My progression into this discipline which I have chosen to study and hopefully succeed into one day has been influenced by many factors and people. From an early age I have been confident that I want to enter a profession which works alongside children and as I have grown up and matured the path to this career has become more straight forward in what I need to do.

My previous career choice played an essential role in picking the Education course that I am about to undertake. I studied Professional Stage Dance at Edinburgh College where I had a strict routine of training for three years straight. This also included multiple placement opportunities at different establishments and a clear insight into the world I want to enter thus being Primary Education. This previous study took the form of helping children of all abilities in terms of having little or no background in dance or even movement as opposed to others having varied levels of training in some disciplines of dance. Within these placements I was able to work alongside peers and help the children discover who they are as individuals, help them to build confidence and develop their own identity all through the simple method of movement. This realization that small actions by myself could make such a major impact on a child’s thought progress was the consolidation I needed to confirm my present career path.

I chose to develop on this process and contacted a local Primary school to undergo placement one day a week to get the feel of the 9-3 day whilst being challenged by a class. I was able to assist a Primary two teacher every Tuesday in which I was given the role to assist her in day to day tasks or take a small group and oversee them carry out individual tasks. It was then I had the feeling that I belonged in this discipline and I could only dream of having this as a job one day.

When looking into the bright future that hopefully lies in front of me i often think how i want to come across as a teacher and how my pupils will view me. There is one quote that really stays stuck in my head which i know i will carry forward into the teaching profession which was used in an Assembly once when i was a pupil myself.

‘A child may forget what you taught them but they will always remember how you made them feel.’

This whole idea of not what you are teaching children (which of course goes without saying) but the way you are teaching them is what i want to utilize  so that i am able to connect with them and ensure that they are reaching their full potential so that they can move forward as young learners and feel confident in whatever they want to do.