Kate Williams
1. Tell us a little about your current job. What do you enjoy most?
I am an Early Years/Primary teacher in a hospital school, I teach children on a one-to-one basis on the wards because they are unable to attend the school room itself for various reasons. I enjoy all aspects of my job but the most rewarding part is watching children enjoy school and learn; despite their circumstances. Most families engage with the normal routine of school being valued and being important in their child’s life, which is a great way they can stay positive about their child’s situation and future.
2. I see you have come some way from doing the MTeach. What would you say are the key things about the MTeach that have stayed with you?
My current role consists of constant reflection; how a pupil reacted and how I adjusted my approach. I think the reflective practises I participated in during MTeach have helped with this. I took a module about children’s rights during my MTeach and this is something that has stayed with me and helps me with my current role. Valuing children’s choices and quality of life in the present, rather than always thinking about their childhood being an investment towards their adulthood, is something that is pertinent in my current role and helps me stay focused.
3. What did your dissertation/ practice based enquiry (RPBE or PBE) explore? What did you find out and how did it influence you?
I researched the impact that Primary school homework has on children and families. I found out that the Jury is very much out on whether or not it benefits children and that it can even widen the achievement gap between children due to their differing circumstances. It influenced me in terms of having the confidence to challenge the perceived ‘norm’. I excused my own children from Primary school homework from then on and wrote to their school to inform them why I had made that decision. In terms of my role now, I explain to parents that keeping a child’s love of learning alive during their time in hospital is paramount. I manage their expectations of what their child can achieve during their hospital stay as they only receive one hour of school a day and can be unwell. I reassure parents that children are resilient and can usually catch up easily.
4. How was the MTeach work different from School or other professional development courses (e.g. INSET)?
The MTeach concentrates on your experiences as a teacher and how we can reflect on and improve our practice. To me it seemed very personal and transferable between settings whereas other training has been more focused on a specific school or setting. It also gave me a sense of personal achievement to complete a Masters qualification which will remain with me.
5. The MTeach is for teachers only, it often uses the sharing of participants classroom experiences/practice as a starting point, how did this work for you?
During the beginning of my MTeach course I was in mainstream school and I found this aspect very useful. Especially as the school I was working in was going through a challenging time. It helped me to hear about other schools and to know that things are very different in other settings. Schools can become very isolating and I think it is good for us to view ourselves as belonging to a wider profession of colleagues.
6. What is your next career move?
To be honest I am very happy with my current role. I see my colleagues move up the ladder and that their face to face interaction and relationships with pupils often reduces and changes. At this stage in my life I am not looking to increase my responsibilities but would rather enjoy the position I hold and do the best job I can do.