Not Sure Where This Will Lead?

So here we go…. my first blog! Probably should make it a good one.

I have written the first words of this post so many times, I think the backspace bar may be broken. But here it is….

My name is Sinead, I am 24 years old and I am a Primary school teacher. Being a teacher has always been at the back of my mind but NEVER did I think it would actually happen. School was a rollercoaster for me. I enjoyed writing and reading and I was always at home in PE, but socially I was quiet and introverted- great skills for being a teacher right?

I was born with a cleft lip and palate. This means my speech isn’t perfect- I struggle with certain sounds, and my appearance isn’t what people would call ‘normal’. This made the transition from a small primary school, where everyone knew everyone, to a bigger and louder secondary school, all the more daunting. I had never experienced name-calling or horrible comments/laughing about something that cannot be controlled before, and this threw me. It tainted my view of school and suddenly I didn’t enjoy it so much.

Imagine my surprise then, when 3 years after leaving school, I made the decision to begin my teacher training and actually enjoyed it! I never thought I would make it as a teacher. I was told multiple times that I should choose something else; I was too quiet, not ready, or maybe my speech would hold me back. I questioned whether the confidence to actually stand up in front of my own class would be there. But it was, and here I am almost 3 years later, wondering where the time has gone.

If you had told my 13 year old self, panicking in the middle of that English presentation in Year 8 that she would be a teacher to 3 different, but brilliant Year 1 classes, in less than 10 years, she would have laughed in your face and told you, you were mad! Without the help of my family and the friends I have made along the way I would not have reached this point so of course I am very grateful to them for helping me see that this is what I needed to do.

I always wanted to write, and a blog feels like a great place to start.

So… here it is, the beginning of what I hope to be a collection of open-ended blogs for my thoughts, stories and ideas.

Thank you for reading, I can’t wait to see where this journey leads me!

Sinead xx