New Year, New School, New Challenges.

This time last year, I decided it was time for a change but little did I know just how much of a change it would be. You see, I thought I had a plan – a new position in a Canadian school in Beijing. Then COVID hit and the whole world shifted off kilter. So, here I am 12 months later, on a completely different path, working in a new school but with a whole bag of experiences and lessons learnt in 2020. 

I’ve always loved teaching and I’ve always loved travel. I knew that it was only a matter of time before I would combine the two. Whilst attending a conference in Singapore in November 2019, I took the opportunity to visit some International schools. Listening to like-minded people and seeing some of these wonderful schools, resonated with me and provided me with the motivation to make some changes to my life. I returned home knowing that 2020 was the year. 

Once the decision was made, I started the search for a new school in earnest. I submitted many applications and was lucky enough to sit quite a few interviews. Finally, I secured a position in Beijing, and the big change was suddenly becoming real. At first, I took the safe option of applying for a year’s leave. With 19 years at the same school, a total leap into the unknown seemed a bit too daunting at first. However, my confidence in my teaching ability had never been higher and I decided that if I was really going to challenge myself, I needed to cut ties completely and start afresh. So I resigned! 

 Of course, that’s when things started going ‘pear-shaped’. A little thing called COVID-19 reared its ugly head. At first, like most people. I had no idea the impact it would have on the world around us. It soon became apparent that this was not going away, and my best made plans were now unravelling. International travel was becoming less appealing and quite frankly, a bit scary. As supportive and as encouraging as my new school was, I took the option, with my school’s blessing, to walk away from the job. 

All of a sudden, I was jobless, living in a new house that I’d just built with, no furniture (I’d sold it to go overseas) and no idea what I was going to do for work. Instead of heading back to my old school with cap in hand, I took this time to reflect and reassess. Thinking over my options with an open mind I soon realised that I could do anything I wanted! I had no ties. I had no pets, little debt and of course no furniture to store if I chose to move towns. This was exciting! I reached out to my professional connections to let them know I was open to new beginnings. 

Before long, I was on my way to the Northern Territory to teach in an Indigenous community. I had never been to the Northern Territory and I’d never visited an indigenous community let alone lived in one. The following 6 months were exciting, but it also had its challenges, both personal and professional. I won’t go into detail as this topic needs a blog of its own. 

Fast forward 6 months and I am back in Brisbane, a week into a new school year, in a very good school. A school, that 1 year ago, was not even on my radar. I am teaching different subjects from my usual collection – again another challenge. This is a new environment, with kids who are both socially and economically extremely diverse, in a staffroom with people from a variety of faculties, experience and ages.

It is amazing what happens when you open yourself and your mind and I’d like to share my take on it. 

 1. It pays to take a risk. If you trust in your abilities and give it a go, it opens you up to new             experiences. In turn, that develops you as a person and as a professional. 

 2. Teachers are flexible and adaptable. We are great actors and story tellers and draw on all our      experiences to create learning opportunities for our students. 

3. We need to live the ‘growth mindset’ that we educate our students to have. We need to take        that attitude into our real life and again, that may just lead to experiences that you can use to     tell stories and create learning experiences. 

4. It’s important to be grateful for the life you have. It’s easy to remember and complain about        the negative things, but what about all the great things in your life! 

I’m really enjoying my new school. But will I be here this time next year or the year after? Who knows, but that is not what is important. To paraphrase John Lennon - Life is what happens to you while you are busy making plans. So no more plans. I intend to enjoy each day and revel in the surprises it may bring.