Katie Michala

I had initially planned to continue with my studies, and had secured myself a place on the Special Educational Needs masters at Leeds. However, I decided to have some time out of education whilst I built on the work experience that I gained at University, as well as embarking upon a year of working and travelling in Australia.

I have always been extremely passionate about children and interested in their developmental milestones; my dissertation research topic combined with an array of volunteering experiences assisted me getting a graduate teaching assistant position. I worked in a primary school as a teaching assistant, in a very deprived area of Bradford, and then continued in a diverse school in Northampton.

Further to this, I worked as an au pair in Australia for three separate families, all with special needs children. My degree in psychology has been invaluable in both past and present experiences; on a daily basis, I use elements of psychology when dealing with behavioural management, as well as in lessons when supporting children in their learning. My experience as a teaching assistant an au pair has been fascinating, providing insight into many different aspects of child development and behaviour. I have grown in confidence when working with children who display challenging or aggressive behaviour, as well as gaining knowledge within special educational needs (e.g. dyspraxia, autism and ADHD). All of this will be vital when pursuing further study in the field of child psychology or the educational field.