Shini Mahendran teaches Year 5 children at an academy school in West London.
“Teaching is in my blood,” she says. “Two of my great-grandparents were teachers.
“My grandfather was a headmaster in Sri Lanka, and my grandmother and mother were teachers. One of my sisters is a teacher and the other is a teaching assistant.
“I am truly passionate about teaching. I couldn’t do any other job. Teaching is so rewarding, challenging and enjoyable.
“Every single day we make a difference in someone's life which goes far beyond knowledge.
“We inspire, support, mentor and get the chance to discover and share some of the best parts of ourselves as human beings.
“When I see the children learn and thrive through my teaching I feel I am just blessed.”
Shini’s first step was to volunteer at her children’s school, helping with reading, cookery lessons and school trips, and running a maths booster class.
She then studied to become a qualified teacher and later completed a master’s degree in mathematics.
Shini has worked in primary schools for the last 13 years and specialises in mathematics, as well as classroom and behaviour management.
“The highlight of my work is the teaching and learning,” says Shini.
“I form strong relationships with my students and show that I care about them as people. I am warm, accessible, enthusiastic and caring.
“My teaching style is different. I do lots of drama and singing – it’s obviously important to make lessons fun.
“Every child matters to me. Some of the children have no English and some have special needs, but with lessons like this they are fully engaged.”
Shini feels that experienced teachers bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to their roles.
“We can offer more in terms of classroom management, behaviour management and also how to handle parents,” she says.
“We’ve had lots of training over the years, and attended lots of conferences and events.
“We can help younger teachers and share all of our ideas. No matter how experienced you are you can always learn.”
Shini has been a member of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union for four years and already attended many of our training courses.
She is a member of the Ealing Local Association and supports her colleagues by acting as a Workplace Representative.
Shini points out that experienced teachers are often expected to take on extra responsibilities and manage with less support from teaching assistants.
But despite the challenges, Shini loves her work and believes you need special personal qualities to stay dedicated to the profession.
“First of all, you need to be passionate about teaching,” she says. “You should really love your job and have the subject knowledge.
“You also need to be a team player because, like, me, you might work in a large school with lots of staff.
“You should also be understanding and approachable because, after all, you are setting an example to the children.”
Shini is one of the dedicated teachers featured in our Celebrating Experience campaign.