Coffee Time with a Classroom Canada Teacher: Every few weeks we will be introducing you to one of our teachers in London through these emails.  So sit back, relax, grab a latte and enjoy the chat.  If you missed our other Coffee Times, please see them here.  

Kiran graduated from her B.Ed in May and was on the plane to London the next day.  She's the luckiest teacher in London as she was working only a 10 minute walk from her home.  She is now in Toronto for the summer to visit family and friends and is excited to return to London for her full-time teaching position that starts September.

Teacher: Kiran Bachelor Of Education - York Ages taught: Primary/Junior Subject(s): All   How long have you been teaching in London now? About two and a half months. As I complete this interview, I'm back home in Toronto for the summer. Then I head back to London in September for the long haul!   What do you teach? Primary. I actually had a long term position in primary special needs, which was great. I mostly worked with small groups of students who needed extra reading and maths assistance, but I also worked one-on-one with a student with autism about once a week. In September, I will be starting another long term position as a PPA float teacher, which means I cover teachers' classes during their planning times.  
Why did you choose Classroom Canada? I looked into a lot of different agencies before making my decision, but I felt that Classroom Canada had an edge over the competition in several ways. First, I knew that I wanted to work in London, so it's great that Classroom Canada places teachers there and only there. It means that the staff really know how to help new teachers adjust to life in this bustling and sometimes crazy city. Second, Classroom Canada is one of the only agencies I spoke to that provides accomodations for overseas teachers. When you're moving to a brand new country, it's such a relief to know that you've got a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in as soon as you get there! But most importantly, the staff at Classroom are friendly, approachable, and really take the time to get to know you. Unlike with some other UK teaching agencies, I didn't feel like just another 'recruit'.   What was the biggest adjustment for you to make in your teaching in London compared to Canada?

Dealing with rowdy students...I had to develop some serious classroom management skills very fast! As this was my very first teaching job right out of university, I sort of felt like I'd jumped into the deep end, but I learned so much in a very short time. I feel so much more confident as a teacher than I did just two short months ago, and now I'm ready to take on anything!

 

Describe a typical London day in 3-4 sentences:

 

What is the one piece of advice you can offer a Canadian teacher considering the move to London:

It's hard to choose just one piece of advice, but I'll go with a practical concern: make sure you have some money saved up before making the big move to London. Although you will be making a competitive wage once you start working, it takes some serious cash to get settled in at first (plus you won't recieve your first week's pay until the following week). You probably will have to pay your first month's rent in advance, for one thing, and then factor in the cost of buying a new mobile phone, transportation and food for that first week, etc. The last thing you want weighing you down when you're already probably feeling a litle overwhelmed about moving is money problems. So if you can, bring enough money so that you can stay one step ahead of your expenses. But don't worry--just think of it as an investment, because you'll make up the money again very quickly.

 

Describe the funniest thing that's happened to you in your year so far:

This was probably more funny to the students than it was to me, but I'll share anyway. I walked into a Year 6 class in order to pull one of my special needs students out of class for reading recovery work. I was leaning sort of half-in, half-out of the classroom door, and quietly beckoned the kid over so as to avoid disturbing the class. As I straightened up to leave the doorway, the belt loop on my trousers got caught in the doorjamb and ripped REALLY loudly off my pants. All the kids sitting near the door looked around wondering what that sound was, and started giggling when they saw me twisting myself all the way around to check the damage on my trousers. It was so bad that I had to go home at lunchtime to change!   Describe the worst thing: Like Jenn said in her Coffee Time interview, there's pretty much no worse feeling as a teacher than when you've lost control of your class. As a supply teacher, it will happen to you at some point or another because some of these classes go through supply teachers like crazy, and the students have no real classroom routines or stability. Not only that, but because we're mostly working in inner city areas, the students come to school with a lot of emotional baggage which manifests itself in sometimes extreme behaviour problems. It's so important to remember that you must be patient, calm, positive and encouraging, even when you're feeling frustrated. Keep that in mind and you'll feel so rewarded as a teacher. But it's also really important to follow through with the consequences for misbehaviour, otherwise the students will walk all over you!

What made you stay with Classroom Canada, rather than with any other agency? I like being able to talk to the same people every time I call Classroom. Even when I was just researching other agencies and asking questions, I talked to a new voice every time I called and received a different name at the bottom of every email response! I really feel like the Classroom staff know me and my strengths, and that's really great when it comes to Classroom finding you a long term position that really suits your skills as a teacher.

What qualities do you have that make your stay in London more enjoyable? I'm easygoing, adaptable and I like to think I have a pretty good sense of direction, which can definitely make life in London easier! I also love to experience new things and travel. So far I've been to Barcelona and done a couple of day trips to cities around Britain, and I can't wait to see more!

For more information about Classroom Canada, please go to our website or phone 250-370-7774.  Perhaps you will be featured here next year.

 

Like what you've read so far?  Become a fan of Classroom Canada through facebook.

 

To read advice, stories and more Coffee Times, please see our blog.  We're always looking for new writers, so check it out and send us your stories and photos.