This time we sit down with Sheik Begum, English teacher at ̨��swag Academy Foxhills to discuss her incredible journey so far and what life was like growing up.

Sheik Begum

English NQT at ̨��swag Academy Foxhills

[̨��swag.com] Hi Sheik, 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?

SB: “Hello to you too, and thank you for asking me to take part! I have absolutely loved this first term. It has been such an incredible experience. I have grown so much as a person and as a teacher from my experiences. 

“I feel it is an absolute privilege to be working with the students I teach and also with the colleagues I have. I feel confident in my ability and this is constantly growing. 

“I have found SLT to be very encouraging and supportive and I feel like I am valued at this academy. I have not felt as stressed as I was expecting to feel but I have been trying to be organised so that I can still have a healthy home life with my family and I think this has helped so much.”

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?

“Growing up, I did not have support or encouragement to aspire to push myself or to even dream about having a career – neither at school nor at home. 

“My parents were from a small village in Bangladesh so they did not really have an understanding of how important education was, particularly for girls. The common ideology at the time was that girls got married and their husband supported them so girls did not need to be educated highly or have a career. 

“It was not until I had my own children that I realised how important it was for children to have a positive role model and for them to have someone tell them that they can achieve whatever they put their mind to. 

“So, I went back to university and did my degrees and training. I want to be that person for the students that I teach. I want to inspire students to do well and do their best so they do not have regrets later in life.”

That all sounds really inspiring. What a journey you’ve been on. So how did you get to this point, where did you train to teach?

“I trained with the ̨��swag Institute of Education (OIE), and my placements were at ̨��swag Academy Brumby and ̨��swag Academy Foxhills, where I am right now!

“My training was invaluable to me as it set me up completely for my NQT year. My mentors were both absolutely fantastic and they supported me and helped me develop my skills whilst I was training. 

“I found out a lot of things that did work with students and many things that did not but I think the most important thing I learned was that I was a competent teacher. 

“When I had moments that I did not believe in myself, they believed in me and pushed me to be better. This is something I try to do now. I am much more reflective by nature and this helps with the way I handle myself and my students.”

Are you still in touch with your mentors or any of the former trainees you learnt with?

“Yes, we have a Whatsapp group that we all share thoughts/tips/advice/frustrations on. We became a close group so we all keep in touch. I made some really good friends that were fellow trainees to begin with. We all see each other at training events too which is really nice. 

“Emma Tate (Associate Director at OIE) was absolutely amazing during my training year and was always there for us when we needed a chat or help with anything. It is nice to catch up when we meet at training events.”

It does sound like you all formed a strong, close bond. So, if you had to sum up what you’ve learned from your first term, what would it be?

“I have learned to be confident in myself and to make sure that I am prepared for everything. I have got a structure in place with my lesson planning so I am not wasting time and I have a system to make sure all my books are marked every week so I do not have to take more than one set of books home at a weekend.”

To find out more about joining the ̨��swag Family as an NQT, please visit .