Corey O'Connor

St Oliver Plunkett 

https://www.stoliverplunkettprimary.org

Subject or Primary School Year:  Primary 5 Classroom Assistant.

Place of Birth: Lenadoon, West Belfast.

Where you studied: Currently doing Level 3 Diploma in Support, Teaching & Learning

What was your first job? Waiter/Bartender

What did your first job teach you? It taught me how to adapt to different personalities, to have good communication and organisation skills.

Family/Status: Single.

Best advice you would give to someone thinking of a teaching career:  Go for it! Being a Teaching Assistant is the most rewarding journey. Being able to witness the growth of each individual student is incredible. Establishing trust and rapport with both students and staff is vital. Having strong relationships foster a positive learning environment where students feel safe, comfortable and supported. Also take time to get to know each student; understanding their interests can significantly enhance your effectiveness as a Classroom Assistant.

Having good communication is a must as you need to be able to convey information correctly to students. You need to understand that children learn at different paces, and having patience to support them through whatever challenges may arise is vital. Each child is unique and they all have their preferred learning styles. Although, at times, the days can be quite challenging, the rewards outway the difficult moments. I feel privileged being the first male teaching assistant in the school in almost 10 years. Teaching Assistant? I prefer the term Educational Rockstar!!!

As a teenager, Corey says he never really knew what he wanted to be when he was older as he literally worked in everything (it's a long list). It wasn't until he was asked to help teach the young children in his Irish dancing class, Scoil Rince Mhic Liam, that he realised that this was something that he might actually want to do when he's older. After finishing his A-Levels, he made the decision to take a gap year from studying, which allowed him to realise that he was certain that he wanted to work in the education sector.

He was offered a job in St Oliver Plunkett Primary School covering maternity leave and has been there ever since. He's had the privilege of working in Primary 3, 4, and 5 since January 2023, and he's loved every second of it. Working in the various year bands, in his opinion, offers experience and advantages, particularly for those who wish to pursue teaching like he does. Corey is currently doing his Level 3 Diploma in Support, Teaching and Learning, and once completed in September he is starting a Degree through Open University which allows him to work within the school,  as well as his T.C.R.G in Irish Dancing, then in the future a PGCE. He says the best decision he ever made was joining such an amazing school and having the support of a such amazing staff.