The World of Work

As a child, I always loved ‘playing schools' with my sister, friends, and even toys. I liked to be the teacher as it meant that I could boss everyone around!

In Year 10 at school we had to spend 2 weeks on work experience. When I heard about this, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do or where I could go that would be accessible for me. I spoke to some teachers about the sorts of jobs I was considering, including office work. Soon afterwards, my class teacher told me that I could go and help at my village school (where she was a governor). I was very pleased that she had set this up for me and looked forward to the 2 weeks. My first morning there was spent in the school office, checking registers and helping sort letters to send home. I enjoyed this, but wanted to spend some time with the children. In the afternoon I listened to some children reading and helped a boy with some computer work. I continued to support the children with their reading and I.T. work over the 2 weeks as well as spending some break times outside with the children. I found being with the children much more fulfilling than the office work!

Over the next couple of years, I went back to help at the school at the end of the summer terms, after I had finished my exams. I continued to work with the children, doing reading and more computer work. During these times I worked with year 2 and 3 children, and got to know some of them quite well by spending play times with them too. I found that I really enjoyed working with that age group, as they were interesting to talk to and weren't shy of asking me questions about myself. I enjoy talking to children about my condition, and I love hearing their reactions. One little girl told her friend the reason I was in a wheelchair was because “she hasn't got enough meat on her legs”!

It was not a difficult decision for me to choose my degree course in Childhood Studies as the staff at the University of Chichester were very encouraging towards me. During the first year, we had a 10 day placement (over a term) which was chosen for us by the staff. I was sent to a nursery school, which was very modern and easily accessible. I liked working with the children, but found it much harder to help with anything in particular as it was a free-play nursery and they would move around activities as they wanted. I had to plan some tasks for the children as part of my assignment but again, found them difficult to carry out as the children were hard to group together and would sometimes decide to do something else! After this placement, I decided that I preferred working in a school where the children were working on set tasks. At the end of my first year at university, I spent a few weeks helping in another local school, this time with year 5 and 6 children, mostly doing computer work and a bit of maths work.

In the second year, we were allowed to set up our own placement, and I was able to get a place a third local primary school. This time I worked in the year one class, helping in all the subject areas. My favourite work was helping individual children on the computer and teaching them how to use the Paint software. Their class teacher was always encouraging and enthusiastic when I discussed my thoughts with her. I enjoyed my time helping in her class so much, that I went back to help more after my term had finished. It was a lovely chance to get to know the children and by the end of the summer I felt they were comfortable with me too.

When I completed my degree a year later, I wrote to the headteacher to see if he had any further work for me at the school. I was lucky to be offered a part time job as a Learning Support Assistant, starting from September. For the first two terms, I helped children from all the year groups with I.T. and craft work. Since my first Easter, I have been working in school 3 afternoons a week, on a one-to-one booster reading programme. I am currently working with children from years 3 and 4, doing booster reading and helping them to improve all aspects of their literacy. The children are with me for a term each, and now I have worked there for four years, I know a lot of them well. Literacy is a really important part of primary education and I'm glad that I am able to help the children with it. It is great to see their achievements over the term and how pleased they are when they earn a sticker. I am extremely lucky to have found a job which I feel so happy about and gives me satisfaction at the end of every afternoon!

Lizzie Baily lizzie@wellspringwestsussex.org.uk