20/08/2026
Let’s talk GCSEs ❤️
Good luck to everyone getting their results today.
When I got mine, I genuinely thought I wouldn’t get any. I wasn’t naturally academic & I had to work REALLY hard. I was in the bottom sets for all the important subjects and even had to plead with teachers to put me on the higher papers, just to give me the opportunity of getting a pass.
I was told I’d fail.
I didn’t.
I passed them all. I shocked my teachers. I even shocked myself! 😂
I’d applied to college to study childcare, in the hope that one day I’d get the equivalent of A Levels and make it to uni.
I didn’t think I’d get there.
I did.
I applied to 6 universities. The ONE university I really wanted to go to declined me.
So, I went through clearing and had to sit further English & maths papers to prove I had what it took.
I didn’t think I’d pass.
I did.
Then came 3 years at uni studying to become a teacher. I found it extremely challenging and, once again, didn’t think I’d pass.
I did.
Then came around 30+ interviews trying to actually GET a teaching job. Rejection after rejection. Setback after setback.
But eventually…
I did.
I went on to spend 20 years working as a teacher. Then our circumstances as a family changed and I made the decision to leave teaching and work at our family farm, Daisy Bank Dairy 🌼.
Then my husband had a plan… 😂
And together we started our own little family business, Gemma & Mark | Luxury Glamping 🌳 ❤️
I’m not saying any of this to brag. Far from it.
I’m saying it because that girl opening her GCSE results all those years ago didn’t think she was very bright. She’d been told she would fail.
And she believed it.
So, whatever is written on that piece of paper today, please remember:
It doesn’t decide what you’re capable of.
There might be a different route. A longer route. You might get told no. You might have to prove yourself over and over again.
Keep pushing for what you want.
Keep believing in yourself.
Because sometimes the person who doubts you the most… is you.
And you might just surprise yourself. ❤️
