I have seen both of these hashtags appear over the past few days and wanted to join in. Not wanting to choose between the two but equally not wanting to repeat myself I have tried to combine the two. I will do my 5 positives from 2014 a la #Nurture1415 and then make my 5 wishes using the #teacher5aday categories.
2014
1) I felt like I was blogging for a reason. Previously my blog had felt like me talking to myself but in the latter part of this year I got more responses. I realised there were actually people reading my blog, and what's more they were telling me that they were feeling the same way. My post about 'Getting my teaching mojo back' seemed to really strike a chord with not just NQTs but some more experienced teachers too. This gave me more confidence in myself and what I was blogging for.
2) I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried to get more involved. In the summer I met a group of other bloggers for the first time, it was really good to put faces to twitter handles and get to have a conversation and not worry about a 140 character limit. It was even better to spot these faces and have people to talk to at ResearchEd.
3) I started my first proper job and, despite a wobble in October, I enjoy it. It's not been easy, everyone knows that and wouldn't expect the NQT year to be any other way. I'm lucky to be in a department with really helpful, experienced staff but also two more NQTs. There are a lot of NQTs in school but having 3 in our department has been really good - even if it's for a therapeutic rant at the end of the week or quickly exchanging resources at the start of the day.
4) I've kept time for myself. The hardest balance for a teacher but I was determined that I would do it from day one. I love my 'No Work Wednesdays' when I go to the local adult music school at my old school where I play alongside my ex-head teacher (which was strange at first) and led by my saxophone teacher from school. On Wednesdays I have to leave school at a decent time and whilst I'm there I can't think about work - I'm too busy trying to catch up with all the black dots that are flying past me on the page!
5) I have applied to volunteer at the Olympics in Rio 2016. This has meant taking language tests in Spanish and French and committing myself to learning a basic level of Portuguese. So far so good, I've passed each stage of the application process. This opens up the door to me doing more travelling like I keep saying I will. Watch this space on this one!
2015
#connect - I want to blog more, on relevant issues not just what is going on in my world and get involved in the debate. I want to take a more active part in twitter, I've taken a back seat to observe but it's about time I got braver and spoke up.
#exercise - How to write this one without it being a generic 'I must go to the gym more often' resolution? The fact is that has to be it. I need to realise that walking up two flights of stairs with all my school bags does not count as exercise. Neither does the amount of walking to and from the printer I do, or walking round the classroom. I keep saying that I don't have time to go to the gym/swim but I shall just have to make it.
#notice - What is going on outside the teaching 'bubble'. It's very easy to get wrapped up in these things, especially with teaching taking over my twitter and slowly but surely my Facebook too.
#learn - I'm applying to do an MA in Education. I know it's going to be hard work and a lot to juggle but I feel it's the next thing for me to do. Whilst I've got the enthusiasm and interest for it I want to give it a go. I don't necessarily know where it is going to take me but I think it'll be worth it. Part and parcel of this is reading more, I don't do it enough and if nothing else this will force me to do that.
#volunteer - I said to myself that I'd get involved outside of my department at school. I set the wheels in motion and then other things took hold. I am determined though that this is something I will do this year. I remember how much music meant to me at school, and as above still does. Even if it's only in a small way I want to help with this and get involved.
Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Monday, 22 December 2014
NQT term one survived. Bring on term two.
It's been quite a while since I last blogged, I seem to only be posting about once a half term these days. I'm just not reading as much as I was before and so don't necessarily feel I have as much to say. My training posts and the ones from the start of this year were all about the trials and tribulations of starting out in teaching, maybe everything has been a little less dramatic of late? Jokes aside though, I do wish I was writing more. Reading, writing and getting involved shall have to be another one of those New Years' Resolutions that never get kept!
When I sit down to think about it now I'm not sure if this term has dragged or flown past. It doesn't seem like that long ago I was in school putting up my displays and planning the first lessons for classes that I hadn't yet met. On the other side however, when I think back over everything that has happened since the first week of September, it seems like I've been teaching in this school forever. I finally feel like I know my classes, I'm getting the hang of school policies and I'm starting to know the names of some of the other staff (it's a huge school, I've got no chance!)
