Name Ellie Parson

In what year did you train? 2020-2021

Which subject did you train in? Art and Design

Which school/s did you train in? Alec Hunter Academy

Can you tell us a bit more about what you are doing now? After completing my training in lock down, I was lucky enough to get a job that started in the summer term at Greensward Academy with my LST Jo! Since then, I have fallen in love with my job even more (it turned out that teaching was a lot better when you aren't doing it over Teams calls!) I am currently the Year 9 coordinator for Art at Greensward and have trained 2 trainee teachers in Art and Photography, with MEITT and another training provider. I am looking forward to mentoring again next year too. What I am most looking forward to though is the trip to Florence that Jo and I have planned for our Year 11 and 13students for the end of this year!

Thinking back to your teacher training with Mid Essex ITT, can you share with us about a highlight, fond memory or funny story? Training during the COVID years was a memory in itself. For me, one of my fondest memories was the subject sessions that took place on Thursday afternoons. Myself and the 3 other art trainees would all meet on Zoom at 2pm and would create artwork for a couple of hours whilst chatting about our online teaching that week. I remember once that I was desperately waiting for an Amazon parcel to be delivered which contained the clay that I needed for the session. We'd been on the call for about 10 minutes when the doorbell went and we all cheered on the Zoom call because I could sculpt along with everyone else.

What was teacher training like when you trained? What were the buzzwords, latest theories or popular pedagogy? The main buzzwords in 2020 were definitely not just limited to teaching. Although metacognition and think, pair, share spring to mind, it was the overwhelming use of 'social distancing', teaching from the front, the noise of a Teams meeting starting and social bubbles which dominated my training year.

Thinking back to your teacher training, what was your key takeaway from Mid Essex ITT? Teaching is a tough job at the best of times, but nothing is more challenging than trying to teach a class of Year 7's how to paint when you can't be within 2 metres of them! On a more serious note, asking for help is the most important thing to help to achieve peace in your job. Taking support from your colleagues, friends and family when times are tough can help you to achieve things that, at times, may seem impossible. The other thing that I learnt quite early on is that having a good work/life balance is crucial in teaching. Taking time at the end of the day to completely switch off from work is going to makeyou a better teacher!

Thinking back to your teacher training, is there anyone who supported you whom you would like to recognise or thank? There are a few people that really shaped my journey with MEITT. Firstly, my mentor Dominika who has been there for me since she was my art teacher at school, through my time at university and then throughout my training year. Her support over the last 15 years has most certainly helped to shape the child Iwas to become the adult I am today.
I would also like to thank my fellow trainee, Charlotte. We supported each other through our training and have built a beautiful friendship since. l'd like to thank Steve Fox. I have also known Steve for over 10 years both as a student and as an adult. Steve is an amazing role model, a fantastic teacher and has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to pedagogy. As a PT, Steve really supported me when I found parts of my training really tough. Finally, I'd like to thank Holly Sutton, for being a fab Head of Sixth form for me all those years ago and for now being a fab Course tutor to my trainee this year. All of the Mid Essex ITT team are amazing and deserve recognition for their dedication to teaching and training!