Say Yes To New Adventures #Nurture1718

Last December, I sat in the leaving assembly for our long-standing deputy head teacher, Sue Smith, and I promised myself I wouldn't leave my school.  This year, that same assembly was one in which the staff, parents and pupils bade me farewell before I start at a new school in January.  

This candle was given to me by a pupil and her parent recently.  They informed me that they had bought it for me before I'd announced that I was leaving and said it was quite apt for it to be my Christmas/leaving present. 

Isn't it funny how the world works?

These "Nurture" posts have been quite therapeutic for me each year as a way of reflecting on the year that's passed and looking forward to the next 12 months.   This one will be 7 things for 2017 and 8 things for 2018.  Many of the highlights of 2017 have come about because I've had to say YES to opportunities I could have easily let pass me by. 

2017

1. Family - Once again, cancer has played its part in the year my family have had, with chemo appointments and regular check-ups being normal.  Managing the emotions of this has been interesting but, with the support of family, friends and colleauges, we've made it to now still smiling.  We enjoyed a family holiday to Mexico between treatments which was really special. 
2. Teaching Awards - I was fortunate enough to be nominated for the Outstanding Use of Technology Award this year.  Being awarded the Silver and getting the chance to meet many other teachers was wonderful.  The ceremony was really special and I'm glad that my head teacher and some family members were there to join in with the celebration.  
3. Making Every Primary Lesson Count - This was such a great highlight of the year.  The whole book-writing process was really interesting and enjoyable.  We had a book launch event in a local pub to celebrate the new releases and I won't tire of seeing our book on Amazon! (P.S. If you've read it, please leave a review. We love reading the reviews!) 
4. NAHT Conference - I had such a wonderful weekend with the NAHT Edge Advisory Council at conference this year.  It left me with renewed hope for our pupils and our profession.  You can read about this in my reflective blog post here.
5. Moving house - We finally got around to moving into our lovely new house this year and we haven't really looked back.  Only recently have we put the final bits on the walls from our travels this year and I've loved getting it all dressed up for Christmas - it's so pretty!! 
6. Applying for a new job - This was such a surprise to me but something I'm so glad I did.  There were lots of factors involved in this, including incredible support from my husband and parents.  One thing which really encouraged me to apply was the continued stream of advice I hear, see and read from Sheryl Sandberg.  Her book, Lean In, has stayed with me since I read it years ago and gave me any extra encouragement I needed to apply for this leadership role in a great school. 
7. Going LIVE - I've enjoyed completing a couple more Livestream events this year. You can watch the one on whole-class reading lessons here and on supporting struggling readers in secondary schools here.  This is something I hope to do more of next year.

2018

1. New Job - Well this is the big one! I'm so excited about getting started as deputy head at a new school in January.  There will be lots to learn, especially in the first term, with names being my first priority! I can't wait to teach children across the school, get to know the families and be a part of such a great team of staff.
2. SRocks18 - Earlier this year, I was delighted to be asked to speak at Southern Rocks in February and run a workshop.  It's going to be a wonderful weekend as it's be so well-organised by David and Kristian.  I can't wait to meet fellow presenters and attendees, some of whom I've been tweeting with for ages! 
3. Travels - We have some overseas adventures planned this year which involve a lot of new countries - we'll see how many we can visit in 12 months! 
4. Music - With Taylor Swift, Nashville Concert, Hamilton and Kerry Ellis tickets already purchased, I'm looking forward to seeing which other gigs and shows we can get to. 
5. Reading - Recently, I've joined GoodReads to keep track of the books I read. I tend to flit between literature for kids and that of the crime/thriller genre, while also keeping an edu-book on the go.  You can follow what I read in 2018 here. 
6. Primary Deputies Network - Kate, Fliss and I set up this Twitter account after a brief discussion.  I can't wait to see what we do with it. At the moment, it's just facilitating discussion with like-minded primary deputies. 
7. Moving to big NAHT - I'm a little sad about leaving NAHT Edge and the advisory council.  I've really enjoyed getting to know James and all the team.  I'll be joining the big kids in NAHT from January and am hoping to get involved as a deputy when I have the chance. 
8. Saying YES to other new adventures... - watch this space.

You can read my previous Nurture posts here.