Suchitra Surendra Varma, Methodist College Belfast

www.methody.org

Subject or Primary school year: SEN assistant for Form 1 pupil
Your place of birth: Mumbai, India
Studied at: Mumbai University, India
First job: in NI-Botanic Primary School, Belfast
What it taught me: Importance of making children feel valued and enjoy their learning. It made me aware of how EAL children really appreciate having an adult simiilar to them, helping them in school.
Family/status: Married
Best advice you could give someone thinking of a teaching career: Genuine love and passion for working with children is the only way that can help you through the very challenging job in Education.

Eventhough I trained as an Electronics engineer, my heart was in education. I started my career teaching ICT to adults and children in India. In 2009, when my husband, an IT consultant was posted in Belfast as part of his job, I followed him here with my kids. My journey in education in NI started when I did the Reading Partnership programme by BELB and volunteered as a Reading partner in Botanic Primary School. I was soon offered the position of a Literacy assistant. I then did my Certificate for Classroom Assistants(QCF) level 3 in 2014 at Christian Brothers College. I later on Completed “The Outstanding Teaching Assistant programme” By OLEVI International and “Welcoming Newcomers to Primary Schools “ by Queens University. Successfully supporting EAL and lower ability groups has been a major part of my career. I am a qualified Roots of Empathy instructor and have successfully conducted 3 Roots of Empathy programme at Botanic Primary School. I have worked as the librarían in Botanic. Supporting EAL children and
 I was also the Chair of Botanic Primary PTA. Following 11 years at Botanic I decided to move on, currently working as a SEN assistant at Methodist College Belfast. I am a trained Indian classical dancer and run the Mudra Academy of Performing Arts UK in Belfast teaching Indian dancing. I am an activeBelfast citizen contributing positively to Northern Ireland, my current home .