Why I became a teacher: I wanted to leave advertising to do something worthwhile and memorable

After years working in distribution and advertising, Mike Davies has changed the teaching career. He tells

Emily Drabble

about their teaching style and fascination for children's brains

fact of psychology at the University of Birmingham, but I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. My final project is about dyslexia and I really enjoyed my stay in the classroom working on this, but at the time I did not think teaching. When I left college, I worked for seven years in John Lewis Partnership. I spent much of my time writing partner newsletter. My manager was a beautiful boy realized he was not what he wanted and he helped me find a job in the Surrey Advertiser and then work in the drafting of a recruitment poster in London.

So I wrote this, but I started to think I wanted to do something more interesting. At the end of the day, all advertising is to sell the desires of others, and finally he began to wear a little thin, a little thinner then.

For my 30 year old was starting to Niggle much. My oldest son started primary school and I remember where are the people? No male teachers in your school. That's when I had my first eureka moment. I rode my bike to the station for my trip to London and I suddenly realized I wanted to be an elementary school teacher.

I thought, and I was right about this, you can be very creative as a teacher. So I quit my part-time job in advertising and very practical in my local primary school. I knew that my colleagues in the agency were waiting for me when I started looking shell shocked, but I was eager to volunteer my days my days rather than professionals.

GTP asked my local school. It was a difficult year, the study of the night and teaching by day. And then I found a job in primary school in Ipswich Gusford. It was incredibly annoying to be responsible for a first class. But I had a great mentor for the first year. Never learn as a teacher - and really what you learn in your training only scratches the surface. Much of what you learn at work, to have someone with experience, patience and understanding as a mentor has been invaluable.

four years, I taught for two years, then transferred to 6 years. This is a year of walnut Sats, the transition to secondary school, adolescence - but years 6s children are very very fussy or too self-conscious and may take a little more than a young student joke - that I love.

who wanted to adopt a light heart to my teaching because I believe that children retain more when they are smiling and happy, so I prefer to teach with fun and humor. It is quite natural for me, since I'm six foot two and never turning containers and small chairs. When I taught in year 4 was still treading the same children. Under 6 are larger targets

taught six years and three years was heartbreaking to leave part-time and not have my own classroom. But I had such a desire to write. A written I did at school that really led me to write my first children's book. Like many schools, we bought all works, but as we are a three form entry in our age group is so great - there was never enough room for everyone. So I was always writing new characters and plots further to give each part -. And people began to say it was more fun than the rest of the show

I knew I wanted to write a book and I wanted to write for children. I thought long and hard about taking a break from teaching and I was lucky that my wife was happy to work full time, so I stopped teaching full time to writing of a book.

• I thought a lot about children's brains when I was teaching. Confuses me sometimes I like to teach something to the kids and they totally get it and then a few weeks later, we went back and swear blind that they knew nothing about it. Then he is in his brain and say, "Oh yes, I know." I wanted to explore the brain amazing children. I wanted to help children discover how their brains were incredible. I experimented with all kinds of initiatives and the brain gyms in my classes and some worked very well, if you just give your brain a break, I do not know, but it works.
• wanted to give children the opportunity to stop and reflect on what is in your head. Realizing that I could write a book in search of brains of children through the eyes of the head louse bite into a nerve with a direct link to the brain of a child was my second eureka moment. Any thoughts would be great if someone or something that has not yet experienced a brain. I want kids to think: "I exercise my brain and let the dead?" This is what lies behind the writing of my first children's book Thinking ugly.

The disadvantage of education, the truth is that a lot of work. I worked in John Lewis and advertising, but I've never worked harder than teaching. Much of this is a beautiful work. The marking can be fun, you see the lights come on when someone receives something, it's a fantastic job, but there are many admin.

When I was in high school, I did not have computers, our boss had an assistant, but still had time to teach English. This could never happen now. The sad thing is that we teach children not really changed that much. The teachers are always willing embrace and promote the necessary changes and updates. But for me, education should be like running a barge, with slight differences along the way. But as soon as we have a new minister must take the tile, then go left to right in the bank. Captain blames crew and everyone is shaken. This is so frustrating, but it should not be so difficult to keep children learning.

When I was training, I read on a career changer who left shortly after the educational qualification and industry said you'd be fired if you have lost a lot of time. In education, we spend so much time for additional tasks that seem a waste of time. Nobody wants to be the person who is not the production of these tables and the evaluation of children every five minutes. You have to paddle as fast as you can to keep up. During my first four years of teaching, I had to rewrite all my plans in either English or mathematics every year since heard a lot changed. I had to write a completely different framework that takes hours and hours. I could have spent more time improving my lessons do not have to spend as much time management.

seemed to be a full-time teacher is actually a very difficult job to do if you have a young family. You start with the idea that education is very suitable for children, with a little time at the beginning and the end of the day to be with their children and even holidays. But I realized that I have not stopped working. He works evenings and weekends. I think any education secretary rather than jumping up and down on rules must think about what you really need to keep, and needs to have a bonfire admin, but it does not work well a party congress. Parents still think teaching is comfortable, but ask any member of a teacher if it is true.
Children are the best. The wonderful feeling of accomplishment when they claim they have bits of writing is nice when the kids go back later and say that you had the best year with you. And staff. The teachers in my school are a strong, dedicated, good character group, determined and paraprofessionals are inspiring.

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