by Jane Green @JGjanegreen #DisabilityEd

Can you tell us how you were diagnosed?

Since birth, I experienced a range of painful symptoms, from sprains, low blood pressure, joint dislocations, stomach cramps, dizziness, migraines, pain from fibromyalgia, sugar rushes, allergies and chronic fatigue. I would dislocate my shoulder simply from putting on a coat! Despite this, I was only told I was ‘bendy’, and I should avoid activities which exacerbated the pain. My hobbies as a child were sport and dancing, however I had to give them up as it made my symptoms much more severe.

by #WomenEd Strategic Leaders

#WomenEd is in its sixth year and we have, in that time, changed beyond our earliest imaginings. Our core strategic group has changed many times also and we have always sought the strongest and most committed voices to steer the group.

by Anonymous

My experience of negotiating was uncomfortable yet exhilarating. It was nerve racking yet I felt courageous. I was trembling in the inside yet I felt liberated. Without a doubt it was one of the most nerve racking things I have ever done because I did not want to be perceived as difficult. My fear lay in how I was going to be perceived by others. My fear was not in the potential decline or refusal of my negotiation but it was in being seen to be ‘difficult’ ‘proud’ or ‘arrogant.’ I feared that if I asked, my colleagues would not like me anymore.

by Christalla Jamil @ChristallaJ

Are you sometimes a headteacher out of work too? I certainly am. Sometimes my husband says, “You’re not at work now darling.” Or my children, who are both adults, chuckle and add, “Oh there she goes again, Mum thinks she is our headteacher!” Yet both these examples are paired with an element of humour. Today, I was hurt, emotional, angry, disappointed, frustrated, powerless and instantly went into headteacher mode. What would I do if this happened at work mode?

by Dr Valerie Daniel @Valerie_JKD

As a black professional woman I am in this intersectional space of being somewhat respected by my peers whilst still being marginalised within the wider society. I say ‘somewhat’ respected because my entire journey here in England from 1989 until now has been fraught with ‘you are too passionate’; ‘you are very sensitive’; ‘I don’t mean to be offensive or anything but.......’ and my personal favourite ‘You have a chip on your shoulder’.

by Megan Brown @mbhistory

Anyone entering the teaching profession will have been asked the question ‘Why do you want to be a teacher?’.  You are almost guaranteed to get asked it at an interview for a place on a teacher training course, and it should be the easiest to answer. Yet, when I sat down to plan for my interview I found myself struggling to articulate one. This shouldn’t have been the case: I have wanted to be a teacher my whole life. I just couldn’t find the right words to express why.

by Sarah Creed @mrscreedmaths

As a relatively new user to twitter I found myself getting lost in all the useful information for teachers, with fantastic tips for teaching and leadership, I was starting to become overwhelmed by all the possibilities and then I stumbled across #WomenEd and their book club- @WomenEdBookClub. I knew this was something that was manageable with my time and set myself a June goal to read for half hour everyday allowing ample time to read the books being shared. The first book for me was Stop Talking About Wellbeing by Kat Howard - @SaysMiss.

by Tracy Goodyear @Miss_Goodyear

It’s 5pm on Friday 5th June and I’ve decided to stop and to just do some thinking. It’s all too easy at a time like this to just carry on, to take action, to plough on through until the bitter end. It’s far too easy to forget to take stock of where we’ve been, what we’ve achieved in these extraordinary times and to plan some next steps, knowing that the future seems so uncertain.