Created on: 14 Aug 2020 | Last modified: 12 Aug 2021
Challenging, exciting, motivating.
I struggled a lot during my own high school years. There were always teachers that inspired me but I know that there aren’t always teachers out there for pupils. I want to be that teacher that pupils can come to on a daily basis to feel safe.
My maths teacher. I was always terrible at maths. I was achieving the lowest grades because nobody believed in me. She came in with a nurturing passion for teaching and helped me become the top of the class because of it. She saw the potential in me that nobody else did.
I wish there was more time to get to know the pupils on a more personal basis. If there was even just a couple of free lessons at the start of a new school year to get to know them so you know how to plan your lessons around their interests and understand who may need more support.
I believe that they are important for bridging the gap between teachers and management. Being part of a successful union will always strive to put the teachers first which will ultimately help the school and the pupils in the long run.
I trip over my own feet… a lot! It was always hilarious to the pupils seeing me every day do it but it just became a running joke between us and I think it helped me bond with them a lot as they could see I was just human and not perfect.
Don’t be afraid to teach. 99% of the time the pupils won’t know if you’ve made a mistake or not. Just keep going, we all make mistakes and it is important to keep trying. Try doing some mini lessons with your teacher fellows to practice before you go into a real classroom to help take the nerves off.
Understanding that you will never know everything about teaching. It is a constant job for training and development, you will always be learning something new from other teachers or through reading. There are so many other ways to gain valuable knowledge than just reading books. Twitter and podcasts are amazing ways to get up-to-date research and findings.