Feature
Chloe Harper's story
Published on 22 November 2021
Chloe is a PGDE Secondary (Chemistry) student. She shares her story on how she came to be on the course, what inspired her and what her hopes for her future as a teacher.
I was initially an undergraduate at the University of Dundee in Biological Sciences. I felt like I had chosen the wrong subject which is why I switched to chemistry. I really enjoyed the university though which is why I came back for my postgraduate.
I am really enjoying the PGDE course, it’s interactive and very inclusive. I have met some great people on the course and the lecturers will put us into different groups, so we meet new people all the time.
The University of Dundee is fair, it does not discriminate against any background and is very inclusive. I like this about Dundee because other universities I visited I felt out of place, but Dundee makes me feel part of the community.
Chloe Harper
During my time at school I would have liked to have more teachers who were friendly, approachable and less strict. Being strict makes young people feel nervous, so they don’t perform as well, and those classes are then generally not liked as much. I think my love for chemistry came about because I really enjoyed the way my chemistry teacher taught the class. I hope to bring that to my classroom, to encourage people enjoy science like I do, a fun challenging subject.
Initially I was nervous about standing in front of a class, being in charge and speaking in front of large groups which made me hesitate about applying. However, doing this course has helped greatly because they do workshops and tutorials to really prepare.
I have not had my first placement yet, but I am looking forward to it. I enjoy classes which are focused on my subject because we are taught tricky parts of it, not just how to do it, how to teach it and make it accessible to all learners.
When I become a teacher, I look forward to the opportunity to help young people succeed and get them through this critical part in their lives and by doing so can help shape the future and help to create an enjoyable school atmosphere.
My advice to anyone considering studying teaching is, you’re already halfway there! Get out to some schools see what it’s really like, have a look at the Scottish curriculum and see what policies and practices are focused on.