Primary Alumni Spotlight: Karen

In this case study we hear about Karen’s experience becoming qualified as a Primary teacher, focusing on her experience of training while balancing her responsibilities as a parent. Through her reflections, she shares her journey from volunteering at a parent reader, progressing into a qualified Teaching Assistant role, to finally qualifying as a Primary teacher.

I was inspired to become a teacher through my own children’s learning. I began by volunteering as a parent reader at their school, where I discovered how much I enjoyed helping and inspiring young minds to read. This experience inspired me to pursue Teaching Assistant qualifications, after which I worked as a TA and supported the breakfast and after school club.

I then became a 1:1 support for five years, before progressing to a TA role, a cover supervisor role and then finally completed my teacher training, qualifying as a teacher with a PGCE. Alongside working fill-time, I also gained a Foundation Degree in Teaching and Learning and went on to complete a BA Honours through the Open University. My journey has given me a strong foundation in education and a genuine passion for supporting and inspiring children in their learning.

My teacher training year was full of memorable highlights. One was overcoming my own fears during an abseiling activity on a residential trip – I learned to be resilient and push myself beyond my comfort zone, something I now encourage in my class. Another highlight was observing and working with EAL learners and seeing their progress when specific strategies were used to support and develop their language development; watching their confidence grow was rewarding.

I was also inspired by my mentors who modelled excellent classroom practice and shared their experiences with me. Their guidance not only built my confidence but also shaped the kind of teacher I have aspired to be.

Two main challenges during my training year were balancing study and the workload with personal life and family commitments. I built resilience around this by asking for support when needed and always focusing on the long-term goal of achieving QTS!

The other was increasing confidence in whole class teaching and leading full lessons when I was used to supporting groups. This was daunting at first but through practice and feedback I have grown to be more self-assured and reflective, and I am putting this into daily practice when teaching my own class.

Studying and training to teach for four years while having a family was both challenging and rewarding. At times I felt guilty because I was working or studying almost nonstop and balancing study with family life was difficult. However, I also see this as a positive because my children saw the value of hard work, resilience and perseverance, it set an example of having a strong work ethic and showed them that it is possible to reach for and achieve a goal, even when it requires sacrifices. This is offset by the experience of graduating and knowing how much hard work and determination had gone into reaching that point. What made it even more special was being able to thank my family for all the continued support they had given me throughout the journey. It was a shared achievement, and I am proud that my whole family were there to share this experience with me!!

My journey has prepared me well for teaching Year 3. It is hard work, and the hours are long but my experience as a TA, 1:1, and teacher training have enabled me to build resilience, have stronger classroom skills, and the ability to support and stretch diverse learners, SEND, EAL learners. Training whilst raising a family has showed me the value of organisation and determination, qualities I now bring to the classroom to inspire and support my pupils.

If I could give aspiring teacher one piece of advice it would be to be ready for the hard work, long hours and lack of money but also embrace every opportunity to learn. Listen and don’t be afraid to ask questions to your mentors and trainers, step out of your comfort zone, and don’t be afraid to ask for support and help. Most of all keep sight of your goals and never give up because your family and the children you will teach are at the heart of everything as their support and progress makes all the effort worthwhile!