Career story
My career story is very much that of a practitioner learning to think and act like a researcher, and understanding that the two don't have to be mutually exclusive! I undertook my doctoral studies part-time whilst working as a full-time classroom teacher, and had little to no understanding of research methods or procedures. It took me a long time to realise that whilst I was an outsider to many of the customs and practices of a research-intensive university, my insider knowledge of classroom pedagogies, dynamics and interactions gave me a deeper understanding of how research might be conducted in real-life contexts using practical methods to address tangible phenomena. So, I would advise my younger self to value what I bring to the research, rather than assuming a deficit starting position.