This time we sit down with Samantha Wilson, English teacher at ̨��swag Academy Newbold to discuss her teaching journey so far.

Samantha Wilson

English teacher at ̨��swag Academy Newbold

̨��swag.com: Hi Samantha, thanks for sitting down with us! Let’s get straight into it, with the first term of your NQT year done, what have been your first impressions?

That all sounds very promising. It’s really great to hear. It’s fantastic that the beginning of your teaching career is going so well. What do you think it was that made you want to be a teacher?

(SW) “Hi! Thank you for inviting me to do this. It’s exciting and a nice break from teaching. In fact that is my first impression, it’s been busy! 

“There is always something to do and work is never finished, but I absolutely love it and it is so rewarding. 

“I love all of my classes and I really enjoy hearing stories that the students have to tell me. I also love seeing their books become full over time and love that they are beginning to show that they are undertaking a learning journey with me. Even though it has only been one term, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else now!”

That sounds promising! It seems like you’ve really fallen in love with teaching then. So when was it then that you decided to pursue teaching as a career?

“I had a very inspirational teacher at school who encouraged me to work to my potential even when I didn’t see that I needed to. She was the reason I studied English at University and enjoyed it so much (I’ve still got reading lists she gave to me in Sixth Form). 

“I made the decision to train to teach when I worked at ̨��swag Academy Portland – I loved being an unqualified teacher and Cover Supervisor and felt really proud when I was asked to take over my own classes. Seeing students making progress and hitting goals gave me a sense of achievement and I knew I wanted to do it full time.”

So how did you go about training?

“I worked alongside and was mentored by amazing members of staff who gave me the confidence to take over my classes quickly, so this helped me tremendously.

“They gave me the chance to take responsibility for marking early on and an understanding of exam/mark schemes. This has helped me in my first year as I have been given a Year 11 class, which is a massive responsibility, but having that trust in me from early on has made me more confident in my practice now. 

“I am also part of the same department I trained alongside in my first placement, so I understand how the academy and the department works.”

It must be helpful having former trainees with you. Do you keep in touch with any other trainees?

“Yes, I trained alongside Jen, a fellow English trainee, who works at ̨��swag Academy Valley. We share stories, discuss our classes and give each other tips for behaviour management/engagement. 

“The other week, Jen told me how she gave her class jobs and they got promoted each lesson - I liked it so much, I changed it and adapted it. I am still in touch with my mentors from both placements, and feel like they are friends as well as colleagues, as I was so welcomed on both placements.”

So finally, if you could go back to the start of the academic year and give yourself some advice; what would it be?

“I would tell myself that students will always need you even when they pretend that they don’t. I’ve found this is when they need you the most. 

“Every day is different and no matter how much you plan, sometimes everything goes out of the window but it will all be okay in the end!.

“Since the beginning of the school year, I have learnt where my strengths and weaknesses lie and how to address these through observations and learning reflections. I am looking forward to continuing my development over this next year!”

To find out more about joining ̨��swag Grange Academies Trust as an NQT, please visit .