EDP Education Awards: Meet the Teacher of the Year judge

Here we speak to Lin Goram, director of Norfolk Teacher Training Centre (NTTC), which sponsors the Teacher of the Year category.

Why should people/schools/education establishments take the time to enter the Teacher of the Year category?

Excellence in education begins with teachers. Teaching, moment by moment, can feel unseen: the process by which teachers create safe, exciting, rich learning environments and strong relationships can feel ‘hidden’ in classrooms. 

Awards such as this one support the principle of sharing effective practice, so that wider school settings can strive for excellence together.

This award is an important opportunity to recognise and celebrate teachers’ commitment to excellence, both in their own classrooms and in their school communities.

Lin Goram, director of Norfolk Teacher Training Centre (Image: Richard Steer)

What are the qualities of a good teacher?

I would say that a good teacher is passionate, open-minded, a lifelong learner, and cares about the lives of young people. 

As well as this, a good teacher is committed to teaching well and interested in the process of learning. Being a lifelong learner can mean being open to learning from pupils – for me as a teacher, every lesson was an opportunity to think about something new – as well as getting to grips with new educational ideas and approaches. 

Did you have any teachers who would have deserved this award?

My music teacher, Mrs Pursey, was an inspirational teacher for me. I still think about her, more than 30 years after she taught me. 

As a year 7 student I didn’t quite appreciate how she managed to keep 30 pupils playing xylophones in any kind of order! As I progressed through the years and our classes became smaller and more experienced as musicians, her absolute passion for all things musical shone through. 

As an A level pupil, she met us as equals: she did not think of herself as a good performer but was passionate about helping us to be the best musicians we could be.

She was an inspiring teacher who created a learning environment in which we could question, explore, develop confidence and really excel. 

I didn’t go on to teach music myself, but her influence on me helped me to develop as a person as well as a musician.

The deadline for nominations for the Eastern Daily Press Norfolk Education Awards is midnight on Sunday, July 28.

For more information, including four-point judging criteria, and to make your nominations, visit norfolkeduawards.co.uk