A DAY IN THE LIFE

Ever wondered what it would be like to teach? Newly qualified maths teacher Sarah O’mahony shares a typical day in the classroom, from questions about the news to chats with her Year 11s

MY ALARM GOES OFF AT 5.45AM

I’m definitely a morning person. When my alarm goes off, I get straight out of bed. In fact, I often find I wake up a minute or two before my alarm, which is kind of creepy. Once the kids are up, I might make some poached eggs on toast. I live for breakfast.

WORK STARTS BEFORE 8AM

I like to get in early so I can get organised – in teaching, preparation is everything. I took a bit of a roundabout route into teaching. After trying a few graduate schemes (some of which were a disaster, like being a buyer for a pottery company), I went back to university to do a maths PHD. While there, I was earning extra money teaching undergraduates, and I thought, ‘Hold on, this is actually quite fun.’ So I decided to do teacher training and started at Thirsk School & Sixth Form College in September 2019.

MY FAVOURITE PART OF THE DAY IS TEACHING THE YEAR 11s

They’re at that point in life where they know where they want to go after school and are full of dreams and aspirations. I like taking the time to listen to them.

AN HOUR’S LESSON CAN GO BY IN SECONDS

One of the biggest challenges I find in teaching is wishing that I could give every child just a little bit more of my time. But the rewards are incredible. Watching a student struggle with a particular maths problem, helping them work through it and then seeing them finally get it, is amazing. I love that ‘Ooh, I get it’ moment. That’s instant job satisfaction right there.

THE FIRST TIME I TAUGHT WAS PRETTY SCARY

It’s a bit like taking your driving test. I had sweaty palms and my adrenaline was going. But once you’ve got that first lesson out of the way, it definitely gets easier. One of the highlights of the job is when a student says ‘thank you’ for your lesson and you know you’ve made a difference. I get thanked a lot.

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE STAFFROOM STAYS IN THE STAFFROOM

It’s top secret! But we laugh a lot and we eat a lot of cake. The best piece of work advice I’ve ever been given is to never take yourself too seriously. In teaching, you will make mistakes and you have to be able to brush them off. The support I’ve received from my colleagues has been brilliant. Wherever you find yourself, you can guarantee that someone else has been there too.

MY SCHOOL DAY ENDS AT 4.45PM

There’s a lot of flexibility in the job. Apart from classroom time, I can do everything else – planning, marking, admin – when it’s convenient. I’ll sometimes catch up when the kids are in bed. If I’m not watching a series on TV, I’ll wind down after dinner with a good book.

BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP, I CHECK THE NEWS

It helps to know what’s going on, because the kids will often ask you to explain things. There’s so much more to the job than just teaching your subject. Every day’s different and you don’t know what question you’ll get asked next. I never wanted a job that was predictable.

If you’d like to learn more about a career in teaching and get tailored advice on the options available, search ‘Get Into Teaching’

‘I LOVE THE “OOH, I GET IT” MOMENTS – THAT’S INSTANT JOB SATISFACTION RIGHT THERE’