#DiverseEd: This is Me

A few weeks ago we held Diverse Educators II. The follow up to our inaugural event in January 2018. This year’s theme was This is Me as this was the song I left last year’s attendees with so it seemed fitting to open with our school choir, Voices of Aureus, performing it with Makaton.

The purpose of the initial event was to explore the inter-sectionality of  our identities and to bring together the grassroots organisations #WomenEd and #BAMEed, to support #LGBTed pre their launch and nurture #DisabilityEd who were preparing to launch.

It seems crazy that if you are a woman of colour and identify as LGBT or are disabled that you would need to attend 4 different events and ultimately sacrifice 4 weekends as the grassroots activities generally exist out of hours.

Our follow up event was designed to build on the connections and collaborations from year 1, to nurture the new voices, welcome new people and support the new kid on the block #MenEd.

Thank you to everyone who attended, contributed and supported from afar.

I will share the blogs that our facilitators and key note speakers publish to capture their sessions.

Instead I would like to draw together some suggestions on how events can be more diverse and inclusive.

Here are 12 accessibility  and inclusion tips for event organisers:

1. Is the line up reflecting the diversity of the delegates?
2. If the line up is diverse, who is speaking on the main stage versus who is faciliating workshops?
3. Are there signposted disable parking bays?
4. Is there a creche for parents?
5. Is there a room for nursing mums?
6. Is there a lift or have you considered moving sessions downstairs?
7. Have you provided lift passes/ keys/ a site staff member to support?
8. Have you held seats at the front for delegates who are less mobile or who need to lip read?
9. Is there someone who can sign the keynotes?
10. Is there a prayer room?
11. Is your lunch halal/ vegetarian/ vegan/ gluten free?
12. Are you live broadcasting/ periscoping sessions for those who cannot physically attend?

What have I missed? Please do comment below and I can add them to the list as a checklist for event organiser who are conscious they want to get this right.

Did you know that #BAMEed have a directory of expert speakers from diverse backgrounds? Check it out here.

You can book to join us in January 2020 (1) at Diverse Educators III here.

Hannah, The Hopeful Headteacher

Currently feeling hopeful about:

• Together we are stronger and can affect real change in the system, in our schools and ultimately in society

Currently reading and thinking about:

• I am hoping that our key notes Angie Browne and Iesha Small may blog their key notes…
• I am also looking forward to the publication of Iesha’s book: The Unexpected Leader

Currently feeling grateful for:

• Having a team who are as passionate about diversity, equality, inclusion and social equity as I am

 

#WomenEd & Me: #BalanceForBetter

Wearing a new hat for 2019, this end of 2018 reflection is about me, not #WomenEd, one of the Women in Ed that forms the community we created and nurtured.

#WomenEd 5 years on… this quote is apt as a starting point as it is a picture I used when I started blogging and talking about finding my fit, finding my voice and being #10%braver and finding a new role in a new school a few years back… Life is after all about the choices we make.

Our Journey:

2015 #WomenEd Unconference I/ #IWD15 theme – #MakeItHappen

We made it happen – we started something, we  forged a community, we unintentionally created a legacy.

2016 #WomenEd Unconference II/ #IWD16 theme – #PledgeForParity

We started the conversations about diversity, equality and equity, we highlighted the gaps in the system.

2017 #WomenEd Unconference III/ #IWD17 theme – #BeBoldForChange

We encouraged our community to be #10%braver and close their confidence gap, we supported the coaching pledge.

2018 #WomenEd Unconference IV/ #IWD18 theme – #PressForProgress

We challenged the system and advocated flexible working, we encouraged the system to see things differently, we encouraged our community to break the mould.

2019 #WomenEd Unconference V/ #IWD19 theme –  #BalanceForBetter

From NQT to CEO, collaborating with #DisibiltyEd, #BAMEed and #LGBTed, supported by #HeForShe, as our book goes to print, we turn the page for the next phase for #WomenEd. A new chapter for us all…

“Everyone has a part to play – all the time, everywhere. Balance drives a better working world. Let’s all help create a #BalanceforBetter”. #IWD19

My realisation:

Following our 4th unconference, I took stock of how much time and energy the event had taken. I realised that something had to give, and it wasn’t going to me. I decided it was time to let go.

My choice:

I chose to step back. It was a hard choice to make. Since becoming a Headteacher, I had been asked several times if I would ever extricate myself from #WomenEd, and I maintained a firm No, I held on to the notion that #WomenEd was in my DNA. And it still is… But things change, people change and priorities change.

#WomenEd will always be a part of my journey, part of my legacy, part of my fabric, but I realised that I could and should contribute in a different way. I also wanted to enable and empower others from our community to contribute in a different way.

So I am delighted to pass the baton on to 3 new Steering Group members – we started as 7 and following the departures of Natalie and Helena in 2015, then me more recently in 2018, there has been a restructure to create more capacity – I wish Alison, Liz and Nicki as many happy memories with #WomenEd as I cherish.

My highlights:

• Co-leading the #WomenEd East and West Midlands regional networks – I have met friends for life in the Regional Leaders, too many to name but you know who you are!
• Co-launching the #WomenEd Canada network at #ULEAD with Carol Campbell and our international posse
• Co-designing the Women only NPQH with Leading Women’s Alliance and Ambition School Leadership
• Co-writing the #WomenEd book, edited by 2 of our co-founders Vivienne and Keziah
• Co-leading  a start up primary school and a start up secondary school with a brilliant team, many of who I have met through #WomenEd or various connections in EduTwitter Land
• Co-leading the Diverse Leaders programmes
• Co-creating the legacy of  diversity events like Diverse Educators and Breaking the Mould
• Co-organising the Action Aid trip to Mozambique

My gratitude:

I will be eternally grateful for the people I have met through #WomenEd, the events that I have been invited to, the opportunities that I have been exposed to.

My pledge:

(Things I am going to strive to do in 2019 to strike a better balance for me):

• Pressing pause and enjoying more quiet time;
• Leaning back and enjoying where I am;
• Saying No more than I say Yes;
• Putting my needs higher up my priority list – both personally & professionally;
• Worrying as much about myself as I do about others;
• Creating space for other things;
• Reclaiming my weekends and carving out more me time;
• Assessing the value I will gain personally & professionally by invitations and opportunities.

Hannah, The Hopeful Headteacher

Currently feeling hopeful about:

• My new home – I am getting the keys in January to my new house.

Currently reading and thinking about:

• I am reading ‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama, along with a lot of the #WomenEd community I would guess?!

Currently feeling grateful for:

• My friendships made from #WomenEd, my wing women keep me going on a regular basis by giving me the challenge and the support I need.

 

Collaboration Matters: Stronger Together

Collaboration is one of our 8 #WomenEd values and is the theme for our 4th Unconference, it sums up everything our community stands for.

Bennie, my DHT, recommended (before we worked together) that I should read The Bees by Laline Paul  and she was right as it really resonated with me and how our community works. We often make reference to the ‘hive mind’ and crowd source advice and ideas from the community.

