#RSMFridayFastFive – Mrs Baker

Why teach science? I love my job! It is different every hour of the day, it’s hugely rewarding, it’s challenging and allows me to be creative. I can have fun by trying out new ideas and activities, in fact, I probably enjoy scientific investigations as much as the children! I think many scientists are a little like Peter Pan; they never grow up and keep their curiosity!

Best teaching moment? I’ve had lots of great moments teaching. These range from a child coming into my lesson clutching a scientific newspaper article and saying: “I thought you might like this” to lovely comments made by parents about their children enjoying their science lessons. However, the most memorable was when I was teaching a lesson in my first school during an inspection. At the end of the lesson, and totally unprompted, a year 6 boy walked confidently up to the inspector, shook his hand and said: “If I were you, I’d give the lesson 10 out of 10”.

What was your favourite subject at school? Obviously I really enjoyed science but I also loved cooking. I combined both of these interests by studying Food Science at university.

Have you always been a teacher? I didn’t go straight into teaching. After university I spent a year travelling around Asia and Australia. Whilst in Australia I worked in an ice-cream factory so I ended up wearing fleeces and gloves most of the time, despite the hot, sunny weather! Before training as a teacher, I worked as an environmental health officer at Gatwick Airport. I had to inspect the food premises where flight meals were prepared as well as all the other food outlets in the terminal buildings.

Favourite quote?

“A person who never made a mistake has never tried anything new”