The academic year machine rolls along, we're over half way through this one. Hopefully the machinery is running smoothly with just the odd bit of tinkering needed. Is the engine purring nicely? Now maybe it's time to have a good look under the bonnet, to give things a proper once-over, think about the journey we're on and maybe it's time to start to think about next year too.

Classroom mantras can be hugely powerful; what about our teacher mantras? How can our mindset help or hinder us and what can we do about it? How does the language we use affect us? Maybe let's start by not “shoulding” on ourselves.