BSc Medicinal Chemistry (2016, 2:1), University of Leeds.
RSC scholar 2016/2017.
PGCE, secondary chemistry, University of Manchester.
I’m a chemistry teacher. One that received D and E grades in chemistry 8 years ago. Thankfully, 7 years ago I had a teacher who spent countless hours after school with just me. I had to resit my science exams and needed to turn things round quickly. Her name was Miss Rogers. I got the GCSE’s required to go to sixth form. I then got the A-Levels required to go to university.
I remember emailing Miss Rogers on the good news. Her reply was: “You’re a star. I’m so proud of you. Keep working hard and never give up”.
As I approached graduating from Leeds, I applied for the RSC teacher training scholarship not hoping for much. When I was invited to attend an interview day I remember feeling so out of my depth. Everyone seemed to be joining teaching from industry or had much more experience than myself. I remember talking as passionately as I could about why I wanted to become a teacher, describing how Miss Rogers spent hour after hour helping me achieve what I could.
I received the scholarship and along with the money and amazing resources (all of which are incredibly useful), I found that the mentor I received (Kristy Turner), was much more useful than any of that. Kristy helped me so much throughout my training, with my first job interview and also continues to help me now. If for nothing else, the RSC scholarship provides you with an amazing mentor that is an expert in the field and also someone who will help you when you feel things are tough.
I never thought being a teacher would be so much fun. I love how I am able to share my life and experiences with so many amazing young people in my community. I also love how the pupils share their life and experiences with me. I find it a privilege to teach a subject I have a genuine passion for – more so now than I ever did. None of this would have been possible without Miss Rogers, who made the difference. I often remind myself of Miss Rogers whenever I’m feeling a bit tired at school. She reminds me that teachers do make a difference.
Miss Rogers ended her email with: “Knowing how successful you are makes my job and efforts worthwhile”. There are not many jobs that you can say that.
