Mr MacLeod is the Head Teacher at Elmvale and we know you have lots of questions for him. So this is where we get to put Mr MacLeod in the hot seat. When it is your classes turn, your questions will be posted on this page and Mr MacLeod will respond.
Remember, you can look back at previous questions in the archive to help you ask relevant questions...
November 2015
This month Primary 7/6 have volunteered to interview Ms Donahue. They worked in pairs, trios and groups to create ten relevant questions.
1. If you were a teacher, what class would you like to teach and why? (Leon, Jamie-Lee, Lauren and Andrew)
2. If you could explore the world - would you and why? (Leon, Jamie-Lee, Lauren and Andrew)
3. Who is your favourite member of school at Elmvale? (Jonnie)
4. Do you have a favourite fruit or vegetable?
5. What did you want to be when you were younger? (Emily and Erin)
6. What is your favourite song and who is your favourite artist? (Emily, Erin and Liam)
7. Why did you become a PSA? (Dylan)
8. What has been your favourite family holiday? (Shiovhan, Khaled and Dylan)
9. What is your favourite subject and why? (Jana)
10. What was your favourite thing to do as a kid? (Frank)
September 2015
This month Mrs Etherington and P3E volunteered to interview our upper school DHT, Mrs Baker. Please read on to see if she kept her cool head in this months hot seat! Who will be nominated next?
1. Do you like ice cream and what is your favourite flavour and topping? (Boshra)
I love ice cream and my favourite flavour is honeycomb because it is nice and crunchy and crackles and pops in my mouth. And to make it extra special I put a flake in and make a 99.
2. What is your favourite animal and why? (Kevin)
My favourite animal is a lynx because they have little furry ears and spiky hair. I've seen one at Aviemore Wildlife Park.
3. What do you like to do when you're not at school? (Samuel and Millie)
I like hill walking and long flat walks. Last weekend I went for a long walk along the River Teviot. And I like eating ice cream. I like spending time with my family. Sometimes I like to go cycling.
4. What do you like about your work? (Brooke, Kari Ann, Jay, Zac and McKenzie)
I like working with Mr MacLeod and all of the teaching staff and support staff. I especially like working with the children and helping them to do their very best. And talking and meeting with parents and carers and coaches who take our clubs.
5. What is your favourite work that the children do in school? (Megan and Meng-Xi)
I like everyone to have high expectations so I like to see everyone do their very best. I am enjoying especially looking at what the children are learning about in maths.
6. Have you ever been cheeky? (Mason)
Yes, I have been cheeky, sometimes when I was young, and sometimes as a grown up! However, whenever I realised I had been cheeky I stopped and apologised.
August 2015
Mr MacLeod is back in the Hot Seat this term. We have only been at school for one week, but already, our p7F class are desperate to quiz our Head Teacher. P7 have been working hard on their questioning skills, and can't wait to have Mr MacLeod respond to their questions!
1. How tall are you, when’s your birthday and how old are you?
I am 190cm tall, my birthday is in February and I'm not far off 50 years old.
2. When did you become a HT, and how long have you worked at this school for?
I have been in Elmvale as HT since August 2004.
3. What made you become a primary teacher and then a head teacher?
I liked school, primary teaching is enjoyable because it means working with many different subjects and each day is different. The benefits of being a Head Teacher is that you are always working hard to make the school the best it ban be for the children and local community.
4. How many trips have you been on with the school, and which was your favourite and why?
I have been on lots of trips - trips help to bring learning to life. I have enjoyed them all - Blairvadach, France, Italy, football, sport, musical - all.
5. Why did you choose to come to Elmvale as a HT?
My family came from Springburn and my great aunt was a pupil at Elmvale in 1913.
6. What is your greatest sporting achievement?
I wasn't interested in Sport when I was at school.
7. When you were at school, did you enjoy it and why?
I liked Maths, History and Geography and meeting friends.
8. When you were a child, which school did you go to?
I went to Balmuildy PS and then Bearsden PS.
9.What is your favourite subject to teach and why?
I enjoy teaching PE because I like to encourage children who either don't like it or struggle with it.
10. If you had to teach only one class in this school for a week, which one would it be? Justify your answer!
I would teach P7/6 because I taught one of their PE sessions for most of last year and enjoyed it!
Bonus: If you could change the name of the school, what would you change it to and why?
I wouldn't change it as it would alter the historical link - if I had to then perhaps Springburn Primary School as it now serves the whole of the area or perhaps something linked to its locomotive historical past.
