Finding the cheat sheet to a thriving teaching career
For so many teachers, their love of teaching is born from personal experiences in their own days as a student. For Ms Helena Wilkinson, her interest in a teaching career started in a similar way, knowing just how important those high school years are and wanting to support students through it.
“Adolescence is a really challenging time in a person’s life and I think being there to support kids while they go through that journey is a really special role that you can have in society and I think that’s really beautiful,” she says.
Now, taking part in Trinity’s 2024 Internship Program as a Drama and Studies of Religion teacher, Ms Wilkinson has never been more sure that she’s in the right place.
“Drama really allows kids to build their confidence in social situations and a lot of the play that they do in creating scenes actually directly links to social situations,” she says. “I like how that benefits them socially and the confidence that instils in them as they progress into adulthood.”
With her focus on building the confidence of students, Ms Wilkinson says that she has also received a confidence boost herself through her involvement in Trinity’s Internship Program.
“This program has done the same for me. I feel better when I’m in a classroom now and I feel more confident teaching them with the mentoring that I’ve received here at Trinity.”
Mentoring, she says, has been key to her growth in the time she’s been an intern.
“The one-on-one mentoring you have with more experienced teachers is really beneficial for your growth in the early stages of your career. Having that guidance to learn from people who have been doing this, and taking on feedback. Because feedback is essentially the cheat sheet to doing things better and excelling in your career.”
As she embraces the rhythms and routines of the School, Ms Wilkinson says that it has been a great lesson in being prepared for anything. Between sick students and School events, there’s rarely a quiet day at the School and it means that lesson plans don’t always go, well, to plan.
“You need to be able to pre-plan, but pre-plan with the guise that you’re going to lose lessons. It makes you more adaptable to change.”
These are insights that she knows she wouldn’t have been able to get through the typical placement organised by universities.
“I personally don’t think uni gives you enough practical time to apply those skills [from a course]. Doing an Internship Program like the one here at Trinity gives you the practical application of the skills you learn and it takes you from theory to practice really smoothly – it’s quite a cohesive change.”
To anyone considering applying for an Internship at Trinity, Ms Wilkinson says “Go for it. The only person holding you back would be you and the growth that you would experience from the program with Trinity is unparalleled, it’s fantastic.”
