One of my teachers who also had a stutter said to me in front of everyone: "You're going to have to work harder than everyone else." I took that to heart and since then have always worked hard. Fast forward, I'm a teacher in 2 private schools - one is male only and the other is female only. I'm working harder than any other teacher in the school (I'm trying to say this without bragging and sounding arrogant). Other teachers have also said this. I research how to teach better; I'm looking into best practices, and I've completed a qualification in leading teacher development. This year's GCSE results in the subject I teach have been the highest in the history of both schools. I don't regret any of the effort it took. I'm still holding out on one thing, though. There's a 12 week fast track course to becoming a qualified teacher. It has about 2 observations by external visitors. I just can't seem to get my mind into doing that course due to a. Possible chance of failing it and b. Due to the observations c. Due to how much evidence they need, which isn't very clear to me even though I've asked a few colleagues about it and a few organisations.