A new start...

It's Sunday night, it's the 1st September and that can mean only one thing... it's back to school tomorrow. Six weeks ago, when faced with the prospect of over a month off, the time seemed never-ending yet in what feels like a heartbeat, the glorious summer is over and reality is beckoning.

It isn't even like I don't want to go back. To some extent I crave the routine: my children are becoming nocturnal, I can't seem to stop eating and it's probably time for me to do something with my brain before it dissolves through lack of exercise. It also turns out that it is basically impossible to leave the house with three children during the holidays without spending £30. We have exhausted every park in the county and ice cream has become one of our main food groups. It's time for the next challenge, for all of us.

I'm trying to get my head around why I (and the rest of the teaching community) feel that familiar sense of impending doom at this time of year even though most of us actually really enjoy our jobs. I'm trying to retrain my brain to recognise September as a time of opportunity and refocus myself on the many wonderful things about being a teacher. After all, I've been in education for over 20 years now so there must be some pretty solid reasons why I keep coming back for more.

One of the main reasons I have remained in education so long is the variety. Although I know that there are often many restrictions imposed on educators, within your own four walls, there is always some element of freedom to make things your own. You get to be the master of your own destiny and even if the content you deliver is becoming frustratingly regimented, HOW you teach, is always open to your own interpretation. Your personality and your values shape the teacher that you choose to be and there is something so empowering about that. My children have been lucky enough to be taught by very different teachers with very different teaching styles and this, each year, has lit different fires within them that has only been possible because of the individuality of person at the front of the class. The impact that you being you has on your class is incredible, even if it isn't always obvious.

Another reason it is great to be an educator is the people. Teachers have a different energy about them. They have the ability to see the possibilities in everything and turn something mundane into something magical. You can spot a teacher a mile off... There is a confidence within them that can only come from knowing you can stand in front of 30 children and emerge unscathed. It's also the ability to brush off a bad day and stand in front of a class with a smile that makes teachers so special.

The community is another reason that schools are usually great places to be. Teaching is undeniably a tough gig sometimes, but being surrounded by other people who 'get it' is a really empowering place to be. I am lucky enough to visit a lot of schools as part of my job and I am always overwhelmed by what friendly and supportive places they are and the sense of belonging that you instantly feel when you walk in the door. It's the community that you work in that makes the job worth doing. It goes without saying that the children are amazing, but being part of a team of like-minded individuals, supporting each other through tough times and celebrating the successes is a big part of why schools are such amazing places to work.

The most significant reason that I choose to remain in education is without doubt the creativity. The thought of a desk job makes me shudder and although now I am Higher Education and spend way too much time in front of a computer, the time with the students is what gives me energy. There are beautiful moments in all educational settings where you stop for a moment and think 'I'm getting paid for this.' Whether it be PE in the sunshine, the Christmas production or getting messy in an art lesson, there are always those magical times when the students are totally into whatever you're doing and it all just feels so easy.

This blog post is a cathartic chance for me to reflect on all that is good about education. Of course if someone offered me another week off I would grab it and I would be lying if there weren't times that education gets me down. But at the beginning of a new academic year, I hope it is healthy to think about the many wonderful things about being a teacher and the privilege it is to work with the amazing colleagues and students that we get to spend our days with. As we stand on the precipice of another academic year ready (or not so ready!) to dive in, I want to remind myself that there is a reason why I keep coming back for more. I do fundamentally love being a teacher.

Have a great year everyone - and stay true to that teacher you wanted to be when you first started. Although the alarm will hurt tomorrow morning, I hope you have a great first day.