The Hidden Side of a Teaching Award Application

Whilst applying for a national teaching award, I was confronted with the possibility that perhaps my teaching was merely “good practice” and not an example of excellence. With the support of some key people, I deconstructed my teaching approaches and reconceptualised how I teach. In doing so, I discovered how ‘just’ talking with peers helped empower me as a teacher. This paper uses an autoethnographic approach to describe my reflections on my teaching practice during the eight week period when I was applying for the award. It firstly describes the method of autoethnography. It then describes key events and stages during the application journey and my reflections on how I was transformed as a teacher through these stages. Finally, this paper concludes with insights about how to apply for a teaching award that encompasses teaching excellence.