One of the most important things I learned was that your early lessons do not need to be perfect. It is completely normal to feel nervous and make mistakes. The key is to learn from each experience, build your confidence over time and recognise that becoming an effective teacher is a gradual process. By the end of my first placement, I felt I had become fairly confident in many aspects of teaching. However, I quickly realised there was still a great deal to learn. Every school and class is different and every student brings their own unique needs and experiences.

During my second placement, I was teaching a particularly challenging class, which meant I had to rethink and adapt my behaviour management strategies. At times, this was difficult but it proved to be one of the most valuable learning experiences of the course. Thankfully, my placement mentor provided excellent support and guidance throughout. By the end of the placement, I had worked hard to build positive relationships and improve behaviour within the class. It was incredibly rewarding to feel that I had made a genuine difference, not only to some students' progress in mathematics but also to their engagement and behaviour in lessons. 

Loughborough's strong sense of community helped us build close friendships and I am still friends with many of the people I met during my PGCE. Simple things, such as meeting for a coffee between seminars, created opportunities to connect and get to know one another. Those relationships became especially valuable during our placements, as we were able to support and encourage each other throughout the year. We also had the opportunity to attend the Teaching Mathematics Conference through the University. It was a fantastic experience to share together and gave us the chance to network with teachers and education researchers, as well as learn about the latest developments in teaching and learning.