Good evening. I have been diagnosed for 4 years and I’m still teaching full time. It astonishes me that there is no dedicated facebook group for active teachers with the condition. I’ve had to make a number of huge changes in my life since I was diagnosed and the coping strategies to alleviate the stress has helped me to remain very positive about the future. I have just set up a facebook group which will act as a hub / network to help teachers share their stories and strategies for teaching despite having PD. I have now taught for over 22 years and won an award last week for my services to teaching and I was proud of this as one of their reasons was for my never give up attitude towards life and PD. Can I share this group here? Can Parkinson’s UK help me promote it as I’m convinced this will be a huge success and can raise the profile for sufferers of PD. Thank you, Andrew
That sounds fantastic Andrew, and congratulations on your award. What a brilliant achievement and such an inspiring attitude. It’s great that you’re creating a space for teachers to connect and support each other.
Parkinson’s UK Moderation Team
Welcome AndrewBohana to our group there is also a group on Facebook very much like this one, I have joined both as I think both groups help each other. Well done on getting your teachers award. Myself I allways wanted to teach but even with out PD my brain found it hard to work, so on leaving school went as a apprentice hair stylist , owner of 2 salons then along came my teaching days, had a junior for day release from the local college, one day her tutor called in to check how she was getting on. I ask the tutor about teaching and she told me that if I took my 730 teaching qualification she would take me on. For the folk who don’t know about City n Guilds 730 yes you can teach with 730 but you can only teach your own subject eg mine was Hairdressing, Well Andrew I just loved teaching it opens up another world, I take my hat off to all the teachers as I now know some things you have to put up with, ps my Tutor who took me for my 730 took me on one side and said ? may I ask you are you going to take your cert head (I think that’s how you spell it) I told him no !!! thank goodness for that he said.