Samantha Thirsk

The Arts, and particularly Performing Arts, have been my passion and a central interest in my life for as long as I can remember.  I find the experience of theatre thrilling, both as a performer and as an audience member.  I feel very strongly about the importance of the arts in education and it’s contribution to human wellbeing.  Practice and performance through elements such as singing, dancing and playing musical instruments helps children to develop stamina, determination and resilience, and Drama can help to further develop a child’s understanding and empathy in learning more about people through different characters and why they do what they do, a great way to teach emotional intelligence from an early age. 

Before teaching, I would have said that the feeling of performing is not like any other, however supporting children to realise their potential and igniting this passion in them, well for me, it doesn’t get better than that!  Boosting a child’s confidence to not only perform on the stage, but also learn to take pride in themselves and feel much more confident in speaking in front of others, whether this be in a group situation or in front of a crowd and helping children discover their own potential is something I find extremely rewarding. 

I achieved a First BA Honours Degree in Primary Teaching, I have since for 13 years primary teaching experience across various age ranges.  Working for 12 years in an enhanced resource school, I have experience of working with children with a range of different needs, providing extensive differentiation and learning a variety of approaches to ensure that every pupil has equal access to learning and opportunity to make excellent progress. 

During my 13 years of teaching, I have taken great pleasure in being Music Lead and overseeing school choirs and Little Voice groups (Key Stage One choirs).  I have lead a number of annual performances and school productions in Reception, Key Stage 1 and 2 and choreographed endless Year 6 leavers productions.

I can also connect with parents as I’m a very busy Mummy to 2 young boys.  I completely understand how life doesn’t always go to plan and sometimes we just have to put our ‘game-faces’ on to get through the day!  However, with a deep passion for performing arts, and a fire in my belly to ignite this passion we can do this together, blending Performing Arts and Social Emotional Mental Health benefits as part of the Take Part team.