#WomenEd Blogs

by Nicole O'ConnorTwitter LinkedIn Labels and identity are a staple of Northern Ireland's cultural landscape and are deeply politicised. The use of labels can often be contentious and weaponised, making them a complex form of personal expression. For me, my relationship with labels has been far from linear. For many, their labels are inherited and ...

by Sandra Patterson @sandyZPatterson LinkedIn Today, like most Sundays, I collected my niece from her mum and brought her to my home for dinner. This usually means that my daughter and I can go for a nice walk in the forest near their home before collection.  However, this week my daughter was feeling tired and stayed at home and I had a ...

by Jackie Hill @hill1_jackie

Losing your voice

“I’ve lost my voice - again” – it kept happening for 2 years. At first, it was funny (sort of) but that changed, as it could take weeks for it to return fully. I tried different treatments, but nothing worked permanently. 

My GP said the best treatment was simply not to talk!! Well, I found that practically impossible...! I learned just how dependent I am on my voice and how, without it, I felt disempowered and left out.

by Jackie Hill @hill1_jackie    #BirthdayCelebration

I didn’t know where to start when trying to say what #WomenEd has done for me. There is simply so much I could say …

Should I explain how #WomenEd has helped me to discover the power of Twitter? It's a fantastic source of CPD, as well as connecting me to the EduTwitter community all over the world.

by Clare Evan  @ClareEv40077283    As a teaching principal navigating Northern Ireland's cost of living crisis, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for my team's unwavering commitment, despite the persistent pay disparity compared to their counterparts.  The unwavering support and courageous leadership within #WomenEd NI have b...

by Mairéad Mhig Uaid @MaireadMhigUaid 'Mammy, what way does 10% braver work?' my nine-year-old asked. 'I suppose it all depends on your starting point,' came my sluggish reply as I thought back to when we began the #WomenEd Northern Ireland network over four years ago, and I remembered me, then. I'd been working in education for over 20 years....

by Sandra Patterson @sandyzpatterson 'The connections between and among women are the most feared, the most problematic, and the most potentially transforming force on the planet'. Adrienne Rich I write this on a beautiful Tuesday evening after a long day. Why? Because I had the most fantastic weekend, and I don't want to forget what I ex...

by Sandra Patterson @sandyzpatterson Belfast hosted the BELMAS (British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society) conference on 14-16 July 2023. @WomenEdNI were invited to attend to host an information stand and also a conference session. Over the weekend the team met educational researchers from around the globe who were resear...

by Vivienne Porritt @ViviennePorritt

We started WomenEd because women's voices on twitter were often silenced, harrassed or our views were not valued. It's one of the reasons we included a mic in our logo. So we encouraged women to tweet and to write blogs to tell our stories and share our lived experience. 

One of the reasons we wrote 10%braver: Inspiring Women to Lead Education was to ensure the voices of our community reached women who are not on twitter. And over 30 voices are included in Being 10% Braver which, joyously, is published this December - you can pre-order and it's a great Christmas present! And we are delighted to share more opportunities for our community to write and to be heard.

by Mairead Mhig Uaid @MaireadMhigUaid

For almost a quarter of a century, I have worked in the Irish Medium education sector in the north of Ireland/Northern Ireland. An immersion education system established here just over 50 years ago, it has doubled in size across each phase in the last 15 years to almost 7,000 pupils . Recommendations for development in 2008 by the Department of Education for Northern Ireland have seen limited progression. The sector is small and education here is a devolved issue.

by Eileen Rowntree @EileenRown3

Anyone who knows me, knows of my passion for Disney and my title is a quote by Walt Disney. I was reared with magical fairy tales and inspirational messages as we created memories as a family. No matter how old I get, I still get chills when I see the Magic Kingdom and I have loved watching our two children grow up with the same experiences, as we enjoy seeing the magic through their eyes too. This life experience has given me self-worth and an awareness of how things impact children.

 by Cara Dooley @MissDooley90

I completed a PGCE in Primary Education at Northumbria University, graduating in 2019. In September of 2019 I embarked on my Primary teaching career. Like most newly qualified teachers in Northern Ireland I began my career as a substitute teacher. This was an eye-opening and exciting experience, on one hand and on the other...

by Nichola Lynagh @nicholalynagh

My stand out moments, some of which have shaped who I am in the world..

At 32 I was diagnosed with a treatable non-curable cancer: Non Hodgkins Lymphoma; a word I am very familiar with now as 51 year old woman.. – how did that happen? I still feel 30, lol!! Cancer brought such a challenge to me and my family; words cannot describe the fear and devastation I and they felt.

by Geraldine O’Connor  @goconnor816

10 years as Principal and I'm definitely braver and indeed wiser than I was when I naively embarked on the winding and colourful journey that is school leadership.Blessed with a healthy physical constitution, an accomplished, academic profile, the reputation as an excellent early-years teacher, a strong work ethic, a transformational leadership style, and the long held belief that an excellent education is a right to be afforded to every child, I believed that I had a firm foundation upon which to scaffold and execute a strategic plan to achieve educational excellence, in all its guises.

by Janet Metcalfe @ch100j

Let me start by saying that I feel so grateful to have found a profession that I love. It has tested me to the brink this year, but I love it. I love it because it is through the inspiring students and leaders around me that I’ve begun the journey of self improvement. I feel as teachers and leaders we give everything over. Our passion, our time, our energy - and we don’t mind because we see it as all part of the greater good. But what happens when those personality strengths become the stick by which we beat ourselves?