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Over the last 8 months I have been inspired in so many ways – from people to places, to music and words on a page. The #gtauk event was an adrenaline rush of inspiration whilst many moments in my classroom demonstrated that children will continue to inspire me. But I want to take this opportunity to highlight two educators that have inspired me this year – Tom Handley and Oliver Quinlan.

Twitter @tomhenzley

Tom has recently gained his Qualified Teacher Status and will be embarking on his first teaching post this September. I started to follow him on Twitter and keep up with his excellent account of being a PGCE trainee teacher on his wonderful blog. What set Tom apart for me was his enthusiasm and determination for he not only completed his PGCE course but also organised a Teach Meet and has been putting together through Twitter a PGCE Survival guide ebook (#pgcetips) which is due to be launched for download for free or to buy later today! Amazing. You deserve every success Tom.

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Twitter @oliverquinlan

Oliver was in the same situation as Tom last year but has completed a very successful first year’s teaching post as an NQT. Again it’s his determination and enthusiasm that inspires me and I had the pleasure to meet him in July during the Google Teacher Academy which he was a presenter at. He is without doubt a fantastic teacher who puts learning first and that was apparent in the video he showed us during his presentation.

Using technology may be at the heart of my teaching and learning but I know like we all do that it is not the only answer. Tim and Oliver are both highly motivated professionals that also use technology as part of their approach to improving learning in their classrooms.

“the biggest success has to be the progression I have seen in the 31 children I have taught this year. The changes I have seen in their confidence, their work ethic, and their general attitude towards learning has been phenomenal, and I am very proud of the hard work they have all put in. There are of course many areas to continue to work on in my teaching, and that will be the subject of a future post, but I am pleased to have taken a class through a whole year and really made a difference to them.” Oliver Quinlan

This is what teaching is all about, making a difference, making a change. It’s not the tools, it’s the people behind them. Thanks for your inspiration Tom and Oliver.