Whilst in my final year at the University of Liverpool studying French and Politics, I decided that it was time to take the plunge into the world of Education. From being young, I had always thought about becoming a teacher as I loved learning and found no greater joy than in sharing knowledge with others. As an ex-student of the lead school in CTT@WWL, I felt incredibly comfortable in applying to begin my teacher training there and relished the idea of joining such an outstanding community of practitioners.
For me, it was important that I had as much “hands on” experience as I could get, which was one of the main things that enticed me to CTT@WWL. In both placements, I was treated as any other member of staff and was given excellent support throughout. Towards the end of my training year, I secured a “Teacher of French” position at Christ the King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre in Southport.
Before beginning my role, I met with SLT and it was decided that I would take on a broader cross-curricular role in the school and for the first year I taught French, Spanish, History and A Level Politics. As someone that initially could not decide exactly what they wanted to teach, this was a perfect scenario and invaluable experience. Towards the end of my ECT 1 I was entrusted to become Head of Department for MFL for the duration of the current Head’s maternity leave, in this role I have gained excellent insight into curriculum design and planning.
Having spent a year on the curriculum team, I realised that I was most fulfilled when taking care of pastoral duties. From my training at CTT@WWL and the placements I had been on, I was taught that successful education comes from the teaching of the “whole child” which is something that I felt I could have more impact on in the Pastoral leadership team. Fortunately, this year an opportunity arose to become part of the pastoral leadership team and as such, I have just accepted a new role as “Assistant Progress Leader for Y8” (Head of Year 8). The training from CTT@WWL has transcended my training year and has prepared me for any new challenges that may arise.
From the beginning CTT@WWL prepares aspiring teachers for the reality of the classroom and gives them the tools they need in order to become reflective, resilient and robust modern practitioners. CTT@WWL has shaped me into the practitioner that I am today through its training, values and vision. Working and growing within a catholic community is something that you have to experience to explain, but it is something that will follow you throughout your career. In short – teaching has changed every facet of my life, and I feel incredibly lucky to have had CTT@WWL by my side for every step of the way.
