by Kaley Riley @MrsRileyEng #BirthdayCelebration

Four years ago, I was asked by my then Head of Department/Assistant Teacher (and, one of my loveliest friends), if I would present on some of my marking ideas at The Priory Witham TeachMeet. I hesitated, and I was nervous, but I said yes. At this point, I was not very far into my teaching career, and public speaking to peers had always been something that I struggled with and wished to overcome.

Nobody really believed it when I told them how I hated public speaking.

by Lucy Hemsley @CheltTeacher  #BirthdayCelebration

I do not over-exaggerate when I say reading 10% Braver changed my life: it dramatically changed how I view myself and my career. I wrote about the book when I first read it. But the book was just the beginning of my relationship with #WomenEd.

This is what #WomenEd has done for me.

by Yamina Bibi @msybibi  #BirthdayCelebration

I amended my talk for the launch of WomenEd Bedfordshire on 4th May 2020 to let me wish #WomenEd a happy birthday.   #WomenEd has changed my life. I have noticed my courage growing since #WomenEd community embraced me. You have all helped me to accept myself and provided me with opportunities beyond my expectations.  #WomenEd, you have allowed me to dream again and for this, I am forever grateful!

by Patrick Ottley-O'Conner @ottleyoconnor   Father and Husband

The United Nations @HeForShe movement has reported that they are seeing the stereotypical gender roles of women at home become more apparent during lockdown and want to highlight positive male models with their new lockdown hashtag of #HeForSheAtHome. Globally women do more than men at home and @HeForShe are asking men to share photos to amplify support & show how you are being #HeForSheAtHome and amplify the aspiration for gender equality.

by Rachel Stone @SBMCoventry   #BirthdayCelebration

Well, here I am writing a blog for the first time.

Why now? Well, probably because I have always been encouraged behind the scenes by Hilary Goldsmith, aka @SBL365, since I joined #SBLtwitter but politely ignored the challenge, until now. It has always been on my tah-dah list to write a blog post, but I have just never really had the confidence to do so. My fears? Would others find me interesting? What could I say to make a difference to someone else? Am I gifted enough to be a writer? I have read so many great things that have made me punch the air in delight for the genuine achievements of some School Business Managers. How could I possibly compete and make a difference?

by Elise Ecoff @EliseEcoff      #BirthdayCelebration        

Photo by Rampal Singh on Unsplash

Quarantine. Lockdown. Social distancing. Whatever you choose to call the way in which we’ve lived the last few pandemic-filled months, it has clearly been a period in our existence like none other. Endless time spent at home has made us keenly aware of the days, hours, minutes, and moments in our lives as they slowly tick by. And the collective experience of women during this period has been particularly challenging.

by Jackie Hill @hill1_jackie    #BirthdayCelebration

I didn’t know where to start when trying to say what #WomenEd has done for me. There is simply so much I could say …

Should I explain how #WomenEd has helped me to discover the power of Twitter? It's a fantastic source of CPD, as well as connecting me to the EduTwitter community all over the world.

by Caitlin Bracken @LittleMissB_NQT

This is not the blog I expected to write today. I was almost sure I wouldn’t be able to harness the enormous theme of ‘respect’ into something brief and engaging enough for a #DailyWritingChallenge entry… and then a very good friend, an NHS paediatric nurse, brought something to my attention that boiled my blood.