I'm not going to pretend that things haven't been difficult and that I haven't got a long way to go. Anyone that has read my previous posts will know that's not true. I'm still working on addressing the balance between working and having a life. I know it's hard but I am now starting to think it's actually possible, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. I'm very lucky to be part of a really friendly and helpful department and even luckier, I feel, to have two other NQTs in the department to rant to at the end of the day or share last minute resources with in the mornings. We share best practice as a department regularly and I'm feeling more able to integrate new ideas into my lessons. Of late I've been reminded of the basics that I've put to the back of my mind. It was all too easy in the middle of this term to forget things that were a natural part of lesson planning last year just to make planning quicker and easier. That makes another thing to add to my list of resolutions! All this aside I'm really pleased with my first term report, I've had positive observations from my mentor and the NQT tutor and there are plenty of things to celebrate. As per usual I'm just highly critical of myself.
To address one of the forgotten basics I have created a progress and reflection board. Inspired by a display shared by the MFL Resources forum I have a series of challenge cards that can be used to check progress and a progress line for students to put their names on and move during a lesson. I've not begun to use it yet but I'm hoping once I've integrated it into routine and adapted some of my teaching (or returned to some of my old practice) it will start to have an impact.
My theory is that after the initial shock of this first term I can start to build things up again. I know I need to take things a step at a time and not bite off more than I can chew - as I tend to do - but, in reference to an earlier post, I think it's another step to getting my teaching mojo back.
Talking of biting off more than I can chew... my current project is writing my personal statement for my MA application. I'm hoping to study MA Education at the Institute of Education. I have 60 Masters level credits from my PGCE already so I should be able to study 2 modules and a dissertation. The MA is something I've been thinking about for a long time, and something I know will widen my opportunities for the future. As well as this, the research parts of the PGCE, blogging, twitter and events like ResearchEd have really got me interested in education as an area of study. I know that this isn't exactly going to help my attempt to readdress the balance between working and relaxing but for me I feel that it's a step in the right direction.
When I sit down to think about it now I'm not sure if this term has dragged or flown past. It doesn't seem like that long ago I was in school putting up my displays and planning the first lessons for classes that I hadn't yet met. On the other side however, when I think back over everything that has happened since the first week of September, it seems like I've been teaching in this school forever. I finally feel like I know my classes, I'm getting the hang of school policies and I'm starting to know the names of some of the other staff (it's a huge school, I've got no chance!)
I'm not going to pretend that things haven't been difficult and that I haven't got a long way to go. Anyone that has read my previous posts will know that's not true. I'm still working on addressing the balance between working and having a life. I know it's hard but I am now starting to think it's actually possible, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. I'm very lucky to be part of a really friendly and helpful department and even luckier, I feel, to have two other NQTs in the department to rant to at the end of the day or share last minute resources with in the mornings. We share best practice as a department regularly and I'm feeling more able to integrate new ideas into my lessons. Of late I've been reminded of the basics that I've put to the back of my mind. It was all too easy in the middle of this term to forget things that were a natural part of lesson planning last year just to make planning quicker and easier. That makes another thing to add to my list of resolutions! All this aside I'm really pleased with my first term report, I've had positive observations from my mentor and the NQT tutor and there are plenty of things to celebrate. As per usual I'm just highly critical of myself.
To address one of the forgotten basics I have created a progress and reflection board. Inspired by a display shared by the MFL Resources forum I have a series of challenge cards that can be used to check progress and a progress line for students to put their names on and move during a lesson. I've not begun to use it yet but I'm hoping once I've integrated it into routine and adapted some of my teaching (or returned to some of my old practice) it will start to have an impact.
My theory is that after the initial shock of this first term I can start to build things up again. I know I need to take things a step at a time and not bite off more than I can chew - as I tend to do - but, in reference to an earlier post, I think it's another step to getting my teaching mojo back.
Talking of biting off more than I can chew... my current project is writing my personal statement for my MA application. I'm hoping to study MA Education at the Institute of Education. I have 60 Masters level credits from my PGCE already so I should be able to study 2 modules and a dissertation. The MA is something I've been thinking about for a long time, and something I know will widen my opportunities for the future. As well as this, the research parts of the PGCE, blogging, twitter and events like ResearchEd have really got me interested in education as an area of study. I know that this isn't exactly going to help my attempt to readdress the balance between working and relaxing but for me I feel that it's a step in the right direction.
