The Positive Teacher Feature: meet Steph!
Passionate reader and coffee drinker, Steph Kimble, has been a wonderful supporter of TPTC and we're immensely proud to turn the tables and shed some light on her inspiring practice. Her feature below, is full of gems of wisdom and, quite frankly, her passion is utterly contagious. We salute and thank you wholeheartedly, Steph: our profession is lucky to have teachers like you!
Name: Steph Kimble (@MissS_Kimble)
Role:
I’m a Year 2 teacher in Milton Keynes and part of the team leading reading at my school.
Why did you get into teaching?
I’ve always done jobs that required leadership skills, and I’ve always loved working with kids. Once upon a time, I thought I was going to be an Outdoor Educator, but living nine months out of a tent in the Canadian wilderness got less appealing as I got older! Teaching had many of the same aspects that I loved (being around kids, using my leadership skills, imparting knowledge) and less of the backache! I owe so much of my success and my personality to some of my own teachers and I wanted to give that to other children.
What are your top tips for positivity and excitement within your role?
Every day is a new day! Regardless of what has happened the previous day, or even the previous lesson, draw a line under it and remember that there’s always next time. Not every lesson will be outstanding, and that’s okay – learn from it and move forward. Also, coffee!
Looking back, what advice would you give your NQT/Trainee self?
Take the time for yourself when you’ve got it – it won’t always be there! Work smarter, not harder, and don’t compromise your own integrity for someone who doesn’t appreciate the work you do.
What's the best thing about being a teacher?
Seeing 30 smiling faces every day, and knowing that I’ve got the potential to change their life. Additionally, I get to spend so much time looking at books – finding new ones to share with my class and other teachers, talking about books, etc. Reading is such an important part of life, and teaching children to do this and to love it is wonderful. There’s nothing better than a child coming to tell me they’ve loved a book!
Would you rather do every single playground duty for a term or ten minutes into the next staff meeting, without warning, start 'twerking' for 10 seconds minimum, without even attempting to justify it afterwards?
I’d rather do every single playground duty for a term – for one, no one needs to see me twerking! Trust me, it’s better for everyone this way! Beyond that, though, playtime is when relationships between children are built (or toppled!) and I think, as teachers, we miss out on seeing a lot of that, which would help us a lot more within the classroom to understand the ins and outs of friendships between our pupils.
Do you love teaching? If you'd like to nominate yourself or another teacher who you think deserves to be featured, please email us at enquiries@thepositiveteachercompany.co.uk. We'd love to hear from you!
