Why do I want be a teacher? I want to inspire children to
reach their full potential in a fun and exciting environment. I want to help
children to love to learn, which is a skill that will help them through their
entire life.
As a child I had some amazing teachers whose lessons,
attitude, and inspiration stuck with me into my adult life. I believe all
children should experience having a teacher who is passionate about their and job
invests in individuals.
Struggling with dyslexia all my life, I taught myself many
different ways to cope in the classroom and beyond. My dyslexia has made me a
very determined person, and has made me want to empower all children to reach
their full potential, and help them believe they are capable of things which
they might otherwise not believe. My disability has also made me want to
inspire children to develop skills and different ways of understanding
obstacles to help them with their lives.
I have worked with children since I was 15, starting out volunteering
at my local Sunday school as part of my bronze Duke of Edinburgh award, to now
working 3 part-time jobs working with children. The first is at Carlisle
Cathedral working with the choristers, aged 7 to 13; within this job I
supervise children before they go to choir practice each day. I spend time
listening to them, showing an interest in them by making sure they know their
opinions and views are valued and ensure they have a safe place where they can
be comfortable in who they are. I also work as Senior Teaching Assistant at a
small rural primary school (Wiggonby, Cumbria), working in the mixed year Key
Stage 2 class. I enjoy the challenge of working with four year groups at once,
covering numeracy with years 3 and 4 as one group and years 5 and 6 as another
and teaching spelling with years 3 and 4. During the summer term, I will also
be working in an 11-18 Academy, Trinity School in Carlisle, where I will be a
Learning Support Assistant working across the curriculum, mainly in Key Stage 3.
I worked as the Arts and Crafts Director at a Summer Camp in
America in 2012. I planned art lessons and taught them to children of all
abilities and mainly poor socio-economic backgrounds from the ages of 6 to 16. In
2014, I spent 6 months working with a children’s charity in the Township of
Fisantekraal just outside Cape Town, S.A. Whilst there I planned and led
after-school clubs for children in the community aged 4 to 14. I also worked
with a small group of girls on building their confidence, self worth and on how
to express and understand their emotions.
When I was 19 I trained as a Teaching Assistant through an apprenticeship
scheme. I was based in Newlaithes Infant School in years 1 and 2. Here I first
discovered how important it is to work with groups of children who all learn and
understand at different rates so that by the end of the session they have all
had the opportunity to understand what they are being taught and can respond to
it. It also taught me the importance of finding different, creative ways of
explaining the same thing so that all children no matter their ability can
understand it.
All my experience, training and background have led to my
decision to pursue teaching. I am passionate about children having access to
the best teachers possible and I cannot think of any other way I would want to
use my talents. For me, teaching is not about having a job; it’s about making
sure children have the best possible start to lifelong learning.
