Weeks 12 and 13 - The Black Hole of Time

I decided to combine these two weeks as there's been quite a hefty amount going on, but I wanted to narrow down the events into key areas to avoid typing forever and keep your attention!

I remember one of the first pieces of advice I was given at the start of my course: it doesn't matter how many hours you put in to teaching; it will always demand more. This is true, even for trainees; I find myself working frequently but never quite reaching the end of the to-do pile. It's becoming easier to sort between the 'non-negotiables' and the 'can-put-off-until-next-weeks,' but the key to this is not only good physical organisation, but letting your mind let go of the things that need to be done.

If anything, ITT is training my multi-tasking abilities greatly and forcing me to use to-do lists more effectively (a skill I've always desired but never really been disciplined enough to do off of my own back... that's changed, now!). I even created a shopping list today, which is somewhat of a miracle for anyone who knows me. It seems that the days of walking around Sainsbury's with a trolley and an arm shooting out for anything colourful or sugar-filled are numbered...

I've found my teaching persona taking on more facets, too. My classes are getting used to me, as I am getting used to them. This is great for atmosphere and learning in one respect, as the students respect me, but it's also a nightmare as the students now feel comfortable enough to start pushing boundaries. Perhaps I was too lenient to begin with, but the chatting is starting to get a little out of hand. I find myself starting to raise my voice more often and giving 'the look' more frequently. I hope that this conveys a message of seriousness and boundaries, but not one of dictatorial standards and strictness. I do not want my classroom to have the ethos of a didactic, Victorian lesson, but  I'm worried that I may slip into this if I wish to maintain control. I wonder how else I can keep things under control while keeping things 'light-hearted?'

I'm not sure how teachers are able to work on a full teaching timetable. Of course, I'm sure you get used to the workload, but the fact that I'm on a severely reduced timetable and find myself struggling to get lessons planned and evaluated on time (although this is getting gradually quicker... woo!) makes me wonder how on earth a fully qualified teacher is able to do everything they need to do to be outstanding and still have a life outside of the classroom. Do the pupils realise the amount of work we go through? My naïve view when I was in secondary school was that this was all organised and teachers were reading from a big standardised hymn book... how wrong I was!

There's now less than 1 month left of my first placement. Referring to the title of this post, the time has disappeared faster than I would have ever expected.The key now is to continue developing, reap the fruits of my tutors' knowledge while I still can, and find out where on earth I'm heading for placement B!

(P.S. Bloom's Taxonomy is everywhere and can be used for pretty much anything in a school context. If you're ever in doubt, use Bloom's!)

Week 11 - Here's the Deep End...

What do you get when you cross a full day conference with 1,000+ colleagues, followed by four days of teaching classes for the first time and around 3 sessions of CPD?

Answer - a trainee who sleeps for the vast majority of his Saturday.

This week has brought many things to the front of my mind. Here's a small selection to make you aware of what it's really like when you're set up against your first week on your first placement:

• Keep your evenings free of any social life - it will be required to start lesson planning and resource creation and it will take time. I (and all the other trainees) are hoping this will get much quicker with time...
• Take note of the little tips and tricks of the teachers around you - they will all come in handy even if you don't use them all immediately
• Don't become a "yes to everything" person - guard your time for where it is needed most (e.g. the first point about lesson planning!)
• "Start with the end in mind" - whether it's planning lesson outcomes, considering how you'll teach an entire term or even the ethos of a classroom, have the goal in your head and then you can think backwards to how you're going to get there
• Remember that you're the one in control - I keep forgetting this, and it has shown a few times, but being a teacher means that you're the one at the front with the 30 pairs of eyes looking (mostly) at you and wanting to learn. It's still a strange sensation not to have anyone else coming into the room to start teaching; that's my job now!
• Kids will surprise you - having had one of the most challenging children in a year group come up to me and apologise for his behaviour, of his own accord, has been the highlight of my week by far. It's one of those many things that I never thought about when becoming a teacher, but seeing someone mature in their behaviour and grow as an individual brings about an overwhelming sense of pride in what I do!

Despite having to create many new things, getting to know names, organise and attend meetings, read up on behaviours and learning theories AND do work for University... I feel as though I'm starting to get my stride up in teaching.

I just hope it isn't a fluke!