June 2015
Ms Kytzia, our Principal Teacher, is taking the final Hot Seat for this year. We only have seven days left at school before the summer but will she keep a cool head in the heat? Thank you to Miss Ireland and Primary 1I for your relevant questions. We hope you like the answers!
1. What is your favourite song?
Last week when I was teaching in P3/2 they chose 'Gangnam Style' for their tidy-up song. When I was covering P7F on Friday, Tiegan requested 'Cheerleader'. I love, love, LOVE music so much it is so hard to choose just one favourite song. However, Bob Marley (amongst many golden oldie artists) is a big favourite of mine and I chose 'Mellow Mood' for my first dance at my recent wedding in April. Here's a couple of snaps of me singing along!
2. What is your favourite film?
I have so many films that I love but I don't think you're old enough to have watched them! I really enjoyed watching Tangled with my niece because it's all about not being held back and listening to your gut and not accepting boundaries people put on you. I also thought The Croods was a pretty awesome kids movie too. I'm sure most of you will have watched it but if you haven't, it's about a Neanderthal man becoming human and overcoming his fear for education. Can you recommend any good films?
3. Do you have any pets?
Unfortunately I have no pets. But sometimes I look after my sisters ninja kangaroos, otherwise known as chinchillas. They're too fast, jump too high and I can't catch them to put them back in their cage! After watching 'How to Train a Dragon' I really want a pet dragon. Or a unicorn. That would be pretty cool?!
4. What do your favourite shoes look like?
I am more of a trainer person than a shoe person and own a colourful collection of Converse trainers. However, despite loving Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz and owning a less sparkly pair - my current favourite footwear would have to be my wedding shoes! What do you think?
5. Are you a good singer?
Boys and girls, we sing together every-time I come into your class. At our Monday assembly we always sing our 'Hello' and 'Goodbye' song and afterwards we enjoy singing many different songs such as 'Days of the Week', 'What's the Weather?' and 'There was a School' with Primary 1. Think back to Christmas and to our fabulous nativity of 'It's a Baby!' I was so proud of every single one of you for remembering the lines and actions to a whopping ten songs! You've all heard me sing loudly plenty of times so I'm going to turn this question around - do you think I am a good singer?
6. What is your favourite book?
This is another hard question for me because I love to read. When I was your age my favourite bedtime story was Chicken Licken. It reminds me of my mum as she's the only person who can stop my sky from falling down! When I got a little bit older, my absolute favourite book was The Hobbit. It was the first big book that I read twice and will still pick up to this day. For World Book Day, I chose the inspirational, 'Oh, the Places You'll Go', by Dr. Seuss. I shared this with you at assembly with my Uncle David as it describes a future filled with unlimited potential. If I can teach you anything P1I, please read as much as you can. Books are magical and open your eyes to the big wide wonderful world. Please share your book recommendations with me after the summer holidays?!
7. What do you like to do at the weekend?
Teachers work very, very hard. We even work at the weekend to make your learning experiences as exciting as possible. But weekends for me are definitely centred around my friends and family. I love to spend time outdoors so a perfect weekend would be good company, good food and a hill-walk or bike ride. We live in such a beautiful country - I love exploring Scotland.
8. Do you have a favourite place to go on holiday?
We have 71 countries that have visited our global guestbook and I have travelled to 21 of them. But there are roughly 196 countries in the world and I want to spend my life visiting as many of these places as possible. I have a large map of the world in my living-room and I like to stick little flag pins on every country I have visited. I don't have a favourite place to go on holiday but my favourite holidays have been to Africa, India, Thailand, Vietnam and more recently Australia. I taught in Malaysia in 2011 and plan to visit the friends I made there very soon. My favourite thing to do is to go where I've never been.
9. What is your favourite dinner?
Both my husband and I love to cook and are quite competitive in the kitchen. I have a very large cook book collection and enjoy both following a recipe and creating my own concoction. I love a wide variety of cuisine from all over the world- Indian, Chinese, Thai, Italian, British... but nothing beats a good old Sunday roast or weekend fry-up breakfast!
10. Do you have a favourite season?
Currently my favourite season has to be summer! I can't wait to go exploring, camping, hill-walking, cycling, kayaking and catching up with family and friends. I love skiing so Winter is a favourite time of year too - who doesn't like building snowmen and making snow-angels? And Christmas is my favourite time of year! But I also love Autumn because of the wonderful changing colours of trees. Spring is lovely too with all the new flowers and fresh smells. Everything is coming back to life again. Nature is amazing. I love all four seasons! But with only seven alarm bells left before the holidays - SUMMER!
