hey, hello, hi!
This weeks #WISW/#WomeninSTEMWednesday is fellow medical engineer (in another life), Miffy!
Hi, I’m Miffy and I work as a science and STEM teacher in a school in South Wales. I teach ages 11-16, in all three sciences and some maths and engineering lessons. I am originally from Surrey, England and I moved to Wales in 2015 for university.
What were you interested in at school, and why?
At school, my favourite subjects were maths, art and science. I enjoyed that in maths and science there was always an answer and plenty more to learn about. I wish I could say I enjoyed the science practicals too, but they never worked well enough for me! I liked art because it gave me a chance to be a little bit more creative; I enjoyed bringing a bit of maths and science into my pieces.
Do you think outside interests/hobbies play an important role in encouraging more girls into STEM?
I think they most certainly can! There’s always a link to STEM in all hobbies. I am personally quite into fitness and dance, and I’ve had to really brush up on my biology knowledge in the last few years. This has come in very handy with the job I’ve ended up in.
What pathway did you take to get into your job?
I took quite a roundabout way to get into my job. First, I attempted (and dropped out of) a degree in maths, originally planning to be a maths teacher. I wanted to study something a little less theoretical and instead did a degree in medical engineering (where I met the lovely Meg). It was an absolutely fascinating course, but I knew I wanted to work with children and young adults eventually. In my later years at university, I got involved with some outreach programmes, running workshops in schools to promote STEM. I did a year as a data analyst and then decided an office job was not the life for me. I then studied a one-year PGCE course to become a science teacher, specialising in Physics.
What’s your favourite thing about your job and why?
I love that every day is wildly different and just all the strange things that students can come out with. I never get bored of hearing their thoughts in my lessons or just hearing about the exciting gossip that happened in Year 8 over lunch time.
What do you find most challenging about your job and why?
I’m fairly early in my career and therefore planning all my lessons for the first time can be a little overwhelming. However, this is already improving as I get more experience of what works for me and build up a resource bank. The most time saving thing I’ve found is collaborating with other colleagues and teacher friends.
What does your day-to-day life look like while at work?
I get in around 8am and sort out my printing for the day. This is also when I will see my colleagues in my department and have a chat and catch up with them. From 9am I spend the majority of the day teaching lessons until 3.15 pm. I also have a form class who I check in with for a half hour around lunch time. On some days I have free lessons where I can catch up with other staff, or get ahead on my future lesson plans. From 3:15 till around 5 I lesson plan for the rest of the week.
If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?
Tough lessons! No matter how experienced you are, every teacher has them and they sometimes make me feel like having a little cry. There are some classes that you may never win over, and it can make you feel like such a bad teacher. However, that’s never the truth and there’s always something that can be learnt from a bad lesson.
Have you ever felt your gender has influenced the opportunities you’ve been offered and/or experienced so far?
I think it’s definitely helped me get the jobs I’ve gone for, as I am a physics/maths gal in a predominately male specialism. I personally think this gives me a bit of an edge and can give different perspective on things. I have always found that teaching in general is a very equal environment in terms of gender split, so currently I don’t think it makes too much difference going forward.
What advice would you give to young girls who are interested in pursuing a STEM career?
If you’re interested in STEM have a good look at all the different careers on offer. I originally was worried I wasn’t a good fit for STEM as I really enjoy working with people and a lot of the STEM jobs I pictured seemed a bit antisocial. This is most certainly not the case! There are plenty of careers and jobs for those of us who like STEM and love chatting to people all the time. Keep your eyes open and never let self-doubt make you feel like you don’t have a place in STEM.
Miffy, you are the prime example of, never giving up on what you want and I love that. The road in which to take to following your dream doesn’t matter, so long as you reach your destination.
It’s good to hear the positive side to where gender can benefit you in the world of STEM. Because it’s true, us gals do provide a different perspective on things than men and that’s why it’s crucial for company’s and departments to employ more women – basically what I’m saying is women hold the solution to 99% of the worlds problems… All joking aside, a diverse team is definitely a more productive one!
If you take away anything from this episode of #WISW I want it to be that it is okay to change your mind and it’s okay to not know where you want to be. Have faith that wherever you’re supposed to end up, life will have a magic way of getting you there. And also prioritise what makes you happy. I know, particularly in STEM subjects, there is a unspoken pressure to go for grad jobs at big companies once you’ve graduated. But it’s so important to stay true to what you actually enjoy doing. Miffy followed her passion and interest in working with children and I know she is so much happier for it.
Thank you so much, Miffy! I’ve been so excited to share your story and I really hope it inspires others to follow their true dreams
All my love, Meg x
Girls Who STEM 