We caught up with Primary Education with QTS BA alumna, Dovile Eidimtaite, about her time at St Mary’s.
Dovile graduated from St Mary’s in 2020, and shares with us how the University has shaped her professional and personal development since leaving.
What made you choose to come to St Mary’s?
St Mary’s university was highly recommended by previous students and from our family friends. The University has a reputation for specialising in highly trained teachers, so I always aspired to study at St Mary’s.
I submitted my application in 2017 for two different universities, but St Mary’s was the one that took the most care to ensure I was interviewed in a timely manner and given the opportunity to enter the programme.
How did you find the course and the teaching?
At the beginning of my academic journey I felt overwhelmed as I was an older student. English was also my second language which added to that feeling. However, from the moment I stepped onto the St Mary’s campus I received unwavering support from my wonderful tutor, year mentors, dedicated lecturers, and all the staff members around campus such as the librarians, academic tutors, and cafeteria staff.
Each lecture inspired me to dig and delve deeper into pedagogy techniques whilst also given time to develop my own strategies and approaches that I could use in a classroom setting.
Most importantly, I was given an opportunity on numerous occasions to engage in discussions and ask questions to support my academic studies as the lecturers, and especially my tutor, were all very generous with their time and shared experiences.
Do you have favourite moment from your time at St Mary’s?
One of my favourite moments at St Mary’s was when we had guests from inspirational schools where teachers adapted their schools to serve and complete their communities. One of them was specialising in English and as additional language (EAL) students and the other school deeply invested in PE and outdoor learning ethos, where life skills such as cooking were instilled in all children.
My favourite personal academic achievement was when I received a 95% mark for one of my projects, which was a reflection of my fantastic lecturer’s teaching.
What has your journey looked like since graduating?
Since graduating, I have undertaken multiple courses and further deepened my pedagogical knowledge in science, English, and PE.
Recently I also achieved my NPQLBC (Learning, Behaviour, and Culture) accreditation which inspired me to further pursue my leadership skills by being involved in my school’s behaviour and relationship policy review, and implementation process.
This then led me to enter the NPQSL (Senior leader) accreditation course to further pursue leadership in teaching.
What skills did St Mary’s give you that you use in your career?
St Mary’s gave me the ability to be curious, inquisitive, and always have children at the forefront of all that I do.
Additionally, my time at St Mary’s enabled me to develop essential tools to access my resourcefulness, creativeness, and resilience in a range of dynamic classroom environments.
How has St Mary’s helped shape you personally and professionally?
St Mary’s has played a significant part in both my professional and personal development. Professionally, St Mary’s encouraged me to seek answers and exposed me to a vast pedagogical knowledge from highly skilled, experienced lecturers.
On a personal level, the University has definitely shaped my personal views and values. Kindness, curiosity, and openness is something that was modelled to me every day on campus, which has led me to take the same approach in my own teaching when shaping young lives.