Day 1 - Heathrow, London
Today is the start of my adventure. After a busy week at school, meetings to discuss taking union action in Oxfordshire schools and a national executive meeting at NASUWT HQ, I was finally on my way to London. My journey to be a guest of the UN is finally here.
I have been an activist since I was a teenager and a citizenship teacher for the past 14 years, and during this time I have been to many places where I have seen citizenship and the 'voice' find it's place. I have taken a group of year 12s to the European Union and numerous KS3 classes to the Houses of Parliament and the Supreme Court. I have visited the Royal Court of Justice and had students argue cases as part of mock trials and I have watched American high school students present a mock trial at the NY court.
However, as a citizenship teacher the creation of the UN represents one of the points of our social history which was a clear attempt to learn from national division and patriotic short-sightedness of the move our modern society towards a world focused more on social justice, fairness and equality.
So when I was offered the opportunity to attend the UN Commission on the status of Women was like the BAFTAs/Oscars/Grammys and Tonys all rolled into one!! (yes I was also a BA Media and Film Student) Excited was an understatement and my poor family had to put up with me behaving more and more like a 5 year old excited for Christmas as the day came closer.
To be able to say I am representing NASUWT-The Teachers Union as part of the Education International with teachers representing other countries across the world, then I knew I am truly privileged. My role as Junior Vice-President of the only union that represents just teachers across the nations and British territories. The fact that this conference is happening on the same week as International Women's Day, this is going to be an amazing time!
Thanks to Jennifer Moses (NASUWT Equalities legend) has already made sure I am in the right place at the right time. She will be a great travel buddy and I'm looking forward to it!!
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