Case studies: Primary school teacher: Karen

Karen graduated with a BEd in Primary Education. Karen has always enjoyed working with children and helping them learn. She was particularly interested in working with the younger age groups and is at present working with the reception year, which has its own challenges.

I always wanted to work with children and, in order to make sure, I completed some work experience before starting my university course. Work experience was very important as it was a way of gaining new ideas and approaches as well as making sure that I had an excellent idea of what the job entailed. I would recommend anyone considering teaching to get some experience of working with different ages of children in order to make sure you are picking the right age range for you.

My degree was full of placements, which again allowed me to gain the practical experience and knowledge needed to do my job. Since completing my degree, I have worked with a variety of ages and am currently working in a reception class. As well as teaching I also undertake additional responsibilities such as the library manager, art manager and display manager. I have taken on more responsibility as I have gained more experience as a teacher and this is common practice in many primary schools.

The main element of my job is of course helping the children and it really is rewarding to see them progress. Much of the learning that takes place is through games and the children having fun so it is essential to be creative and innovative in my approach to the child's learning. The one part of my job which is least enjoyable is the amount of meetings we have to go to; these are essential but sometimes not the most amount of fun.

Communication skills are an essential part of the job and being able to pass on information in a way that is understood is a fundamental part of the job. The children may all be the same age but the level of understanding can be quite different so it is important to understand this and appreciate this when planning activities. In addition to this, organisational skills are also pivotal to the role as in order for lessons to run smoothly the resources and activities have to be carefully managed and planned.

Eventually I would like to progress further in my career and take on more responsibility. I would also eventually like to run and manage my own nursery.