Lee Kelly

First job: St Louise's Comprehensive College.

What it taught me: My first job taught me that teaching is more than the individual, you are truly part of a team. I was privileged to join an incredibly successful school and department where I got to learn from the best. In doing that I will always remember the team that helped shape me into the teacher that I am today. It is important as a beginning teacher to draw on the experience around you and inject it with energy and enthusiasm to develop your practice. Finally, it is important to ensure that your students are at the centre of everything you do as the best reward is to watch them succeed and grow into young adults ready to take on life after school.

Best advice anyone ever gave you: Remember every student in your classroom has been entrusted to you by their guardian, to whom they are precious. That trust deserves to be met with the same level of enthusiasm, compassion and dedication from you each day.

Best advice you could give someone thinking of a teaching career: Teaching is a marathon not a sprint, you need to look after yourself in order to give your best in the classroom. Celebrate every milestone and enjoy every step of the journey because you truly will make a difference.

I Graduated from Stranmillis University College in 2011 with a First-Class Honours. I was lucky enough in September 2011 to begin my first teaching post in St Louise’s Comprehensive College as a Technology and Design teacher. While there, I worked with some of the most incredible staff and students. During my time in St Louise’s, I was inspired to complete my Masters in Education, which I completed in 2016 with Commendation. Taking my staff development seriously has really helped me sharpen my practice and focus on the best learning strategies in my classroom. In 2019 I took the opportunity to move to Edmund Rice College where I continued to work as a Technology Teacher. My time at Edmund Rice has presented truly unique challenges in the midst of the pandemic, however it has highlighted to me the strength of the community I have joined. The support of everyone has been overwhelming and truly reflects the care that bleeds through the school ethos. Edmund Rice College is a very exciting place to work as I get to be part of a team that works hard to provide the best possible education for all our young people.