Highlights

I managed to somehow get a negative fit to fly test in mid-December, despite having just recovered from Covid, which meant we could go on our family ski trip for Christmas to the Dolomites. There is something about being in the mountains that is really invigorating. The flight was empty, the pistes were quiet and the conditions were perfect (lots of snow but sunshine and good visibility). So although we had to complete hours of forms to get us there and back, and we then had to isolate for a few days on our return to the UK until we were clear - it was well worth it to get a change of scene.

Check out my panoramic photo from one of the highest points in the Sella Ronda.

Reflections

The end of the year is always a time of reflection, this has been compounded for me by being unwell and by spending a lot of time by myself - in isolation and in recovery.  Since leaving teaching, headship and a school environment two years ago to work independently, and then unexpectedly finding ourselves in a pandemic with a remote existence being foisted on us, I have found that a lot of my friendships have evolved. Some old friends have come back into my life more regularly, some newer friends have become deeper connections, and some friendships have drifted apart. 

Someone shared this article on Twitter, which has made me think about we maintain and sustain different types of friendships:

Coaching

I continue my coaching training with the Co-Active Institute this month unpacking the theme of Balance following on from last month’s focus on Fulfilment. I never look forward to spending 3 days on zoom with a group of strangers, but always come away having learned lots and with new connections.

Collaborating

I want to give a shout out to my friend Liz Wright - she is an Australian paralympian and a disability activist. She is the founder and editor of Conscious Being. Diverse Educators are a sponsor of the digital magazine and the podcast.

Consulting

I have recently been approached by a few new academy trusts who are looking to develop their DEI strategy. It is exciting to be working with CEOs and Directors of HR to impact sustainable change for hundreds of staff and thousands of students. We talk about this work being a marathon and not a sprint so it is always great when leaders are not looking for quick fixes, but long term transformation.

I am also doing some consultancy and training supporting schools in reviewing their Culture and Ethos. As a values-based educator this brought me a lot of joy as we established our vision, mission and values - ensuring that our values were a golden thread that pulled through every aspect of school. I have been doing lots of reading about CQ (Cultural Intelligence) and how we can use it as a model for truly inclusive organisations. I look forward to sharing this with my clients.

Thinking

I have been engaging with the annual ‘One Word’ activity since 2015. It is a simple way to set a goal and to frame your year with what you want to manifest more of. My ‘One Words’ to date have been: 2015 - Courage, 2016 - Connect, 2017 - Change, 2018 - Thrive, 2019 - Joy, 2020 - Purpose, 2021 - Freedom (the irony!). When I trace back my journey, some of these words have been very symbolic in how my year panned out. I have been struggling to pin down what I wanted my #OneWord2022 to be but I think I have settled with Legacy as I think about my long term goals for my work and for Diverse Educators.

Listening

Series 1 of the REAL: Women podcast is now complete - check out episode 9-10 where I chat to my fellow RLE consultant coaches, Audrey Pantelis and Catherine Gibson.

Hosting

Join us for the next virtual #DiverseEd event on Saturday 22nd January.

Training

This week we launch our next module for the MA in Education, Ethics and Leadership - we will be looking at Enabling Courageous Educational Leadership.

Our next two cohorts for our DEI Leaders Programme launch in mid-January. We only have a few spaces left in our February cohort, we will then be running a waiting list for a September 2022 start.

Calendar

You can find all of my events and training programmes listed on Eventbrite.