Working collaboratively has characterised my career, it has brought me a lot of joy and opened a lot of doors for me, but when things have not been collaborative it has also caused stress for me. As leaders we need to know what our own trigger points are and people who are Queen Bees and those who work in a territorial way frustrate me.

For me collaboration is about removing barriers, finding solutions to problems, sharing the workload, sharing best practice, networking, being outward facing and connecting people, ideas and projects together. Collaboration is about being part of a team, about being part of something bigger than yourself and about seeing the bigger picture but understanding how you can contribute to a shared vision and team goal.

In a time when our profession is fragmented, collaboration builds the bridges between different groups of educators. I am often that bridge builder or as Ben at Leadership Matters has called me several times I am what  Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point calls ‘The Connector’:

Connectors: “…people who link us up with the world,  who introduce us to our social circles – … people on whom we rely on more heavily than we realize – are Connectors, people with a very special gift of bringing people together.”

Connectors are fantastic at expanding your network. They will say things like:

“Oh you should talk to …”       “Have you heard about…”     “Let me introduce you to ..”

They think in nodes, not individuals, and like nothing more than to help you.  They see people first. 

Connectors have the power to spark word-of-mouth epidemics.

In other groups I am just called ‘Cilla’ as I pretty much run a free introduction service and should be on a retainer or commission for recruiting for other schools! I encourage others to be outward-facing, to network, to push out of their comfort zone and to nurture relationships with fellow professionals.

#WomenEd is that safe space for collaborations to be sown and to grow; #WomenEd is the glue that holds the jigsaw pieces pieces together.

It is great watching the Regional Leaders extend our networks, I work closely with 25 educators in the East and West Mids who are a joy to collaborate with. There is a real buzz about our activity together.

 

Some ways in which I have developed collaborations as a school leader are detailed below.

Internally face-to-face:

• Cross-curricular projects – our STEAM team are creating some magic!
• Cross-phase projects – our primary and secondary sibling schools
• Leadership development – our Lead Practitioner and Spirals of Enquiry Model has been a great opportunity to collaborate
• Cross-MAT projects – we have lots of subject networks growing across GLF Schools

Internally virtual:

• Team drives on Google – are forging collaboration within teams

Externally face to face:

• Local and regional partnerships of Headteachers – Didcot Headteachers collaborate on local projects, Oxfordshire Headteachers have a primary and a secondary network with annual conferences
• GLF TSA partners – we work closely with a number of partners like VBE, SSAT and Whole Education
• STEAM collaborations – one of our most exciting growth areas – links with STEM providers and Arts organisations enrich our curriculum
• Cross Regional Networks – our Mental Health and Wellbeing Network has been nominated for a local community award, all funded by the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust
• National networks  like The Chartered College of Teaching enrich our Professional Learning offer
• Cross sector networks like RSA give us perspective and links to the wider community

Externally virtual:

• Twitter – we are slowly getting our new team on there
• LinkedIn – we are constantly talent spotting and recruiting for the future
• Grassroots networks – where would we be without #womened #bameed #lgbted and #disabilityed

So our challenge is to encourage those who are connected and collaborating virtually to move in the light and meet each other face to face, to strengthen those professional friendships and to take their collaborations to the next level.

We really hope that lots of the #WomenEd community who following us on Twitter book to join us on 6/10 and move those virtual connections to real time collaborations. The community will warmly welcome you – anyone who works in education, any role, any gender, any background – there really is something for everyone. Check out our event details here.

 

Hannah, The Hopeful Headteacher

Currently feeling hopeful about:

• The relationships I have fostered which are leading to interesting collaborations for me  and exciting collaborations for our extended teams at our Aureus sibling schools.

Currently reading and thinking about:

• I have written a chapter for Matt Pinkett’s book on Masculinity and I  am reviewing The Unexpected Leader by Iesha Small.

Currently feeling grateful for:

• My acupuncturist who has squeezed me in on a Sunday.
• The WM and EM #WomenEd Regional Leaders who are working together in a brilliant collaboration.

Breaking the Mould: Creating Your Fit

Wow!

I knew the #WomenEd Breaking the Mould event was just what I needed to top up my energy reserves for the last two weeks of a long first year as the founding Headteacher of a start up school, but the speakers today have been beyond inspirational. What a amazing network of #WomenEd role models we have to draw strength from? I feel privileged to listen to, to know and to be friends with such wonderful women.

Our why for this event?

When Debra Rutley, Alison Rooney, Cecilia Payton, Charlotte Bishop and I met to discuss the needs of WLIE SE (we are mobilising the troops in Berks, Bucks and Oxon) we wanted to do an event about leading differently and finding our fit. The title Breaking the Mould provoked us to consider how we are confined and defined by others.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

In my opening I asked everyone to share why they had joined us in 30+ degrees heat at the end of a long and full on year. Why many of them had travelled from London, Suffolk, Wales, Leeds and Scotland! I shared my why of needing time to reflect, to re-calibrate and to re-energise. It was only a shame that Bennie and Julie, our DHTs at Aureus were unable to join us as it clashed with the #WomenEd NPQH dates as they would have got a lot out of it too.

Our 8 Cs were embodied and personified by our 8 speakers. 8 women who have broken a mould, their mould, in different ways, for different reasons. The diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives of each women built on the narratives to create a toolkit of self-worth, authenticity, conviction and integrity.

Earlier in the week we had received some flack – ‘breaking the mould’ to some suggested we had created a perfect version and the model was now being broken. To the contrast, we are breaking out of the mould to create unique forms, not cookie cutter leaders. As Germaine Greer says “women should not be wedging themselves into man-shaped holes but creating woman-shaped holes to fill instead!”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Each speaker was humble and many struggled to own the word ‘leader’. Without a job title with leader in it, without the office sign/ parking space/ business card confirming positions in a hierarchical structure, the traditional concept of leadership can be a hard label to own. But our event was exploring the idea of leading differently, how we can extend our reach and influence others, how we are vision and though leaders in a messy educational landscape.

Our Part 1 speakers and my live notes from their thought pieces:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Jaz Ampaw-Farr:

“I broke the mould by embracing vulnerability”.

• Know and articulate your why.
• Change your perspective.
• Reclaim what is there.
• Step into your vulnerability.
• Tell your truth.
• Embrace your authentic self.
• Be comfortable, not confident!

Rae Snape:

“I broke the mould by using the resources I had”.

• Use your imagination.
• Be creative.
• Use what your have.
• “Know stuff!”
• Do and learn the things they do not teach you on the NPQH!
• Break the mould yourself, noone will do it for you.
• Look for your resources in the community.
• Be the person who taps people on the shoulder, the person who passes the baton on to others.

Lee Ryman:

“I broke the mould by opening my own school”.

• Be innovative and creative.
• Be resourceful and resilient.
• Be courageous.
• Be mutually respectful.
• Be the change you want to see.

Debra Kidd:

“I broke the mould because I didn’t know how to fit in”.

