I used to be a teacher. Did you know that? I used to be a teacher for 10 years and that was an amazing career. It was a vocation, I loved teaching. And I was good at it, I still am. So why is it, 14 years after completing QTS that I haven’t set foot in a classroom for quite some time?
Quite frankly? I had children, and when it came to returning to work my employers couldn’t be flexible enough for me to feel like I could make it work. 5 years ago I didn’t feel like I had any other options and I quit. I walked in to my head’s office, before 8am on my first day back after maternity leave and resigned. I worked 6 weeks notice and then stayed at home with my children for the next few years planning all sorts of plans and then I found coaching and I’m starting a new chapter of my life.
But I wonder, what if I had made it work? Before children I was on a career path to be thinking about headships before I was 40. Probably that trajectory would have slowed down, but what if I had given it a go? What if I was returning to work after my second maternity leave and starting to think about deputy head roles? What would my life be like?
I started coaching to bring people the support in their work that I believe we all deserve. I know that there are parents out there balancing the roles of parenting and teaching in ways that I could only have dreamed of and I want to find out all about it. By bringing together their experiences (ours, I’ll share mine too) other parents can find the comfort, support and inspiration that might not be available to them within the work place.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXSEGfzoHx6VOZQQ0mX4kYw