Why don't you teach, Miss?
Emma Maskell,
Technician turned science teacher
I am a trainee at Carshalton Boys College and have a degree in biomedical sciences. I have spent time as a fitness instructor, private tutor and school science technician. So with some gentle encouragement from colleagues, I finally decided to become a qualified teacher. I did this through the School Direct (salaried) course.
I’d been in quite a few lessons in more of a teaching assistant capacity, just going and helping out, and I really enjoyed that. Some of the teachers said to me, ‘Why don’t you teach?’ and some of the kids said, ‘Why doesn’t Miss become a teacher?’, and I thought, ‘Why not? I can do this’.
Ultimately it's about the kids. This is their education and the onus is on you to provide them with the best opportunity for success. You tend to question yourself and think, Can I deliver what I need to deliver in order that these kids get to where they want or need to be?
We all have mentors assigned to us. They are there to support you with anything that you need, check on your progress and just help out. And also my fellow trainees and I are a close group; everyone’s friendly and really supportive of everyone else.
You don’t know how kids are going to be when you go into a classroom, or how they’re going to react to you. The difference in my teaching and confidence now from when I first started has improved immensely.
When you see kids that actually understand something after you’ve taught them, it does make it all worthwhile. It’s really rewarding – I know it’s a cliché, but it is. If you’ve got the passion and you’re committed to it, then definitely go ahead.