• Connect with one another, we need to create these spaces.
• Embrace our vulnerability, we need to push ourselves beyond our comfort zone.
• Take off our masks.
• Call yourself a leader.
• Be a thought and vision leader.
• Embrace that walking away is also breaking the mould.
• Exist in a rhizomatic structure – see our career paths differently and carve different routes to progress.

By lunch time there was a palpable buzz in the room as people connected, reflected, discussed and started sharing their stories.

Our Part 2 speakers and my live notes from their thought pieces:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Alison Kriel:

“I broke the mould by choosing to be me”.

• Embrace and share who you truly are: Who I am? Who did I choose to be?
• Alison: “I am quiet, I am sensitive, I am introverted. I value freedom, inclusion, equality. I inherited breaking the mould from my family”.
• Re-mould our world and how we see it.
• Re-mould how we accept each other.
• Be the teacher you wanted to have as a child.
• Invite those who are opposite to you in.
• Give licence to be different and to do things differently.
• Be whole.
• Be courageous.
• We need to be us, we need to know ourselves, we need to stay true to our values, we need to make ourselves a promise, we need to be true to ourselves.

Paulina Tervo:

“I broke the mould by fighting my fears”.

• “I am a documentary film maker, not an educationalist”.
• Broke the mould by co-founding an edtech organisation.
• Do not take No for answer.
• Pick yourself up when you fail/ when you are rejected/when you are undermined for being a woman in a male dominated industry/ when you are ignored as a woman.
• Take the rough with the smooth.
• Challenge your preconceptions as they are based on fear and social conformity.
• Find your role models.

Carly Waterman:

“I broke the mould by doing what no-one expected me to do”.

• Tune in to and listen to your inner voice.
• Is it loud? Is it positive? Is it helpful?
• Your inner voice will change as you evolve: “I turned 40, I had my 2 children, I had spent 9 years at the same school, my voice began to chip away at me”.
• Reflect and tune in to what it is saying: “I was surviving,  I had become narrow, I was inward facing”.
• Be aware that your inner voice will be filtered by the fear that your dream is not going to be realised.
• Take a risk, take a leap of faith.
• Control your inner voice.
• Follow your own path.
• Tell “Doris to do one!”
• Do not let our inner voices de-rail us!

Mary Myatt:

“I broke the mould by concentrating.”

• “I have never had an inner voice, I have a mother who does that for me!”
• “I have not broken any moulds, I am on the edge of the next big adventure”.
• Never look for an easy life, seek an interesting life.
• Nurture your concentration.
• See your work as a gift, as a way of escaping grief and pain.
• Be robust and  be kind at the same time.
• Be a human being first, and a professional second.

We need to show up, we need to look up, we need to speak up, we need to team up, we need to never give up, we need to lift others up.

What an amazing day it has been.  It has been a privilege. A big thank you to this wonderful group of women for going naked and bearing their souls with us!

We asked everyone to make a pledge, a commitment to themselves about what they were going to do differently as a consequence  of attending.

What will your gift to the world be? What is the universe telling you?

If we are going to change the world, we need to be the change we want to see.

 

Blogs from the #WomenEd community who were in the room: Lena, Freya, Kiran

Blogs from the #WomenEd who were following from afar: Lisa 

Hannah, The Hopeful Headteacher

Currently feeling hopeful about:

• The opportunity #WomenEd has to break the mould, change the mould and shape the future.
• The remarkable women who came, who connected and who will collaborate.
• We have already pledged to run it again next year and mentor others to share their stories of leading differently.

Currently reading and thinking about:

• The blogs that have started being written of the personal epiphanies yesterday has triggered.
• I am reviewing Wholesome Leadership by Tom Rees for TES.

Currently feeling grateful for:

• The 8 Wonder Women who have joined us to share their stories for breaking the mould to inspire, empower and motivate our #WomenEd community  – I love you all dearly and have so much respect for each of you as humans and as professionals.

Leading Beyond the School Gates: Liminal Leadership

Yesterday, at our #WomenEd Festival of Leadership at Warwick University, I co-facilitated a session on Leading Beyond the School Gates with Annemarie Williams, one of our #WomenEd East Midlands Regional Leaders and someone who has become a very good friend. Annemarie gets all the credit for planning a brilliant session as it fell off of my to do list this week!

We have dubbed ourselves ‘Wilson and Williams’ as we have started co-planning and co-delivering workshops on things we are passionate about as we are on the same page about education. Annemarie is a primary CEO and I am a secondary Headteacher, we are both values-led in our approaches. We both believe in authenticity and are committed to being ethical leaders, guided by our moral compasses.

We are both passionate about is the opportunities to lead beyond school, in our communities, which develop leadership skills which can be brought back in to our schools and our classrooms. These liminal leadership opportunities are often forgotten about or not given the value and the status on our CVs, in our applications and in our interviews that they should be.

Our group’s opening reflections and discussions about what ‘Leading Beyond the School Gates’ threw up some interesting points. We talked a lot about being human in our leadership, about the hierarchies in some of our schools and the stakeholder engagement needed by school leaders.

Below are some of the things we discussed and the questions we used to frame the discussion for your consideration.

Great Leaders Make Great Schools – what is the impact of this on leaders?

• Vision and values – moral purpose, define the mission for all
• Exceptional leadership – learning focused, accountable, inspiring
• Ethic of excellence  – high expectations for all
• Pedagogy – the craft of teaching and learning
• Culture  – teamwork and collaboration
• Outward facing – research, collaboration, a culture of learning, innovation
• Joy – the enjoyment and buzz of learning, should be tangible

What is your WHY of leadership?

Simon Sinek’s ‘Start With Why’ is a book I keep going back to. We need to be articulate our why for being a teacher but also our why for stepping up to lead. The first hurdle is owning the fact that you are a leader. I anticipated that some of the people in our room did not see themselves as leaders, by the end our session they could articulate that they were leaders as they are influencing others.

Considering Servant Leadership we discussed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of this leadership style.

The concept of servant leadership is one that is both seductive and dangerous. The phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said:

“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead”.

Servant leaders focus on the needs of the organisation and the communities they serve first and foremost and on developing the people within the organisation for the greater good of the whole community.

We framed our perspective as educators who have become leaders and who have used external opportunities to develop our leadership qualities, but we also shared our perspectives as recruiters, who assess candidates for what they can bring to our schools.

What other ways are there to grow as  leader?

We shared what we are passionate about, things we have done to go above and beyond outside of school and more importantly how  we can use these liminal leadership opportunities as evidence of our leadership skills.

Volunteering:

I am a School Governor, a MAT Trustee, a DFE Coach and the National Leader of #WomenEd.

Travel:

I have participated in Camp America, Raleigh International and LRTT.

Community Projects:

I am going to Mozambique with Action Aid this year.

Challenges:

Coaching has helped me overcome personal and professional challenges, which have also developed by emotional resilience.

Self-Study Courses:

I love attending, speaking at and hosting grassroots CPD. #Teachmeets, #Leadmeets and #Coachmeets have deepened by passion and my knowledge of educational leadership over the last few years.

Reading and Research:

Our school bookclub, our @WomenEdBookClub and Twitter chats like #SLTchat have helped to shape my thinking.