Have a wonderful summer holiday Team Elmvale!
April 2015
Mrs Reed, our DHT, is just back from maternity leave. We are very excited to have her back but want to know if she can keep a cool head in the HOT SEAT! Here are some fantastic questions from our Elmvale Nursery Class:
1. If we feel sick in the park would you help us? Ava
All the adults in Elmvale care about our children Ava and any of us would help you if you needed it. I hope none of you feel sick and get to have fun at the park!
2. Do you like wearing make up? Jorjay and Huda Ali
Yes I quite like wearing some makeup sometimes.
3. Do you always wear make up? Kaycey
No I don’t always wear makeup. I like to be outside and makeup can get messy if it is windy or rainy. I don’t wear it if I am going out on my bike or going to a park.
4. Would you come in and play games with us or tell stories? Rita and Martin
Yes Rita and Martin! I saw you at the Caledonian Club last week and we all had great fun didn’t we! It is nice to spend time with you, so whenever I can, I will see you in the nursery. J
5. Can you make playdough? Abi
Yes I can. Sometimes I make it for my 2 little girls at home. They love it but my wee baby tries to eat it and I have to keep my eyes on her to stop her. Kate loves to squish things into it. Maybe you can show me what you do with it Abi?
6. What food do you like? Anna Grace
I love lots of different food. I learned that you have to try things lots of times so your body can get to like it. In fact I had to try olives 100 times before I liked them. Now they are one of my favourites!
7. Can you buy us some cars? Usef
I heard you LOVE cars Usef! I will keep my eyes peeled for some cars and get you some soon.
8. What do you like to eat for breakfast? Ahmed
Because I like lots of different food I have different things each day. Sometimes I have cereal or porridge, sometimes eggs on toast and sometimes I have a big cooked breakfast at the weekend. Yum yum!
9. Do you like pink, orange and green flowers? Olivia and Keira Yes I like all flowers really. They remind me of outdoors and make me smile!
10. Do you like monsters? Lewis
I like friendly monsters in stories but I have never met a real one. I don’t think I want to meet one either.
11. Why does spiderman fly? Junior
He looks like he is flying but I don’t think he can fly. I think he uses his Spideyweb to stick to tall buildings. Then he swings from one tall thing to the next. Wouldn’t that be fun!
12. Do you like dinosaurs – T Rex? Iniolowa
I think dinosaurs are amazing and wish I could have seen a live one but they don’t live on our planet any more. I always thought a huge diplodocus looked like he would be very friendly. Maybe he would have let us use his back like a slide! Weeeeeeeeeeeeee J
February 2015
Thank you to P7F for their recent probing questions for our Head Teacher. They are the first class to throw in a cheeky bonus question - well done. Will our heidy keep his cool in the hot seat?
1. Do you like teaching us P.E.?
Yes very much so. I look forward to working with you on learning mini hockey skills.
2. When you were our age, what school did you go to?
When I was your age, I went to Bearsden Primary School
3. What size of shoe are you? – because you have big feet!
Thanks! I have size 12 shoes
4. Were you tall when you were younger?
Yes, I was always the tallest in my class.
5. How much money do you make as a Head Teacher?
About the same as every other Head Teacher in a primary school
6. What is it like looking down on all of the primary 1’s?
When I work with P1s, I prefer to kneel or sit on a chair.
7. Do you always wear suits out of school?
No, I only wear a suit at work.
8. Do you play on the x-box (or on any games consoles?)
Rarely now, when my nephew was younger I played games with him.
9. What’s it like being the boss?
Hard work!
10. What is the funniest thing you have ever done?
Taken part in the Night Line activity at Blairvadach Outdoor Centre.
Bonus question:
What is the funniest thing that a child has ever said to you?
Children often say things that are funny due to mis-hearing, mis-understanding, mis-interpretation. Some children often get staff names wrong eg children in the nursery have called me Mr Acloud, Mrs Faulds-Smith was known to some children as Mrs Small Fish and Mrs Hocknull was known as Mrs Hobnob!
Mis-heard lyrics can be amusing eg Away in a Manger no crib for a bed as Away in a Manger no crisps for a bear
Mis-understood words such as chicken pops instead of chicken pox, I'm a post instead of I'm supposed, Parcel Parcel instead of Pass the Parcel etc
February 2015
Mr MacLeod has agreed to participate in a one off Head Teacher Hot Seat for staff! Will he keep his cool head in the hot seat?
1. Would you allow staff to shadow you to find out what you do?
Yes
2. What would you do if you won the lottery?
I would retire earlier than planned and travel more, probably to Germany, France and different parts of Scotland.
