Megan McCarthy - Primary SCITT Trainee
“My favourite aspect of the course is the community aspect of the SCITT.”
Our primary trainee Megan McCarthy gives her best advice for teacher training below.
Have you always wanted to become a teacher? What made you decide you wanted to get into teaching?
I have always wanted to be a teacher from a young age. I was that child that put my teddies out in my room and did fake registers and delivered little PowerPoint lessons to them. I’m sure it annoyed my parents when I told them to get out of my classroom and probably wound my older brother up when he had homework to do from school and I was there using the family computer, but it made me happy.
When I was in primary school I was made to feel so supported and was genuinely excited to be in school. I wanted to do my best and excel in everything I did, and the teachers helped with that. My area is not affluent and academic success rates aren’t our strongest suit, yet teachers always told me I could be whoever I wanted to be and I always replied, “I want to be like you”. I went to university and studied an undergraduate degree in English Language and Linguistics, which included a module in child language acquisition and allowed me to study speech impediments. Learning about language within the perspective of children solidified even more that my career path was leading me to work with children.
I am incredibly lucky to have the most amazing niece and nephew, both of which are of age to be in a primary school. Seeing them have the same excitement as I did, talking about their teachers in such a positive light, showed me that it isn’t the place that makes the school, but the people in it. The teachers champion every child and nurture them to be successful, and that’s who I want to be to a class of my own.
What responsibilities/tasks have you taken on so far in your training?
From the first week I was taking on responsibilities within the classroom such as registers, transitions and reading stories. This allowed the class to see me as another teacher and not just someone who was visiting the classroom. It also got the children excited for me to start my lessons and I was constantly asked, “when are you teaching again”.
So far, I have helped support trips for not only the class I am training with, but other classes within school, assisted assessments and worked one-to-one with children with SEND. This has been alongside the amount of lessons I have been teaching gradually increasing to allow me to become a prominent figure at the front of the classroom. Looking forward, I have started teaching phonics and will be gaining my own Read Write Inc group in the coming weeks, which I am really looking forward to.
How was your interview process?
My interview process was a little different for me as it was my first and only in-person interview due to COVID. I also applied quite late and my interview was on the second to last day before the summer holidays which made me quite apprehensive about it. However, there was no real reason to worry. From the moment I got the phone call saying I was invited to an interview, to the moment I was being offered a place (straight after the interview, eliminating the stress of waiting, which was nice), the entire process was easy and the staff were so warm and welcoming. The interview process included a little 10-minute lesson in front of class which got me involved straight away, which I loved and I felt at ease the entire time.
Favourite aspects of the course so far?
My favourite aspect of the course is the community aspect of the SCITT. I have got to know some lovely expert teachers and mentors, both through hub days and my placement schools, and have gained some really beneficial knowledge from these. If I have an issue, I know there is support there for me and I can go to them for any help I need. On top of this, the fellow trainees are wonderful. Everyone has their own little groups, and personally I have made some amazing friends, but the group on a whole are friendly and supportive to one and other. We are all having similar experiences and can communicate this with each other so nobody feels like they are going through something alone.
How do you find the hub days? Is there anything in particular you enjoy?
The hub days are really nice as it can break down a tough week or even just give you a little break. As mentioned before, my SCITT cohort are lovely and the hub days give us the opportunity to talk to other people who understand what we are going through, and you can see how everyone else is doing too. Little close groups have formed, yet the whole group have the time for everyone. Our hub days are mostly on a Tuesday afternoon so it’s really nice to be able to implement what we have learned that week straight into our classrooms.
It’s also nice to know that the people leading the hub sessions know us. Even if we haven’t worked with them in one of our placement schools or they aren’t our lead mentor, they know who we are and will talk to us to see how we are doing; generally, just supporting us in any way they can. This makes the hub days that little bit more important as we know we can easily have that chat if we need to, as often the staff will stay behind after the sessions to answer any questions or talk to you about any issues.
What were you most nervous about when joining the Sheffield SCITT?
What wasn’t I nervous about? I met my mentor during the Summer holidays and had a look around my placement school which was nice, but that felt a world away from going in when the class would all be there. I think I was most nervous for how the students would perceive me and what sort of teacher would I become to them.
How do you balance your training/work with your day to day life outside of teaching?
I won’t lie and say it is always easy and sometimes feel harder than others but I’ve learned and feel I have gained a way to maintain a good work/life balance. I am still close with friends I made in secondary school and we still see each other as often as we can, and I meet my deadlines for work and training alongside that.
The hardest part for me was when our PGCE was due, balancing school work, with university work and also making sure I had time for myself was a tricky road however I found ways to make sure work was spread out through the week. I just try and get as much of my work done in school, such as when I have PPA, so I can leave school work at school. It is nice, however, that through SCITT I have made a group of friends that I meet up with and constantly chat to (bad day at school, stressful workload, or even just people to chat to about anything) so even in my day to day life there are elements of my teaching life woven in.
Best piece of advice for anyone hesitant about training to teach with the Sheffield SCITT?
My best piece of advice for anyone hesitant about training to teach with Sheffield SCITT is get involved. You could watch/go to one of the open events and look at the social media if you aren’t sure. I know for the primary course there is a virtual open event video that you can watch on the website, which is what I initially did when applying. When looking at universities for undergraduate you are told to go to as many open days and university visits as possible to find the place that is best for you to study, and teacher training is no different. You need to learn about where you are going to study and how it will work, for you to be confident that the programme will be the right path for you to be successful. Once on the course, take every opportunity as it comes. The course helps you in so many ways, if you’re involved, the benefits will be substantial.
What are you most looking forward to in your teaching career?
In my teaching career, I am most looking forward to having a class of my own and getting to know each individual. The two classes I have trained with hold a special place with me, each individual has their own personality and I have got to know some wonderful children so to have my own class with their own characters, is something I really look forward to.