Sunday, 9 November 2014
Is the mojo making a comeback?
During the half term break I posted about feeling like I had lost my 'mojo' for teaching over the first 8 weeks of the year. I had an immense response from NQTs, trainees and experienced teachers echoing my sentiments and giving words of support/advice. The post was shared on the TES website (see link on 'My Writing Elsewhere' page) and got even more comments, this time from people I don't know at all. I really appreciated it and am so pleased to see that something that I wrote for my own ends, to make myself feel better and get things straight in my own head has struck a chord with so many people. That said, I'm not sure that in itself that is a good thing, should so many people be feeling this way about the profession? Thats a whole debate in itself I'm sure. Despite this, I still don't claim to write the views of all NQTs, maybe not even the majority. This blog is, as it always has been, my space to let out my thoughts and if others read it and get something from it, that's all the better.
So, what did I do about the lack of mojo? First I took some time off, I didn't touch anything related to school for the first weekend of the holiday and I made plans that would take me away from the computer from Friday night until Sunday afternoon of the weekend before the return to school. This left me with the week days which I balanced between seeing friends and family and planning. My aim was to plan all my lessons for the first week back and to have a clear picture of where I was heading for the rest of the half term, something I had struggled to do previously. Moving to a new school with new schemes of work, classes, policies and procedures had meant that I wasn't able to be as prepared as I would have liked to have been before September. Now that I've settled into the school and have half an idea of how things worked it was easier to plan for the half term. I've not done this in spectacular detail, but enough to help me know where I'm headed.
When I was planning my lessons I reminded myself of the sorts of activities I used to include during my training, the sorts of things I enjoyed delivering and that the students were engaged with. I spent quite some time taking templates for quizzes and other tools from the TES to replace the things I lost when I moved from using Notebook to PowerPoint. Whilst taking lessons from the TES, why reinvent the wheel when there are excellent MFL lessons out there already?, I adapted them and added my own stamp to them. The lessons that I planned felt like they were mine again and I was more enthusiastic to teach them.
I got things into perspective, thought about what had to be done and when. I reminded myself of something I had learned during the last parts of my training year - you'll never do it all. I will never be on top of a to-do list again, and I have to realise that it's ok! I emailed a few people about things outside my department that I'd like to get involved in, things that whilst being work related would be enjoyable for me and remind me of the parts of school life that I went into teaching for in the first place.
Clearly I wasn't expecting a miracle cure. I knew that just getting it all off of my chest and changing the way I approached some things wasn't going to solve all my issues, but it certainly helped. I didn't start the half term with thoughts of leaving and I've still not counted the teaching days left until Christmas (although I've been informed it's 20-something?). I'm feeling better. I wouldn't go as far as to say that the mojo is back and we're only a week in, I'm under no illusions, things will get hard again. However, I've had a long week with a parents evening, some stressful days with behaviour and marking and the knowledge of a collection of data deadlines coming up and I'm not feeling like I want to jump ship. That's an improvement, right?
I've got my next NQT observation coming up on the 19th, I don't imagine I'll blog before then but I'm sure I'll be turning to twitter for advice. Looking forward to hearing from other NQTs about their mojo and how they're getting it back.
So, what did I do about the lack of mojo? First I took some time off, I didn't touch anything related to school for the first weekend of the holiday and I made plans that would take me away from the computer from Friday night until Sunday afternoon of the weekend before the return to school. This left me with the week days which I balanced between seeing friends and family and planning. My aim was to plan all my lessons for the first week back and to have a clear picture of where I was heading for the rest of the half term, something I had struggled to do previously. Moving to a new school with new schemes of work, classes, policies and procedures had meant that I wasn't able to be as prepared as I would have liked to have been before September. Now that I've settled into the school and have half an idea of how things worked it was easier to plan for the half term. I've not done this in spectacular detail, but enough to help me know where I'm headed.
When I was planning my lessons I reminded myself of the sorts of activities I used to include during my training, the sorts of things I enjoyed delivering and that the students were engaged with. I spent quite some time taking templates for quizzes and other tools from the TES to replace the things I lost when I moved from using Notebook to PowerPoint. Whilst taking lessons from the TES, why reinvent the wheel when there are excellent MFL lessons out there already?, I adapted them and added my own stamp to them. The lessons that I planned felt like they were mine again and I was more enthusiastic to teach them.
