We asked teachers from Chantry Middle School about their career choice and maybe it could inspire you.
Our first teacher was Miss Mackenzie, head of Year 7…
What inspired you to become a teacher? My own school teachers inspired me and when I got older, I realised that I can do that too.
Did you struggle with your degree? Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed my degree.
What do you enjoy most about your job? I love seeing a student get excited in lessons and the transformation of seeing the individuals grow not just in height but in confidence. When they do stuff like assembly, BBC News Reports and Student Council.
Mrs Young, a science teacher answered our questions…
Ā What was your favourite subject at school?Ā Obviously science. I quite enjoyed PE and Music too.
Ā Do you ever regret becoming a teacher?Ā No.
Doing your degree, did you ever had second thoughts? It was hard but I actually transferred university from Derby to Newcastle to be closer to home but I didn’t give up
We then went to our music teacher Mr Todd…
Are you enjoying Chantry? Yes.
What is it like teaching every class? Iām used to it because there is usually only one music teacher per school. It is stressful though.
What inspired you to become a teacher? I always loved music. I was a musician before I taught. My daughter inspired me because I realised I loved teaching her not just music but how to walk, talk and do everything she can do today. I also love it when students are like āI can’t do thisā and then I talk to them for a while and then they start to understand it.
We then talked to our Art teacher, Miss Rabey-Wilson…
Why did you become a teacher? I love art and I wanted others to love it too.
Do you do anything art related in your spare time? Yes, I am a professional artist hand have my own studio.
What were your degrees like? Very hard, I studied in London for 4 years and had to study the anatomy of dead bodies. Ā
Who inspires you as an artist? Hokusai because he creates beautifully balanced pieces
We had a chat with the Head of the PE department.
What did you want to be as a kid? A marine biologist.
How did you come to teaching? I started teaching late, I worked at my Dadās farm and as a rugby coach but I prefered teaching rugby so I thought why donāt I teach PE.
Were your degrees hard? Yes.
Our Languages teacher, Senora Said, we found out that she had quite high hopes…
Which do you prefer, Spanish or French? EspaƱol.
Why did you become a teacher? I initially wanted to do something to do with TV like acting. I loved languages as well and I thought, we donāt I put them together. Which came to teaching as I do a lot of songs and acting in my lessons.
Have you ever struggled as a teacher? Yes it was very hard to get back to the rhythm of it after my one year break.
Our final interview was with our Headmaster.
Do you enjoy being a Headteacher? Yes, I like being Head at Chantry especially after I saw how cultural it is in sign2sing.
Is the job stressful? No, I am quite relaxed. But no day is the same.
How come you became a Head Teacher? I wanted to have a bigger influence on the kids so being head was best.
Did you get a degree intending to be a Head Teacher or just a Teacher? Just a teacher, but as I said, as I progressed in my career I wanted a bigger influence on the children.
By Amy and April, Year 7
