Why did you get into teaching?

Why did I want to be a teacher? I remember speaking to a teacher before I started my uni course and she said to me that her way of giving back to her community was teaching, and that really stuck with me because I think that by being a teacher you are so much more than just an educator and having, you know, twenty or thirty people come to school every day to see you has the most incredible effect on you as a teacher. I got into teaching after I graduated from music college. I started teaching private lessons; some privately from people’s homes but also some through schools as well.

There was a fantastic experience going from effectively just part-time, you know, bass or clarinet or piano teacher, working in various different institutions and meeting a lot of different people, but then finally getting to commit to the course, getting the opportunity to learn to train to become a teacher, to meet all of these fantastic teachers and trainees and lots of different people who are in different stages of their career, and then be able to actually go on into the world of work in a full-time manner. So, it was a fantastic experience, one that I would recommend to many, many people.

I was already working with students as a demonstrator and technician, and it seemed like the natural progression to me to move to full-time teaching. And I’m really glad I did. Students are great fun, they’re interesting, they surprise you every day. I got into teaching because I wanted to channel my creativity in a really meaningful way. I love learning and I wanted to share that enthusiasm with others. I also really loved the idea that no two days would be the same. I got into teaching drama because I kind of wanted to instil in others the love of a subject that has been such a big part of my life.

What I love about teaching and teaching drama is the relationship that you build up with young people. You get to know your students really, really well just because of the nature of the subject. I got into teaching because I was working as a technician at a local college and I started teaching a adult community education class. At the same time, I also started my teaching qualification so all of these different topics that I was learning about and then putting into practice during my teaching and during my kind of early career as a teacher really helped me grow as a professional but as a person as well.

The reason that I became a teacher is because I was looking for a greater deal of job satisfaction. I came into teaching quite late. I worked for nearly a decade in the charity sector and, although I was working on projects and for organisations that I was really passionate about and I thought who did brilliant work, I didn’t really feel like I had that human connection. I felt like I spent a lot of time in front of a computer. And with teaching you really don’t do that, you’re working face-to-face with young people every day and you really feel that you can make a substantial impact.

I’m passionate about my field – RS (religious studies) and philosophy, and I wanted to share this with other people and the students and it’s amazing to see how students interact and understand that you are passionate, and by being passionate you’re able to give the knowledge the students want and need in order for them to progress. Teaching is the best job in the world. It is fantastic to see the impact you’re having on the lives of young people. To be able to see that you’re inspiring young people.