Department of Education
Jenny Baldwin
Why did you decide to train as a teacher?
I decided to train as a teacher for three reasons. I love history and wanted a job where I was paid to talk about history every day. Secondly, being a teenager is a challenging time of life with so many new things, and I wanted to help young people through this period and hopefully inspire some historians for the future along the way! I also wanted a job where no two days were the same, where I could try new things, be creative and spend time with people.
Teaching perfectly fits this bill, and there are so many opportunities available within teaching!
Why did you choose to train at the University of York?
I chose to train at York because I had thoroughly enjoyed my undergraduate years here studying history. For someone who wants to teach history, York is a fantastic place because for almost any material you study in British history, York has something to offer. This is brilliant as it is a way to help pupils get engaged and excited by history. The course also looked like it would be challenging and at a pace that would suit me, and so far I was right in this judgement.
What have been particular highlights of your training so far?
One highlight of my training so far was a scripted activity we did with one of Curriculum Area leaders. The activity was one used to teach pupils about women's suffrage and we all had to come with costumes for our parts. The best one was one of the lads on the course who decided to add a bustle under his dress...
What advice would you give to current university of York undergraduates your subject area who are thinking of teaching and considering doing their training at York?
If you're already at York, make the most of the YSIS opportunities as these let you meet teachers and can help you work out if you want to teach or not, and which age group. Also, history teaching is competitive, so the more experience you can get the better!
Jenny Baldwin
PGCE History Trainee
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