by Nichola Lynagh @nicholalynagh

My stand out moments, some of which have shaped who I am in the world..

At 32 I was diagnosed with a treatable non-curable cancer: Non Hodgkins Lymphoma; a word I am very familiar with now as 51 year old woman.. – how did that happen? I still feel 30, lol!! Cancer brought such a challenge to me and my family; words cannot describe the fear and devastation I and they felt.

by Lisa Hanny @lhannay1

Recently at the #WomenEd book launch for our second book Being 10% Braver I was talking about my hopes for my chapter. There are loads of reasons I wrote my chapter but really the ultimate reason was to loosen the grip that shame often has on my heart and soul.

By Sean Harris @SeanHarris_NE   #HeForShe

Two key events happen for me at the end of 2020. Another comic-book super sheroe gets a big screen release in Wonder Women 1984 in December and I return to the classroom after working at Ambition Institute. We read regularly about our profession haemorrhaging good teachers. Since the first lockdown, I’ve struggled to sit on the side-lines. The work of WomenEd, and several inspirational female school leaders are further drivers for me returning into the classroom.

by Cara Dooley @@MissDooley90

I completed a PGCE in Primary Education at Northumbria University, graduating in 2019. In September of 2019 I embarked on my Primary teaching career. Like most newly qualified teachers in Northern Ireland I began my career as a substitute teacher. This was an eye-opening and exciting experience, on one hand and on the other...

by Eileen Rowntree @EileenRown3

Anyone who knows me, knows of my passion for Disney and my title is a quote by Walt Disney. I was reared with magical fairy tales and inspirational messages as we created memories as a family. No matter how old I get, I still get chills when I see the Magic Kingdom and I have loved watching our two children grow up with the same experiences, as we enjoy seeing the magic through their eyes too. This life experience has given me self-worth and an awareness of how things impact children.

by Julia Skinner and Lizana Oberholzer @TheHeadsOffice @LO_EduforAll

During a recent presentation for WomenEd’s Global Unconference, we discussed the challenges and key considerations that governing bodies and trustee boards need to make when they consider new members. Diverse Governance, and the importance of diversity of teams, skills, backgrounds, ethnicity, race, religion and gender is highlighted in Section 4 of the latest Governance Handbook (DfE, 2020).

by Susie Fernandez @SusieFe15145779

Mis padres siempre me recuerdan que ya de muy pequeña usaba la tapa de un cajón en nuestra cocina para jugar a ser profesora.

Parece ser que ya en aquella época me encantaba usar mi tiza para escribir en la pizarra: “Haced exactamente lo que yo haga”. Éste era el lema de cada una de mis clases. Cuando hablaba con mis alumnos imaginarios siempre les decía: “Si yo no hago lo que a vosotros os pido, sed valientes y desafiarme”.

by Vivienne Porritt @ViviennePorritt

This is my 2nd blog on the UK Equal Pay Day which, in 2020, falls on today, November 20th. From this day, most women are working for nothing because they earn less than men. The #GenderPayGap statistics for 2019 showed the mean gap for full time workers to be 13.1%. The gap is wider for part-time employees. Women earned less than men in 90% of all employment sectors. Let’s look at this more closely.