​More About Me

 

I wanted to be a teacher from the age of five and I still think educating children is one of the best jobs in the world. I spent the first ten years of my career teaching full time at an outstanding junior school in Sheffield. I was part of the SLT with responsibility for special educational needs, inclusion and child protection, amongst many other things!

 

More recently, I've spent the last four years teaching part time whilst working as a supply teacher on my days off. This change to my career has given me an invaluable insight into a huge variety of schools including special schools and integrated resource units.  I've also now taught a great deal in EYFS and KS1 to balance out my ten years spent in KS2. I feel incredibly fortunate that I now have such a varied job and I really love working in such a variety of schools with so many fantastic children and staff. 

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So why Pilates?

 

People often ask me how I got into Pilates. I've attended Modern Pilates classes at least once a week for over eight years now. It was recommended to me by a physiotherapist after I had surgery and I was advised to go every week for six months. Over eight years later I'm still going!

 

As someone who never really goes to a gym or plays sports, I really didn't expect it to change my life so much. However, after just 6 weeks I realised that I didn't feel my back twinge nearly as much as it usually did. I honestly thought all teachers had bad backs from carrying heavy bags and leaning over tables etc yet just 6 sessions stopped mine from hurting completely. It was amazing to feel my body getting that little bit stronger each week too.

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The Best of Both Worlds

 

Teaching part time combined with doing supply teaching meant I had lots of evenings and weekends free which I decided to use to study for my Level 3 Modern Pilates Diploma. I like Modern Pilates because it is a contemporary, clinical and updated approach to the traditional methods developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1940's, which at the time he named 'contrology'.

 

I have always loved to teach and teaching adults seemed a natural progression from teaching children in schools. I now teach a variety of Modern Pilates classes in Sheffield to adults as well as weekly SmartyPilates™ classes to children. SmartyPilates™ is great for children of all ages and abilities, however, one of my current classes specialises in teaching children with additional needs. This allows me to put my previous SEND experience to good use!