Hey, hi, hello.
Hello, hello! I cannot tell you just how excited I am that you are here, reading this. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
My name is Naomi, but I am lucky enough to have tiny humans call me Miss Ansley. I am a Classroom Teacher in Australia and have recently launched my online business of digital resources for Primary Teachers. And, I am just having the BEST time running my business. It makes me so happy.
I am now here writing a blog for a few reasons. To give you insight into the teacher world or ANOTHER teachers world (if you are currently a teacher), clarity into my resources, how they can be used and...just teacher life in general. This blog is not going to be a sugar-coated view of education and teaching. It'll be opinionated. It'll be real. And, most importantly it'll be honest.
Look. Before I deep dive into anything, I need to say this - teaching is incredibly rewarding. The relationships I have formed with students and the impact I feel that I have made is an irreplaceable feeling. I believe that it is a very unique role and so many teachers have the opportunity to have such a positive influence on the lives of young people. So much of a child's time and important years of their life are spent with their teachers. We play an integral part of a child's development. And, if I have learned anything in the past seven years while working with children, it is that playing this role is an absolute privilege.
However, the teaching world is challenging. The expectations that are laid on teachers are overwhelming. I constantly hear the phrase "teacher shortage" and my mind spirals and I start to think about what this means for the students in our schools. From teacher burnout, to lack of support from leadership, student behaviour and inability to keep up with the pressures of the teaching role (which at no point do I put blame on any of those teachers - they are making decisions based on what they need to do for their family and their health). I totally understand why so many teachers feel that they need to step away from the profession.
In all of this, I will admit...I lost my spark for teaching. After just a few years of teaching, I felt that I wasn't teaching anymore. I was too busy trying to keep up with the demands of data collection, adjustments, mastering the implementation of new programs, etc. I felt that so much I had learned in university hadn't prepared me for the teaching world. Yes, I was teaching. I know that. My students learned what they needed to. Even a bit more. I was, and am, a great teacher. But, I was so exhausted and feeling so defeated that I had to step away to find out where I belong in the chaotic world of teaching.
Come along on this ride with me. Share your experience, and I'll share mine. I know there are other teachers out there feeling the same and I can't wait to connect with you all.
Aaaanndd, you can help me kick off this little project of mine by commenting below! Tell me - do you feel the same? Where are you at in your teaching career? Where do you want to be?
Miss Ansley xx