Emma. Pscychology Teacher

Emma is a twenty-five-year-old psychology teacher from London. She has been working in education for three years.

How did you get into your field and what inspired you?

‘I loved studying Psychology at Uni and was originally interested in becoming an Educational Psychologist as I have always loved working with and helping children - it is highly rewarding and inspiring. In order to become an educational psychologist I needed teaching experience so I trained as a teacher at UCL and now I am still a teacher and enjoying teaching the most lovely year 13 & year 12 students Psychology.’

Did your studies at University help you get into your field?

‘Yes, I did Psychology at A level and as a degree at Nottingham University. I then did my PGCE to be able to teach at UCL’

Do you recommend any particular studies, courses or degrees for your field?

‘The PGCE at UCL was really great due to the support provided and the opportunity to attend two placements in contrasting schools to understand how different school environments, behaviour and teaching methods can be.’

What does an average day look like in your role?

‘Everyday I start with a briefing at 8:20am from my year 7 leadership team. At 8:30am I register my adorable, super keen year 7 form and carry out the activities recommended by the head of year - this can be anything from merit count ups and planner checks to watching news round, doing a class quiz or presenting power points on topics such as kindness.

Lessons start at 8:40am and, depending on what day it is, I have a different number of lessons with the occasional free period to plan those lessons. A full day consists of five lessons, each an hour long. I have three year 13 classes who I see each three times a week, three year 12 classes who I also see three times a week and two year 8 History classes. Most of the time I try and make my lessons as interactive as possible so students are highly engaged and challenged with their learning. Throughout the week I also have two break duties where I have to stand and monitor students walking around the school - checking for shirts tucked in, no eating and no running! Morning break is 10:30-11:00am and lunchtime is 1:00-2:00pm. After lunch I see my form again for an afternoon registration - sometimes there are assemblies and sometimes we will go through a presentation on subjects such as leadership or interpersonal skills.

Running up to exam times there are also intervention lessons after school where I work with students to improve their exam techniques and on other occasions there may be department or year team meetings.

Despite timetables each week being the same, every day at school is different and that is what I love. Students bring my job to life with different funny stories they share each day, the camaraderie in class and the troubles they want my help with - the students make the job. The thoughtfulness and kind actions my year 13’s have done for me out of their own good will throughout this year have been so heart warming that I will cherish the memory for the rest of my life.’

What is the best part of your role?

‘Working with lovely students, developing a positive student teacher relationship whilst being able to have a laugh and ensuring successful learning is taking place too.’

What is the worst part of your role?

‘The marking! Due to the big class sizes, the volume of marking can sometimes seem relentless - there is never enough time in the day!

Also sometimes teaching lovely sixth formers can be followed by a year 8 lesson with a drop in behaviour which can be challenging!’

How important is work/life balance to you and how much spare time do you have?

‘Work/life balance is really important to me. As a teacher I often get to finish work fairly early around 4:05pm, but I do take a lot of work home. Often one day on the weekend I will be doing some form of work - usually marking!’

Do you have any hobbies?

‘My hobbies are piano, pilates and tennis (when it’s warm). I also love to sing however I am AWFUL!’

Do you have any advice for people looking to start a career in the same field?

‘Be prepared for the intensity of marking if you are going to be teaching A-level classes and ensure you have thick skin and won’t be offended easily by students who could be disrespectful. Other than that, enjoy the experience!’

Have you ever experienced any uncertainties about your career and what did you do to overcome them?

‘Sometimes I am uncertain about being a teacher as it was originally just a stepping stone for me in the path to become an Educational Psychologist. When I was younger I never wanted to be a teacher and once said (whilst at school) “what loser would come back to school and be a teacher?!” - and now I am that loser haha!

The relentless A-level marking of big classes can make me uncertain, but the thoughtfulness, the jokes and the kindness of my sixth form students is what is keeping me here.

Possibly in the future, I may consider going to try and become an Educational Psychologist or look for a career change - I’m still thinking!’

Who is your biggest female inspiration and why?

‘My mum is my biggest female inspiration because she is strong, incredibly selfless and always willing to help others even at the detriment to herself. If I could even be half as wonderful, I will be very happy.’