“Primary School teaching is the career for me!” Rachel O’Mahoney
Most teenagers run at the thought of work and I’m no different. As my mother would say, if there was work in my bed I’d sleep on the floor. After my week of work experience my opinion of work was completely reformed. Let’s face the facts. Work is a drag, but it doesn’t have to be. Work can be very rewarding and fulfilling if you’re in a career you love.
As I paced through the gates of my old primary school I got a sudden sense of déjà vu. I could recall when I used to walk across the yard, lunch box in hand, recalling the homework of the night before in my head hoping I had not forgotten to do any of it. I was quickly swept back to reality when my principal set me to work with the senior infants.
_
_
As I entered the noise filled room, I could feel thirty curious faces staring up at me. “What’s your name? Where are you from? Are you a teacher?” The younger students were very welcoming. I got a real taste for teaching as I supervised senior infants at break time. I feared that a newcomer setting down the law would be a miserable failure. Their puppy dog eyes didn’t crack me; I was tougher than I thought! “SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET OR I WILL BE VERY CROSS.” Their innocent faces were glaring in my direction, while I held back the laughter.
I could see a younger version of myself in their distraught little faces. Taking names on a piece of paper and threatening to hand it to the teacher when she returns is a classic trick. I know this certain trick from personal experience unfortunately!! I loved the authority that I had; even being called Muinteoir Rachel gave me a real sense of maturity. Looking at the classroom scene from a different perspective gave me a real insight to their teaching methods. There is a fine skill in dealing with children especially young children. You want to discipline them but you don’t want to be too strict and discourage them.
You would not believe the difficulty in getting thirty senior infants dressed as angels. “That’s my hair band, my wings aren’t on right, where’s my tinsel” Don’t be deceived by the glitter and tin foil they may look the part but they’re little devils! Yard duty was funny also. The children may not have known the first thing about me but apparently I was their “New best friend!”
Some people go on work experience to find out what they want to do as a career or even to discover what they like and dislike. With me however this was not the case. I always knew I wanted to do primary school teaching. My work experience has confirmed what I knew all along. It is now finalised. Primary school teaching is the career for me!
back to Transition Year Page
