Passion for pastoral support
Professor Tim Brighouse spoke at my graduation, leaving us with a simple message of the importance of “making a difference” and this has resonated throughout my life and career. I left university with my teaching degree in 1996 and went straight into employment as a secondary school teacher. Alongside the love for my creative subject, I also quickly discovered a real passion for the pastoral side of the job and took on responsibilities that eventually led to a pastoral management role.
Further opportunities came along which led to me pursuing a pathway into educational leadership as an assistant head teacher, deputy head teacher and ultimately a head teacher.
I loved every one of these roles and was able to keep a focus on welfare, supporting students with special educational needs, safeguarding and staff development.
Discovering my drive
While in my leadership roles I was able to really discover what the “drive” was in my work.
This has always been about helping others and “making that difference”; be that in their everyday experiences, removing barriers to their success or just helping them along the way to become the person they want to be.
I loved working with the young people in my schools, their families and the staff that I was leading. There is nothing more fulfilling than having the “lightbulb” moment when something just clicks into place and makes a huge difference to someone’s life.
I have always found my own fulfilment in seeing others around me succeed, be that young people or the adults that support them. It makes me feel so proud that I may have played a small part in helping someone reach their potential.
New challenge calling
In 2020 I made a huge decision to make a change in my career. I had always loved the school environment but felt ready for a new challenge and that’s when I saw the advert for my dream job at Guide Dogs.
It’s always been a charity we supported within my family and so I was immediately drawn to it. I lead the national children and young people services which cover education, family support, family events, technology and CustomEyes books to help people with sight loss to read.
Guide Dogs as a charity is obviously very well known for our amazing hero dogs but often families will be less aware of the full range of children’s services we offer. We are the largest provider of support services for children, young people and families in the UK with sight loss and we can offer a huge amount of support throughout their childhood.
Moments of Pride
My job really allows me to witness the difference our services can make to a young person. I am so lucky to work with the wonderful team of people I lead at Guide Dogs; they are passionate about our cause and always go the extra mile to make sure that the children and young people we work with can experience the childhood they want.
As a team, we are always looking for how we can develop our services to reach more families and to make sure that they have the support they need. I love to share the feedback we get from families and celebrate my team’s successes. When I meet the families at our events and they tell me what a wonderful time they have had and how much they value the support, it means my journey home is spent buzzing with the knowledge that we have indeed really “made a difference”.
TOP THREE CAREER TIPS
-
Find a job you love. My job is so enjoyable each day because I feel my contributions are valued and I thoroughly enjoy the people around me.
-
Treat every day like a school day. I learn something new every day from the people around me. My team are experts at what they do and my job is to learn from them as much as they may learn from me.
-
Challenge yourself. It’s sometimes hard to come out of your comfort zone but you really do grow from doing so. I’ve learned to say yes to all opportunities and to challenge myself. Be brave.
