This is a continuation, so if you have not done so please read my previous post (A Reflection on Life After Teaching Part 1; That's When I saw The Tweet)
Shrewd readers amongst you will have noticed that by the end of part one I still hadn't left the classroom, but the events which lead me to do so had started some eight months earlier, and by the end of summer 2014 I was about to make a life-altering decision.
I saw little of the summer that year, instead I chose to throw myself into the new world of authoring full time for La Salle Education. I spent that summer house sitting for friends, I had nothing but peace and quiet, no distractions, and plenty of time to focus on my work. I had no idea actually if I was doing well with the work or not, only that it kept on coming. More and more objectives were sent my way. I was really enjoying the challenge of not only creating the usual worksheets and activities that as teachers we are used to creating but now also of researching pedagogy. I was exploring why we teach things the way we do, common methodologies and approaches, finding papers and evidence to support, or refute, traditional educational theory. All the while, I still had a little voice at the back of my head worrying that my work was at best average, certainly not outstanding, surely not by comparison to those incredible mathematicians I had met earlier in the year. Nonetheless, as long as the work kept coming, I kept rising to the challenge and by the end of the summer I had written so many objectives I couldn't remember why I found it so daunting to begin with. Writing had become for me an absolute pleasure.
September loomed and the new term was about to start when I received an email from Mark (McCourt). We had been in touch on and off through the summer for new commissions and keeping on top of schedules and I knew Mark wanted as much of KS3 finished ready for the launch of Complete Maths in September. Oh no, I thought, he wants to take these last few objectives away now because I hadn't finished them quick enough. Au contraire, the email took me quite by surprise when I received compliments and praise for my work so far and a wish for this to continue in future. La Salle had been advertising for Maths teachers to join the team full time, but I'd never have dreamt of applying, I wouldn't have the confidence to do so. Mark may have preempted my fears as his email urged me to apply for the post.
Initially I shrugged this off as a ridiculous, impractical, almost ludicrous idea. I'm not experienced enough, other people are better than I am, what do they see in me? I had plenty of ammunition to throw at myself, yet all the while something else kept telling me "maybe, just maybe, I could." With a little persuasion from friends I bit the bullet, reworked my CV, sent it in, and was promptly asked down to Corby for a "chat". You know what's coming next......that train journey, again! By this stage, however, I had found my way around Nottingham station where I needed to change trains, I knew the exact location of the loos at several mainline stations en route, and always carried a 20p and a 10p coin, so I was far better prepared. I informed my head that I was going for this interview, they had been very supportive of me doing the authoring but I'm sure that, like me, they were not expecting the outcome that occurred either.
To say I was nervous would be putting it mildly. I arrived before my scheduled time and waited in the reception area of the Corby Enterprise Centre like some kind of travelling nomad with my suitcase in tow. Mark came to meet me and we went to a meeting room. We chatted for a short while and I was bowled over to hear exactly what an impression my work had made. I distinctly remember thinking that he must have got the wrong person. Mark also gave me some useful critique which I took on board and found very helpful. Then it came to the crunch and I was offered a full time job with La Salle as part of their Mathematics Team, Mark said he had been interviewing me for months since I had been authoring and that there was a place in the team for me if I wanted it. Actually, at that point, I was to be the entire Maths Team! I couldn't quite believe what was happening, this could actually change my life. Someone had seen what I was capable of and believed in me. I could not turn this down. Hands were shook and that was the start of a new chapter in my life, all I needed to do now was tell school!
I waited until after the first day that I was back in lessons had finished and then I spoke to my head. Clearly I couldn't, and wouldn't, just be doing a flit and abandoning anybody. I had been at that school almost ten years, I was one of the first teachers there when the school was launched and the head had been my support through good times and bad. This chat once again took me by surprise. My head was supportive, kind and above all demanded that I seize the opportunity. I was so touched by her generosity. Between us we worked out a way to put my timetable into three days and for the next half term I worked three days a week at school and two days a week for La Salle. I'm glad I had this short time to get ready for the departure from school and to become more accustomed to work outside of the school setting. During that time I was able to prepare and pass over files and paperwork for my classes, ten years of planning, teaching, assessing, target setting, syllabus writing and policy making was all organised neatly into files and folders. I was also involved with recruiting and training new members of staff who would take over. Behind the scenes, and unbeknown to the students, we were planning my leaving with mathematical precision.
The last week arrived. I had knots in my stomach and hadn't been sleeping well as the final day approached. I was excited to be starting my new chapter, but the worst part was still to come. There is one thing that keeps us in teaching, one thing that builds us up when we think we've had enough, one thing that drives us all crazy but then brings us showers of happiness...yes, you've guessed it, the students! Quite purposefully, the students had not yet been told that I was leaving and I was dreading them finding out. On the last day, a special whole school assembly was called after lunch. Some of the students, the older ones mainly in my IGCSE classes, had twigged something was going on and I had had several very carefully worded conversations with them. The head lead the conversation and very sensitively explained that I was going to be leaving. After some initial shock the atmosphere changed and before I knew it my screen began to explode with a torrent of well wishes, bunches of flowers, funny gifs, congratulations banners, thanks you's, chocolates, cute bunnies, you name it. I was overwhelmed by the support of the children I was so worried to be letting down. I still keep the script of the assembly, it was amongst the most humbling moments of my life, one that I will never, ever, forget. I was then presented with a leaving gift on behalf of the staff and students which was another unexpected surprise. It was time to leave, the last minute of the last day passed just like any other minute of any other day and there I was at my desk blubbing like a big baby. It was the end of an era, there was no going back.
I was about to embark upon a whole new career and at that point I had no idea just what an incredible journey it was going to be.
Find out more about my first year out of the classroom in part 3.
Follow me on Twitter @JennyPeek
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