October 2020

The transition from trainee to NQT felt a little overwhelming at first. My timetable increased by a colossal six teaching hours with two GCSE photography groups added and a coaching group to support. Having done over a third of my teaching virtually, it was fair to say that I felt a little rusty going back to school. However, that feeling did not last long. My academy mentor was on hand to offer support, and together we utilised critical reflection in order to address incidents as they occurred.

In the first few weeks, I focused on establishing positive routines to fit in the extra hours of planning and marking. By week four, I had figured it out. My workload felt manageable and finally I was leaving school at a reasonable hour. My colleagues reassured me that the autumn term is the usually the hardest of them all but getting through the first half smiling, it has given me the confidence to sail through the rest of the year.  

The most important thing is to remain positive, establish a routine and find joy in the little wins every day.  

October 2019

My decision to pursue a career in teaching feels like the natural development of my professional and personal journey to date. Since graduating in Media studies, I've worked across film/television production, talent management and PR.  All of which have served to develop my subject knowledge. In my spare time, I enjoy volunteering and, last summer, I participated in a social integration project to support refugees. I felt that my individual contribution was impactful and I became inspired to do more to support society. This led me to join the armed forces and, since serving, I've developed my self-discipline, respect for others and selfless commitment, all attributes which are significant to teaching.

I decided to get into teaching, as I became disenchanted by office work and I started to rethink the type of career I desired. It occurred to me that teaching would be a great fit, as it encompasses all the things I enjoy: working with people, variety and my love of learning.

Training with Harris was the obvious choice, as I attended Harris Crystal Palace as a child. I already understood and appreciated the Federation’s ethos and had the insight into life as a pupil. I was thrilled to find out that my main placement would be at Harris Girls’ Academy East Dulwich (HGAED). It’s a fantastic school, which has achieved excellent exam results year-on-year since it was taken over by the Federation.

The first few weeks have been a huge success. I’m enjoying getting to know the students, they're exciting to teach and dedicated to learning.

The training is well organised, yet challenging, and already I can see huge improvements from my first lesson.