BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW… PRIORY STUDENT TEACHER INTERVIEW

Ruby To Sian

What inspired you to be a teacher?

I’d actually never considered teaching until I went to a talk in my third year of Uni from the charity TeachFirst. The woman who gave the talk was a teacher in an inner city Birmingham school and she was so passionate about educational disadvantage; I knew I wanted to give teaching a try.

If you weren’t a teacher, what would you be?

Before moving to Portsmouth to start teaching I lived and worked in a ski resort in Austria. The honest answer is that if I hadn’t come back to start teaching at Priory I’d be teaching kids to ski!

What’s the best part of your job?

The students! Every single day a student makes me laugh. I get to teach over 100 students every day – that never gets boring!

Who are your heroes?

I’m a bit like you Ruby that I don’t tend to look up to a single person. However a recent hero of mine is Brittany Wagner from the Netflix documentary Last Chance U. I think of her patience and understanding every time a student turns up to my class without a pen!

Why did you choose to teach at Priory?

When you are accepted onto the TeachFirst graduate scheme you can be placed at any school anywhere in the country. I was placed at Priory having never even been to Portsmouth before! I have however chosen to stay - I loved Priory from the very first day and I’m proud to still be at my placement school 4 years later.

Tell me a little about a teacher that inspired you?

My A-level English teacher Mr Latham. I don’t think he ever made a powerpoint or printed a resource but it didn’t matter - he was the most incredibly knowledgeable man and he made me fall in love with literature. Both of my brothers and my husband were taught by him as well and they all adored him too. When a teacher is that passionate about what they are teaching you can’t help but love their lessons.

What is one exciting teaching method you use?

I’m really passionate about revision and when students come to my classes they know they are going to be grilled on their knowledge from the lessons days, weeks and months before. This is exciting to me because you can see students growing in confidence with the more tangible knowledge they have but I don’t think it’s exciting for them!

What are your thoughts on education today?

The attainment gap for disadvantaged students in the UK is too big. Recent estimates think it won’t close until at least 2070. It’s frustrating to think that some students may achieve up to two whole grades less and are half as likely to go to university than their more advantaged peers. I’ve seen incredible students break this cycle but unfortunately they are the exception – I’d love attainment to be completely independent of socio-economic status but sadly this is not yet the case.

Sian To Ruby

Tell me about yourself in 30 seconds.

I’m 14 years old and in Year 10 at Priory school. At school the subjects I enjoy the most are geography and Maths. Outside of school I play in goal for Southampton Academy. I train with them three times a week and play matches at the weekend.

What are your strengths?

Probably being confident in my thoughts and myself. I have conviction in my opinions. Also, through football I’ve learnt the importance of commitment and dedication - even when things are challenging!

What are your weaknesses?

I can undersell myself and I’m self-critical. Recognising my strengths is difficult but I could easily list hundreds of weaknesses. I have high expectations so when I reflect I tend to focus on the negatives. Whether it’s football or school I focus more on the shots I didn’t save and the marks I didn’t get.

Give one example of something you enjoy, respect or have achieved at Priory?

Definitely Bronze D of E! I really enjoyed every part of it and I’m definitely going to go on to complete my Silver. The skill part was probably the most difficult and fitting the volunteering into my busy week was a challenge but it was so worth it. The expeditions were the highlight.

What or whom inspires you?

I’ve never really been the sort of person to look up to anyone in particular – I don’t have heroes. I’m more inspired by experiences. What inspires me is the opportunity to experience different things.

What are you plans for the future after leaving school?

I plan to study Biology, Geography and Psychology at college with the long-term plan of going to University. I’m not sure where I will go yet but I’m keen to move out and experience a new city. My brother is looking at universities, so I am gaining a lot of knowledge through him.

What is your favourite line from a film/song/book?

I’m currently obsessed with watching the Greatest Showman and I love P.T. Barnum’s quote “no one ever made a difference being like everyone else”. What’s the point of everyone being the same - my friends and I are different and I think that’s a really great thing

What one thing would you change about School life?

If I could change one thing I think it would be to never have split classes. I like having a consistent teacher for every subject and I think going back and forth between different teachers can sometimes throw the class of balance. Especially in Year 10 and 11 the relationship with your teacher is so important so I personally prefer one teacher per subject.