Find out about the lovely Charlotte from @the_imaginationfairy – one of our favourite teacher instagram accounts!
Tell us a bit about yourself; your name, job role, how long you’ve been teaching and how you got into teaching?
My name’s Charlotte and I’m a KS1 teacher and phase leader in my 10th year of teaching. I fell into teaching by accident. At college we were made to apply to uni (which I had NO interest in!) so I randomly selected some courses: English Literature, Psychology, Journalism and Primary Education. I received unconditional offers for the first three but was rejected from Primary Education. As soon as I was told ‘no’, that’s what I wanted to do! I called them up and negotiated an interview on the basis I did work experience – and they agreed! Luckily, I loved it straight away and had no regrets.
What, in your opinion, is the best thing about being a teacher?
Obviously working with children is amazing. Even on your worse day, the children will make it worth it. I also love the creativity and variation of the job – you really won’t have the same day twice being a teacher! It’s also such a busy job that you’ll never find yourself clock-watching out of boredom. If anything, you’ll be wishing there were extra hours in the day!
What is the headset thing about being a teacher?
The constant changes in expectations and the pressure this puts on staff. I think the changes in recent Ofsted guidance has added pressure to schools which is next level! I have heard absolute horror stories which is scaring good schools into making unnecessary changes to their provisions and practice. Workload has always been an issue in education but over the last few months, amazing teachers who previously had their work/life balance sorted are struggling.
How did you find out about Mrs Mactivity, and what’s your favourite resource or resources so far?
I found Mrs Mactivity on instagram! I love the variety of resources, especially the new phonics resources which are FAB! I’m also a huge fan of ‘Time for Phonics’ because the games are amazing for phonics practice.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future – both at work and home?
I am starting maternity leave soon, so adapting to being responsible for my own tiny human is first on my priority list – I can’t really see beyond that point at the moment and am not putting pressure on myself to make any ‘big’ decisions. I previously considered moving up from phase leader into assistant/deputy role but i’m not convinced that’s for me! I love creating teaching resources and sharing ideas, so I definitely want to continue with this.
What do you think needs to change in teaching to make the job more enjoyable and allow teachers to have a better work/life balance?
I think teachers need (and want) clear expectations both from the government and their school leaders in a timely manner. Teachers are willing to work hard but time is being spent on unnecessary things – let teachers teach their classes! Last minute changes and ‘initiatives’ impact negatively on workload because it feels as though you’re constantly chasing your tail which causes worry and stress. It can be hard to prioritise workload as a teacher as it is, let alone when there’s something new to do each week.
