I'm writing this when I should be hanging the washing out. Logging on has made me realise that I haven't written since last year. It was on a book about the independent sector of education. I have had a lot of eye opening and life changing moments since that last post.
Firstly, we are expecting our third baby...it still seems surreal to be writing that. I feel so lucky and overwhelmed with how busy our house will be and how much love can be in one home. A total surprise and I now have to navigate another fork in the road of my teaching career. Sometimes, life takes over and you just have to surrender to the family. It reminds me to slow down: how I'm here to love them, our children, and not my job. Yes, we have the most ginormous toddler tantrums with our middle one, but the cuddles she can give are just phenomenal. I wish I could cuddle her at this age forever. Our eldest is getting ready for school in September and is nearly 5. She is just so grown up. I wish I could remember her more at 2. Our youngest is now half grown/baked in the womb and chilling out in my belly while I write. We are a growing family and it's such an honour to raise this little munchkins (whilst still being able to go out for lunch alone with a book!).
Oscar and I are trying to prepare our minds and our house for incoming arrival and I hope to have a homebirth as I tried with the other two. My own little haven. Homebirth still seems so foreign to this country but hosting a few workshops recently (with Educafe's Parent Village that I founded) seems to have shown me that homebirths are on the rise, very slowly. Mums are starting to educate themselves about birth and realising that it's not medical and that our bodies react to when we are calm and in our most loving environment - wherever we feel safest.
This post was really just a piece of writing for me to gather my own thoughts and to figure out how I will slow down and be a presence and have a purpose after leaving another teaching role. I have been working at the most wonderful prep school in Berkshire since last May and the staff, children, grounds, and atmosphere is such a joy to work in. My biggest challenge has been to adjust my teaching to the age in which I'm teaching. I am not trained to teach such little ones but it actually comes very naturally when you're in their presence. I believe in challenging them and I've enjoying bringing my experience into the world in which usually they would have had it a bit easier.
Creating small modules of work is so much fun - I've just finished one on The Odyssey and I'd still love to continue planning The Prep School Conference for English Teachers - one of my first ideas when I first started at the school. I will have to see if I can come in specifically for this (and I'd perhaps need to bring a baby so maybe this won't be as suitable as originally thought!)….maybe this will have to be put on hold.
All I know is that my career in a teaching post is most likely put on hold for potentially 2-3 years. We don't believe (as a family) in young nurseries and believe the first 3 years with Mummy and Daddy is the most wonderful years to help the child grow. Pre-schools will take in children from 2 and a half, so I have to aim to be out of teaching for at least that amount.
During that time, to keep myself entertained in the world of education, my plan is the following:
- Review teaching CPD books and keep informed of latest research (however this has been my goal for 5 years and the success rate is low)
- Read books and write up modules for them (like The Odyssey I've just completed)
- Attend poetry events and write my own poetry in my craft room and library
- Watch plays with my friend (we tend to go to the theatre every 2 months or so and I am really enjoying exposing myself to an area in English that would usually make me cringe)
- Continue GCSE tutoring whenever I am ready to return after baby (1-2 hours a week would be lovely)
- Staying in contact with teacher friends and all the gossip...
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