What is the Impact?

• Demonstrates how you walk and talk your values
• Opportunities to develop transferable skills such as creativity, communication and relationship building, planning and project management, problem solving etc
• Brings new learning, content and perspective
• Helps build future connections and relationships
• Scientific studies show that helping others boosts happiness. It increases life satisfaction, provides a sense of meaning, increases feelings of competence, improves our mood and reduced stress.

Annemarie then made the link between community leadership, the qualities we develop and how this links to the future of  careers and employability:

The World Economic Forum recently published “The Future of Jobs” outlining the skills that will be most needed by 2020, and guess what? Social skills are leading the way. In a world where technology seems to be king and the power of social media is ever growing, it is our human connectivity and ability to build relationships, will decide who is ready for the new world.

“Overall, social skills such as persuasion, emotional intelligence and teaching others will be in higher demand across industries than narrow technical skills.”

What did we learn? How did we grow as a leaders?

• That transferable skills can be developed anywhere, any time
• That failure can be the stepping stone to a new pathway
• That resilience can be developed

So we ask you to reflect and consider:

What are the experiences that have shaped you as a leader?

What are the possible new development opportunities you have yet to explore?

And more importantly, how will you harness these leadership opportunities, how will you capture them in your applications and how will you evidence they impact they have had on your leadership development?

Hannah, The Hopeful Headteacher

On behalf of Wilson and Williams, coming to an EduEvent near you soon!

Currently feeling hopeful about:

• More people recognising that leading beyond our school gates, leading in liminal spaces and leading in our communities is a legitimate way to informally develop leadership skills.

Currently reading and thinking about:

• I am reviewing Wholesome Leadership by Tom Rees for TES.

Currently feeling grateful for:

• Making brilliant friends for life through #WomenEd – another reason to volunteer your time, energy, experience and expertise!
• Having a diverse PLN of inspiring changemakers!

Appendix:

I recommend that you read Liminal Leadership by the fabulous Stephen Tierney. Furthermore that you watch this #TEDxNorwichEd Talk by the brilliant Marianna Cantwell who also talks passionately about existing in the grey space between the black and the white.

#WomenEd: The Ripple Effect

Saturday saw me driving to Mansfield at the crack of dawn to support the #WomenEd #LeadMeet that one of our new Regional Leaders, Natalie Aveyard, had offered to host and organise. I had supported the curation and was really excited about the line up, despite being knackered after a long week with visits to London, and a late night on Friday in Swindon for the RWBA Empowering Young People to Change the World Conference.

6am alarms on a Saturday are never welcome (the irony being today I bounced out of bed at 5am!), nor 2-3 hour drives, but I knew it would be worth it and I was not disappointed. Once again, the #WomenEd community have inspired, empowered and energised me.

Natalie Aveyard is a great example of the impact #WomenEd has had/ has on an individual and the ripple effect it has on your friends and colleagues as the interest and involvement spreads out. Natalie has been to a number of our regional and national events, each time she brings more people with her as her #WomenEd snowball picks up more people (Nottingham saw her bringing a mini-bus load). She has attended events, tweeted, volunteered to host an event, volunteered to become a Regional Leader and volunteered to join us in Mozambique with Action Aid. She has been 30% braver in the last few months. My next challenge is to get her to write a blog and to speak at an event – 40% … 50% braver?!

My opening:

We always ask a Regional or a National Leader to open our events and to deliver a #WomenEd welcome, because each time there are new educators joining us. The framing of the event is important, to remember why we exist, how far we have come and what our priorities are. It is always fab to see new faces at our events. It was also great to see more #HeForShe at the Mansfield event. Below is my opening:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I said to the audience that I would share the links for the DFE funded Diversity and Equality regional activity: Women Leading in Education Networks and the Women Leading in Education Coaching Pledge. 

Also here are some quick links for the forthcoming #WomenEd events in the Midlands:  9/6 Warwick  & 30/6 Grantham  There is also an event at my school in Oxfordshire 7/7/18. We hope to see some of you there!

My reflections on the cracking presentations from this event are below. The line up was impressive and had a great balance of old and new faces/ voices.

Claire Cuthbert: Lead, follow, or get out of the way!

Claire was our opening key note and shared her journey from an estate in the North East to CEO in the East Midlands. She is an authentic leader and has become quite comfortable at sharing the vulnerability of  her journey. I loved that she peppered her musings with Disney clips capturing resilience, teamwork and tenacity.

Annemarie Williams: Press for Progress: Queen Bees or Sisters in Solidarity? 

Annemarie always hits the nail on the head in an understated way. Delivering ‘naked’ she shared her thoughts on sisterly and un-sisterly conduct in schools. Embodying integrity and channelling Brene Brown, she challenged us to consider how cooperation, collaboration and community makes us stronger leaders.

John Pearce: Consensual Leadership

John has supported #WomenEd from the beginning via Twitter, but this was the first event he had attended, and when we had a few cancellations and asked for volunteers to fill the gaps on the line up, he stepped up with a provocation.  He opened with a heartfelt thank you and was quite emotional about the warm welcome he had received and the hope he felt in the room. Developing the theme of #MeToo and the heightened awareness of consent in our society, he proposed that we need consensual leadership in our schools.   He has already blogged his presentation here.

Fee Stagg: Good Leadership Eats Itself…

Fee is a National Governance Lead and brings a different leadership perspective to our events. Her presentation naturally developed the theme from John’s one on the Lead, Push, Follow dynamic of leadership. She encouraged us all to consider our contributions to the leadership of our schools and the dynamic of our relationships with others.

Jill Berry:  Moving into a new leadership role – 5 top tips

Jill completed her Doctorate research on leadership transitions and published ‘Making the Leap’ which is  a highly recommended read for not only DHTs moving to Headship but any leader making the transition to their next step on the ladder.  She has distilled her research into a chapter for the forthcoming #WomenEd book and she shared 5 of her top tips:

1. Research carefully & ensure this is the right job/right place/right time for you.

2. Use this research & focus on the match/fit in a compelling written application

3. At interview, show what you offer/bring to the role & how you will add value (esp if internal)

4. Use the lead-in time between being successful at interview & formally stepping into the role to build your knowledge & begin to establish yourself

5. Recognise that however well prepared you are you still need to ‘build the bridge as you walk on it’ & learn in the job.

Kay Fuller: Feminist Leadership: What makes you happy?

Kay shared her research as Associate Professor at Nottingham University and as Course Convener for a MA in Educational Leadership. She reflected on an interview question that a Headteacher she spoke to for her research always asks: What makes you happy and what makes you angry? She shared what makes her happy and angry as a leader, as an encouragement to us all to become more self-aware and to hold onto our values as non-negotiables in our schools.

Pran Patel: Outward Facing Leadership

Pran and I met at a TDA event at Cambridge uni a few years ago,  he has become an avid tweeter, blogger and presenter at grassroots events and willingly comes to many #womened events. He thanked the community for saving his career and for keeping him in the profession and on SLT. Last year he completed our Diverse Leaders programme and really embraced being an ‘outtie!’ He shared his thoughts on outward versus inward facing leadership and the need to find your tribe and share your why. I was delighted that he won the coaching day from Felicity too!

