Wednesday 20 May 2015

Going Back

Sometimes it’s hard to go back. I’m not good at revisiting the past. It always turns out to be one of those ‘lump in the throat’ experiences, but this week I had no choice. This was work. My old school, St Barnabas Primary, had invited me to talk at a school assembly about my Children’s Book of Richard III and sell books afterwards so, of course, I agreed.
A bit of background – I was teaching at St Barnabas for many years but I thought I wanted to progress up the ranks, become a Head one day. I started to study for an MA and I applied for promotion in a different school. The bad news was that I got the job. The even worse news was that promotion meant a lot more work, a lot more responsibility and a job that, in retrospect, was not possible for one person to do and keep their sanity. I kind of, temporarily, lost mine. I left the new job within months on the sick and never returned to full time teaching again.
So, as I said, this week I went back to St Barnabas for the first time in over 20 years and I remembered how warm and friendly it had been and still is and it hit me, with an almost physical slap, what a mistake I’d made leaving that school.

The experience reminded me of a favourite poem. I know I’ve mentioned it on my blog before but it bears a second mention. It is The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost.

Do you ever regret decisions made?