3. What would you do if you had to do the P.S.A job?
Carry out the PSA remit!
4. What's your favourite flavour of crisps?
Smokey Bacon
5. What is your favourite kind of music?
Rock music
6. What would you like to see happening to all of your staff?
Strange question - I wouldn't like anything to happen to my staff!
7. Which country would you most like to visit and why?
New Zealand because the scenery is like Scotland and the Maori culture and history is interesting.
8. What is your toughest day to day task?
Multi-tasking!
9. What colour is your favourite tie?
I don't have a favourite tie colour but I prefer to have a different tie each day.
10. If you weren't a Head Teacher, what job would you like to do?
I would like to be a driving instructor or a geologist.
11. What is your opinion on Churchill's famous observation that headmasters are more powerful than prime ministers?
If by powerful it means influential, then I would agree that a head teacher could influence children, i.e. future generations, more than a prime minister.
January 2015
P5M and Miss McLaughlin start our new year with some great questions for our Head Teacher. How will he respond?
1. Who was your best friend in your child hood?
I had two best friends. They were called Iain and Alastair .
2. What is your happiest memory?
Playing on the sand dunes at Red Point beach near Gairloch, Wester Ross when I was about 7years old with the rest of my family.
3. What is your favourite movie?
My favourite film is ‘The Big Country’ (1958) starring Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons.
4. Do you have a pet?
No, I do not have any pets.
5. Have you travelled to any other countries?
I have travelled to the following countries – Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, Morocco, USA, Canada, and Ecuador.
6. Out of all the countries what is your favourite country?
Germany is my favourite country
7. What is your favourite book?
My favourite book is ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by JRR Tolkein
8. What is your favourite pet?
If I had a pet, it would be a dog.
9. Have you had any other jobs?
I have worked in a garage (Petrol Station), a delicatessen/off sales, and a Youth Hostel.
10. What is your favourite holiday?
My favourite holiday is travelling to different countries by car (usually mainland Europe).
October 2014
P4/3 and Mrs Dunn had so many questions they had to whittle it down to only 10! How will our Head Teacher respond?
1. What Primary and secondary school did you attend?
I attended Balmuildy Primary School in Bishopbriggs until the end of P4 and then moved house to Bearsden, where I attended Bearsden Primary and then Bearsden Academy.
2. Where is your favourite place to go in Glasgow?
That is a difficult question as it would depend on what I was doing in that particular place. I like the Merchant City, Glasgow’s West End and Victoria Park. My favourite cinema is the GFT.
3. If you could be a child again for the day, what would you do?
When I was a child, I spent most of my time outside playing various games, cycling and exploring. If I had the opportunity again, this is what I would like to do.
4. If you had a magic power, what would you want it to be?
I like to travel so if I had a magic power, I would like to travel anywhere in the world in an instant and preferably with company.
5. If you didn’t live in Glasgow, where would you want to live?
If I didn’t live in Glasgow I would like to live somewhere in the North West of Scotland eg Harris, Lewis, Skye, Mull, Torridon, Ardnamurchan etc.
6. What character would you like to be in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and why?
I think that I would like to be Charlie Bucket because he is honest and always tries his best. I think that if you are honest and work hard and treat other people well, life is usually better.
7. What was your favourite trip at school?
My favourite trip at school (secondary) was when I went to Garelochhead Outdoor Centre. I experienced hill walking, canoeing, abseiling and many other outdoor experiences.
8. What was your favourite subject at school?
I have two favourite subjects – maths and history.
9. What University did you go to?
I attended Jordanhill College of Education which was linked to Glasgow University at that time.
10. What do you know about the history of our school?
I know that our school was built in 1901, the façade of the school is listed, there are interesting Art Nouveau features, H E Clifford was the architect, there is supposed to be some sort of association with Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the interior has changed over the years with the introduction of fire doors/walls, there have been changes in the numbers of children attending over the years with the highest being about 1000 and the lowest 80.
August 2014
Congratulations to our first class of Term 1 to ask some new questions. P3B came up with the following relevant questions after working well with their shoulder partner and doing a fair class vote:
1. Did you have a nice holiday and where did you go?
Yes, I had a great holiday. I went to Harris in the Western Isles for a week, the Yorkshire Dales in England for a few days and flew to Frankfurt in Germany where we celebrated my wife’s 50th birthday in a small place next to the Rhein called Hattenheim. Surprisingly the weather was better in Scotland!
