Secondary Alumni Spotlight: Michaela

In this case study, we follow the inspiring journey of Michaela, navigating teacher training while also discovering her neurodivergence. Bringing a wealth of life experience, creativity, and resilience, she highlights the unique perspectives and strengths that come with training as both a neurodivergent and mature student. 

When I was at school I didn’t feel particularly seen. I was scared and often felt overlooked, despite being very bright and eager to learn. I was artistic and musical, achieving my highest grades in art and music. However, as a girl, I was encouraged to pursue office work, with the expectation that I would eventually focus on raising a family. And I did, I had four children while working in an office! 

Once my children were in school, I wanted a job I could truly enjoy. I decided to pursue a design degree, with the aim of eventually moving into teaching. I loved working as a designer and maker, so I continued doing this alongside teaching for a year. During that time, I began on-the-job teacher training. However, I then moved to Cornwall for a role at Tate St Ives, facilitating workshops in the gallery, which meant I didn’t complete the qualification. 

I returned to Derbyshire just before lockdown and began my formal teacher training in 2023 with Inspiring Leaders, after three more years of supply teaching. I want to teach to show girls that they can also have a career in the arts and design world – it’s not just for boys!

I discovered halfway through my teacher training that I’m autistic – a significant realisation to have at 57 years old. It made a lot of sense and answered many questions I’d had about my life as a whole. One of the benefits of this was that I became better able to recognise and support many of the neurodivergent students I taught. Simply by understanding how they think – because I think in similar ways – I could connect with them more effectively. 

As teachers, we sometimes have a tendency to categorise support, but every neurodiverse student is different, and a one-size-fits-all approach definitely doesn’t work. I believe that just having a role model teacher who is also autistic can make a meaningful difference for students. 

That said, the challenges for a neurodiverse trainee teacher are many. For example, we often need longer processing times. Some of the training sessions were typically very fast-paced, PowerPoint-heavy, and packed with content – much like teaching can be – which sometimes made them difficult for me to absorb. 

As a mature student, I really enjoyed my teacher training. One of the highlights was how warmly I was accepted by the much younger trainees, which made the experience very positive. I loved learning about how we learn, exploring effective teaching strategies, and then having the opportunity to put them into practice. 

Being a mature student also means bringing valuable life experience into the classroom – something I believe is incredibly important in teaching and could be better recognised and utilised. That said, overall, training as a mature student was a fun and rewarding experience. I loved it, and it gave me the skills and confidence to know that I can be an effective teacher. 

One of the biggest highlights for me was simply completing the course. Having been out of education for over 20 years, it felt quite daunting to return at my age, but I felt accepted, and I did it! Another highlight was learning about cognitive science; understanding how the brain works was fascinating. I also really valued the friendships I made along the way. 

The friends I made during my training year were a huge support – we helped each other whenever it was needed, and that made a big difference. Sally Barfoot, Director of Redhill Teaching Hub, was also an important source of encouragement for me. The coaching she provided came at just the right time, especially when I felt overwhelmed and was close to quitting. 

The greatest challenge was definitely the workload – particularly when multiple deadlines coincided while we were teaching every week. It was difficult to stay on top of but it is reflective of the workload that teachers face nowadays. 

After completing the course, I worked as a DT teacher and absolutely loved it. However, I had always dreamed of starting my own art school, specifically aimed at supporting autistic students – and that’s exactly what I’ve done, launching the school in January this year. 

One piece of advice I’d give to the next cohort of trainees is to remember that knowing your subject doesn’t automatically make you a great teacher – knowing your students does. And teaching doesn’t have to be something you do alone. Just as it’s said, “It takes a village to raise a child,” it takes a whole school community to truly teach and support a student.