Jonathan Heeley
When Jonathan Heeley was promoted to head of maths soon after starting at Rawthorpe High School, he knew he had a big challenge on his hands. His classes of 11 to 16-year-olds were rowdy, badly behaved and seemed to have no interest in learning. But Jonathan refused to give up on them.
Seven years later, the school's GCSE pass rate in maths has risen from 12 per cent to 55 per cent, thanks to his inspirational teaching techniques. The 40-year-old dad-of-two from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, knew he had to do something different to make his subject interesting in his classes, so he invented 'maths raps'. And when the students started calling him MC Protractor, he realised he had captured their imagination.
From then on, Jonathan worked tirelessly to come up with ways to make learning fun, relevant and accessible, and to inspire even the most reluctant students in his classes. He installed a karaoke machine in the classroom to perform maths songs and raps, used doughnuts to teach probability, and came up with ways to use football results and shapes in the playground to discuss maths problems.
"The first few weeks in the school were difficult," Jonathan admits, "and there were times when I doubted myself, but I was determined to make a difference. "I didn't want to give up on the kids or on my desire to share my passion for maths. I realised I had to make the lessons relevant to their lives.
"Gone are the days when teachers stood at the front of the classroom and preached. You've got to get the kids involved if you want to reach out to them and get them excited. "When you feel you are getting through to the students, it's the best feeling. I love being able to make them realise they can do things they didn't think they could and see their self-esteem growing."
With Rawthorpe High School now called Netherhall Learning Campus, headmistress Joan Young, says, "Jonathan is an inspirational teacher who is adored by the kids. "He makes maths come alive and the children strive for the best possible grades. They are never prepared to settle for second best in maths." Jonathan's innovative techniques have caught the attention of the website teachers.tv, where his lessons are used to inspire other lecturers. And he regularly gets approached by ex pupils in the street who want to thank him.
"My mantra is, 'Believe and you will achieve'," says Jonathan. "No matter what their ability, you can give them something. Hopefully they will remember it forever."