In July, Staffroom met up with Dr Bill Rogers to find out how he got where he is today and what makes him such a popular deliverer of teacher training in the UK.

I was delighted to interview Dr Bill Rogers and looked forward to meeting the man renowned for his ability to defuse explosive classroom situations with dry wit, a touch of irony and kind humour.

On the day, what shone through was not his humour: instead it was his huge passion for helping his fellow teachers – and, in turn, their students. “Colleagues supporting each other are essential. A school needs a strong collegiate culture to succeed. Staff morale improves and stress is moderated, which is most important in coping and dealing effectively in the interaction with kids,” said Bill.

So how did the story start? Bill left school at the age of 15. In fact, he ran away after being caught putting up a large oil painting of all the teachers he didn’t like.

“It was the last day of term and I decided to stage my own little rebellion. I’d painted them as caricatures, but in a Salvador Dali style. I’d brought the drawing pins and everything, but as I was putting it up on the school noticeboard, a prefect caught me,” said Bill.

“The school I went to was very much into corporal punishment. I wasn’t waiting round for the punishment and I just ran and ran. I never went back.”

A few months later, he and his family emigrated to Australia where Bill, now aged 16, found himself working on a building site. “I decided that I needed to finish the education I started and so went to night school. It was self-driven and it worked.

“I felt let down by my school in England, although I do remember individual teachers with great fondness,” he added.

Bill qualified as an architectural draughtsman and completed National Service before becoming a teacher. He taught in primary and secondary schools. “All my work as a teacher was in schools in areas where families had long-term unemployment problems, existed on subsistence and who had some very disabling prejudices: all the ingredients for behaviour problems.

“When Australia abolished corporal punishment in schools, I was invited by the Victorian government to consult with schools on matters of student behaviour, discipline and management.

“There was very little literature and what there was came from America. I wanted something for my colleagues that they could relate to. So I worked with a peer support group for teachers to discuss how we could most effectively help other teachers.

“We set up a non-judgemental model where we went into each other’s classrooms, sharing the class leadership, mentoring each other, not just sitting at the back observing. It was a model that worked and one I still use today.

“This peer group provided all the evidence for my first book and allowed me to indulge my first passion, which is mentoring.”

Several books later, Bill has built up a prestigious reputation and is known for timing the use of humour to deflect or lighten a mood or situation. He’s back in the UK for six weeks in January and February 2014 to run another three exclusive courses with Osiris, all dealing with behaviour management.

In the 2014 tour, Bill will share his commitment to positive behaviour and discipline from the early years to the secondary level: from the individual needs and challenges of teachers to the whole-school approach.

Whatever the course, Bill always refers to situations where he has managed to help a student turn their behaviour round or help a restless, and even a rowdy class to settle, re-focus and remember why they are in that classroom.

“Humour is important,” says Bill. “It’s not something that should be ladled on, but it is very useful at times. It can deflect trouble and it allows me to challenge without judgement, something I believe is vitally important.”

One of his favourite quotes comes from psychiatrist Victor Frankyl, a prisoner in Dachau and Auschwitz – “Humour was one of the soul’s weapons in the fight for self-preservation.”

Bill warns against sarcasm, however. “It can be very damaging and have exactly the opposite effect to what is needed.”

I enjoyed my visit with Bill. I might not have met quite the man I expected, but the person I did meet impressed me with his zeal for teaching, his commitment to helping his colleagues and a natural, reflective personality that charmed. SR