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 WWLCSD, 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 WWLCSD. 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 WWLCSD 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 WWLCSD has transcended my training year and has prepared me for any new challenges that may arise.
From the beginning WWLCSD 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. WWLCSD 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 WWLCSD by my side for every step of the way.
