3 years ago today I was in the middle of teaching my last lesson on a Friday afternoon when I found out I won my discrimination court case against Brampton Manor Academy. It remains the best lesson I’ve ever taught. Celebrating the same way I have for 3 years now - I ate them up:

A really bad flu during a heatwave is really not it. Currently surrounded by 3 fans and they’re no match to this fever 🤣.

Had a good time today as a guest speaker at a Year 11 leavers ceremony at one of the Harris’. Although I’m not teaching at present due to other commitments, I couldn’t help remember the little Year 7s I once taught who joined secondary in a Covid bubble. Time really flies.

I’m a ✨keynote speaker✨ (yes you read that right) at the festival of education next week alongside Lenny Henry, Mary Bousted, Doug Lemov to mention a few of the people I’m excited to hear from (and can’t believe I’m even in the same room as?!) Incoming jumpscare below: 🤣❤️.

This is really sad but really comforted to know nearly half a million has already been raised for their daughters. So beautiful to see communities come together for these very young children who lost both their parents in a fortnight. 😭❤️.

I came back after school to thank the Headteacher, he said he knows how it feels to be at school during a bereavement, had benefitted himself from the kindness of colleagues who covered him & that he knows it counts to support staff during emergencies. I’ll never forget that.

I found out about his death over half term & his funeral was scheduled for the first day back, so I came into school & did an absence request which normally needs 2 weeks’ notice, & we had no relation, so I braced myself for it to be rejected, but it was approved straight away.

Yesterday 4 yrs ago I went to my favourite ever teacher’s funeral who died only a term into retirement having started teaching in t’70s. Next month I’m sharing my stories about him at one of the biggest events in teaching & I’m so proud in some way he still exists in education.🤍.

Come watch live, we’re talking about learning walks today.

RT @RogersHistory: We discussed loads in this and it was a lot of fun, teacher pay increase bit particularly revealing! @Yasmomar @lessonco….

RT @RogersHistory: Join myself, @Yasmomar and @lessoncopy for an impromptu live in about 15 mins, get involved

& the princes trust wasted no time in getting me to stand in front of their trustees & supporters and tell them my story. They entered me for a modelling competition where I modelled a dress I’d made myself, the audience voted & I won a prize. My first school made many enemies🤣.

When I got pushed out of teaching I used to say to ppl if I knew I’d be NEET I wouldn’t have bothered to get 13 GCSEs, 5 A-Levels all A*/A & a scholarship to uni. Bcos I was NEET under 25 I was eligible for free courses on The Prince’s Trust so I learnt how to sew my own clothes.

On my first day SLT there said hi to me, I ran to my room & locked the door wondering what they wanted from me. I was so traumatised 🤣 but quickly got back to myself. I left that school to become SLT & honestly had to be carried out on my last day because I didn’t want to leave.

10 people had applied so I wasn’t expecting a call back but they called me and offered me the role and also offered me a full time science position with any reasonable adjustments I felt I needed. I was terrified but I took the science position & had the best 3 years ever.

Funnily enough I didn’t even apply to a teaching post bcos I knew my first school wouldn’t give me a reference so I applied for a pastoral role. It was in my interview they asked me why I quit teaching so early & even tho everyone advised me to not tell the truth I told it all.

I actually remember when I sent my 11th application I told myself it was the last one I would apply to & if I didn’t hear back I’d give up. Didn’t hear back for a week & cried so much my family took me to my fav food place & whilst I was there got a call inviting me to.

I had a severe MS relapse (couldn’t even walk) as a trainee teacher, the school then failed me, lost my home, applied to like 10 teaching jobs & didn’t get a single interview, 3 years later I was a senior leader in teaching & been in full remission for over half a decade.

How was the weather for the whole of May so impeccable and now that teachers finally have a week off it’s raining? 🤣 like clockwork.

But at the end of the day, being a victim of FGM is part of her story and you can’t put an expiry date on someone’s childhood trauma.

Although I wouldn’t place any violence on a sliding scale of importance, I would say there are definitely other problems in our community which are far larger in number & considering everyone is aware of FGM now, it’d be good to see more campaigns around other widespread issues.