I got things into perspective, thought about what had to be done and when. I reminded myself of something I had learned during the last parts of my training year - you'll never do it all. I will never be on top of a to-do list again, and I have to realise that it's ok! I emailed a few people about things outside my department that I'd like to get involved in, things that whilst being work related would be enjoyable for me and remind me of the parts of school life that I went into teaching for in the first place.
Clearly I wasn't expecting a miracle cure. I knew that just getting it all off of my chest and changing the way I approached some things wasn't going to solve all my issues, but it certainly helped. I didn't start the half term with thoughts of leaving and I've still not counted the teaching days left until Christmas (although I've been informed it's 20-something?). I'm feeling better. I wouldn't go as far as to say that the mojo is back and we're only a week in, I'm under no illusions, things will get hard again. However, I've had a long week with a parents evening, some stressful days with behaviour and marking and the knowledge of a collection of data deadlines coming up and I'm not feeling like I want to jump ship. That's an improvement, right?
I've got my next NQT observation coming up on the 19th, I don't imagine I'll blog before then but I'm sure I'll be turning to twitter for advice. Looking forward to hearing from other NQTs about their mojo and how they're getting it back.
Monday, 27 October 2014
Getting my teaching 'mojo' back.
If I had been asked over the last few weeks if I loved my job I'd have said no. If you'd have asked me if I was enjoying it I'd have said no. If you'd have asked me if I saw myself staying in teaching past my NQT year I'd have almost certainly have said no. Like many NQTs I was struggling my way through the last two weeks of a long half term and I just couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. My worry wasn't that I couldn't do it all but more that I didn't have the motivation to want to do it. I came into teaching because it was something I wanted to try, something I thought I might enjoy and not because it was all I'd ever wanted to do. I'd lost my enthusiasm for teaching and all I was seeing were the piles of marking, the report data to be entered, the detention slips to fill out both in paper form and online and the emails to field about various members of my form group.
As an NQT it's very easy to get bogged down in everything that is expected of you and not see past it. I set myself time limits in the evening and don't allow myself to work all weekend because I know that working myself into the ground isn't the way to go. Maybe it's because of this that I haven't been able to feel on top of things, but even if I worked all the hours possible I'd still not be on top and added to that I'd feel awful too. I can see how NQTs and more experienced teachers can run themselves into the ground with work, especially if teaching is all you can ever see yourself doing. You want to feel like you're doing a good job, that you're achieving something and succeeding. I'm gradually coming to the realisation that as a teacher that's not something I'm necessarily going to feel. There isn't the feeling that I can work all evening but have something to show for it, the hours of work are put in just to get from day to day and that's something that I'll maybe have to accept.
For me, the major problem with this is that I have found that I don't have time to plan the sorts of lessons that I can be proud of. I find that I am just getting by with planning lessons that are just OK most of the time so that I can get it all done. This has a knock on effect as I don't enjoy teaching those lessons as much as I used to when I had planned something a little different, something with a variety of activities and something which the kids enjoyed more as well. My classroom gives away the fact that I like to use lots of different resources and have things going on, my walls are covered with colourful displays and I like to experiment with different resources - I'm dangerous walking down the kids party aisle or going to a pound shop! Any trace of these things had disappeared from my lessons of late and I was resorting to text book exercises and the like. This isn't the teacher I saw myself being, and for my sake as much as the students I teach I wasn't willing to let this happen.
Over the last week or so I have taken some time to reflect on how I'm feeling about teaching and where I see myself in the future. Right now I honestly don't know where I'm headed in the long term, I just know that for now I need my teaching 'mojo' back. I need a kick start and another injection of enthusiasm. I recognise that year 8 and 9 are my stumbling block and I need to find ways of enjoying these lessons more, this will probably start with being tougher on behaviour. I've been given support with one particular class but I know I have a way to go with this. Some of this is having new behaviour policies to get my head round and the accompanying paperwork which does nothing to help the situation and just makes setting detentions or removing students from class more of a hinderance than a help at times. In contrast to this I know how much I enjoy teaching year 7 and year 10-13. I know that these are the lessons where I can really experiment with activities and which give me something to stick my teeth into.
