Ellie's Passion SHINEs Through

Ellie writes: “From an early age, a career in teaching has always appealed to me. As a child, I used to make my poor younger sister pretend to be a student in my “class” where she had to attend lessons and complete work to be marked by me! Working in an office never held much appeal; my teenage work placements alongside children in school settings confirmed my view that my future lay in teaching.

After leaving LEH, I completed a joint honours’ degree in Psychology and Education at the University of Southampton. Here I had the chance to explore two fields of study, alongside volunteering in a local school. After completing my BSc, I undertook my Primary PGCE at St Mary’s University in Twickenham. This year-long course blended time spent studying at the university together with work in local schools.

During my final placement, I was lucky enough to receive a job offer from the school and have been working there since as a Year 5 teacher. I always found primary teaching to have more appeal than secondary; I liked the idea of teaching a wide range of concepts and this has subsequently allowed me to develop my own subject knowledge.

Primary teaching also provides me with the opportunity to be more imaginative in subjects such as Drama, Art, Music and D.T. Whilst I wouldn’t claim to be a particularly creative individual, I enjoy spending time with my students in a more practical and arty environment as it allows them more autonomy with their learning and is usually one of the calmer elements to our week!

I would advise those considering a career in teaching to gain as much experience as possible. Teaching is an extremely rewarding job, but it can also be very challenging. Gaining experience will help you decide whether it is the right choice for you.

My first time working in a school was during our work experience week at LEH: I went back to my primary school and assisted in a Year 3 classroom for five days. I found this experience so enjoyable that I began helping the local Brownie pack, which served as the volunteering element of my Bronze DofE award too. LEH gave me numerous opportunities to pursue my passion for working with children and I became a SHINE mentor in L6 and a Thirds mentor the following year. I thoroughly enjoyed both roles and they helped me to develop skills I would later need in my career, such as organisation and time management, as well as leadership, adaptability and patience.           

One of the most rewarding elements of teaching is the relationships I can build with my pupils. It is extremely fulfilling to watch them grow in confidence and develop their skills – especially with those pupils for whom learning can be a challenge. I am particularly passionate about the concept of ‘inclusive practice’: removing barriers to education so that all pupils have the same opportunities to succeed, something that I believe should be commonplace in education systems. As a result, I began studying last year for an MA in Education at St Mary’s University to specialise in this area.

The work is stimulating but it can be difficult to juggle the demands of education with a full-time job. The assignments and research necessary for this degree have meant that I have had to be quite strict with my time management, structuring my priorities to ensure I meet my deadlines. Currently, I am working towards my final dissertation. This examines how effective one to one reading sessions are in improving engagement for lower-level readers – a subject I have been researching in school throughout the year with pupils from Years 3 and 4.

As well as an MA degree, teaching has allowed me various opportunities and experiences, including residential trips, leading the school eco-committee, and helping to write and plan the computing curriculum for the school. Particular highlights have included helping my school to achieve a Gold STARS award from TFL, receiving a grant from the Siobhan Dowd Trust for new books and taking part in the South West London Teachers’ Reading Group run by St Mary’s University.

This year, I intend to work as much as possible with other age groups so as to gain a better understanding of the various challenges that children face at different ages. I hope to begin working with another year group in the near future - something that will only deepen my knowledge of the primary education system. Equipped with the skills I have developed in my MA, I will work to implement inclusive strategies into my classroom, such as using a range of technology to support individuals and presenting information in a variety of ways. Whilst teaching has its challenges, when I reflect on the sense of fulfilment I feel and the opportunity I have been given to help others, it’s all worth it.”