A frequently asked question: What made you want to be a teacher?

Honestly, I don’t have a specific reason as to why I would like to become a teacher. So many things over the years have contributed to where I am today, influencing my decision to apply for Primary Teaching. However, there are key elements which I can highlight which I have taken from my own school experiences. Firstly, my primary 5-7 teacher is one of the biggest reasons I am studying at Dundee University today. Over the 3 years, she got to know me on a personal level, knowing my interests, abilities and preferences. To me, she was more than a teacher; she was a friend, a guardian, and a safe place to confide in. The relationship we shared was created over the 3 years we had spent together, her caring nature captivated me, influencing me to begin my career path as a teacher.

Throughout high school, I began to doubt my career options. I varied between midwifery/nursing, and early years practice/primary teaching. I felt I wasn’t good enough to be teaching future generations, until I met my new art teacher in S5. She is another key character in my teaching journey, who continually encouraged me to keep going with my studies to ensure I achieved the best outcome from school. She sat with me while I researched the teaching roles and helped me with my personal statement for University. She was truly there for me when I needed support and I will always appreciate that.

These two women are the passionate, considerate, inspiring role models who I took a lot of advice and motivation from, and are part of the many reasons why I am aiming to be a teacher. I want to bring the same, supportive, approachable role model to my future pupils, and offer them a warm, comfortable environment, similar to the experience I was lucky enough to have.

Another reason regarding my want to become a teacher would have to be based on how much I really enjoyed school, and the people there who were around me. The primary school I attended, in a considerably deprived area, is now the primary school of the majority of my younger family. In high school, I felt embarrassed to admit where I had attended P1-7, due to the stigma around my scheme. It took me a while to realise that it does not matter where a school is situated, it is about who is inside, that makes it a successful school. My 3 sisters and I (age range 11-31) attended the school, and now their children attend. The auxiliary nurse still remembers all of our names after all of these years and still welcomes us back with open arms whenever we visit. The school’s staff always ensured you felt comfortable, and still continue to do so.

To me, education is about shared learning between enthusiastic teachers and willing pupils; it is about a thriving environment with multiple opportunities to offer; it is about the relationships, the bonds and the personal progression of everyone inside. All-in-all, to me, education does not matter where it is situated, and it is not just about mathematics and literacy, it is so much more.