This half term, as well as resting, I am going to use the opportunity to have a real think about what is coming up this half term and how I am going to balance the mediocre lessons with the ones that I can be more proud of.
Added to this I aim to blog more. Although this may not seem like a logical step for someone that is trying to cut down on work and use her time better I really enjoy writing and want to be able to get more involved in the ever expanding community online. I think that continuing to blog will remind me of the things that I enjoy about teaching and why I find education so interesting. Part of me regrets my decision to step back from NQT chat as this was a fantastic way in, but I wasn't able to give the time to it that I wanted to. Once I get my hands on a project I like to make a real go of it, as much as this can be a great thing it's also dangerous for me as I'll dedicate everything I can to it.
After attending ResearchEd in September and reminding myself of one of the things that I enjoy about teaching a Masters in Education is still on the horizon. I've quizzed the Twitter community on how managable this is and with the opportunities for distance learning are around I don't see why I shouldn't give it a go come July/September. I don't know where this Masters could take me but again, if it is something that continues to expand my ideas about teaching and education and remind me of the reasons I do what I do then it can't be a bad thing.
Excuse me whilst I open my planner, spread my schemes of work across the desk and leaf through a text book whilst I wait for amazon to deliver my latest education related book, I think it's time to get my teaching mojo back.
Saturday, 4 October 2014
Trying to keep all the plates spinning.
At the end of my training and the very start of this year I'd convinced myself that 'it gets better' 'the workload will get smaller' 'you'll have your life back eventually' but I'm becoming quite aware that this probably isn't the case.
I'm an organised person, everything has it's place and time and I like to keep on top of things, but that's just not possible anymore. I was talking to another NQT in my department the other day and we spoke about just trying to keep our heads above water. It's no longer about being on top of things but just trying to do enough to get by. This is with my 10% reduced NQT timetable, the free time is meant to be used for observation and development but at the moment I need that time to get everything else done. I'd love to be out and about in school seeing and doing more, I'd like to feel like I'm teaching good lessons not ones that are just about good enough, I'd like to feel like I'm achieving something rather than just getting by. Unfortunately all of these things require time, more time than it's possible to give.
I'm assuming that this is a common NQT feeling, but what concerns me more is that it may be something that teachers are feeling further down the line. Is this something that goes away or do all teachers feel this inadequate?
All through my training I was determined that I would never be part of that statistic, you know the one, the one that's always quoted about the amount of teachers leaving the profession within the first five years. I was convinced that I would leave my training year fully prepared for this and the fact that I was so organised was going to help me. It would seem that I was wrong, over-optimistic and perhaps naieve. I'd decided that the people forming that statistic weren't prepared, they didn't really want to teach, maybe they went into it for the wrong reasons. It wouldn't happen to me.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not ready to become part of that statistic yet. I'm determined to see out my NQT year and see where things take me. There are days that none of this matters because someone in my form has done something brilliant, or something really clicks in class, or I actually manage to leave school at a decent time and go home smiling. I just wonder how sustainable this sort of workload is. I don't know how people do it, being 23, single and living with my parents I don't have commitments outside of school. I can give as much time to it as I need / want to. How do other people do it? Surely something has to give?
I realise that I'll just have to accept that this is the way things are, that I can't be on top of everything and that's the way things go. It's the reality for thousands of people every day. I just can't help but wonder if things have to be this way? Everyone talks of reducing the workload and pressure on teachers, but how do we go about this?
(To confirm, before anyone makes comment, I know that this sort of work load is common across many professions, working long hours and trying to strike that balance and many people don't manage it, this post is just a reflection on my feelings on the situation in teaching.)
Sunday, 14 September 2014
NQT year resolutions
Typically New Years resolutions are made at the very beginning of the year but I've decided to make my NQT year resolutions a little bit into the term, only a week or so, to give me an idea of the sort of challenges I'm going to face. In true New Years resolution style they are unlikely to stick and probably unrealistic!
Having been in school and teaching for 7.5 days, my resolutions are as follows:
1) I WILL have a life! I will only do the work that I have to do, by which I mean if it doesn't actually need doing I won't be doing it. Teachers are notorious for doing much more work than strictly necessary and losing all sense of a work/life balance. I am determined that I will be able to have some evenings/weekend days off without that guilty feeling.
