Helping pupils aim higher: Elizabeth’s journey into the science classroom

I grew up in Wakefield in West Yorkshire, before moving to Scotland to go to the University of Saint Andrews. I studied materials chemistry, but I didn't want to go into research, and I was toying around with different ideas of what I could do as a career.

A calling beyond the lab

I spoke to Teach First at one of the careers fairs and remember thinking that it was what I wanted to do.

I really liked the mission, the programme and what Teach First stands for. That resonated with me.

One of my friends had gone through the Teach First programme and  she told me how she was really enjoying it and found it really fulfilling. So I applied and got in.

I was in the Autumn Institute and met one of my good friends there. It was a good opportunity to form relationships and meet new people. I met another trainee who was working at a school in the same trust as me.

Finding community in a new place

As part of my Teach First journey, I‘ve relocated from West Yorkshire to North Lincolnshire, which was slightly unexpected. But the transition hasn't been too difficult because I’ve met people through Teach First who were in the same position or have also relocated to the area. And we've formed a close bond.

I'd never been to Lincolnshire before.

When I was asked to relocate, I was a bit anxious at first but, honestly, it’s been fine.

I've had a lot of support from the school. Teach First keeps checking in to see if I'm okay. It was unexpected but a good surprise.

Opening doors to higher education

Compared to the rest of the UK my school is in quite a disadvantaged area. There is a lack of progression to higher education and a culture of following in your family’s footsteps here. The communities are close-knit and there's a lot of industry that doesn't require A-levels or going to university. A lot of people take the apprenticeship route.

In a lot of cases, university wouldn't be considered.

Whereas in my school, we encourage people to take A-levels if that's what may be best for them, and not to close that path off.

For a lot of pupils, even though they might be capable of doing it, they either don't feel like they can or, because they might be the first in their family to go down that route, it might feel a bit alien to them.

There is a lot of emphasis on bringing careers and higher education into school life and making that the norm. At the beginning of every lesson, we have a career focus, which links to what we're learning that day. We want to really open their eyes to all the different opportunities that they could have.

Exploring science careers in the classroom

In Year 9 chemistry we’ve been learning a lot about pollution and the environment. So linking that to careers, we've been talking about environmental scientists and environmental policy, and civil service or consultancy jobs.

Settling into teaching

When I first applied for Teach First, I applied for maths, because whenever I'd imagined myself teaching, I hadn't imagined doing the practicals and being hands on.

But then I was given science, which makes sense having done my master's degree in science.

Now I've settled into being a science teacher, I realise there was no need for me to be anxious about it.

It's just part of the day-to-day activities in school. A lot of transferable skills are taught in the science classroom - problem solving, analysis, being able to observe and reflect on what you've seen.  It's a complex topic and many things that you learn in science can be applied to other subjects.

That's why I believe that science is so important. You’re learning how the world works, but there are so many different skills that you learn.

Proud moments

One moment that sticks in my mind is with a pupil who has had behavioural problems in the past. He saw me joining after half term as an opportunity to reset because I hadn't met him before. And he was as good as gold in my lessons, consistently getting ‘learner of the lesson’.

He was anxious about parents evening because I wasn't the one taking the parents evening. So I spoke to his other teacher and said that he'd been working really hard. 

And the day after, he thanked me and said that his mum was proud of him for working hard in my lessons. That was a nice moment.

Looking ahead

I‘m looking forward to getting to know my pupils better as the school year goes on. This term has felt slightly hectic because I've met a lot of pupils, but not unmanageable. I’m excited to continue to build that positive classroom environment.

If you’re starting out on your teacher training journey, I would say to go in with an open mind. I was given a different subject. I moved to another area. But once I knew what was going to happen, everything settled down. You just need to trust the process and go with the flow.

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