At 53, am I too old to teach KS2 anymore?

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We have had a crazy term- OFSTED, learning walks, books and planning inspected etc etc..
This week, our head gave us the opportunity to observe each other and do some team teaching which was lovely!
However, i was blown away by the 20 something teachers and their amazing lessons- all singing, all dancing, bells and whistles, the lot! I was especially impressed with their use of ICT and some of the tools/apps they incorporated into their lessons!
I used to think i was a good teacher, but now i'm seriously wondering if i am just too old to keep up with technology. I thought i was fairly ICT savvy, but i saw at least 4 things that i didn't even know existed!
Time to get my coat?

As a parent I don't care how old you are and/or how good you are with new-fangled tech (unless you are the ICT teacher ) all I"m looking for is that you teach my children the foundations of learning that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives and that you instill a love of learning in them.
No doubt OFTEAD will be looking for other stuff though but that should not preclude anyone over the age of 30 from teaching hopefully .

Also, never take decisions at the end of term or after an OFSTEAD visit .

God, no. I'm pretty sure they would have come out of your lesson with a list of things they'd never thought of. Isn't that the point of team teaching observations. Growth minset and all that..

Op, you were blown away and interested in what they were doing. That’s positive - you want to learn/ improve. Now if you’d walked in, looked at all these “new fangled inventions” and decided it was all rubbish and there was nothing you could take away - then it would be time to retire. Maturity and experience also has a lot of value as well as youth and invention. Children benefit from both.

I’m only in my 30s and feel the same.

Technology can be asset in the classroom, but it’s no replacement for a decent teacher.

The problem is, we’re not given the time/training to learn how to use new technology. I approached one of the younger teachers and asked for a one on one on how to use my smart board (in our own time). Both of us were able to put it down as CPD.

I remember watching an experienced colleague in her 50’s teach a writing lesson about newspapers. She used no IT at all just a stack of newspapers and a whiteboard. It was a fantastic lesson and I was so inspired by the way she did things.
It all ultimately comes down to the teaching. Everything else is just icing and sprinkles!

I hope not - I have a friend who has only just started teaching in her 50s

Thanks Mrs Fogi-i wish you were my headteacher!

Thanks all- maybe i did impart some old fashioned experience! I won't be making any rash decisions. I'm just feeling a bit sorry for myself! On the bright side, it's half term!

I think schools with a mix of male, female, newly trained & very experienced teachers are the best.

My ds6 has a newly qualified (early 20s) male teacher who is bright, enthusiastic & full of energy - he's fab.

Ds8 has a very experienced (mid 50s) female teacher who is originally from South Africa, she tells them amazing stories & has a lovely way of quietly nurturing & encouraging them.

Dd10 has a male teacher (mid 30s) who is noisy & enthusiastic but good fun. The TA in that class is an older woman who the kids LOVE.

I think play to your strengths, ds8's teacher has shown them photos of South Africa & told them traditional stories etc & it's given them a insight into a different culture that many may not have heard about, it's great!

Dd10's teacher plays the drums, he has a drum kit set up (not a full set) & he uses them in lessons - it adds a new dimension (& noise!) to his lessons!

My DS has an older teacher (Y3). She is amazing - I don’t know if she uses any IT but the quality of her basic teaching, her encouragement of the kids and amazing towards them is fantastic. I was a little worried she’d be jaded but she’s not. She’s experienced. Don’t underestimate yourself. Xx

No! Just think of it as learning from others :) you sound lovely, please don't throw it all in yet!

Lessons might sometimes look whizzy and have loads of IT and activities, but actually the kids don’t learn as much - the bells and whistles can be a distraction if you’re not careful.

Teachers have different teaching styles. If yours is different, so long as the kids are learning well, it’s not wrong.

Oh my gosh I love my children having more experienced teachers!

I’d rather have a more experienced teacher for DS.

We've been told as pcges to use less tech as we typical are over reliant on PowerPoint etc .

Its not always the best way to learn

I think as long as we, and I'm thinking very much of my own situation too, try and keep abreast of new teaching methods and are happy to ask for CPD every time a new technological whizzmigig comes along, then experience has its advantages too. I definitely cry less in the staffroom than some of the younger staff, and that''s not a criticism of them, its just that experience has given me the perspective to see that a bad day and/or a challenging year group doesn't mean that teaching sucks or that I'm a failure. Hopefully I can help them see that too. Though if I ever hear myself say "In my day..." then I'll know it's time to go.

I think a mix of staff is best. Ask for tips, and you’ll be able to give tips on old school teaching and experience!!

But can they cope when the laptop hooked up to the whiteboard chucks a strop and the connection to the internet is down and someone forgot to charge all the iPads overnight? That's the real test - if you can hold it together and genuinely teach well rather than using technology as a crutch to hide behind.

Don't get me wrong - I love technology and some of what you can achieve with it is amazing (especially when I've got a child with dyspraxia who struggles with motor planning and therefore handwriting and can achieve so much more given the chance to record her work electronically), but I've done so much supply work where you've not got the laptop or login to use the whiteboard, and you've got no chance of getting let loose with any of the fancy school tech... and it really does sharpen your skills and confidence knowing you can (and have had to) do the day without any of that safety net. (And I say all that as a total unashamed geek - I love gadgets and apps and software)

Waiting for a link that shows ICT improves attainment. Last time I looked, some time ago, it didn't.

Engagement? Possibly/Probably.

Learning? Can only be gauged by longitudinal studies.

Step back and take look at the technology. It can be used well but bells and whistles does not equate to learning, so don't do yourself down. Look at what you can usefully learn.

What was the result of the OFTESD by the way?

They probably pulled out the stops to impress you! The older wiser teacher. I was always so impressed with the more experienced teachers when I was in the early stages of my career.
Also, the pitch of your lesson and the progress are way more important than the bells and whistles.

I'm older than you and a day doesn't go by without one of the younger teachers bouncing something off me. We can learn from them but they seem to feel we have something to give as well.

I don't think you need worry, sometimes technology has a place in learning and other times it doesn't. Recently I've taught lessons involving nothing other than smarties and water and magnifying glasses and a bowl of pond water. Other times I will use technology but I don't rely on it working

Ot would be time to get your coat in lots of the schools near me as the budgets are so dire-the heads only want NQTs as they are cheap!

As a parent I'd be very happy with an older teacher - I still remember my first teacher fondly, and she was definitely older than you are... I'd feel the other way, new teachers may have lots of energy but do they really know how to wrangle a classroom full of kids?