Welcome…

Hi my name is Cas. I am obsessed with the smell of books and sunny days. Welcome to my space!

What is this space…

Here I will be sharing my journey from being a classroom teacher to a teacher with a Masters of Librarianship (Teacher Librarian). Although I am excited; skeptical, apprehensive, and down right terrified are the emotions that keep reappearing. I remember applying for my position of Teacher Librarian thinking, I will never be ‘smart’ enough for such a prestige position. You see my whole life the library was a worshipped place. The librarian; well in my eyes, (she) was always the smartest person in the room. My tiny child mind would just look at (her) and think about all the books (she) must have read and all that knowledge (she) must have. Even as a small child I knew that all that knowledge was ‘power’. This was probably due to both of my parents being teachers and leaders. I would watch them work for hours at a time; reading, writing, planning. They too taught me that knowledge is ‘power’.

When visiting my very poetic grandmother on school holidays or weekends, the library was our typical hang out. If we weren’t at the library we were at a garage sale rummaging through books like hungry scavengers (oh how I will never forget that smell!). Before she died that same grandmother, who I fondly called Nanna 1, made her house into an entire library. Every room was filled wall to floor with the most amazing and quite often most ancient literature of all time. It was the best feeling in the world entering such a magical place. I would invite friends on the 3.5 hour round trip just so that they themselves could enjoy those special walls. It is something I will never forget.

Below you can see the books in the loungeroom touching from floor to ceiling and the hallway murals and paintings that would constantly change, reflecting whatever period of life she was at. This is another special gift my that Nanna 1 gave me, the gift of knowing that change is inevitable and therefore must ALWAYS be embraced. So here I am, yet again embracing change with my family.

“Someday, Somewhere, Somehow” (Nanna 1, 2007).

Where I began…

In 2012 after graduating I was fortunate enough to land myself a temporary position at a small school in Scone, NSW. I remember that year so vividly. It was the best and worst year of my life all wrapped up and bundled into a little package that I now get to cherish for the rest of my days, my daughter Mila. Yep on top of being a NEW GRAD, I became a NEW MUM! For the first 2 terms of 2012, I remember it being the hardest class that I have ever taught. I don’t know whether it was the fact that the class was a composite CROSS stage class (nightmare of a mix – cough – in my opinion – cough) OR the fact that I was only a first year out with ultimately… extremely little knowledge, but I was ready to walk out the door only 5 minutes out of receiving my degree. If it wasn’t for some of the wonderful teachers and leaders that I worked with at the time and the support that was given to me there by the entire staff, I guarantee that after my needed maternity leave due to a very LARGE yet little surprise, baby Piggott #1,  that entered the following year, teaching would have ended for me then and there. Every time I hear of another teacher leaving the career for another, I always think back on that support that I was given and hope that they too were fortunate enough to be provided the same before they made such a difficult decision.

Where I am now…

10 years later, 2 more amazing schools, even more wonderful and supportive colleagues and 3 more baby Piggott’s, so yes now 4 in total, I have decided that now is the time! Timing is always encouraged in some way of course, so really it was when I saw the position for Teacher Librarian appear within a small town, beachside school that, by pure coincidence, my parents had just purchased a home in, that I knew IT WAS THEN OR NEVER!. The position was 1 hour away from where I was living with my husband and all those kiddies and 2 hours from where I was then working; the school where I had a permanent full time position to return to when I had finished my maternity leave. I still get asked if that was a hard choice. People do ask me regularly if it was hard leaving such a sorted job behind for one that will, quite frankly, always be lower in FTE teaching hours. Truthfully, NO! It wasn’t. When I applied for the job I knew that I was only going  to be working part/time equivalent hours. I knew that I would have to move towns, sell houses, change schools for my own children, all while trying to fit in the study that is needed to master the profession. Truthfully, not for a minute did I stop and think. I jumped in, apprehensive as anything as mentioned above, but here I am! Thankfully… I hit the JACKPOT. I found my ‘home’, by and no means do I say that lightly. It hasn’t always been easy trying to convince those close to me this is the RIGHT decision for me. What helps it that I fortunately landed that position in a beautiful school where I have a my own mentor as a share job partner (unheard of and something I am beyond grateful for) and I am respected, welcomed and heard! The past 2 years, through what will one day be known as the hardest time in teaching history due to the Covid 19 pandemic, have been the happiest and most inspiring two years of my career as a teacher. I feel ready to show others that the librarian, once worshipped by myself, is ME. I want to inspire students through rich literature while supporting our school, staff and community with valuable and essential resources. I want to enhance the knowledge of others through my learning and embrace that ‘power’ that follows.

To the right: One of the many costume characters that I have blessed the school with thus far! Pirate Piggott day (June, 2022).

I thank this man (below) everyday for the opportunity that he has given me. When I leaped, he leaped with me. The six of us, Josh, Mila (8.5), Huxton (6), Sawyer (4.5), Oaklynn (1.5) and I sold our four bedroom family home to move into a (currently) two bedroom teeny tiny loft. All very tight and very squeezy, we regularly joke about the fact that this is all for my love of smelling books. Truthfully, I am ok if it is!

Where I plan to go…

Right now I don’t know where this space will take me but I hope you are as ready as I am to strap yourself in and find out!

(Although I feel a little, for the lack of the better word, ‘corny’ saying it… DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW)

Cas. x