Krysta Parsons: Stepping up and Leaning In

Krysta has contributed to a few of our events, and has shared with us the rollercoaster of her leadership journey. She has secured the dream job, the dream job has gone sour, she has risen from the ashes and secured a different dream job. As Jill says, rough seas make the best sailors, and the ebb and flow of leadership has made Krysta a reflective and a humble leader. Her honesty and vulnerability instills hope with the audience members  who are currently not  in a school that is the right fit.  She also spoke openly about the imposter syndrome she has experienced in her career, a common motif at our events.

Felicity King: Leading from the inside out:- the infectious power of being in

Felicity joined us for her first #WomenEd event and also answered the call for contributions. I loved her prop – an empty toilet roll, with her presentation  notes on. The simplicity of her presentation picked up Kay’s theme of knowing yourself and looking in before you look out.

Laura Watkin: Effective communication in leadership; why the **** sandwich doesn’t work

Laura is another new face/ new voice to our community, tapped on the shoulder by one of the Brunts team, she was gung-ho about coming and contributing. Light bulb moments went off for her throughout the event as things resonated with her and she saw her own journey mirrored by others. Her presentation on the importance of relationships and communication was spot on, as she encouraged us to not confuse nor conflate the lines between the different types of conversations needed to oil the cogs in our schools.

Book Raffle for Mozambique:

Kathryn Morgan, Natalie and I are 3/18 educators who are travelling to Mozambique with Action Aid this summer to build a library. You can find out more about our project here. We have been overwhelmed with the generosity of educators who have donated copies of their books for  us to raffle at our events. In Kathryn’s absence, Kay did a fab job in selling our raffle tickets and we raised another £100, plus 15 people went home with a new educational book to read!

Carly Waterman: Think Yourself Limitless

Carly delivered a thought-provoking closing keynote to wrap up the event. She openly challenged the self-diminishing language and self-deprecating behaviours we often see and hear in each other. She shared tips on how to control our inner chimps and manage the imposter syndrome.  Sharing how limiting her own inner voice has been on her career progression, she reflected on how #WomenEd has empowered her to control it, and then she modelled how she does it.

Enter Doris.

The room wept with laughter as a recorded voice filled the room, Carly’s inner critic Doris called her out on all of the self-doubt and limiting thoughts she has had about herself in the last few years. The dialogue that ensued of Carly telling us who she is, what she has achieved, her hopes and dreams, each time undermined by Doris revealed how we talk ourselves down and out of opportunities.

Well done Carly – no-one is going to forget your contribution – it was genius! Your pragmatic approach to leadership really resonates, as does your willingness to share your vulnerability.

I love that at our #WomenEd events we arrive as strangers and leave as friends. Moreover, that our inclusive and diverse line ups may seem contrasting on paper, but as the stories are shared, we begin to weave links between each reflection.  Thank you to all of our contributors, our hosts, the student helpers and our audience for a truly brilliant event!

Networking Lunch:

Thanks to the Brunts Academy tribe for organising a post-event lunch afterwards – it is always good to reflect, discuss and process with others. Also to plot what comes next!

Hannah, The Hopeful Headteacher

Currently feeling hopeful about:

• The new Regional Leaders who are joining our team including Natalie and Carly
• #HeForShe advocacy from the presenters and audience members
• The #10%braver pledges that will come out of this event and the personal/professional changes this will bring

Currently reading and thinking about:

• The Working Class  – Ian Gilbert et al for our @WomenEdBookclub chat in a few weeks’ time

Currently feeling grateful for:

• The people I have met in the last 4 years through twitter, staffrm, events and #womened
• The time and energy that our community invest investment in our shared vision

We are #10%braver: We now need to be #10%prouder

Four years ago today….

I was sitting in my flat in Sutton, reflecting on my Easter break, and where I was in my life and my career.

I started catching up on my notifications on Twitter and Staffrm as there had been a weekend long #slowchat about gender equality. I had recently connected with Helena Marsh who had written a blog entitled What Glass Ceiling? I was already connected with Jill Berry who had written a blog in response, and I had just met Natalie Scott via StaffRm, our stories had instantly resonated with each other.  We connected with Vivienne Porritt via the comments on the Staffrm blogs and she brought Sameena Choudry, Jules Daulby and Keziah Featherstone into the conversation.

Fast forward a few weeks’ later and 6 strangers met for tea and cake to discuss gender equality and feminism.

Over a few hours in a Hilton hotel in Bracknell, a hashtag and a twitter handle were born.

There have been some interesting articles, blogs and tweets today about male MPs only following male politicians, about the ‘glass cliff’ for women leaders, and about women needing to own their accomplishments. Four years on we are still having the same conversations, but they are a lot louder and we do have a lot more testimonials of what is working to share.

This blog is me sharing my pride in being involved in such a fantastic community of committed educators.

April 2015-Mar 2016 #PledgeForParity:

• We started with 7 Co-Founders: Helena, Jules, Keziah, Natalie, Sameena, Vivienne and I
• Unconference I was held at Microsoft HQ in Victoria: our first event and 200 women in education attended, with 1 man there by choice
• We reduced to 5 National Leaders: Natalie and Helena stepped back
• Our community grew from 7 to a few thousand on twitter
• Our blogs on #womened became a regular contribution
• We articulated our vision and our values/ our 8 Cs
• We made a call out for Regional Leaders

April 2016-Mar2017 #BeboldForChange:

• 30 Regional Leaders stepped up to help us get the regional networks launched
• 12 regional networks were launched with their own handle, aligned to the DFE regions
• We held 1st birthday parties in April to mark our 1st year
• Unconference II was held at Microsoft  in  Reading: 250 attended and we had a #heforshe panel and contributors
• We launched the #womened app
• We held a series of #womened #leadmeets
• The WiE coaching pledge was launched by DFE and we worked in partnership with them

April 2017-Mar 2018 #PressForProgress:

• We expanded our Regional Networks and oriented more Regional Leaders – we now have more than 60 volunteers
• We launched international handles in the US,  Netherlands, Italy, Canada, UAE, Czech Republic
• Unconference III was held at Sheffield Hallam University: 300 attended
• The WLIE networks were launched by the DFE and we aligned our activity to collaborate with them
• We held a series of #womened regional events
• We launched our #womened newsletter and our #womened blog
• We were nominated for a National Diversity Award
• We were named in the TES Top 10 Influencers
• We launched @WomenedBookclub and we kicked off with Mary Beard discussing her new book with our community

April 2018-Mar 2019:

• We have 18,000+ followers on Twitter
• We are curating a strand at Wellington Festival
• We are writing a book to be published by #IWD19
• Unconference IV is being planned for the Midlands in October

Four years on….

We have achieved so much and we need to  remember that we are all volunteers, we all work full time as women leading in education.

