There is no more rewarding feeling for teachers than seeing their students prosper.
Georgina Allsop, Maths Teacher at The English College Dubai, has dedicated four years on unleashing the amazing potential that her students have.
In Georgina's one year in Dubai, since moving from the UK, she has made a difference and here she shares her teaching journey and how she makes her classes in school interesting for her students.
What inspired you to start teaching?
When I was in Year 11, I was paired up with a Year 7 pupil to help her with her maths homework. I loved working with her and trying to explain topics in ways she could understand. She also had a difficult home life, and I felt like I was able to help her both academically and pastorally. We are still in touch, and she has just graduated from university and qualified as a children’s nurse.
How did you decide to teach your current subject?
I love that maths is a universal language and that as we learn a new topic in maths, it builds on top of things that we have already done so that we are able to solve more and more complex problems. The best feeling in the world is when you have been working on a problem for ages and then you finally work out the answer.
Why do you love teaching?
I love that every day is completely different and this makes each day fly by so quickly. I also love watching pupils have that lightbulb moment when suddenly something just ‘clicks’ as they are working on a problem.
Do you remember your favourite teacher from school?
My favourite teacher from school was my A-level Maths teacher, Miss Bell. At the time, I thought she was the cleverest person in the world and would be able to solve literally any question I could find. She always made every topic seem so simple with her really clear explanations.
How do you make everyday classes more interesting?
I make classes more interesting by allowing pupils to have the opportunity to discover things themselves instead of just telling them how to do it. I also try to be super enthusiastic when introducing a topic so that the pupils are excited about what they are about to learn.
What is a unique part of the school?
The best thing about The English College is the community feel, every year group is relatively small with about 120 pupils, and the relationships between pupils themselves as well as between pupils and teachers. During a lesson, pupils move around the room, not because they are misbehaving but because they are genuinely discussing the questions and working together to solve them.
What would you do if you were not a teacher?
I would probably be an engineer if I were not a teacher. I graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and I love the mechanics modules in A-level Maths.
Georgina Allsop
Maths Teacher
The English College Dubai