My Advice to New Trainees   “Comparison is the thief of joy”   SCITT 2020/2021 graduation was last week and as I stood amongst the most amazing cohort of people. I took a moment to question how I qualified, when all my peers around me were not only brilliant, but excelling in what they do best. As I drove home, this kept lingering in my head, and I began to compare myself to every single person in the cohort. As I sat down, I noticed a sign in my dining room “Comparison is the thief of joy”; this quote was said to me on my first day at NTU. So as an Art teacher, I naturally asked a fellow artist to create a sign for me as a keepsake for my teacher training year. This was a reminder to me to not be hard on myself as it’s not a helpful attitude to have. So, one of my biggest pieces of advice to you is please do not be hard on yourself. You have begun the hardest journey, and it won’t be easy, but it’s so worth it. Once you see the impact you have had on one individual, that buzz is add

Life is full of possibilities. It’s also full of choices and you never really know, until later, whether you’ve made the right decision. But if it feels good, then that’s positive news.   I made the decision that I wanted to join the Redhill SCITT programme and become a teacher, back in January. I had left the BBC, where I had been since 2000, in December, and while things felt exciting, it was scary too. Had I made the right decision?   I contacted the team by e-mail, registering my interest in doing the course. The next day I had a lovely chat with Sally Barfoot (Director of the Redhill Teaching Hub) and then later, Adam Brett (SCITT Hub Lead). I was struck by their warmth and encouragement. They made me feel I could do it. They made me feel wanted.    Induction day, the first day of my new career, my new life. I was nervous. I hadn’t been in a room with other people, due to Covid, for about 15 months. Did I still know how to speak to people, how to behave? It was great to be in the