Diversity, Equity and Inclusion day    Four of the most important days in our teacher training year have to be our “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” days. I promise, Adam has not paid me to write this… Amongst the entire 21/22 cohort of Inspiring Leaders, I had the absolute pleasure of listening to several amazing speakers, talking all things diversity. Welcoming us to NTU for the day, was our own Adam Brett who introduced us to a quick video on diversity (#InclusionStartsWithI). If you want to watch it again and review those statistics, I definitely recommend doing so… with a pack of tissues.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g88Ju6nkcg   Kicking off the day, we had the amazing Claire Birkenshaw, a Childhood and Education lecturer at Leeds Beckett University.    Claire explained so succinctly what DEI is, why it is important and most of all, what our role as educators is, when it comes to DEI.    I cried and I was left speechless, i...

The title of ‘Being a Woman in Education’ probably does not scream out to any male readers – well, I know for a fact that it does not scream out to any male readers because there was not a single male in the room for this workshop! Allies are an essential force when it comes to any issue about power imbalances, so I had certainly hoped that there would be at least a couple of male attendees. Azuraye Williams, who ran the workshop, emphasised the importance of being educated on the challenges of being a woman in the workplace, which is why it would have been useful for male trainees to attend. Small, seemingly insignificant things, such as choice of language, can be weaponised against women in the workplace. Azuraye questioned what the difference is between being aggressive and assertive. The answer? Your gender or your race. As a trainee English teacher, I am always aware of language connotations in novels, plays, and poetry. After reflection, I am maybe not as conscious when it comes ...

 

  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, th...

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 ...

  What a day!      We didn’t know what was coming when we agreed to a trip to  The Mill Adventure Base   with our Trainee Crew and our Captains Adam and Sally. However, we could have guessed that when a bunch of nearly qualified teachers gets together it must be fun – and it was!!! An unforgettable experience.     When we met in the morning, it wasn’t just the rain that made us hide our faces in our hoods but also the high ropes we saw when entering the location. What a terrifying view at half 9 in the morning... unless you have a group of people that encourage you to overcome your fears!    Who would have thought that at the end of the day we’d all be a little bit braver, a little bit prouder and a little bit happier?!     After some quick pair activities to build initial trust, we were ready to go to our first little group task. Balancing on a rope whilst being supported by our teammates. We all managed brilliantly, and in th...

Applying for teaching jobs is hard, it is time consuming and can often leave you feeling dejected. You give up a whole weekend to complete what you think is the best application anyone has ever seen and... you don’t even get an interview. It makes you feel rubbish and zaps your motivation and confidence. I’m pretty used to rejection, having spent several years pursuing a career as an actor, it goes with the territory, but it never gets any easier. I think the key to combating knockbacks is to take the positives and move on to the next opportunity.   To give you a bit of background, I am a 39-year-old drama trainee, with over a decade of teaching experience in private schools. However, in order for me to progress in my career and follow my passion to teach in mainstream schools, I needed to gain QTS. In 2019, I made the decision to bite the bullet and begin my training. Not a decision I made lightly, but one that I do not regret. Whilst, I had practical experience in the classroom I...