2) I will socialise with people that aren't teachers and keep a sense of reality. We all know that if you spend too much time around people that have the same complaints and problems you can end up driving each other mad and making the situation worse. It's important to have that outside perspective on the situation as well as talking about other things.
3) I will speak out when I need help. Be it in school or on twitter I won't let myself get bogged down with something that could probably be quickly solved by asking the right questions.
4) I won't panic about my lessons not being as thoroughly planned and detailed as they were during my training year. I've heard enough times now that NQTs shouldn't expect their lessons to be the same as they were. The timetable load is higher, I have a needy year 7 form, I have more meetings to go to, I have break duty to do, I'm teaching more exam classes - including sixth form. As long as I'm still planning lessons it doesn't matter that I've not got a sheet of paper that tells me exactly what AfL I'm doing and for how many minutes.
5) I will keep up my blog. This blog gives me a chance to make sense of things that have happened and think about what comes next. I think it's important that I carry it on, whether or not people are reading it!
6) I will join in with #NQTChat. Even though I've given up my commitment to @NQTUK to prioritize other things I will join in with it where I can. It's a really good resource and a lot of fun. Sharing with other NQTs has been really useful so far so I need to remember this and keep joining in.
I'll come back to these in July and see how they went. Don't get me wrong, I realise they're not exactly realistic but I'm aiming high!
Having been in school and teaching for 7.5 days, my resolutions are as follows:
1) I WILL have a life! I will only do the work that I have to do, by which I mean if it doesn't actually need doing I won't be doing it. Teachers are notorious for doing much more work than strictly necessary and losing all sense of a work/life balance. I am determined that I will be able to have some evenings/weekend days off without that guilty feeling.
2) I will socialise with people that aren't teachers and keep a sense of reality. We all know that if you spend too much time around people that have the same complaints and problems you can end up driving each other mad and making the situation worse. It's important to have that outside perspective on the situation as well as talking about other things.
3) I will speak out when I need help. Be it in school or on twitter I won't let myself get bogged down with something that could probably be quickly solved by asking the right questions.
4) I won't panic about my lessons not being as thoroughly planned and detailed as they were during my training year. I've heard enough times now that NQTs shouldn't expect their lessons to be the same as they were. The timetable load is higher, I have a needy year 7 form, I have more meetings to go to, I have break duty to do, I'm teaching more exam classes - including sixth form. As long as I'm still planning lessons it doesn't matter that I've not got a sheet of paper that tells me exactly what AfL I'm doing and for how many minutes.
5) I will keep up my blog. This blog gives me a chance to make sense of things that have happened and think about what comes next. I think it's important that I carry it on, whether or not people are reading it!
6) I will join in with #NQTChat. Even though I've given up my commitment to @NQTUK to prioritize other things I will join in with it where I can. It's a really good resource and a lot of fun. Sharing with other NQTs has been really useful so far so I need to remember this and keep joining in.
I'll come back to these in July and see how they went. Don't get me wrong, I realise they're not exactly realistic but I'm aiming high!
Thursday, 28 August 2014
So, apparently I'm an NQT now?
I'm sure I'm echoing the sentiments of many an NQT when I say that it hardly seems that long ago that I was starting my training, and gaining QTS was a distant goal. Somehow though it is the end of August and I'm on the brink of starting my first job as an actual proper grown-up that's expected to educate a fairly large number of 11 to 18 year olds. Why am I not panicking yet?! As I watch all the panic going on over twitter I wonder what is wrong with me, I'm not panicked about it all yet. I realise this is probably a good thing because I'm not losing sleep and still enjoying my lie ins but I can't help but feel it is going to hit me like a tonne on bricks on Monday night on the eve of my first day. Note to self: make fun plans to take my mind off of the next day!
