GTCNI STAR Award Winner 2019 – Ryan Patterson
Ryan kick–starts our new Three Minute Interview designed to give voice to STAR Award students from our local Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s).
As a GTCNI STAR award winner – How might you use your prize?
I have invested the prize money in a new computer. Something that I hope that will benefit me in my career and my down time!
Who or what has been your biggest influence or inspiration?
Impossible to choose. I wouldn’t have achieved any of this without my parents. I wouldn’t be the man I am today, nor have such a passion to work with young people had it not been for my pastor. My Maths teacher Miss Faulkner was the one that initially inspired me to teach and I would not have survived the PGCE course were it not for my subject coordinator.
After graduation have you any career plans lined up?
I am incredibly fortunate to have obtained a full–time permanent job at Belfast Royal Academy. It is an incredible school with incredible staff and I hope to have a positive influence there for many years to come.
What advice would you give incoming students taking a BEd or PGCE course?
Hang in there and stick together! It is hard, it is intense and it is stressful, but so worth it in the end. For me however, the most important question you need to ask yourself during the course is, ‘Do I have a desire and a real passion to work with these students?’
What challenges do you face entering the teaching profession?
A new start! Settling into a completely new school, with so much new information to take in. Every school is so different to integrating yourself into its environment while still needing to develop as a young teacher makes the first few months and years particularly intense.
What (teaching level) and subjects do you plan to teach?
The classes I will teach range from Form 1 to A–Level. It is working with the A–Level students that I find most rewarding.
Do you feel the GTCNI STAR Award is a valuable incentive for student during their teacher training?
Absolutely, it helps you strive to be better and encourage those around you to do the same.
What support/service would you expect to get from GTCNI, your professional regulatory body?
Particular help with and notice of changes to policy as the needs and challenges of our young people change so rapidly.