Why I've walked away from my career in education (and why you should care)

This isn’t easy to write.
But it feels important.
If you’ve ever quietly wondered whether the thing you’ve poured your heart into still fits, this might be for you.

Last week, I made a big decision.
After more than 20 years of working in education - as a tutor, a GCSE examiner, and a teacher - I walked away.

For good this time.

And not because I don’t care.
But because I care too much to keep contorting myself into a system that no longer feels aligned.

What changed?

For a long time, I genuinely believed that if you worked hard, stayed committed, and kept showing up, things would work out. That you’d make a difference. That effort would be enough.

And for a while, it felt like it was. I’ve had the privilege of working with brilliant young people and supportive families. I’ve had years where the work felt meaningful.

But slowly, and then all at once, something shifted.

I found myself feeling more and more disconnected from the system. Students were turning up to tuition sessions completely disengaged from any kind of creativity, having been told that they need to “memorise” a story and regurgitate it in the exam, regardless of the question set.

I asked them what they thought about a particular character or text and they struggled to tell me because they were so focused on the essay framework that they had been so rigidly taught at school, they simply hadn’t thought about it (or even understood what they were reading).

What used to feel like professional judgement is now reduced to acronyms. Tick boxes. Marking standards that leave little room for subjectivity in a subject that depends on creativity, nuance and interpretation.

When even I - with decades of experience - can’t understand how a particular script has earned a particular mark, what chance does a 15-year-old have?

That realisation hit me hard. Because I’ve always wanted to help young people succeed. But I can no longer do that inside a system that feels increasingly detached from what success should mean.

...and why you should care

This isn’t just about me stepping away from a career.
It’s about a slow, quiet shift that more and more people are feeling,  but not always saying out loud.

It’s about students who feel anxious, overwhelmed, or like they’re constantly falling short and who assume the problem is them, rather than the structure they’re stuck inside.

It’s about parents who are doing their absolute best but feel helpless watching their child lose confidence in a system that doesn’t see them.

It’s about teachers and tutors who started out passionate and committed but are now exhausted from trying to do meaningful work inside a framework that keeps moving the goalposts.

And it’s about people like me who are no longer willing to bend themselves in half to stay aligned with something that no longer makes sense.

You should care because this isn’t just a personal pivot. It’s a quiet signal that something is cracking - not just for me, but for many of us.

And the ones who notice the cracks? They’re often the ones we need most – the deep thinkers, the empaths, the trailblazers.

Where I’m heading and how I can help

I may be stepping away from the formal structures of the education system, but I’m not stepping away from the teens and parents I care deeply about.

I’m still here. Just working differently.

I’m no longer trying to help teens survive a system that overwhelms them. I’m helping them thrive within it by empowering parents to help them discover their quiet strengths, design a GCSE plan that suits their nervous system, and plan a future career path that fits them. Your quiet teen is needed just as they are. 

That’s why I’m offering a live masterclass to support parents of quiet teens - practical, pressure-free, and rooted in compassion, not performance.

🎓 FREE Live Masterclass

How to Help Your Year 9 Teen Prepare for GCSE Without Burnout or Drama
🗓 Monday 23rd June | 🕖 7pm

In this 60-minute session, you’ll learn:

• How to introduce a calm, 15-minute daily revision habit that suits a quiet nervous system

• Why consistency beats cramming and how to make it work for your teen

• Tools to help them stay organised without overwhelm

• How to reduce school-related shame and build self-belief

• What to do if they’re not aiming for top grades and how to help them define success on their terms

• Why values-led planning works and how to align GCSE prep with what really matters to them

• How to support your teen without battles, conflict, or pressure.

If you’re the parent of a thoughtful, quiet teen and you’re craving a calmer, more human way to approach GCSEs, this is for you.

Sign up for the free masterclass here.

 Because school might be loud.
But your teen is quiet.
And they deserve a plan - and a future - that fits them.