What it's like to be a ... secondary school teacher

This post is in our series What’s it like to be…, giving a glimpse into the realities of certain jobs. Ever wondered what someone who works in marketing actually does all day? What are the lesser-known qualities you need to work in finance? What unexpected surprises does being a teacher hold? This series is here to help answer these questions!

In this post we’re having a chat with Hollie, a Sixth Form Teacher.

What job do you do?

I am a teacher! I teach A-Level Psychology (sixth form, 16-18 year olds). I have been a teacher for 5 years, and I really love it!

How did you end up in that role?

My mum! She always thought I would make a great teacher, and she has this incredible talent of planting (psychological) seeds, and watching them grow! She would drop hints and make suggestions, send me articles about teaching and massage my ego by telling me how good I am with young people, and how creative I am! Well, I fell for it, hook, line and sinker, and applied to do my PGCE. You’d think, being a psychologist, that I would be better able to resist such flattery and manipulation!

But on a serious note, my degree was in Psychology and I really passionately love the subject, so inspiring the minds of young people, and helping them fall in love with Psychology too, was a no-brainer. I completed my PGCE age 29, having sufficiently experienced the world; travel, office job in London, festivals and fun, it was time to invest myself in something more meaningful.

What's your general working day like?

I arrive at school super early as I am more efficient in the morning. Annoyingly, I have a friendly face and a permanent smile, and often the cleaners and caretaker spend ages chatting away to me, I’m too polite to tell them I’m busy, so I end up spending a lot of my early morning in conversation! We have assembly/ staff briefing/ form time at 8.30 and then lessons begin.

I pride myself on delivering ‘fun’ and ‘engaging’ lessons (although I hate those adjectives!) Some of my favourite lessons have included building neurons out of sweets, making pill boxes to describe drug treatments, role playing relationship breakdown and infant-baby attachments, sampling using smarties, correlations using chocolate and shower cap brains!

We squeeze in a break-time, lunch-time and Psychology Club, tea and lunch in the staff room, meetings after school, endless banter with the students and there is rarely time for anything else. But of course, there is always marking and planning to be done! The school day is a manic one, but I thrive on the fast pace, I love the unpredictability of each day, and I really love the interactions with all of the students I teach. That really is what makes my job special and amazing.

Is there anything you do in your job that you never expected you'd be doing?

When a cohort leaves me at the end of two years, I make amusing leavers cards with psychology memes, the kind of ‘dad’ jokes that only a psychologist would understand! I make psychology keyrings, I fill little bags with sweets and token gifts with a little card to explain each gift (like an eraser, because we all make mistakes along the way, but it is OK to go back and fix them and learn from them!)

What I’m trying to say is, before becoming a teacher, I didn’t realise how completely invested I would become in every individual I teach, how much I would be rooting for them, supporting them, wanting their success and feeling their exam nerves with them! I didn’t realise how fond I would become of my classes, and how I’d miss them when they left. That was the unexpected for me.

I also didn’t expect to become an emotional wreck every time a student thanked me for inspiring them, for being the best teacher they ever had, for making them fall in love with Psychology and want to study it at university and beyond… the little messages left on my whiteboard, in cards and in emails. I have kept them all! Little reminders, if I’m having a bad day, of why I do what I do, and why I love what I do!

Is there anything you thought you'd be doing but you don't?

Telling students off! It’s not really in my nature, and I was worried I would be terrible at it! But luckily, I really haven’t ever had to. Perhaps because I only teach sixth form? Perhaps because they have chosen my subject and haven’t been forced into it? I’m not sure why it is, but I hope I don’t have to do any telling off any time soon!

Are there any qualities that you didn't realise you'd need for this job?

Sheer determination, resilience and grit. My first year of teaching was hard. The planning, the marking, the nerves. Teaching a second subject I had never studied, having very little support. I was extremely stressed, and was working 17-hour days, and only now can I look back and admire myself for persevering and sticking with it. Not every teacher has this same experience, but I put myself under a lot of pressure. Nothing has ever felt as good as my first results day though!

Any words of wisdom for someone thinking of becoming a teacher?

Do it! It’s so rewarding, it’s such fun, it’s just brilliant!

Every year gets easier. The first year can feel like hell, but every year gets easier and better. Once you have planned all your lessons and you have absolute confidence in the specification and exam skills, you can really enjoy teaching.

Get some life experience first! Teaching is hard work! Also, you don’t want to find yourself at the same pub or festival as your students, so get that out of your system first! The students love to hear about the countries I have been to and the festivals and bands I have enjoyed, it makes you human and relatable.

Teach something you truly love – they know! They can spot a ‘fake’ a mile off, but love the teachers who love their subject!

Oh, and of course, the holidays are GREAT!

What do transferable skills look like in 2020?

Ah, our old friend ‘transferable skills’. We’ve heard this phrase so often it can come to feel redundant. But for a world that no longer offers lifetime job security (it could even feel right now like there’s no kind of job security on offer), we need to think deeply about what skills we bring to the table outside of those covered by our degrees or other training. What are the abilities we carry with us, from place to place, that will never be out-of-date or thrown in the shade by someone else’s higher formal qualifications?

Whilst there are some transferable skills which are eternally desirable – good communication abilities, teamwork and collaboration, emotional intelligence – we’ve picked out a few that feel particularly relevant to our world right now, this world of rapid change and shifting certainties.

Flexibility 

Coronavirus has completely upended so much of our working lives in recent months but in doing so it has triggered a phenomenal amount of adaptation. Employers who once said working from home wasn't viable are now seeing their entire workforces do just that. Dining tables, sofas and even beds are standing in for desks. Restaurants have repackaged themselves as shops and takeaways. Dating now looks like a socially distanced walk in the park. Even seemingly old and fixed ways of doing things have managed to evolve – churches are now reaching their congregations through Zoom, and in some places have seen those congregations swell as a result. 

