A bit about Katie M

I am a 25 year old trainee teacher from Northern Ireland who is passionate about learning! I am friendly and helpful and will support your education to the best of my ability. I have a degree in English and a masters in Marketing and I will be a qualified teacher in July. Looking forward to meeting you all! I specialise in primary education, in particular English and mathematics. My degree in English means I have a deep understanding of English and feel confident to teach up to GCSE. I have experience teaching English in Thailand and in a range of schools across the UK. I have lots of experience planning lesson when I was in Thailand and during my PGCE. I really enjoy planning fun, engaging lessons so that the learners can enjoy the learning process as well as achieving a deeper understanding. I usually begin with some questions, and maybe a fun warm up game which leads into my input and lastly I plan an activity which demonstrates your learning. My first experience of teaching was in Thailand four years ago and ever since then i have fallen in love with education and I have a passion for learning. I decided to become a primary school teacher last January and it has been the best decision of my life. I hope to pass on my enthusiasm to my students. I love English as it allows creativity to flow naturally, and allows students to broaden their thinking and develop their imaginations. I am proud to pass on my love for literature to a new generation and allow them to read for pleasure outside of the school environment. I want to inspire my students to be independent, critical thinkers. My teaching style is very inclusive, fun, engaging and calm. It is important to me that my students feel safe and feel that they can contribute in a non- judgemental atmosphere. I want learning to be fun, but it is also important that my students work hard. I have high expectations for my students. I love when one of my students have an 'aha' moment and the lesson objective clicks in their mind. It is a very rewarding moment for me as an educator to see a student gain confidence in my subject. My learning environment is always a safe, friendly, caring environment where students are encouraged to speak their minds in a non- judgemental atmosphere. I want to enable my students to blossom and grow in a positive space. My students enjoy my fun and engaging lessons which incorporate different styles of learning and allow them to learn in different ways. I am passionate that education should be a positive experience which students will take into the rest of their lives. My greatest success has been when I taught an SEND pupil and the progress they made was immense. They were learning their two times tables and I used concrete resources to aid their learning. They went from barely being able to count in their twos, to remembering their two times tables off my heart and having a deep understanding of the process of multiplication. I have a BA Hons in English (2:1) and a MSc in Marketing (commendation). I also have a 120 hours certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. I am currently completing a PGCE and I will achieve Qualified Teacher Status in July. I was inspired to become a teacher because I have a fundamental passion for learning. I want to pass on my love for education onto the next generations. I also want my students to have a better experience of school than I had. That is why I am so adamant that learning should be a positive, fun experience. I love to cook and bake outside of the classroom- but not when I'm under pressure! I enjoy reading and I try to read a full book each month. I am an avid jewellery designer and maker using clay. I am learning to be a primary school teacher, but due to my degree in English I feel confident to teach English up to GCSE. I have experience using the CCEA exam board.