#WomenEd Blogs

by Philippa Wraithmell.  @MrsWraithmell

I am 34 years old, I live in the UAE and have a husband and two children, 10 and 6 years old. So why am I beginning this blog as though I am 5 years old writing my biography in a literacy class?

Because education is one of the few professional sectors where this can truly define who you are. It can limit opportunities and allows people to make judgment upon you without knowing the whole story.  To profile me as an educator you would know this: Teacher with 12 + years experience in middle and senior leader, Apple Distinguished Educator, BETT MEA Board Member, Innovation in Education Award winner. Qualified Safeguarding level 3.

This is my story.

by Kerry Jordan-Daus @KerryJordanDaus

Six months ago, I wrote a blog, What the xxxx is normal? I was anxious, scared and very unsure of what the future held. Our lives had been turned upside down in so many ways. That blog was personal; I was so worried about my daughter. We’d just got some normality in her life, a huge achievement in navigating the inequities for a young adult with autism. She lost her little job, no college, all her social clubs shut … life in lock down … felt, was, unbearable.

by #WomenEd Global Strategic Leaders @WomenEd

Tickets are now available for our 1st global online unconference! 4 sessions between 2nd October to 4th October mean we can cover our 4 campaigns and time zones for all of our 30 networks!  We are confirming contributors as we type and, if we couldnt fit you in, we are asking you to record a video which will be on our YouTube channel and which will be played from the dates of the unconference. we want to make this as inclusive as possible and to show the wonderful community to which we all belong. 

by @BaarNomad

We spend the first part of our lives having little or no say and we accept this because we are raised to think it is the only way. But is this really true? Should being a dependent mean having no autonomy? Should being a child mean you have no choice or voice?

When I was a kid, I was that little rebel, that kid that cherished the invite to participate in the decision making. I didn’t always like being told what to do. And when I felt the rules of our house and family were restricting my independence, I would argue and fight to have my voice heard. I felt that I was far more mature than people perceived me to be. My mum would often remind me that there are other children in the household that have to follow the same rules. I would argue that I am an individual and that certain rules shouldn’t apply to me or make sense to me. Needless to say this did not go down well with my African parents.

by #WomenEd Strategic Leaders

#WomenEd has held five unconferences at the beginning of October since we were founded in 2015. The global pandemic means we can’t do a face-to-face one this year. So we are going even bigger and taking the opportunity offered by our lockdown learning.

Announcing our online global unconference over 2nd, 3rd, 4th October 2020. 

by #WomenEd Strategic Leaders

#WomenEd is in its sixth year and we have, in that time, changed beyond our earliest imaginings. Our core strategic group has changed many times also and we have always sought the strongest and most committed voices to steer the group.

by Christalla Jamil @ChristallaJ

Are you sometimes a headteacher out of work too? I certainly am. Sometimes my husband says, “You’re not at work now darling.” Or my children, who are both adults, chuckle and add, “Oh there she goes again, Mum thinks she is our headteacher!” Yet both these examples are paired with an element of humour. Today, I was hurt, emotional, angry, disappointed, frustrated, powerless and instantly went into headteacher mode. What would I do if this happened at work mode?

by Megan Brown @mbhistory

Anyone entering the teaching profession will have been asked the question ‘Why do you want to be a teacher?’.  You are almost guaranteed to get asked it at an interview for a place on a teacher training course, and it should be the easiest to answer. Yet, when I sat down to plan for my interview I found myself struggling to articulate one. This shouldn’t have been the case: I have wanted to be a teacher my whole life. I just couldn’t find the right words to express why.

by Vivienne Porritt @ViviennePorritt #BirthdayCelebration

I loved our 5th #WomenEd birthday party on May 19th, 2020. Nearly 500 people booked it, over 300 joined on the evening.

I’m looking forward to reading all the comments and have appreciated going through the amazing tweets from the party. 

The video from the evening is on our YouTube channel as are videos from some of our brilliant network leaders: please subscribe. 

by Susan Strachan  @SusanSEnglish  #BirthdayCelebration

Tonight on 18th May, , I met virtually with 300 other women to listen, learn, reflect and be inspired by a plethora of strong women, who are not afraid to have their voices heard. Some of these women know what it can be like to have the guilt of not doing enough or being enough. They banish that guilt  (No 3 in the tips from Zara, @zssnas) or remind themselves that they are enough.

It gave me hope. Hope that this guilt will be banished for good. Not only from myself, but from my own daughter and every other female that I come into contact with, not only in my professional life, but in my personal life too.

by Jess Mahdavi-Gladwell @drjessm   #BirthdayCelebration

On March 7th I was privileged to attend the @WomenEdSE #LeadMeet. It was brilliant on so many levels, I got to see my friend Kate Evans (@purekathryn76) in a different role and saw her shine (I also got to meet her mum who is a legend!).

by @WomenEd Strategic Leaders        @AlisonKiel @EquitableEd @JulesDaulby @keziah70 @LizAMFree @ViviennePorritt

#WomenEd is hurtling towards its fifth birthday in May and, when we pause to reflect, we have collectively achieved so much. Five years ago, the original founders shared a collective vision of what we hoped to achieve and agreed an initial strategy to achieve this.

by Dr Deborah Netolicky @debsnet

The last couple of weeks have been hectic around the world and the pace of change at all levels has been rapid and relentless. In Australian schools, leadership teams and teachers have been preparing for distance learning.

by Debs Jewell @jewellsjournal   Image: The Tree of Life - by Gustav Klimt, 1905

We bandy about the term ‘It’s okay to not be okay’, heck I’ve thrown it out there into the world myself, and with the best intentions. But … is it?  Is it really okay to not be okay?

by Anoymous

Your discomfort is palpable as the questions draw to an end. The parent governor on the panel is smiling warmly, but I can see that, although my performance today makes me the strongest of all the candidates, you are hesitant about employing me.