What is your background?
I completed my undergraduate degree in Modern History at Staffordshire University in 2019. After graduation, I went into recruitment and worked with software developers in the German market.
Why did you decide to go into teaching?
My family is littered with teachers and professors. My father is a lecturer of philosophy and ethics, my uncle is a professor of law, my other uncle is a Spanish teacher and my auntie is the principal of a girl’s middle school. I have always felt an affinity for teaching. I love to learn and want to pass on the joy of discovery to future generations.
What do you enjoy about teaching?
There is so much that I enjoy about teaching. I want the fact that I get to share my knowledge of a subject that I truly adore with my students. I am aware of the privilege that I hold as the person who will help mould and shape my future students into confident, kind individuals with a thirst for knowledge. Finally, having worked the droll monotony of a 9-5 office role, I greatly enjoy the fact that no teaching day is the same. No classes are the same which means even if I am teaching the same lesson twice a day, the interactions with students are different.
Why did you choose the School-Centred Initial Teacher Training route and the Cheshire East SCITT?
I wish I could say something profound about why I chose the SCITT programmes and Cheshire East in general, however, when I was deciding what route to go through, the two most important criteria were location and location! Regardless of how I stumbled onto the course, I am grateful that I have been a part of the Cheshire East SCITT 2024 cohort. I have grown leaps and bounds throughout my teacher training and I have been well supported by the incredible team at Cheshire East SCITT.
Do you have a job for next year and what are you looking forward to?
Come September, I will be starting as a Teacher of English at a high school in Cheshire East. I am looking forward to every aspect of the new role. I cannot wait to be a form tutor and assist my form in navigating the next 5 years of their school journeys. I am also looking forward to being let loose in a classroom by myself and exploring who I am as a teacher and how best I can support my students to be the very best that they can be.
What were the three best things about the programme?
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The hands-on approach to teacher training. Unlike going through a university-led teacher training programme, it was great to start immediately in our placement schools. Being in school on the first day as the students, allowed me to begin creating and fostering relationships with students which was a great help when I began to teach those same students.
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The course is set to your pace. As I had never worked in a school setting before, I was able to discuss with my subject mentor a bespoke timetable which allowed me to ease myself into teaching. I was never pushed into doing something that I didn’t feel ready to do.
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SCITT Fridays. On Fridays, we had a variety of guest speakers who were able to share their experience and expertise in various aspects of teaching. The sessions were great in expanding my knowledge of what things are needed to become a well-rounded teacher.
Whilst this might have been challenging with a few tears and tantrums (and not from students!) I would not change it. The training that I have received over the past year will only serve to make me the best teacher that I can be.