It's not that I've forgotten about it all. I've been getting myself ready, the classroom is done, seating plans are sorted, the first week of lessons are planned and I've been talking to colleagues that I'll be sharing classes with. I think I've done almost everything I can before I go back but I can't help but have that feeling of having forgotten something. I'm really pleased to be starting at a new school, totally fresh slate after my training, but I do long for the simplicity of going back to familiar surroundings. Turning up for INSET knowing where everything is and who the important people are, where to go to get my resources for the week sorted and already sorted with email etc to keep me in the loop with what's going on. All of those things are outweighed by the excitement of what's to come. Next week, this term and this year bring with them a whole host of firsts, some of which are:
- My first form group. I loved shadowing a group this year but I'm looking forward to having my own year 7 group. It's going to be extra work I know. They're new and I'm new, we'll have to be on this learning curve together, I'll just have to try and keep a step ahead.
- Teaching 6th form for the first time. This is going to be a tough one, year 12 and 13 are shared between myself and another NQT in the department. We're as prepared as we can be so far and the department seem to be on top of things, knowing we're going to need support with it. This is a challenge I'm really looking forward to. During my training I only observed post-16 and taught an activity or two as the school didn't offer my stronger language. I've done my reading and have started to plan though and my mentor from my training gave me plenty of hints and tips.
- My own classroom. During my training I carried round my laptop bag, stuffed full of goodness only knows what as well as wrestling a book box and fairly often a caddy with my other bits and pieces in it. I really don't know how I managed it, I lost count of the times I dropped things in the corridors! This year that problem is gone, no rushing between classrooms/floors and leaving things behind. The room is mine. I've rearranged the tables, decorated the walls and filled the units with all those things I'm used to carrying around. What a relief.
I think my training has prepared me for the challenges of this year as well as it could have. I was discussing this with another School direct trainee and we agree that due to the nature of our course we feel well prepared. We've tackled large timetables, taken parents evenings solo, entered report data and had to handle marking and assessment from fairly early on. At some points last year this felt like being thrown in at the deep end but I appreciate it now. I know this year is going to be even harder work in terms of timetable and mark load but it's not as big a step up as it could be.
There are other things that my training has prepared me for. As an NQT I still have to prove myself against the standards and have regular observations, although nowhere near as regular as they were at the start of my training.
In the last month or so I've taken joint responsibility for @NQTuk and #NQTChat which has put me in contact with more NQTs than I've ever realised were on Twitter. This has been great for hearing everyone's stories and sharing problems/ideas around. Also recently I was contacted by Sage the publishers about reading a book on the NQT induction if they sent me a copy, so of course I said yes - what teacher turns down a free book?!
So, the book is Successful Induction for New Teachers. A guide for NQTs and Induction Tutors, co-ordinations and mentors by Sara Bubb. The first thing I'd say about the book is that your need for it really depends on the sort of training you've had and the people you've had the chance to spend time with. One of my closest colleagues at my school last year was an NQT and so I saw the sorts of things she was doing and she was always giving me help and advice. Also, after our main training sessions had finished we had a session on the NQT year and what to expect and so I think the main bases were covered.
That said, for the person that feels clueless or needs something concrete to clutch hold of then the book is what you'd expect. It starts with a chapter on looking after yourself and covers areas that I guess I'd not considered like bullying and the inevitable topic of stress. It goes on to summarise what induction is and what is required of you and your school as well as any other involved parties. There is a whole chapter on the standards that I feel is wasted if you trained under the current standards as they are the same. I understand that in recent years this has not been the case and so this may have been more necessary.
One key thing I feel the author has missed out on is the power of Twitter. She dedicates quite some time to talking about the message boards on the TES website and the support to be found there. I won't deny that it is a good resource but I don't think it's necessarily as active or as useful as twitter.
Without giving a chapter by chapter run down of the book there isn't a huge amount more I can say. To me I felt that I was reading things I already knew, either because my training had prepared me for it or through common sense. This book would serve as a good reference to make sure that all parties are singing from the same hym sheet so to speak and I can see that it would suit some people but I'd save the £23.99, find support in school and online, carry over everything you learned at training and if you still need something do your research online. Is this a good book? Yes. Is it well written and easy to read? Yes. Would I bother to buy it? Unfortunately, no.
Just a final plug for NQTChat. This week we're talking about hopes and fears for the start of the year, please join us at 7.30 on Thursday - all welcome!
