Why I plan to teach for the rest of my life...

My name is Maria and England is the ninth country I have lived in so far. Having lived around the world, immersed in different cultures since I was a kid and having grown so much from every experience, I could not refuse the opportunity to teach in England. 

I did not know what to expect at first; I learned throughout the years that expectations could sometimes create unnecessary stress so I let the whole experience surprise me. 

I arrived to England having only just finished my Masters in International Education in Madrid, Spain. Not only was I new in a country I had never stepped in before but it also was my first year as a Science teacher and had no understanding of the English curriculum. 

I remember how stressed and overwhelmed I was during my NQT induction back in July 2015. Many of the things I had learned during my masters could not be applied to my new job and felt like I was underprepared. The workload, the amount of marking, observations, training, and meetings were only a few things I was not ready for. I had not even started teaching yet and I already thought I could not do it.

In spite of my fears, I decided to make the most of my experience. I am convinced now that to enter this profession one needs a whole lot of determination. It is not just about passion; passion can easily fade. I spent the two first terms giving my all, although, at a cost. I had to adapt to a system I was not acquainted with so I found myself spending more hours working than I had ever done before in my life. 

Interestingly, I felt like although I was working so much and I was trying my best to do my work well, I did not feel like a good teacher. I was having trouble building relationships with my students, my marking pile was increasing at an exponential rate and I was making mistake after mistake. I could not understand how I was working so hard and everything was going so wrong.

By Christmas, I broke down. I did believe I was not meant to be a teacher. I was depressed. I was on my own; no family, no friends. I was, however, very lucky. I had amazing colleagues who helped me stand up when I was knocked down. 

Everyone around me could see my virtues as a teacher when all I saw was darkness. I realized I could not do this job on my own and most importantly, I needed to take care of myself. Sleeping four hours a day, eating cheese and crackers, and working every minute of my weekends was not the best plan.

My NQT year was difficult and I do not think anyone should sugar coat this reality. However, it is important to enter the profession thinking, “I am here to learn”. Mistakes will always be waiting around the corner for you to fall and get back up stronger. 

I learned it was okay to cry. I learned that building relationships is key. Teamwork is crucial. Taking care of oneself comes first. Support in the form of family and friends, is vital. When one finally accepts that you will get it wrong no matter how careful you are and how much work you put into your job that is when you can start to be the best you can be.

The little things that happen in one’s life tend to be easily dismissed. However, in teaching the little things are what keep you going and keep you coming back. Comments that praised my hard work, my marking and my determination reminded me I was doing better than I thought. 

Spending hours differentiating my work to make it accessible to all students and seeing my work blossom in the form of progress made me think it was all worth it. 

Having had a rocky start with my year 11 students and having them tell me in the end that they liked coming to Science was a major achievement. Students asking me to be challenged and making time for them after school to stretch told me they trusted that I could bring the best out of them. 

Contributing to the ethos of the school as a way to build relationships with students outside the classroom and see them as young people with dreams rather than just students was eye opening for me. Having had outstanding feedback from Ofsted after having jumped through hoops all year long confirmed that hard work, the will to improve and love for what one does are key components for success.   

I finished my NQT year feeling proud of my success but also proud of my failures. The fact that I was in a better place allowed me to finally understand my students in terms of their needs. I started building relationships that today mean the world to me. I learned that being a teacher is not only about teaching students a curriculum; it is teaching you first to be authentic. One does not become a teacher to teach a curriculum, one becomes a teacher to change lives. I learned I could not change lives if I did not change mine first. 

I was part of an outstanding team. Would I do this again? I plan to do this for the rest of my life. 

If you are keen to share your teaching experience then please contact the team via kent.teach@kent.gov.uk. 

Check out our article on the future world of automation and robotics.