Laughter and tears, a journey towards a career in teaching

As two Teaching Assistants take the step up to lead their own classrooms, the latest University of Northampton (UON) Unsung Educators podcast charts their emotional journey overcoming the challenges of life while taking a big professional step forward.

Unsung Educators, hosted by Adam Chapman, UON’s Senior Lecturer in Education, aims to highlight inspirational stories which celebrate the impact of teaching assistants and all the roles which support effective learning in schools.

In this episode Adam speaks to Becci O’Rourke-Holder who worked her way up to a Higher-Level Teaching Assistant following the birth of the first of four children in 2007. After two attempts at starting her degree, it was third time lucky for Becci as she prepares to graduate in November with a BA in Learning and Teaching and is due to start a Teaching Apprenticeship in September.

Becci said: “I was determined to finally achieve my childhood dream job; I was never going to quit.”

Adam also speaks to Jenny Toone who started working in the kitchen of her village school following the birth of her first child 16 years ago. After volunteering at a second school helping children with their reading and providing day to day support, she was asked by the headteacher to be come a full time Teaching Assistant and went on to get a distinction in her Level Three Teaching Assistant qualification.

When the Covid pandemic hit Jenny found herself teaching as well as being a key worker for the children in her school. Discovering she had the ‘knack’ for teaching she was encouraged to apply for a Foundation Degree in Teaching.

As Jenny’s Dissertation Supervisor and Becci’s Personal Tutor, Adam goes on an emotional journey charting the personal and academic challenges they faced and highlights how passion, commitment and the desire to help others is the key to doing things you thought you were not capable of achieving.

Listen to the podcast on your default player via Podfollow or browse UON Podcasts and previous episodes on Unsung Educators on the UON website.