When you stop and pause, when you reflect and think about everything we have done, we should be more than #10%prouder

So as we live and breath the #10%braver mantra. We now need need to embody the #10%prouder one too, as a community which is easier, and as individuals which is always harder.

We are much more comfortable saying “I am proud of you”.

We need to be as comfortable in saying “I am proud of me”.

We need to be brave, then we need to be proud, then we need to be loud!

I am proud of us #WomenEd and everything we have achieved. For everyone who has contributed in the last 4 years. Be proud, own it, celebrate it.

Hannah, The Hopeful Headteacher

Currently feeling hopeful about:

• What we will achieve in the next year
• Where we will be in another 4 years time

Currently reading and thinking about:

• The Working Class  – Ian Gilbert et al for our @WomenEdBookclub chat in a few weeks’ time

Currently feeling grateful for:

• The people I have met in the last 4 years through twitter, staffrm, events and #womened
• The time and energy that our community invest investment in our shared vision

Women Leading in Education: The NPQH Launch

2 years ago I was a DHT in London. I had resigned without a job to go to. This had initiated me moving into a role at Head Office leading Professional Learning for staff across 42 schools for a year before I left. It gave me head space to work out what the next move would be. I was being coached to recalibrate and to  find my direction. I had just started my NPQH with Ambition School Leadership.

2 years on I am a Headteacher, I am an Executive Headteacher in fact as our 2nd school opens in September. I have led Aureus School for 4 terms: 1 term as an idea, 1 term as an empty building and  2 terms with a staff and student body.

2 years ago #womened was 1 year old, we are now about to turn 3 and have increased our reach to 18,000.

How things can change in a matter of time. In 2 years I have moved from frustrated and in conflict to feeling grounded and anchored. I have found my fit.

This weekend Ambition School Leadership launched their inaugural women only cohort for the NPQH in partnership with  #womened and Leading Women’s Alliance. This weekend it was me delivering an after dinner speech about my leadership journey to headship, not me listening as a participant.

 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I am used to being the event organiser and host, doing the welcome and the housekeeping not the address.  I am used to delivering assemblies with a screen so delivering ‘naked’ (clothes on but slides free!) after dinner was totally out of my comfort zone. Doing keynotes is my #10%braver challenge, it is me modelling that you need to Lean In and step beyond your comfort zone. It is me living my conviction that you say yes and you work it out later. It is me showing that you make mistakes and you learn from them, the more I do them, the more confident and comfortable I will become in the public speaking space.

I only had 15 mins to share my thoughts, reflections and advice so I did not go into detail about my leadership journey, although it would have reassured many in the room that I have had my fair share of rough seas to navigate through, they can read about this on my blog.

 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Instead I shared my journey to headship. I reflected on the power I have drawn from the #womened community. Both Kate and I addressed some of the barriers that women leading in education experience. The imposter syndrome, the inner critic, the fear of failure.

As well as the barriers we reflected on the crowd-sourced solutions. We both shared what could have held us back and how we pushed ourselves forward. I can remember the first time I met Kate at our inaugural #womened unconference, she spoke about the ‘taps on the shoulder’ that women need. I have been fortunate to have had peers and line managers who have tapped me, and I in turn nudge others on.

 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After the speeches I joined Karen Giles and her dinner table – we reflected on women who work silently and do not promote their work. I shared with them the article I had read about the strategy the women in the White House use – the illumination technique – which they came up with to amplify the ideas and work of others to ensure that credit was attributed to the owner.

 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Lack of role models and the absence of a support network can hold some women in education back. Part of my motivation for co-founding #womened was to find my tribe. My source of inspiration in giving so much of my time and energy to our gender equality movement over the last 3 years has been the contacts that I have made. I am surrounded by strong women, by brilliant role models, by inspiring women leading in education.

 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The power I have drawn from the #womened community, together with the skills and experience  I gained from my NPQH with ASL, enabled me to be empowered in finding the right headship for me to be my authentic self. Following many years of school improvement in turn around schools, a start up school was a new challenge. The blank page gave us the opportunity to co-create a forward-thinking school.

The combination of all of these experience and opportunities over the last 2 years led to me being involved in initiating and steering the women’s only NPQH pathway. Had I not have been outward-facing, I would not have met these amazing women.

My motivation for contributing to and supporting this bespoke programme is the opportunity to create a ‘safe space’.  There was a sense of urgency in the room that we need to change the system. There was a sense of agency in the room that these women would be the changemakers to #pressforprogress.

My final plea to them all was that when they secured their 1st headship that they would negotiate, that they would challenge the pay gap and ask for what they need, that they would hold on to their power and not give it away before they had even started.

 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

What I did not have time to share was my recommended reading, so here it is:

This weekend there was a palpable energy in the room. Magic was being created before our eyes by the wise women sculpting the residential – facilitators Carol Jones and Karen Giles, superbly supported by ASL programme leaders Deb Fisher and Abi Brown. Thank you for being Wonder Women.

I am really excited to see what the future holds for all of the participants.

Hannah, The Hopeful Headteacher

Currently feeling hopeful about:

• 31 future female Headteachers  who will be leading our schools in the future including our 2 DHTs at Aureus School Julie Hunter and Bennie Kara

Currently reading and thinking about:

• We are all starting Leadership Matters as our summer read for the team at Aureus

Currently feeling grateful for:

• Ambition School Leadership for curating the women’s only cohort launch – especially Deb Fish and Abi Brown
• Melanie Renowden and Kate Chhatwal for initiating the bid for a women’s only cohort for NPQH
• The partnership between Ambition School Leadership, Leading Women’s Alliance and WomenEd
• Carol Jones and Karen Giles for facilitating the inaugural residential for this very special launch cohort of the women only NPQH

Diverse Educators: #BAMEed #DisabilityEd #LGBTEd #WomenEd

Yesterday, was a defining moment in my career.

I am still buzzing from the inspiring and empowering group of diverse educators who came to Aureus for the day for our inaugural Diverse Educators event.

#BAMEed met #DisabilityEd met #LGBTed met #WomenEd. 4 grassroot movements and communities came together to connect, to collaborate. The power of the collective voice.

The impact we can have working together was how I framed the event.  I opened Diverse Educators asking everyone to share their Why. We then did a popcorn sharing of our motivation for getting out of bed early and travelling on a cold Saturday morning in January.

My why:

We know our identities are more complex than just our gender. We all wear multiple hats, we all have multiple labels as we define and own our complex identities. What do we have in common? We are all humans. Yesterday, we brought together a group of humans who care deeply about diversity, equality and inclusion.

My proposition was that each community, each movement could challenge their systemic, structural and societal barriers for their label, or we could join forces and be a stronger voice, a stronger community to smash through these glass ceilings and these concrete ceilings together. Moreover with the support of all of the organisations who supported the event as exhibitors and contributors.

A collective mission.  A collective voice. A collective impact.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Each of the grassroots movements shared an update on the progress of their community  and the impact they have made to date:

#BAMEed are a year old and held their first event last May in Birmingham, their 2nd event is soon and they are planning their 3rd for June 2nd. Co-founded by Abdul, Allana, Amjad and Penny they are growing their network and profile. Find out by following them here. An offshoot of @BAMEednetwork is @TFBAMEcommunity co-founded by Jess and Mahlon. They also have a series of events on the horizon.

