My parents were foster carers for many years which allowed me to have contact with a diverse range of children and their families as well as learning how to care for children. It was from this experience that I knew I wanted to work with children.

Through doing my fourth year work experience, I developed a strong interest and passion for promoting children’s learning and experiences within an early years setting. To take this further I decided to do the NC in Early Education and Childcare. By doing this course it improved my understanding of child development, teaching and assessment. During this course I attended 2 placements one in a nursery and the other in a primary school. These experiences taught me how to observe children and plan activities to suit differing needs. It was from this experience that made me want to become a primary teacher. I wanted to be part of children’s learning and help them grow as individuals.

An element for me for wanting to become a primary school teacher was working in a preschool in Sweden for children aged 1-8 years old for 2 weeks, this experience was incredible; giving me the opportunity to become immersed in the culture, learn about their education system and compare it to ours. It was exciting to see how the fun learning environment created through outdoor learning enhanced the children’s experiences. The knowledge I gained from this experience was shared with teachers in primary schools that I had worked with.

From my experience on the NC and my passion to become a primary school teacher, lead me to study the HNC in Early Education and Childcare, as this would provide me with the qualification to apply for primary teaching. I gained a much broader and in depth understanding of childcare, education, children’s rights, theoretical approaches to learning and The Curriculum for Excellence in supporting children’s learning. My combined experience over the last few years and my interest in primary teaching prompted me to apply for Primary School teaching.

Seeing the children’s faces light up when you tell them well done or give them a sticker for completing there work is a huge reward as a teacher. Seeing the children develop and learn new skills makes you say “ this is why I am a teacher.” However it is not all about the positive aspects about being a teacher but also the challenges and obstacles you face is a big part and it is something that I look forward to on my journey as a teacher.

As a teacher I want to provide the children with a fun and enjoyable learning environment. As a teacher I want to be organised and have lessons planned in advance. I want to be able to work in a team but also independently, I feel it is important to have that balance. Building positive relationships with your pupils is something that I want to build as a teacher. I want to be professional and flexible as a teacher.