Rachel Finlayson

"I am using my God given skills to try and help children get a start in life."

What led you to become a teacher?

I decided I wanted to go and work with children for my gap year before university, so I headed to Senegal in West Africa to work at a boarding school for missionary kids. I went as a dorm helper, but was hoping to be able to do a small amount of teaching just to see how I got on with it. Whilst I was keen to teach that year, I was quite sure that it wasn't something I wanted to do long term. However, the more I taught in Senegal, the more I enjoyed it and realised it was something I could do. I knew that going home and teaching would not be the same, but by the end of the year I had come to the conclusion that part of the reason God had taken me on my gap year was to show me what he wanted me to do long term - that actually teaching was where he wanted me. I came back from the year very apprehensive about the idea but having made the decision that it was what I ought to be doing.

Would you describe this process as a calling or a vocation?

I can use the word calling as one of the reasons why I am a teacher. From the point that I decided to go into teaching I always felt it was where God wanted me, even though I remained unsure about whether I actually wanted to do it. I was very aware of the pressure, stresses and workload involved, and it was not a career that I would have chosen without some guidance! My experience of teaching in Senegal before I did my PGCE was very different to working in England but as I went through the PGCE course here I began to realise that it is a calling and a vocation.

What difference do you think being a Christian has made to the sort of teacher that you are?

I am using my God given skills to try and help children get a start in life. I work in an inner city school and I feel very strongly that this is where God wants me as many of these children have huge needs. So many of them are from broken homes with various different problems and they need some stability in their lives. One of the only places they get this is at school and I feel it is my role as a Christian teacher to be able to show them God's love through how I treat them.

How does being a Christian help you to cope with the challenges of teaching today?

I don't believe I could get through many of the situations or deal with the stresses it involves without having God there to help me. I found my first year of teaching particularly emotionally stressful and I think the only way I survived was by turning to God for help. I feel that this is where God wants me so when the challenges come I have to remember that there is a reason for it.

What gives you a buzz about being in teaching?

The times when you see children suddenly grasp something new, or when they want to come and talk to you, or when they thank you for something - these are the moments that make me realise it's worth it.

Just recently I got married and when I came back to school they were all interested in how it went and some of them were really keen to see the photos and find out a bit more.

Could you use one sentence to sum up what it means to you to be a Christian teacher?

Being a Christian teacher means being involved in the lives of children who may never see an example of God's love otherwise.