It's not that I've forgotten about it all. I've been getting myself ready, the classroom is done, seating plans are sorted, the first week of lessons are planned and I've been talking to colleagues that I'll be sharing classes with. I think I've done almost everything I can before I go back but I can't help but have that feeling of having forgotten something. I'm really pleased to be starting at a new school, totally fresh slate after my training, but I do long for the simplicity of going back to familiar surroundings. Turning up for INSET knowing where everything is and who the important people are, where to go to get my resources for the week sorted and already sorted with email etc to keep me in the loop with what's going on. All of those things are outweighed by the excitement of what's to come. Next week, this term and this year bring with them a whole host of firsts, some of which are:
- My first form group. I loved shadowing a group this year but I'm looking forward to having my own year 7 group. It's going to be extra work I know. They're new and I'm new, we'll have to be on this learning curve together, I'll just have to try and keep a step ahead.
- Teaching 6th form for the first time. This is going to be a tough one, year 12 and 13 are shared between myself and another NQT in the department. We're as prepared as we can be so far and the department seem to be on top of things, knowing we're going to need support with it. This is a challenge I'm really looking forward to. During my training I only observed post-16 and taught an activity or two as the school didn't offer my stronger language. I've done my reading and have started to plan though and my mentor from my training gave me plenty of hints and tips.
- My own classroom. During my training I carried round my laptop bag, stuffed full of goodness only knows what as well as wrestling a book box and fairly often a caddy with my other bits and pieces in it. I really don't know how I managed it, I lost count of the times I dropped things in the corridors! This year that problem is gone, no rushing between classrooms/floors and leaving things behind. The room is mine. I've rearranged the tables, decorated the walls and filled the units with all those things I'm used to carrying around. What a relief.
I think my training has prepared me for the challenges of this year as well as it could have. I was discussing this with another School direct trainee and we agree that due to the nature of our course we feel well prepared. We've tackled large timetables, taken parents evenings solo, entered report data and had to handle marking and assessment from fairly early on. At some points last year this felt like being thrown in at the deep end but I appreciate it now. I know this year is going to be even harder work in terms of timetable and mark load but it's not as big a step up as it could be.
There are other things that my training has prepared me for. As an NQT I still have to prove myself against the standards and have regular observations, although nowhere near as regular as they were at the start of my training.
In the last month or so I've taken joint responsibility for @NQTuk and #NQTChat which has put me in contact with more NQTs than I've ever realised were on Twitter. This has been great for hearing everyone's stories and sharing problems/ideas around. Also recently I was contacted by Sage the publishers about reading a book on the NQT induction if they sent me a copy, so of course I said yes - what teacher turns down a free book?!
So, the book is Successful Induction for New Teachers. A guide for NQTs and Induction Tutors, co-ordinations and mentors by Sara Bubb. The first thing I'd say about the book is that your need for it really depends on the sort of training you've had and the people you've had the chance to spend time with. One of my closest colleagues at my school last year was an NQT and so I saw the sorts of things she was doing and she was always giving me help and advice. Also, after our main training sessions had finished we had a session on the NQT year and what to expect and so I think the main bases were covered.
That said, for the person that feels clueless or needs something concrete to clutch hold of then the book is what you'd expect. It starts with a chapter on looking after yourself and covers areas that I guess I'd not considered like bullying and the inevitable topic of stress. It goes on to summarise what induction is and what is required of you and your school as well as any other involved parties. There is a whole chapter on the standards that I feel is wasted if you trained under the current standards as they are the same. I understand that in recent years this has not been the case and so this may have been more necessary.
One key thing I feel the author has missed out on is the power of Twitter. She dedicates quite some time to talking about the message boards on the TES website and the support to be found there. I won't deny that it is a good resource but I don't think it's necessarily as active or as useful as twitter.
Without giving a chapter by chapter run down of the book there isn't a huge amount more I can say. To me I felt that I was reading things I already knew, either because my training had prepared me for it or through common sense. This book would serve as a good reference to make sure that all parties are singing from the same hym sheet so to speak and I can see that it would suit some people but I'd save the £23.99, find support in school and online, carry over everything you learned at training and if you still need something do your research online. Is this a good book? Yes. Is it well written and easy to read? Yes. Would I bother to buy it? Unfortunately, no.
Just a final plug for NQTChat. This week we're talking about hopes and fears for the start of the year, please join us at 7.30 on Thursday - all welcome!
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