Jinjue Lin
Current BA Education Studies Student
Jinjue tells us about the volunteering in a SEN school that she has done in her first year
I have always been interested in working with children and pupils or in any form of school settings. Special educational needs (SEN) school was something I’ve only known about very recently, and I never had the chance to work in such setting. Enrolling into Warwick, along with studying my degree, I wanted to do something related to education outside of lectures. Warwick Volunteers offered many opportunities for students to volunteer in various school settings and different areas and subjects in education. Among all projects, student tutoring in SEN schools captured my attention. I wanted to volunteer because it was an entirely new concept that I had never experienced. I hoped that through volunteering, I could gain some experience and understanding of working with pupils with special needs.
Beginning in the spring term, I have continued to volunteer in a special needs schools in Coventry every Friday morning. My favourite part of volunteering is the various challenge that I will encounter every single class. Even though it is the same class with the same students, there are always continuous and unexpected situations happening that needed handling. Through volunteering, I have come to realised the amount of support needed just for a class of ten students. The support required is high in demand, and I feel very satisfied and rewarding whenever I am able to help the teacher and manage a few students.
My volunteering experience in a SEN school had given me a flavour of how it feels to be a SEN teacher. It tells me the possible difficulties I might encounter, and the skills I needed to manage the students, both academic and personal skills. It is a way to guide my future decisions on what type of teaching career I would like to do. It is also a good experience for me to consider if a SEN teacher would be a good fit for me and a way for me to reflect on whether this is a career that I can continue to persist with passion throughout lifetime.
Jinjue found her volunteering through Warwick Volunteers. See all the great opportunities they offer!
Students who may go into schools as part of their course or who may wish to volunteer for working in schools as part of Warwick Volunteers may require a DBS check. For international students you will also require a Certificate of Good Conduct from their home country – if you can bring this certificate with you when you come to England then it would be very beneficial for you as it may be difficult to get once you are here.