support children with SEND? How do you handle a challenging parent? How can you develop your career further? These topics, and a whole raft more, are woven into this book which will set you on the road to brilliance! It doesn't matter whether it's inspiration or new ideas you want - this book has a plethora of both. It may challenge your thinking, it may persuade you to do something different, and above all it will put you in serious danger of being brilliant at what you do. There's nothing more important or vital than the education and development of our youngsters: the mission of the Art of Being Brilliant series is to help all educators unlock their brilliance. The Art of Being Brilliant series was a finalist in the 2017 Education Resources Awards in the Educational Book Award category.