2. What did you do during the summer holidays?
I also went to Glasgow Green, the Merchant City, did some walking, gardening, meeting some friends, and also came into work!
3. What do you like to do at the weekend?
At the weekend I have the usual tasks such as shopping (for food), school work but I also like to go walking in the countryside. At the moment I’m spending more time cycling than walking.
4. Where do you live?
I live in Glasgow.
5. Do you have any sisters or brothers?
I have two sisters, one older and one younger. I do not have any brothers.
6. Do you have any children?
No, sadly I have no children, I just enjoy everyone else’s.
7. What is it like to be a head teacher?
I like being a head teacher but it can be very stressful at times as not everyone agrees with certain courses of action as they don’t always see the ‘bigger picture’ despite their children benefitting.
8. How many line points do you give out in a year?
This is difficult to say, perhaps someone would like to count?
9. Do you have to write lots of different letters to lots of different people?
Yes this job often involves writing letters although Mrs Baker and Ms Macdonald also have many letters to write.
10. What do you like best about Elmvale Primary and Nursery Class?
I like the children, parents and staff in Elmvale Primary School and Nursery Class. I also like working in one of the last remaining original buildings in Springburn still used for its original purpose. My family comes from Springburn and my great aunt attended Elmvale in 1915. For all of these reasons, I like working in Elmvale.
June 2014
Some more probing questions from Primary 7/6:
1. What made you want to become a teacher?
Although my father was a secondary school teacher, some of the stories he used to tell didn’t initially encourage me to follow in his footsteps! When I was in 6th year at secondary school, I went to help in a local playgroup as part of my work experience. This was a positive influence. I have never liked the thought of doing a job that involves repetition – the more change the better. Secondary teaching involves a focus on certain subjects. Primary teaching appealed because every day was different and it involved teaching different subjects. All of these influenced me in becoming a primary school teacher.
2. What age were you when you started teaching?
I was 22 years old when I started teaching.
3. What other schools have you taught in?
I have taught in Miltonbank (Milton), Easthall (Easterhouse) and then came here to Elmvale PS.
4. What other jobs have you had other than being a teacher and Head Teacher?
I have also worked in a youth hostel, in a garage and in an off sales/delicatessen.
5. What would you rate being a Head Teacher out of 10, 10 being the best and 1 being the least?
Although it is a difficult job and at times things don’t go the way I would like, I would rate it as 10 out of 10. It is good to see children making progress and being successful in later life.
6. Is there any other job you would like to do?
When I left school I considered joining the police as it would also have been a job where every day was different. When I was a child I would have liked to have been a rally car driver. I do enjoy driving and often go to less popular parts of Europe covering several thousand miles in the summer holidays. The closest job linked to that now would be a driving instructor.
7. You like cooking so what do you like to cook?
I do all the cooking in our house but my wife bakes and makes desserts. I was brought up on homemade food so I like to make everything from scratch eg lentil soup, mince & tatties, stew, fish(any type), langoustines, scallops, pasta, curries, Chinese etc
8. Do you like football and do you have any strips?
I like football but it is not as important to me as it often is to some people. I have a Scotland top and often went to Scotland games when I was younger. I have been going to Firhill to see Partick Thistle more recently.
9. What’s it like being so tall and how do you feel about Mr Craig taking over as tallest teacher?
I like being tall and it is a great advantage at concerts! Mr Craig taking over as the tallest teacher is definitely not good!
10. You are learning to speak German but how many languages can you speak?
German is the only language that I ever learned at school which is partly why I’m re-learning it now.
Questions from Primary 2:
1. How long have you been a Head Teacher in Elmvale?
I have been a Head Teacher in Elmvale Primary since August 2004. Therefore by August of this year, it will be 10 years.
2. How many teachers are there in the school?
At the moment there are approximately 18 teachers, 4 nursery staff , 7 support staff and 3 clerical staff.
3. How many children are in the school?
There are approximately 330 children in the primary, 40 children in the nursery in the morning and 40 in the afternoon.
4. How many children’s names do you know?
I know all of the children's names in the school.
5. How old is the school building?
The school is 113 years old.
6. When is your birthday?
My birthday is in February.
7. What is your favourite food?
My favourite food is fish.
8. How tall are you?
I am 1m 90cm tall.
9. What is your favourite colour?
My favourite colour is blue.
10. What do you do when you are not at school?
When I am not at school I like to read (books and newspapers), I go walking in the countryside but sometimes hillwalking as well. I like to go to the cinema and enjoy cooking and gardening. At the moment I'm learning German at night class once a week.
