Week 9 - School: Keeping things Cool

[Caution: mini-rant ahead, but it does come with a reflective solution!]

Teaching is a daunting task. Especially in the first few days of a new school or placement. New faces, many of whom are staring back at you expecting you to come up with something interesting and informative, can be a pretty confusing and scary place.

In short, it's been a challenging week. Emotional bank accounts have been stretched, emotional intelligence has been tested and expectations have been reformed. Strike action around the UK also had an effect on both teachers and pupils, bringing to light some of the aspects sometimes disregarded in the classroom, but that's not for discussion here. Not now.

However, some coping strategies have helped me to keep my cool and be rational about things. For instance, it's my first week. It's not a race. It shouldn't be a big deal that things haven't gone to plan as that seems to be the very nature of teaching. While it is good to rant and let off some steam to some trusted parties, it's equally as satisfying to be able to draw a line under a lesson, a day or a week and then continue with a fresh outlook.

This is the method I plan to use with my students... when I find out who they are!

Unfortunately, I can't really blog about anything else this week as I've either posted about it during the week or I haven't been able to do much else due to the aforementioned craziness. I just hope I can build my confidence back up quickly...

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Last weeks targets were:

• To make a good impression on my first placement - I hope this has been the case, although it's been remarkably difficult to tell!
• To maintain the positivity - Trying my utmost to chalk this week up as an 'experience'...
• To maintain good time management - No problems!

My three achievements are:

• Getting my first essay to a near-complete level and starting the second one (keen, I know!)
• Successfully mapping-out my placement academy and even being able to direct others around it
• Getting to know some of the kids and my pastoral group a little more

Next week, I hope I can:

• Submit my essay and have that weight off of my mind
• Have all my admin stuff for my placement finally sorted and ready for a full-steam-ahead approach after half-term
• Keep building relations with my new team and key contacts