#DisabilityEd is new on the block and unfortunately Lynne Wareham who is pulling volunteers together was too unwell to join us yesterday to share plans. The sessions that took place started the conversation. More to follow on this one as the community of educators with a disability come forward and join forces.

#LGBTed did a soft launch yesterday and will have a hard launch, an event in the spring.  Co-founded by Daniel and Hannah they have combined forces with David Weston and @OutTeacher. They have  Claire Birkenshaw (first know UK Headteacher to transition whilst in post) as an advisor to make schools more trans aware. Find out more here.

#WomenEd is now nearly 3 years old! Co-founded by 7 educators, we have 5 of us as national leaders (Me, Jules, Keziah, Sameena and Vivienne) and 60+ as regional leaders in the UK and a further 10 driving the agenda internationally. We are planning our 4th national unconference for Autumn 2018, we have just reached 16,000 followers, we were nominated for a national diversity award, we were named in the TES top 10 influencers and we have a book deal with SAGE education. It has been an epic year for the #womened community! We have also just launched @WomenEd_Tech and @WomenEdBookClub Find out more here.

The schedule of the day involved 8 workshops in 4 time slots, 32 facilitated workshops and learning conversations about how we can have impact in our schools for our learners, both staff and students.

At lunchtime there was a buzz in the air as we all made human connections. Collaborations were initiated and I am excited to see how these will develop.

We closed with a panel. A diverse panel. A panel like we should see at more edu-events. It really isn’t that hard to ensure that you represent the voices of the audience and the profession at our events, whether they are grassroots or mainstream. Alison, Claire, Anna, Jonathan and Shirley represented and explored ‘How can we create a cohesive and coherent strategy to ensure a more diverse workforce?’ They reflected and shared how we can move from our why, to our how and to our what.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I asked everyone in the room to then pledge their ‘what’. What is it we can all do differently from Monday? What is we can contribute to drive the diversity agenda?

The reason why Diverse Educators primarily came about was due to yet another poster advertising yet another event with an all white, male line up. We must continue to challenge the ‘manels’ and the ‘wanels’! We must collectively challenge the lack of representation at a lot of events, as well as on SLTs, Governing and Trust boards.  We will not change the ‘pale, male, stale’ face of pockets of our profession unless we challenge and ask for change.

I lost track of how many of these events I saw last year. Equally I was invited to speak at 10 plus events last year about diversity. I challenged each event that when I realised I was the representative. There were not diverse faces on the line up, just my straight, white face and voice championing diversity! They didn’t seem to see the irony? Moreover, on the few events where there was a smidgen of diversity, the diverse voices were marginalised to the small stage and pigeonholed by their topic.

So, it only seemed right for Bennie, one of my fabulous DHTs to close the event for us.  Bennie wears all of the hats.

She explored each of the labels she wears. Her speech was passionate, personal and reflective as she shared her dismay at realising that she had a disability – as if it wasn’t hard enough to be a woman, an Asian women and an Asian bisexual woman. Did she really now have to deal with being a disabled Asian bisexual woman. How many labels can one person cope with? How many glass ceilings can one educational leader smash through? Her upbeat voice and pragmatic approach gave hope to the audience that it is possible, if you find the right school, if you stay true to your values. Moreover if you lean in and embrace your authentic self and bring your whole self to school.

 

Before everyone left I played them a song. They wondered where I was taking them when Hugh Jackman appeared on the screen. But a song from his new film: This is Me, made all of the hairs stand up on my arms, my foot tap in and my heart beat. I will be using it in an assembly this half-term as the lyrics are so emotive and powerful.  The Power Pose is a source of strength for #womened, this song could be a source of strength, an anthem for our diverse educational community. Most importantly, our grassroots events are amazingly positive and uplifting, but the trolling has already started. I hope that everyone who joined us yesterday, physically and virtually, ignore the haters, take the lonely negative voices with a pinch of salt and tap into the support and positivity of the Diverse Educators community:

“Reach for the sun… Burst through the barriers… Don’t let them break you down to dust… This is me… I make no apologies… Look out here I come!”

Hannah, The Hopeful Headteacher

Currently feeling hopeful about:

• The impact this event will have on combining the communities and excited to already be thinking about Diverse Educators II in Jan 2019 – we are thinking 12/1/19 and moving it back a week so more can come
• The impact that Diverse Leaders will have on our 2nd cohort of delegates – you can register here for our free #BAMEed leadership development programme: https://goo.gl/forms/pQN8cn7Iw3zOPf5I2
• Supporting the launch of #LGBTed
• Advocating the developments of #BAMEed and @TFBAMEcommunity
• What #WomenEd will achieve in our 4th year

Currently reading and thinking about:

• Mary Beard: Women and Power 

Currently feeling grateful for:

• Everyone who came to Aureus yesterday – all of the speakers who volunteered their time for free, all of the exhibitors who provided resources, refreshments (Veema), gave out books (Leadership Matters) and discounted CPD (TES Institute) to our audience
• Pen who captured the opening discussions and reflections brilliantly.
• Claire Birkenshaw for educating me and making me more trans aware over pizza and wine!

#WomenEd 2017: #10%braver

At our first #womened unconference, in London, October 2015 the fabulous Sue Cowley did our opening key note.

She unintentionally coined our mantra: #10%braver.

Why did this phrase resonate so much with our community?

We hear often that Confidence is an inhibitor for many women in education, holding them back from making the leap to leadership. Hence why it is one of our 8 Cs. (Captured below in our values graphic that Pen Mendonca captured for us).

The inner glass ceiling is often as reinforced as the external one. We need to learn how to navigate and smash both!

The Confidence Gap is often exasperated once women become parents and gaps appear in their journeys. The pace of our system means it is hard to keep up which is why it is fab we are collaborating with MaternityCPD on supporting those parents on maternity leave who want to keep their hand in.

So, as a community,  we claimed the marginal gains model – we do not ask women to be 100% braver, just 10% and to lean in to the incremental growth in confidence.

Further to this we often invite our community to do shout outs for themselves and others to celebrate our achievements. We get quite frustrated at the trend we see – we are better at congratulating the impact of our peers rather than acknowledging and owning our own achievements.

One of our co-founders and national leaders,  Vivienne Porritt with womenedWM regional leader Kiran Satti thus coined the extension #10%prouder and I added #10%louder!

So with all of the end of year reflections (see quick links below if you want to get involved) circulating on Twitter this festive season we invited our community to be #10%prouder and #10%louder and tell us their achievements and their impact that they are celebrating as we move into 2018. Check some of them out below!

#oneword2018

#nurture1718

#teacher5aday pledge 

Check out the 30 highlights of the diverse impact of our #10%braver mantra on the #womened community in 2017 – what I love is how each one embodies our community values and personify our 8Cs:

Andrea Williams-Jones: “I told my story at IWD LeadMeet; hosted a WomenEd birthday party; became a WomenEdSW regional leader; led a workshop at Unconference and I hope that I’ve lived my values and not laminated them!”

