Someone said to me the other day that I was unlike most people because the thing that drives me to work so hard is also my passion – outstanding provision and outcomes for all learners. This bothered me for a while and I couldn’t think why. Until I was on a train journey from London with a friend I have known for 16 years from university on our way to meet up with some of other Cardiff uni friends.
She was talking so passionately about her work as an environmental engineer working for the Bat Conservation Trust that it suddenly occurred to me that actually I was not at all the odd one out in my wide and varied friendship group. When I started to think about it not one of my amazing close friends simply worked for a living; they are all passionate about their about their chosen careers.
I count a head of a teachers of the deaf provision, Doctors of Clinical and Educational psychology, unbelievably well qualified pharmacists, heads of curriculum development, leaders of language resource bases, leaders of housing policy and of course my partner in all things exciting Kate who is the co-author of our book and now forging an amazing career as an inclusion manager and head of a school for autistic children amongst my close friends.
Yes, they happen to all be women, and yes I am exceptionally privileged to have had a life and education that has thrown me into the path of these exceptional people but it makes them no less a source of constant inspiration and motivation.
I feel very lucky that actually I am not the odd one out amongst this group of people and hope never to be; it has always been my belief that if I was going to work hard it had to be for something I truly believe in otherwise that is a lot of time spent working and being stressed for no real reason. Being surrounded by these inspiring women who are all working towards their own inspiring goals drives me to work harder and be better and I hope never to be unlike these amazing friends of mine.
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