A change is as good as a rest

One of the questions I’ve been asked a lot recently is why did I leave teaching. My response is simple: I needed a rest. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not only teachers who work hard & work long hours (& not all teachers do!) But even after the long summer holidays last year I hadn’t fully recuperated. So I knew that something had to change. I handed in my notice & only freaked out a few times about the prospect of not returning to school in September for the first time since I was about 5!

So the job hunt began. With very little luck. The biggest problem was that I didn’t know what I wanted to do beyond working from home, at my own pace, setting my own hours. For over four years I’d been working a minimum of 12 hour days, usually six days a week. I often felt guilty about the time I spent working & away from my partner, family and friends. And I know…teachers get loads of holidays so what am I complaining about?! I worked almost at the same pace throughout these too. And I had to deal with teenagers!  Beyond not wanting to work directly with teenagers anymore or work ridiculous hours or have a stupidly long commute (yep, I had that too!), I don’t really mind what I do, as long as it’s creative. This blog is about my journey after teaching, the highs & lows. Who knows how it’s going to turn out!