Diary of a Teacher

Five years ago today I stood in my school hall to collect my GCSE results. Surrounded by my fellow all-girls-grammar school peers (not the most comforting environment - you can only imagine the pressure) and as I read my letter out I was so relieved. Nothing lower than a B and a few A*s sprinkled in too.. I was so happy. Until I spoke to my friends.  'OMG I only got A*s!!'   'Im so upset, I got two As with my A*s' 'Did you hear that blahblah got 3 Bs? HA! Should have worked harder.'  I was mortified. I worked so hard, tirelessly revising, trying to keep up with my best friends who were naturally uber intelligent and didn't have to try. Photographic memories and pushy parents surrounded me. I did not feel like I belonged in that school, in the environment that myself and my parents worked so hard to put me in 7 years ago. I had the world ahead of me and left primary school with my face in the local paper as one of the 'golden girls of grammar school...

Apparently I'm the only person born in the 90's with a social media profile who doesn't currently have a blog... so this is my attempt at changing that. After three years of teacher training involving grueling placements, completing my degree, multiple breakdowns and a strong ratio of 50% blood to 50% tea running through my veins, here I am.  Two weeks away from standing in front of 31 children and 3 TAs (yes - I will need them all) and trying not to cry, swear or run out the door.  Everywhere I look on social media there are these perfect teachers who dedicate every second of their personal life to creating these wonderful crafts and designing their own schemes of work. Yet I struggled to find one which documents the 'true' side of being an NQT in London, fresh out of uni and absolutely terrified. So there sparked my 'great idea' to begin the 'Diary of a Teacher' instagram account documenting my honest journey through this first year and beyond, ...