How has your training prepared you for your teaching role?
It鈥檚 been rigorous, thorough, and rewarding in so many ways to experience what we鈥檝e been through over the last year. Balancing everything as an older student, a dad and a husband has been a challenge. But all the intense training, including the online modules and observing expert practitioners every day in school, has set me up properly to get started.
What aspects of teaching do you feel most confident about?
My ability to network well and build relationships is something I鈥檓 extremely confident in, and I think it鈥檒l aid me going into any new environment. It certainly helped me through my training and the different schools I鈥檝e been at this last year.听
Getting to know people and networking well, understanding my pupils and the team around the school is probably my biggest strength, and it鈥檚 something I can build around my background of working in industry.
What aspects of teaching do you think will be most challenging?
It鈥檚 really difficult to say one thing that鈥檚 going to be the challenge in a new job. The biggest challenge will be getting used to a new school. But the challenge is quite good fun as well. Having gone through this year, I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 one particular thing that鈥檚 going to worry me too much at the moment.
How are you feeling looking ahead to the new school year?
Extremely excited. I鈥檇 be lying if I said I wasn鈥檛 anxious too. There are lots of unknowns going in: people I haven鈥檛 worked with before, pupils I don鈥檛 yet know, procedures and policies to learn. But thanks to the training, I feel in a good place and well ready to go and take on the challenge.听
What are you most looking forward to as an ECT?
Getting my own classroom, my own feel for the place. Not invading somebody else鈥檚 classroom or always trying to fit into somebody else鈥檚 routines.听
The biggest excitement for an ECT is having a space I own, a space I can build, and a space pupils can come into and enjoy their learning.
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Watch Ryan's learner story