Becoming a teacher was never in doubt. As a pre-teen student myself, it was always my intended destination. Commentary of my adult friends around 12-weeks of annual leave and high salaries are still entertaining, but these things had very little to do with my original motivation. In truth, to sit with my 11-year-old self and ask why I want to become a teacher would be incredibly insightful. It wouldn't have been money or leave, it must have been something much more intrinsic. If I had to guess, it is because I wanted to help people. I wanted to make a difference. I respected my teachers and my parents instilled this within me. Respect, a wonderful word for the profession that has given me so much.

I have loved leading in schools. Working through the layers of middle management in both curriculum and wellbeing gave me a well-rounded approach to problems. Moving into leadership teams and having to increase my understanding of the corporate side of education was enlightening. Finally, leading a school community and determining strategic direction, establishing culture and modelling character was an honour. I loved it. It certainly had its challenges, but nonetheless, I felt an incredible amount of pride and privilege in my work.

Yet, at the end of Term 1 2024, I have left the comfort of the school setting. I have made the decision to go out on my own. In a recent training opportunity that focused on Dare to Lead by Brene Brown, I explained that I felt courageous and vulnerable at the same time.

Cards and printed emails from my community cover the walls around me as I type this article and they provide the confidence to keep typing. I knew my community, and now I am facing a much larger crowd. A glance to left has handwritten letters from students or cards with in-jokes that nobody else will understand. These are the rewards of the profession that really matter. I love data, but I don't have headline statistics or growth charts on my walls. Again, I love data and it matters, but now I have left, it is the human stuff that lingers.

People have asked me why? How can you leave a salary? What about cost of living? What about the community? What about your family? I have an incredible wife and two pets at home that I want to support and provide for. Despite this, I have made a decision that feels right. A decision that is ultimately, a leap of faith.

I suppose I could write a lengthy article about leaving the teaching profession, but I will leave that for others. To generalise is risky in a profession that has such a diverse range of factors. My last school was incredible. What a staff! What a cohort! I could have stayed there for years, but I knew there was something more. Therefore, I will focus on the advice of an influential person in my life who once told me, it is not about what you are leaving, it is about where you are going. If there is opportunity and you can see the value, take the chance.

For weeks I sat and pondered, what can I do? What matters to me and where can I help? The answer was in the feedback that people shared with me once I had left. Common themes were: community, culture, connection, values. These matter to me and they have clearly mattered to those that I have worked with. We rarely get them right all the time, but we just have to pull ourselves back to them with intention and frequency to help forge our identity. It is so hard to make that sentiment a reality. The pressures are numerous and ever changing, and this is where I found my purpose and this is where I can help. My top three values personally, and for Lift Consultants, are Authenticity, Grace and Positivity. These are the values that I want to take to other schools and provide support.

It is a decision that could make a difference to multitudes of leaders, teachers, students and families. But also, it is a decision that my wife and I believe in. Therefore, we go forward together. We will work with those that engage us and we will seek to 'Lift' schools. Through observation, connection, feedback and presence, we will help connect people to support the healthiest workplace environment. That is our calling and that has to be our work.

Ultimately, I am still a teacher, but equally, I am still a learner. The work is never done. We can't fix everything all at once. However, since leaving my last position, I have hung guitars on my office walls, I have replaced broken light covers for my fans, I have cooked more meals in the evening and my dog has had more walks than I can handle! Mindset, State of Mind, Mindfulness, whichever you choose to explain it, I am in a better position to help others than I was before. This is a sad reality, but I hope that it is one that makes a difference in schools. Leaders, staff and students all have homes to go to at the end of the day, and when they get there, we want them to be at their best.

This article was written to capture the feelings around leaving the profession I was called to. Not all of the reasons why, but the feeling involved in doing it. It was not intended to promote our business, yet, if the content and the work we aim to do is of interest, feel free to send us a message through our LinkedIn page.

We believe it takes courage to ask us to come in and look around on your behalf, but then it will take greater wisdom for leaders and teams to hear the feedback and the reality. I believe the best leaders crave this and we are here to help them achieve it.