This means that some of our Training Programme participants are asked to teach a STEM subject when maybe it isn’t what they originally saw themselves teaching. This can seem a bit daunting, especially if you haven’t studied the subject since A-Level. We caught up with an ambassador to chat about his experience on the programme teaching a subject that he wasn’t expecting.
Although Maths was not Greg’s subject preference he came to realise how important teaching a STEM subject is, and has since carved out a very successful career within teaching.
Greg was placed in the North East to teach Maths though he had originally applied for History and had a degree in Politics and Economics. He eventually wanted to become a Politics and Economics teacher. Maths was his last choice of what he wanted to teach, after History and Business Studies.
But with support from Teach First he soon felt much happier with the decision. The services on offer through Teach First, such as providing a website to look at and a Maths subject day to strengthen curriculum knowledge helped Greg to see that Maths was the right choice for him.
“I went from thinking it was a terrible decision at the start, to realising how useful it is to have Maths as a teaching subject. Maths teachers are so sought after. I now work at a Sixth Form College in London where I teach Maths, Politics and Economics at A-Level.”
“The biggest piece of advice I could offer to a participant about to start the Leadership Development Programme as a Maths teacher, would be to use the capabilities of the staff around you. They know all the misconceptions and they can help you develop, even with things like checking over your lesson plans."