Yes I was totally surprised and I want to thank Jo McLeay for doing such a wizard job of getting to the VITTA conference dinner thinking I would see all my NECC pals and then having her get up and make a speech about me. What a fantastic and memorable way to finish off what has been a very up and down year. I have only a few days to go in my old job in the state system and after 29 years in the same school, I am definitely leaving with a whole lot of mixed emotions and I will miss my dear friends and hard working government teachers who struggle so hard against huge odds to do a wonderful job for kids.
But as this blog is a large testament to, my view on schooling has changed so much that I cannot sit and wait for things and people to catch up with the changes anymore and I am taking my plans and dreams and heading off into the sunset - or as many have said going across to the dark side. I am so excited about next year and I hope that my expectations are not unrealistic and that I can meet the school's expectations too.
So, thankyou so much Jo and VITTA for the award, and Upwey for allowing me to grow and explore all this new and challenging frontier in education. What a way to finish one chapter in my life !