Anoara Mughal: “Became 10%braver 2017 by: completing my first term as an AHT, becoming regional lead for @WomenEdLondon, speaking at 3 conferences (one with 150 educators!), blogging, writing blogs for @Tes & for @BAMEedNetwork, developing sec. school library by networking, setting up @NewToSLT.”

Bukky Yusuf: “1/ #10braver by: *set up own consultancy *worked in schools in different parts of Lndn (right out of comfort zone) *said yes to as many opps as I could e.g. joined @UnioByHarness Teacher Tech Board *did podcasts via @PodcastEdtech *gave Sci training in NI (& got on a plane!)”

Caro Fenice: “Nothing spectacular, challenges for me like speaking in public (and loving it) writing (something I have always told myself I am rubbish at, applying for things out of my comfort zone and feeling proud for trying, even if nothing came of it. Making plans for the 1st time ever”

Carol Campbell: “My top #10%braver moments (had to go to 4): 1. Co-founding @WomenEdCanada 2. Co-authoring 2 #EmpoweredEducators books in top new releases 3. Speaking to largest audience so far, 3000+ @stoonteachers 4. Engaging with Ontarians about improving student assessment”.

Ceri Stokes: “I was #10%braver and hosted my first safeguarding conference at my sch bringing local companies together including the local ballet sch, bus company, nursery’s, football teams, doctors and many more #safeguarding and had @jcstaff_ present so good”.

Christalla Jamil: “Successfully supported another school – training for executive headship because of you! Excited about growing my staff and doing what’s right for my whole community”

Clare Erasmus: “10% braver became regional leader for @womenEdSE, signed a book deal with @JKPBooks , speaking at DiversityED, Southern rocks and wrote strong blog campaigning against bullying in the workplace”.

Elizabeth Wright: “@Frederika_R and I decided to be brave (very much a character strength) and asked @JKPBooks if we could write a character education book for them – and they said yes!!!”

Emily Rankin: “Became a mom through adoption and had my 1st year as DHT! Spoke at global #IB conference, organized unconference, & am new regional lead for #WomenEdCzech. Working on my speaking skills and hoping to help other women (and my daughter) be #10%braver. Love @WomenEd!”

Fiona McSorley: “Lots braver this year. #retired from teaching, volunteering as a trustee and supporting the next generation of #womenleaders. All with the support of #WomenEd and @WomenEdLondon. Note to self for next year, write more!”

Gill Kelly: “Started a business @stuff_better. Became HT of a state boarding school (new to me), got a book deal (leadership from the edge…non euro centric/ corporate/ male stereotypes), expanded international business. A thrilling thing is being coached by @nikkiarmytage – spoke my truth.”

Hannah Gregory: “#Womened #10%braver – 1. ran a workshop at #Sheffield #unconference following dipping toe into @womened blogging and actually enjoyed it #chooselife 2. Suggesting we change #10%braver to #10percentbraver so it links and becomes searchable”

Heather Greatbatch: “Moved to a new school after 9 years Led my own department for the first time Took on first SLT role Came to first #WomenEdNW event Got my first tattoo”

Helen Shapter: “Brave enough to say yes to first leadership role. Loving it. I don’t need to be 100% convinced I can do it before doing it.”

Jennifer Hawkins: “I got my theory book with teacher research stories published by a big publisher worldwide after being turned down by another because they thought teachers wouldn’t understand it! I proved a new psychological academic theory of learning & am now writing another book!”

Inspiring Teachers: “Became 10%braver by competing my first term as AHT, attending my first #womened teachmeet, continually giving a voice to students on the periphery”.

Karen Wespieser: “Only woman on panel @researchED1, opinion piece in @SchoolsWeek, started @UKEdResChat, confronted @theresa_may on grammar schools”.

Katy Brown: ” Christmas Eve reflection on my 2017 #10%braver. Presenting my work on narrowing the gap at the British library, stepping out of my school and into consultancy with partner schools, and signing up to run a workshop for #WomenEd in March. 2018 will be my year!”

Kellie Davies: “Said goodbye to negative and its opened doors to positive…. bring on 2018.”

Lena Carter: “My #10% braver has been staying instead of running away, showing my true self, making my voice heard and being honest. None of which would have been possible without the support of my @WomenEd tribe”.

Lesley Munro: “Moved to a new school after 12 years. First SLT role. Offered venue for #womened for next March and will be speaking there”.

Louise Lindley: “Bit late to the party but in 2017 I: Delivered whole school training Became Head of English Really delved into edutwitter and overhauled my teaching”.

Lyndsay Bawden: “Applied for and got my first SLT job, and a new job with an exam board as a subject expert. 12 months ago I wouldn’t have considered either role, let alone applied. Very much inspired by all the great people on Twitter – thank you!”

Mary Bridget Burns: “I am soon to be sworn in as a county-level commissioner for a Regional Commission on the Status of Women. My participation in @WomenEd_US certainly encouraged me to apply to the @MassCSW!”

Michelle Forrest: “1. I put myself out there and wrote my first blog. 2. Stopped trying to appear strong and in control and admitted I needed (and asked for) advice and help from the team a lot more. 3. Put children and their individual needs ahead of their potential to meet ‘Expected’”.

Nat Wilcox: “Spoke at the @WomenEd #unconference and became a regional leader for @WomenEdSW Took on a new role as DP and am loving leading on T&L.”

Nicola Sass Jones: “Built on success of a small scale local pilot project & applied for substantial #SSIF funding in round 1. Now training over 20 SLES from 4 TSAs to support over 60 schools across the South West”.

Sam at Schoolwell: “Accepted invite from @KarenWespieser to be on panel at @educationfest, presented at @LeadLearnLancs, reviewed books for @Ed_Tmprince and @thosethatcan, collaborated with @SchoolMHealth and met so many inspirational people! Quite a year for me”.

Susan Strachan: “I have written 100 blogs, presented at @WomenLeadEdSW @WomenEdSW on building girls’ confidence, presented at #TLT17 & recorded my first eeekk youtube video. #WomenEd has encouraged & supported a wonderful bunch”.

Victoria Hall: “Moved to a post allowing me to get back to happy, presented at leadmeet about my journey, moved home to Sheffield and developed a strong edu-network back here. The new year will bring new challenge, a house move and maybe new post. Here is to #womened #10percentbraver #happy”

Thank you all for sharing your impact in 2017 and keep those tweets coming #womened #10%braver

 If you needed convincing to connect with the #womened tribe, or needed a nudge to attend one of our #womened events, or needed some evidence to convince someone else why they should come – hopefully these testimonials will share the love and the magic of this community of phenomenal women in education!

Hannah, The Hopeful Headteacher

Currently feeling hopeful about:

• The impact we will make in our 4th year!

Currently reading and thinking about:

• Mary Beard: Women and Power 

Currently feeling grateful for:

• The nomination #womened received for the Diversity Awards
• The recognition that #womened received from the TES for being one of their top 10 influencers this year!