The Disidentification of Mrs Proctor

"Grief is not a sign of weakness, or a lack of faith. It is the price we pay for love" As the weather has changed and I am counting down the days until I fully immerse myself back into the world of work, comes a feeling that this arduous and painful time of my life is coming to a close and the feeling of  disorientated despair is finally starting to subside. I'm getting a little bored if I'm honest, and as much as I feel I have mentally shut the door on teacher-dome, I have found myself needing to challenge my brain a bit more. I've even been a little proactive in starting my tutoring business to give myself that extra little bit of income. Now I'm going to have the time, I may as well use it to do work I actually get paid for.  The fact that I filled up my 4 hours worth of slots in just under 12 years shows exactly what a dire state the SEND world is actually in. Are we really in a societal position where parents are frantically snapping up tutors to ensure t...

"A vacation is having nothing to do and having all day to do it in" - Robert Orden  So this week has been half-term; officially, my last ever school holiday. To be honest, I thought I'd be more bothered than I actually have been! I love school holidays. They have been a life saver to me in terms of refreshing, managing my mental health and even more imperatively, the time when I go to be mum.  I have always worked full time and cannot stress the severity of the mum guilt that I have felt over the years which has on occasion, chewed me up and spit me back out. I have been paralysed with insecurity and imposter syndrome, looking at those who got to do the school run and attend mother's day assemblies with ferocious envy. To be honest, I've never felt like a 'real' mum. Real mums make healthy, personalised pack-ups, iron socks and bake fresh muffins for when they get home from school. Real mums definitely do the school run, make contacts with other mums for t...