October Opportunities – Why I Chose Teaching
Written by Dylan Roberts – History Trainee 2025/2026
What inspired you to become a teacher?
I always find it awkward to talk about why I chose to become a teacher because it feels too cliché to be true.
A few years ago, I was on the bus and there was a mother with her toddler trying to read the various signs all around. With the mother’s permission, I helped this child and by the end of the bus ride she was able to fully read out those signs. That overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment I felt was real. The privilege of seeing that child go from struggling to achieving was real. And the drive I felt in that moment to become a teacher was real.
That moment showed me the joy of teaching, and I wanted to experience it again. I wanted to become a teacher in order to re-capture that feeling, the pride of seeing a student finally understand the topic or learn that skill.
What do you hope to achieve as a teacher?
I have to say that even though I am very early into my role as a teacher, that feeling of joy has already happened countless times. Every day has been a victory so it is hard to find a single one to highlight. Each day, I leave school with a smile on my face as I know that I helped at least one student, even if it was just with a small thing.
What has been a highlight so far?
If I had to narrow it down to one day, it would have be the first lesson I taught. As I was teaching it, I was thinking “this is going awfully” and I could feel anxieties creeping in but when I checked their work, the students had understood it!
They had learnt from me! Following my lesson, I nearly cried tears of joy seeing those same students talk about what they learnt in my lesson to another teacher. Before applying, I’d heard that sometimes teachers might cry. I just wish someone had told me that it’d be tears of joy.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about teaching?
To anyone who’s thinking about being a teacher, I say take the leap. Just go for it. It’s okay to have doubts but with the right support, you’ll find yourself in a life-changing career where you are able to make a difference every day. Every day we get to ride that high of knowing we made someone’s life better for years to come as they will benefit from our teaching as our lives have in turn been benefited from teaching them.