Teacher Network – Early Career Teacher Development: Tony Le
Published: 24 September 2019
The Ogden Trust has been present in my journey through education from my A-Level studies at an independent school through to my subsequent undergraduate degree, my initial teacher training and more recently my involvement in the Early Career Teacher Development Programme.
The programme has definitely facilitated the development of my teaching practice, affording the time for reflection and crucially the time to convert these reflections into actions and implementations. It is an inevitable indictment of the profession that teachers are scarcely afforded the time they deserve and need to develop, but it is testimony to the Trust’s commitment to physics education that this has been made possible.
In addition to the valuable protected time I have been given, the programme has also facilitated my attendance at the ASE Conference, Europe’s largest subject-specific education conference. This proved to be the most effective CPD I have ever participated in and even yielded the opportunity to present myself alongside fellow PGCE graduates of the IOE.
The ECTD programme has also made it possible for me to networking with other like-minded teachers on the programme and has given me the counsel and expertise of an incredibly knowledgeable and supportive mentor.
Despite the issues surrounding workload, pay and teacher retention, that are well-documented in the media, I cannot imagine myself in any other profession. We are rewarded with penny-dropping moments when students grasp new concepts; the adrenaline we experience during and following exceptional lessons, and above all, our pride as we witness the progress of young people, not only as science learners but also as well-rounded individuals.
Tony Le
Teacher and STEM Co-ordinator
Woodford County High School
(February 2019)
Pictured above with Charlotte Grace, another teacher on the Early Career Teacher Development programme.