Lions don't lose sleep over the opinion of sheep!

This past week has been a toughie....but its taught me so very valuable life lessons. This week I had my first NQT inspection by a man who was not one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. I faced some harsh and unhelpful criticisms BUT I was also showered with love and kindness from new colleagues and friends who not only rallied around me but stood up against how I was treated. Its hard to face criticism for something you're passionate about and love doing - especially when deep in your heart and soul you know that criticism is unjustified. Teaching is my life. I love everything about it, the kids, the subject, the school and the relationship that I can build with people. The banter....They don't call me Miss Sass for nothing! 

Joking aside however my confidence did take a knock and it did take a lot of self persuasion not to give up and call it quits! I'm still standing though and tomorrow is another Monday,another day for me to prove the doubters wrong and to reinstall the confidence I have in my own ability! Teaching is not for the meek, nor is it for those who strive for power. Teaching is a career for those who want to help better and encourage others as much as possible...to help kids figure out their futures and maybe hopefully they'll remember a small segment of what you said at some point throughout their school journey.

I chose to be a teacher not only because I myself loved being in school and learning but also because I wanted to give others the same unique opportunity that I was given - one small safe place to voice your opinion where somebody actually listened and cared. You can doubt my ability to teach and the methods I use - go ahead - but I would never let anybody doubt the relationship I have with my students and the space I provide them to be themselves.

Education is not merely learning from a book and writing down notes - Education is finding out who you are and learning some information to help you become who you might want to be. I will continue to do what I do, teach how I teach and build relationships with my students. I won't let one persons opinion of how I do my job stop me from doing it.