I have always had a love for Maths, starting from primary school and throughout my time in education. I believe the subject is so valuable to personal development and after spending time working as a residential support worker and helping to support young people in their everyday lives, I realised that I wanted to support young people in Mathematics and become a teacher. I took a lot of time to decide who I wanted to study my PGCE with and I chose the Preston PSA due to how friendly, approachable, and organised they were during the application and interview process.
I think that Preston PSA is a great journey to take when completing your teacher training, especially if you want to get involved in the classroom setting straight away. I know that being thrust into the classroom from the beginning can seem and will probably feel quite daunting, however in doing this you will really see the benefits and ways in which you can develop your own teaching, as well as helping you to become a reflective teacher which is incredibly fundamental in the process of becoming a good teacher. Preston PSA supported me throughout this and was always there when I needed support or assistance with anything to do with classroom or school related.
Away from the classroom, our conference days that we took part in throughout the course were very insightful and enjoyable, allowing trainees to meet and hear from teachers that had a plethora of knowledge and experience, and being able to listen to their advice and ask questions was really impactful in my development as a teacher. The conference days have various different subject matters that all apply to you as a teacher, such as behaviour/ classroom management, feedback, assessment, numeracy, literacy, pastoral, mock interviews, and letter writing, which are all important aspects of teaching to learn and be aware of before becoming a teacher.
Throughout my time with the Preston PSA, I have met so many people that have informed my teaching and helped me to develop, whether that be senior leaders of different schools, pastoral/ safeguarding leads, subject teachers and other trainees which I think is so important, as sharing experiences and knowledge is massively important. If anyone wants to become a teacher and wants an alliance that is professional, organised, friendly and approachable then I would highly recommend Preston PSA! I would not have my current teaching position for September 2024 without them.