Organisations and individuals that come out of this strongest will be those who have exhibited the most flexibility, able to adapt to changing circumstances. As the world faces an uncertain future, this ability to adapt will be a highly sought-after quality at all levels.

Understanding technology 

Staying up-to-date with technology is now non-negotiable if you want to succeed. How many organisations can you think of that don't have a web presence? But it goes beyond the internet now; as technology offers us new ways to experience the world, monitors (and thereby theoretically protects) our physical bodies, continues to change the nature of communication, and throws up a huge range of personal and global security risks, we need to be informed in order to be able to respond. Don't drive the car without at least checking what's under the bonnet...

Creativity 

As repetitive and process-based work is increasingly taken over by computers, firms will look to humans to provide the innovations that robots cannot. Creativity doesn't mean arts and crafts here – we're talking about creative thinking: coming up with new initiatives, helping to grow other people's ideas, spotting the unexpected way out of a problem. In other words, thinking outside of the box!

Critical thinking 

As we are constantly assailed by an avalanche of information, it has become vital that we're able to spot the actually useful or truthful elements. Organisations need staff who can sift the wheat from the chaff – whether that's sorting the desirable candidates from the blaggers in a recruitment drive, spotting trends within the whirlwind of social media, or simply being able to make sense of reams of data – and use their knowledge to make sound, informed decisions.

In the era of fake news it's also essential that we don't blindly accept the information coming our way but examine it dispassionately, putting aside our own biases to identify fact from fiction. 

Cultural sensitivity

It's easy as women to focus on issues of sexism in the workplace but we need to be supportive of other typically marginalised groups, working together to ensure that our teams and work spaces are as inclusive as possible. Educate yourself about the challenges under-represented groups face in your industry and our wider society – by following people from those groups online, listening to podcast discussions, reading books and above all, listening to your colleagues. 

Continuous learning

American businessman Alvin Toffler once said, 'The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.' This ties in with adaptability, and staying up-to-date with technology and cultural sensitivity, but it doesn't just mean staying informed about the world – it means challenging yourself to take on board new things, ultimately keeping yourself mentally agile. 

Your personal brand

Millennials and Gen Z-ers expect to move jobs regularly throughout our working lives. For these generations, there's no automatic respect, wealth or security for simply staying put for decades. Your personal brand, as you move from place to place, is what will bring you those things. Professionalism in the form of punctuality, smart self-presentation, honesty and courtesy to others will never fail to win points.

But it now needs to go beyond your immediate physical presence; check who you are online as well. Maybe ask a friend or family member to take a cold look at your social media and see if anything you’ve posted is frankly not painting you in the best light. We’re not talking about deleting every picture of you on a night out but simply making sure no ill-advised Twitter rants or potentially offensive jokes are lurking, just waiting for your future employer to see them, and therefore you, in the worst possible light.

Don’t underestimate the power of transferable skills – make a list of yours, and feel empowered by the fact that what truly makes you of value to an organisation is way more than what’s written on your CV!

Top TED talks to inspire and motivate!

Feeling in a slump? We’ve been in lockdown for almost two months now and it can be hard to keep motivated and inspired.  With traditional methods of inspiration-seeking off the cards (no gallery visits or long walks in nature at the moment!), we’ve been watching some great TED talks to get the cogs going again:

The 3 As of Awesome, Neil Pasricha

In this talk, Neil Pasricha shares his personal story and the difficulties he faced that led him to start his website 1000 Awesome Things. If you’re feeling at a loss or unsure how to get over the negativity surrounding us all at the moment, this is a great talk to watch. 

Teach girls bravery, not perfection, Reshma Saujani 

The quest for perfection is something that can deter us from even trying in the first place. In this talk, Reshma Saujani explains the need to unleash ourselves from this pursuit for perfection that’s put on girls from childhood. 

How to gain control of your free time, Laura Vanderkam

Far from a trite ‘how to find an extra hour in your day’ talk, Laura Vanderkam gives an insightful and funny look at managing your time effectively, with some home truths along the way. 

Why do ambitious women have flat heads?, Dame Stephanie Shirley

A truly wonderful, inspirational, funny and motivational talk. Dame Stephanie Shirley founded a female-run tech start-up in the 60s, and speaks about the glass ceiling she shattered, the expectations she overcame…and why ambitious women have flat heads and big feet!  

Fashion and creativity, Isaac Mizrahi

Inspiration doesn’t always come from the most obvious places, and Isaac Mizrahi takes us on a wonderful journey through his creative process. 

How to find work you love, Scott Dinsmore

Advice to ignore and advice to take forward to pursuing work that matters to you. Scott Dinsmore brings energy and enthusiasm to this talk that will get you asking yourself some big career questions. 

What I learned from 100 days of rejection, Jia Jiang

A laugh-out-loud look at rejection, and how you can turn it to your advantage. 

Why we ignore obvious problems – and how to act on them, Michele Wucker 

The scale of the current situation we’re all in can cause a feeling of helplessness, and this can lead to inaction. Michele Wucker talks about how we can predict problems by facing them head on, and how to tackle the challenges life throws our way. 

And if you’re pushed for time, here are some fewer-than-five-minutes talks to squeeze in!

How to start a movement, Derek Sivers

This is the side hustle revolution, Nicaila Matthews

How to make faster decisions, Patrick McGinnis

Should you live for your resume…or your eulogy? David Brooks

Things I’ve learned in my life so far, Stefan Sagmeister