Reflections on my first year in teaching

Well my NQT year, my first full year in teaching, is finally over! It has been a year of failure and successes, thankfully not quite in equal measure I am happy to say. Yet it has been a year of intense professional, as well as in many ways personal, growth and challenge. I have been humbled on more than one occassion and have risen like a phoenix on more than one occassion also. From having to re-evaluate how I organise my time and the way I teach particular areas of our syllbus, to learning how to cope with criticism and respond positively to it. This year has not been exactly easy; but it has been character developing.

I have learnt, sometimes the hard way, that in order to teach at the highest level expected of me that it will take years of experience and reflection on myself. However, I end the year on a very positive note: with the work done collaboratively in our department to rework our schemes of work and the criteria for our assessments in line with the new national curriculum for Key Stage 3 I am very excited about rolling out our new KS3 portfollios with the new year 7s in September. I am also looking forward to being a part of redesigning and decorating our department displays outside our classrooms as well. Working at TTC it is truly an innovative and creative department and professional environment; one I am very thankful and proud to be a part of. I have modestly given to my department and contributed to the aforementioned changes but next year I want to be an even more effective member of the team. I have also been grateful for the times and occassions I have spent socially with my colleagues, getting to know them and being able to share my faith with them.

As far as my personal life goes, this year has taught me that I need to trust in God even with the little things. Whilst I have faultered from time to time, generally speaking, the challenge of this year has brought me closer to God with the recognition that it is in His strength and not my own in which I will accomplish all things. I have sought to walk closer with my God because only He knows the end from the beginning. When there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel I had to trust in God that He would guide me through the difficult times and I rejoice that He never left me in the midst of my uncertainties! Positively, joining my new church at Frinton has been very beneficial to my faith, having the stability of that spiritual environment and atmosphere as well as the fellowship of my house group.

So here I sit, typing at my PC with a sense of excitment and hope in the year ahead, going into my second year of teaching. I am looking forward to relaxing and recharging my batteries during the holiday and hope to make the fullest use of my free time. I know I must temper any sense of expectancy with realism because hopes can be dashed and dreams unfulfilled. My second year will still be very hard and badly behaved classes bring all sorts of difficulties and challenges to your work, but nevertheless I don't want to lose that energy and enthusiasm to want to improve myself professionally and do my very best next year to remain positive.

As far as my personal life goes I must continue to trust and hope in God too. Whether I am still single this time next year I cannot say, only God knows that. As of now I can't see myself finding anyone soon, despite my good intentions and openness to initiate friendships. I will also have to make some decisions regarding how I spend my free time and my hobbies. For the last couple of months I have wanted to take up Ju-Jitsu, which I know is a martial art and therefore not the typical past time of a Christian. I have really enjoyed and appreciated going to the gym and keeping fit and growing stonger and feel that it would be good to channel some of that new energy into another sporting pursuit. Martial arts, like going to the gym, suit my current lifestyle as I can do them without needing a training partner. Moreover, with the grappling elements to Ju-Jitsu it is also the closest thing to wrestling, which I still enjoy watching from time to time. Conversely, I am still not decided whether I will actually take it up or not. Ultimately my faith and spirituality must come before secular past times. I have sought to get a balance in my life this year, keeping a healthy body, mind and spirit. But I do not want to turn that desire and pursuit into compartmentalising my life and faith into boxes. God deserves all of me and I do not want to neglect my faith if I cannot maintain that balance by going to Ju-Jitsu. So it will take further consideration.

Taking everything into consideration and wishing to remain positive about the year ahead I think of the Impending Doom lyrics: "How do I find what I seek? Where does your glory and I meet? This is where I begin!"

Mortification: 20 years in the underground

2010 celebrates 20 years of quite an extraordinary band: Mortification. Mortification came to prominence in both Christian and secular metal scenes in the early '90s with their first few death metal albums, most notably their seminal sophomore album 'Scrolls of the Megiloth'. The beast which is Mortification was birthed in 1990 by bassist/vocalist Steve Rowe after his previous band Light Force disbanded. Not content to let his musical creativity fade away, Steve reformed the band. But it soon became clear by pursuing a much heavier direction that this was a completely different animal and thus a new name was necessary. Mortification was the epitome of all that the band stood for both lyrically and musically as an extreme Christian metal band. The band's third album, and my personal favourite to date, 'Post Momentary Affliction' saw the band progress into more experimental realms of metal, whilst still retaining their death metal roots. Post Momentary Affliction provided a watershed that saw the band embark on a musical journey, never remaining content to reproduce the same album twice. Evolution has been an integral part of Mortification ever since.

The band's longevity is remarkable, especially when the personal circumstances surrounding the founding member (and only original member left) Steve Rowe. Steve suffered from two bouts of particularly aggressive cancer in the mid '90s, both occassions proving potentially fatal, which has since left him as a partial paraplegic. Yet miraculously God protected him and despite his disability has continued to write and play new music. Conversely despite overcoming ill health Mortification have spent the best part of their 20 year long career as an independent, underground band. Sadly for the band after their contract expired with influential metal record label Nuclear Blast after their fourth album 'Blood World' they were never able to resign to another label with quite the same exposure. Financial limitations notwithstanding, as well as numerous line up changes, Steve perservered and Mortitication survived. For the last 10 years the band has enjoyed more stability through the inclusion of and talent of lead guitarist Mick Jelinic.

Since Mortification's last full length album was released in 2009, Steve has been concentrating his creative energy into a Christian Rock band he has formed with former Mortification guitarist Lincoln Bowen called WonRowe Vision. WonRowe Vision are set to release their debut album later this year and Steve has expressed his desire to keep Mortification an exclusively extreme metal band, returning to the band's old skool death metal roots. This will be enthusiastically welcomed, no doubt, by many long time Mortification fans and indeed I myself am very happy about Steve's decision regarding the artistic and musical direction of Mortification's future releases.

As Steve's musical and creative energy seems to know no end, I am positive Mortification will continue to make music for several years to come, refusing to become extinct like so many other bands before them. Mortification's legacy to Christian metal is unquestionable. Steve Rowe's convictions and his dedication to playing Christ centred extreme music has been unwavering for the past 20 years and the eminence and popularity that Christian metal now enjoys as one of the largest growing sub-genres of metal is in no small terms influenced by Mortification, especially of the impact of their early death metal albums. Many a lesser band would have succumbed to the harsh world of the music industry and disbanded long before reaching such a monumental milestone as 20 years. This is what makes Mortification such an intriguing and genuinely sincere musical experience. As a Christian Mortification's music has been both inspirational and motivational in my walk of faith. It is a band I am positively grateful for.

For more information about Mortification visit http://www.roweproductions.com/
To buy Mortification music legitimately from their official webstore visit http://www.soundmass.com/