Power of a Great Teacher - Delorise
Teachers can be life changing role models for students and we want to celebrate their journey's and successes to demonstrate that teaching is such a rewarding career and one that is incredibly rewarding too!
Delorise is a teacher at our Chilworth House Upper School.
What/who inspired you to become a teacher?
At school I felt somewhat overlooked, as both a person of colour and as someone with (at the time) undiagnosed Dyslexia. I found it frustrating! I wanted to become a teacher to be an example to young people of colour that the glass ceiling can be broken and to show that issues such as Dyslexia need not define you.
How was your first day as a teacher?
I was a classroom assistant first and retrained as a teacher following my degree course. My first day was nerve-wracking, but I came back buzzing from the experience.
What made you choose to focus on teaching at a SEN school rather than a mainstream?
I worked in Further Education for a while and got involved in the development and delivery of a special educational project to deliver learning to people with special educational needs at a Jewish centre in Berkshire. It was my first teaching experience and I learned so much about working with SEN and thought it was the best way to make a big difference.
I spent several years teaching in mainstream schools, but always felt an affinity to SEN and felt that I would return when the time was right. When the opportunity to join Chilworth arose, it seemed like the perfect role for me and I was excited to join the team.
From your teaching experience so far, what advice would you give to someone thinking of also becoming a teacher?
Teaching is more than a job, it’s a vocation that you require a passion for. There will be bad days and good days, sometimes you feel like the workload will never end and it takes perseverance, tolerance and stamina to succeed. Aside from that, the virtues of the role always override the challenges making it a rewarding and important profession.
What is one Huge Small Victory you’ve had during your time at Chilworth Upper School?
Building respectful relationships with pupils in SEN can be challenging and they take time. The huge small victories are when pupils who may have started off as hostile or untrusting realise that I am there to do the best that I can for them and soften their attitude so they have the best possible futures.
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