The Quiet Educator

I stopped trying to sound “impressive.”
Instead, I started gathering stories —
moments where I’d made a difference, even if no one clapped.

That became my fuel.

Not because I didn’t know what I was doing —
but because I had to fight my wiring.
The self-doubt. The overthinking. The pressure to sound like someone else.

⸻

So this time, I prepared differently:
• Less cramming
• More anchoring
• Less pretending
• More truth

Some days, I felt like I was working five times as hard as others just to stand at the same starting line.

It’s coming into interview season and the transfer window. How are you going to secure your position when you just aren’t wired that way?

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It’s coming into interview season and the transfer window. How are you going to secure your position when you just aren’t wired that way?

How I Prepared Without Burning Out
(For the ones who aren’t wired for interviews) 1.
When you’re not wired for interviews, preparing isn’t just “getting ready.”
It’s survival. It’s emotional. It’s exhausting.

It’s hard.
But it’s possible. And you don’t have to lose yourself to do it. You don’t need to become louder.
You don’t need to become slicker.

You just need to become clearer —
about who you already are.

I also gave myself permission to rest.
To walk away from prep without guilt.
To trust that some of what I carry can’t be rehearsed —
it just is.
If you’re preparing right now and it feels like too much —
you’re not doing it wrong.
You’re just building a bridge between your truth and their process.

I practised speaking like me —
not a version of me I thought they wanted.

Because I’m not here to perform.
I’m here to lead. Quietly, but clearly.

I stopped trying to sound “impressive.”
Instead, I started gathering stories —
moments where I’d made a difference, even if no one clapped.

That became my fuel.

Not because I didn’t know what I was doing —
but because I had to fight my wiring.
The self-doubt. The overthinking. The pressure to sound like someone else.

⸻

So this time, I prepared differently:
• Less cramming
• More anchoring
• Less pretending
• More truth

Some days, I felt like I was working five times as hard as others just to stand at the same starting line.

How I Prepared Without Burning Out
(For the ones who aren’t wired for interviews) 1.
When you’re not wired for interviews, preparing isn’t just “getting ready.”
It’s survival. It’s emotional. It’s exhausting.

If you’ve ever felt too quiet for the system —
but too full of purpose to walk away —
follow along.

There’s space for you here.
And you’re not the only one.

This space is for educators who:
• Lead with care, not noise
• Carry values into every corridor
• Struggle with interviews, but shine in the job
• Wonder if there’s room in leadership for people like them

THE INTERVIEW PROCESS-when you’re not wired that way

To anyone embarking on the educational recruitment process:
Remember — the kids already won the moment you saw how things could be better.

Being a champion doesn’t require a title.
And champions are always bigger than the process trying to contain them.

7/
Follow along if any of this lands with you.
And if you’ve been told you’re “not ready” —
just know: you probably already are.
You just haven’t found the right way to show it yet.

6/
You can still succeed,
even if you’re not wired for interviews.

You just need to prepare differently —
not louder. Not flashier. Just true.

5/
Over the next few days, I’ll share what helped me:
• How I prepared without becoming someone I’m not
• What I did differently after years of rejection
• What I wish someone had told me earlier

4/
The system is loud. Fast. Buzzwordy.
But some of us lead in quieter ways:
through presence, values, and impact.

That doesn’t always shine in 40 minutes on a panel.
But it matters.
And it can be translated — carefully, and on your terms.

3/
If you’ve ever walked out of an interview thinking,
“I didn’t show who I really am,”
this is for you.

You are not alone.
And you are not the problem.

2/
This is for the ones who do the work —
who show up every day with heart and care —
but go blank when it’s time to “sell” themselves.

The ones who hate the performance of it all.

The Interview Process (When You’re Not Wired That Way) 1.
Some people thrive in interviews.
They think fast. Speak in bullet points.
Sound polished, confident, composed.

This thread is not for them.

To anyone embarking on the educational recruitment process:
Remember — the kids already won the moment you saw how things could be better.

Being a champion doesn’t require a title.
And champions are always bigger than the process trying to contain them.

Must be only 4 sleeps now, surely.

Some days leadership feels like calling into the wind.
Some days it’s opening the door quietly inviting others in until they find the courage to walk with you. Some days it’s about holding… holding space for others, holding your own, holding on.

Still standing. Still believing. #TheQuietEducator

I’m in bed, aching with tiredness after a long day at school.
But all I want is for it to be morning, so I can have a cup of tea.

I appear to be wishing my life away…
one Twinings teabag at a time.

Sometimes it’s hard to listen to your own advice. What would you say to your most trusted colleague in the same position? Take that and run with it.