Bishops Stortford
Claire Stallan
Hi I’m Claire,
After leaving my secretarial job at a Stockbroker’s in London when I had my children, I began working at a local primary school which enabled me to be back in the workplace whilst still being able to be a full-time Mum – the holidays were an added bonus!
I began as a mid-day assistant and 10 years ago became a Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA). The latter enabled me to take classes on my own and because of my love of art and craft I was always given the art and DT topics to do, which I and the children thoroughly enjoyed. During my time at the school I had contact with many children with learning difficulties and autism, in particular working 1:1 with a child who had Down’s Syndrome, being involved with the planning of his lessons to enable him to access the curriculum – albeit at a much lower level. This was very rewarding and although I stopped working with him once he went to secondary school, myself and another support assistant were invited to his 18th birthday party!
As both my children are now establishing their own careers, I decided it was time for a change. Creative Mojo has given me that opportunity whilst still being involved with arts and crafts. What more could I ask for!
I have now gone from working with the young, to the elderly. It feels great to be able to give something back, re-kindle hidden creativity, turn “I can’t do it” into “I did it” and see smiling happy faces even just for a short time.
claire.stallan@creativemojo.co.uk
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