I revelled in the new found freedom to try new things, switch grades, work with different colleagues and relocate to other school communities when I felt the time was right.

Over the course of the next twenty years, I taught in every grade, transferred to eight different schools and acquired a plethora of additional qualifications along with an additional university degree. During that time, I climbed the ranks from teacher to principal.

I am curious by nature and during my career was always open to learning new things, teaching and leading in different schools and working within a variety of schools and their communities.

Looking back, I always appreciated the fact that I could envision an uninterrupted career path to retirement. When I felt that I had learned and contributed all I could in a particular school, I looked for a new place to put down roots and grow. There was never a thought that leaving one place would bring unemployment: job security was never a problem like it had been previously.