Introducing our Hope Primary Brand Ambassadors
We’ve teamed up with three primary school teachers across the UK to be our new Hope primary brand ambassadors. Here’s a little introduction about each one of them, what year group they teach and find out how and why they got into teaching.
Sophie
My name is Sophie, I’m currently working in the North West of England, but I’m originally from Northern Ireland. I came over to England for university.
What year group do you teach?
I’ve been in year one since I qualified and I absolutely love it!
What do you love about teaching?
The children! Seeing the little light bulb moment when they’ve been finding something tricky and then they finally get it! There’s nothing better than that!
What’s your specialism?
I love continuous provision and having an element of play in my teaching! I absolutely love creating tuff tray challenges for my year ones!
How did you get into teaching?
I did a degree in Creative Writing and then continued on to do a Primary PGCE at Edge Hill University .
How long have you been teaching?
This is my fifth year teaching year one!
Why did you get into teaching?
I always knew I wanted to work with children, whether that was writing children’s books or teaching children. The curiosity that they have (especially the little ones) just hooked me straight away!
The best thing about teaching is definitely the children! I love teaching the younger children because they’re so excited to learn and they have the best imaginations!
The worst part is definitely any unnecessary paperwork!
Do you have any favourite products from Hope and if so what are they?
So many!! I have a soft spot for wooden and natural resources, so one of my favourites is definitely the loose parts bundle!
What resources do you use the most?
My most used resource in the classroom is definitely my set of natural sorting objects.
As a teacher what top three items couldn’t you live without?
- Coffee
- Chalk Pens
- My laptop
Charlotte
Hey, I’m Charl, I fell into teaching completely by accident, but I don’t think I could have found a better job if I tried. Outside of teaching, my time is mostly spent with my little boy and husband. I enjoy reading, podcasts, photography, and design. You’ll usually find me with a laptop and earphones, probably with a diet coke nearby too… if I’m not on baby play duty of course! I’m passionate about making education fun so I create teaching resources and run my Instagram & tiktok teacher accounts.
What year group do you teach?
I currently teach Year 2. I’m a KS1 teacher through and through and I’ve only ever taught Year 1 and 2 as a qualified teacher – I love the 5-7 age range!
What do you love about teaching?
The creativity, variety and of course, the children! Every day in a school is different. I love how busy the day is and it always amazes me how much you manage to pack into a school day. Having a class of small humans to care for and teach is such a privilege, and the biggest perk of the job – tiny teammates are the best!
What’s your specialism?
English has always been my favourite subject. I love teaching Guided Reading, writing and phonics… but I do also have a soft spot for maths now too! I specialise in KS1 English but I enjoy most of the KS1 curriculum for different reasons.
How did you get into teaching?
Completely by accident. I was essentially forced to apply for university when I was at college, and I randomly applied for Primary Education along with English Literature, Criminal Psychology, and Journalism – random! I received offers for the other subjects but was rejected for teaching. Of course, I decided that’s what I wanted to do so I called up and begged for an interview and was successful. Within the first few weeks of my degree, I knew I’d made the right decision, so I was very lucky to have fallen into something I love so much.
How long have you been teaching?
I’m in my 11th year of teaching – eek!
Why did you get into teaching?
I loved children and thought it seemed like a fun job! After doing some work experience in a primary school, I was fascinated by the amount of thought that went into lesson planning – I genuinely thought it was a case of working through a textbook, so the fact that lessons had to be planned was mind-blowing to me. The process of planning units of work and lessons appealed to my creative side, and I couldn’t wait to do it myself.
The best thing about teaching is obviously working with children – they’re so funny! You can be having the worst day and the children will still manage to make you smile. Personally, I enjoy planning and delivering lessons and being able to be creative with teaching ideas too.
Balance can be hard in teaching because it’s difficult to switch off. There’s so much involved in teaching that to-do lists can become overwhelming which can have a negative impact on work-life balance and well-being. It’s so important to ask for help and prioritise jobs when things become too much. You could work all the hours under the sun, and you’d still have things to do so prioritising is key.
Do you have any favourite products from Hope and if so what are they?
I LOVE the Click it magnetic tiles. They’re such a fun, versatile resource that can be used in structured learning tasks as well as in play. We’ve used ours in phonics, English and for mental health day!
We also love our phonics socks. Smelly socks and spelling?! Absolute dream for children! They’re a great resource that can be used in different ways making them great value for money.
Resources that can be used in multiple ways are great. I love letter and number resources such as tiles, log slices and counters that can be used for a variety of learning opportunities. Tuff trays are of course an absolute must – there are SO MANY ways to utilise them for all ages. I use highlighters a lot too – they’re an easy way to add interest to a paper based activity.
