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?
by Rachel Doherty @dohertyrachel1
Teaching in a Derry City School with a student population of 500, is not for the faint hearted especially when you are a Primary 7 teacher. Being brave is a daily venture for me. I seek to challenge children to step outside their comfort zone in new learning so I must continue to strive to set that example too. I am also the ICT Co-ordinator at St. John’s Primary school. In my spare time I love all things fitness related and I am a qualified Hatha yoga teacher.
by Chris Reddy @brightleadcoach Founder of @brightleadersUK
Confession time!
When I stumbled across @WomenEd a few years back on Twitter, I did wonder what it was all about. Why do women educators need support over men? It’s worth noting, I was brought up around great women. My grandmothers headed up big, beautiful families and were outstanding role models. My mum is a wonderfully kind, caring and strong retired deputy head teacher.
by Niamh Thompson @toal_niamh
Ever since a young age, I always dreamed of becoming a teacher. Suffering from severe dyslexia, however, I didn’t think this would always be possible. As I began my A levels in Sociology and Irish, my aspirations of becoming a teacher were confirmed - I knew I wanted to pursue a teaching career. With my parents’ unwavering support and belief in me, I was able to overcome my dyslexia struggles and graduate with a degree in Irish and Sociology from QUB. The next step on my teaching path took me to apply for a PGCE in Irish. I was very nervous and failed the interview miserably. I felt like I had let everyone down.
by Claire Young @curiousCY
I want more circles and fewer lines. I am at my best when I’m working shoulder to shoulder with the people around me and we can see each other eye to eye. My problem with lines is that they leave the people exposed. My problem with lines is that we can only see a section of the people we’re working with, making it all too easy to lose connection with experiences and perspectives we really need to hear. So, my10% braver work is playing my part in building collaborative cultures within my school community where we connect, we centre our wellbeing, and we form circles not lines.
by Gwawr McGirr @gwawrmcgirr
As lockdown in March 2020 became inevitable I can remember feeling a sense of shock. At times like this – being a musician – I draw on the tremendous resource that is music, and I felt a really strong sense that as a Music Department we should share a few occasional pieces of music to the staff team, to keep people’s spirits up, whilst also providing a means to connect with other staff. My HOD, as ever, was very supportive of the idea and told me to work away!