Fiona Tatton @womanthologyUK founder & editor started the #ididitanyway hashtag on Twitter & LinkedIn last week.
She is crowdfunding a new publication for women & was seeking inspirational stories from women who had faced fears to overcome adversities.
http://www.womanthology.co.uk/
I have pledged because I love what she is doing to raise the profile & amplify the voices of women in STEM, challenging gender stereotypes through publishing.
This resonated with #womened, our Why, how we connect & what we stand for.
Fellow #WomenEd co-founder & National Leader, Vivienne Porritt, shared our community #ididitanyway in this tweet:
The #ididitanyway testimonials of personal & professional challenges, change & growth have been inspiring to read. It parallels the #womened pledge to be #10%braver.
Vivienne posted this blog to capture our journey as a community in the last 2 1/2 years:
https://staffrm.io/@vivienne/1EaQ4zlF2m
This year has been a life changing year for me so here is my #ididitanyway story:
18 months ago I resigned from a toxic school culture.
I was told by my then boss that I was committing ‘career suicide’. In my heart I knew I was, in fact, committing career salvation!
Like with any negative relationship sometimes you just need to ‘rip the bandaid’ off! I have broken up with bad boyfriends. I have moved away from feckless friends. Why do we stay at schools that are unhealthy and in roles where we stagnate?
I listened to my instincts – I knew I was unhappy. I knew I was in a professionally destructive relationship & I was losing myself.
I was confident enough to know there are more jobs than teachers & lots of schools out there. I am also a strong believer that life is too short to work somewhere which makes you unhappy, for a leader who does not value you.
So I pulled the rip cord.
I then paused, and I waited for opportunities to come to me. I didn’t listen to the voice telling me to find safety/ security/ stability as I didn’t want to ‘jump from the frying pan into the fire’.
I had coaching from some fantastic #womened role models: I revisited my Why; I articulated my values; I visualised the role, school, culture I needed to find; I wrote down my non-negotiables. I did it my way.
I did my research – I found a role, applied & was offered the role. I then held the power – I negotiated & got the terms I needed to make the leap. I knew that I needed to start the next chapter as I meant to go on. I was adamant that would be no looking back.
#ididitanyway – I changed trusts, I changed cultures, I changed roles, I changed areas, I changed teams. I changed my destiny.
I couldn’t have done it without the support of the #womened community, without my tribe of fellow women leading in education to lean on.
When friends, family & colleagues ask me why I invest so much of my time & energy in the #womened community & movement this is my explanation.
We have each others’ backs. We support one another, we fortify our resilience, we nurture our ambition. We are a team with a collective vision, common mission and shared values.
Hannah, The Hopeful Headteacher
Currently feeling hopeful about:
The impact of #womened on a community of female school leaders.
Currently reading and thinking about:
I have loved reading all of the cross-sector #ididitanyway tweets showing tenacity despite adversity.
Currently feeling grateful for:
Social media for connecting like-minded people, helping us to find & raise our voice, plus amplify the voice of others.
Oh my stars – your post hit a chord. 16 months ago I was physically ill over leaving a school. I knew my resignation was late for the international teaching world but I was being taken advantage of and I knew it. It was terrifying, but I took the leap and am now promoted and in a much better place. The guilt I initially felt was immense, though I know realize I should have been indignant about unkind and unfair treatment. Since becoming more active on edutwitter and finding #womened, I’ve discovered so many women who, like me, were afraid to go for better. I see this galvanizing a whole slate of female leaders.
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Em – sorry missed this commment – glad my story resonated. Happy too have found your fit.
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Hi Em – thanks for your comment – would love to hear your story? DM me on twitter @thehopefulht? I would love to connect and chat more. x
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