As a teacher what top three items couldn’t you live without?
- A notebook. I like to use the same notebook all year so everything can be put into one place – cpd, planning, ideas – everything altogether so it’s easy to find.
- Slightly random but, lollipop sticks! I LOVE lollipop sticks! You can use them for so many things: craft, construction, games, vocabulary, sentences – endless opportunities!
- Pocket dice. Another super versatile resource which can be used for literally everything! We’ve used ours for brain breaks, maths games, spelling, phonics, sentence work, test practice and mental health
Donna
My name is Donna Clarke and I am a primary school teacher based in East Ayrshire, Scotland. I currently teach Primary 7 (year 6). I have experience across the school stages, but Primary 7 feels like home to me!
What do you love about teaching?
I love that no two days are the same!
What’s your specialism?
In my school I am a Literacy and English lead, Rights Respecting Schools co-ordinator, and Developing the Young Workforce lead.
How did you get into teaching?
I went into teaching straight from school. I completed the BEd (Hons) in Primary Education from the University of Strathclyde before undertaking my Probationer Year in East Ayrshire. And I have been teaching for 14 years!
Why did you get into teaching?
At secondary school I undertook a work placement at a local primary school. It was such good fun and the teacher I worked with was so inspiring, I decided that it was the only job for me!
What’s the best thing about teaching and the worst?
The best thing about teaching is building relationships with the pupils. I still have pupils that come back from secondary school to visit me because I was their Primary 7 teacher!
The worst thing about teaching is the work/ life balance, especially as a mum!
Do you have any favourite products from Hope and if so what are they?
My favourite Hope product is my A2 wedge board which is perfect for small group teaching! I’m also a huge fan of the literacy comprehension cubes and the spelling cubes!
What resources do you use the most?
Books! Our classroom library is in constant use, with children recommending their top reads through our reading graffiti wall. We also share a diverse range of books and authors through our class novel studies, developing our vocabulary and comprehension skills that allow us to become confident readers and writers.
As a teacher what top three items couldn’t you live without?
- A diverse range of books by a variety of authors.
- Classroom visualiser for the promethean board.
- Wedge board for small group work.
Sheila
Hello! My name is Sheila O’Reilly. I’m originally a country girl from Co. Donegal. I studied Primary Teaching, specialising in Music, at St. Mary’s University College, Belfast. I met a Belfast lad while in college and have been in Belfast ever since! I was lucky to secure a permanent teaching post before I graduated and have been in the same school for 23 years. I have experience in teaching from P2 (Year 1 in England) up to P5 (Year 4) and have taught lots of different composite classes over the years (P2/3, P3/4 and P4/5). For the past few years I have been teaching a P4/5 composite.
What do you love about teaching?
I love working with children! Every day is different and I really enjoy the different characters and personalities that I encounter from year to year. Seeing the children’s excitement and awe when exploring a new topic is definitely a highlight.
What’s your specialism?
In college my specialist subject was Music. I have been playing piano since I was four years old and once played for the Irish President in the National Gallery, Dublin. I play piano for all school events including sacramental preparations, concerts, choir competitions and accompany children for instrumental exams. I am also Literacy Coordinator in my school and have been leading Language and Literacy since 2003. Since having my own children (and lockdown!) I also have a love for practical Maths set ups and have written numerous blogs about developing Maths skills through Numicon, exploring Maths outdoors and making Maths fun through play.
How did you get into teaching?
I come from a long line of teachers. My mum was a P1 teacher until she retired. My brother is a headteacher and my sister is also a teacher and I have lots of cousins who are teachers too!
What’s the best thing about teaching and the worst?
Working with children is definitely the best part of my job. They always have a funny story to tell…I could write a book of the different tales I’ve heard over the years! It can be difficult to maintain a healthy work/life balance, the to-do lists are always very long and I’ve learned the importance of prioritising tasks so that I can go home at a reasonable hour to assume my role as mummy in the evenings.
Do you have any favourite products from Hope and if so what are they?
Quiet Dice: When a class of 30 children are playing Maths games, quiet dice are essential.
Numicon Shapes: Such a versatile resource that can be used to explore so many different Maths concepts from number conservation, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to shape, fractions and problem-solving.
Small Whiteboards: So useful (and eco-friendly) for all sorts of activities including phonics sessions, mental maths starters, times tables practice and spelling tests. The magnetic boards are also useful for using with magnetic letters, numbers, shapes and fractions.
What resources do you use the most?
Practical Maths resources are the most used in my classroom. So many Maths concepts are difficult for children to grasp and the use of concrete materials and visuals definitely helps with their understanding.
As a teacher what top three items couldn’t you live without?
- My insulated coffee cup
- My teacher diary
- My laminator
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