Dear Me,

This letter comes to you by way of reflection. One whole year ago, you fell out with teaching, set up your blog, and were in a terrible state of confusion. You've come a long way since then and are now on the verge of beginning your new life as a freelance creative - gosh doesn't that sound cool?!

You vowed at the start of this blog to find value for yourself under the glass ceiling imposed on you. You knew at the end of the 2014 summer term that you didn't want to be a teacher anymore. This was a pretty profound and urgent realisation and has not wavered at any time during the current (soon to be finished) academic year. You were bored, undervalued and watching people being promoted over you. Class sizes had doubled (and are still increasing) since you started, funding had been drastically cut, the marking load was unbearable and then came the hideous British values debacle. There are still good things, like making a difference to a young person's future, and your love of literature that make teaching a little bit appealing... just not in such large quantities.

You also knew that jumping into a new career would be a challenge: you still wanted to be around for the little darlings, precious holidays and picking them up after school - all that fleeting stuff that will be over before you know it. You couldn't drop the family salary and take on a junior grade job or an internship, you didn't want to commit to the necessary full time hours (and more) you would need in a brand new profession. A compromise was sought and now you think you just might have found it.

It's often about compromise under the glass ceiling isn't it?

So here we are, at the end of your final term of teaching before dropping down to just two days next year (the compromise). You can continue to pay the mortgage and keep your babies in shoes (always with the shoes) and you can start your new business with a financial safety net .

Rocket Smith Content is in its foetal stage, waiting for its September due date. You've done the ground work, you've done the planning, the thinking, the research. You've done things you never knew you could like building a website (and a coffee table), and you can hold your head up high at parties and say, "I'm a freelance creative" or, "I'm a writer", free from the weight of responsibility and judgement that announcing "I'm a teacher" incurs.

You should be proud of yourself.

So as the blessed Maya Angelou once said, 'nothing will work unless you do', one year on, look what you did with all that talent, commitment and enthusiasm you've got there.

Go you!

Love from me
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