PGCE - Current Students Thread

Wait, seriously? You only have three over the year?

From uni, yeah. One every week from my mentor that is recorded. But the three uni ones are the big ones that matter. How many do you have from uni?

I find planning for behaviour relatively easy - in my first few lessons with each of my classes, I made a seating plan and annotated it with who to look out for behaviour wise and why (chatty, easily distracted) and it's literally just a case of anticipating at what point in your lesson they would misbehave. For example: When you've set the kids some independent work that isn't in silence.

If it helps, I could send you a lesson plan I've done before?

Sounds like BP2 is really stressful. I'll be starting my first big block placement after Easter and I'm really nervous and worried about all the stress that's coming my way. I would have thought the 2nd placement was slightly easier since you've already built up some school experience, but I'm assuming I'm wrong based on what I'm reading here. Good luck guys, you really haven't got that much longer to go. One day at a time.

Yeah, my placement grade is given by the uni. The mentor doesn't get much of a say for me, but I'm sure she would stand my corner.

Are you sure? I haven't heard of that before. As that would be unfair and then what is the point of having a mentor.

Ours were given to us by the mentor and the Uni visit was basically like moderation.

I know the feeling paradoxsocks - I don't know if I want to be a teacher anymore, I know this has been a valuable experience but I really would like to go back into an office and sit quietly doing my job, I did have the odd presentation here and there but it wasn't 6 periods a day 5 days a week - heck even if it's admin hand me it - not teaching though, I feel exhausted all the time no matter how much I rest, at the back of my mind I still know I have lesson plans pending, lesson resources to make, that pesky little student who just will not listen nor respond to any form of discipline, marking to do, assessment levels to figure out... holidays, what holidays? All gone on planning your term. Sighs.

I know I'm organised and I can do it - but do I want to exhaust myself in my early 20s?

I must have aged atleast 5 years in the short amount of time I have worked, hair falling out in clumps, refusal to eat because of sheer stress and lack of appetite, anxiety, physical health taken a toll - worth it? No. I love my kids, I really do, but I need to love myself first. Have decided I'm either going part time or not doing it at all.

Sounds like BP2 is really stressful. I'll be starting my first big block placement after Easter and I'm really nervous and worried about all the stress that's coming my way. I would have thought the 2nd placement was slightly easier since you've already built up some school experience, but I'm assuming I'm wrong based on what I'm reading here. Good luck guys, you really haven't got that much longer to go. One day at a time.

I've woken up this morning wanting to quit the course.

I don't understand what's happening or where anything that happened yesterday came from.

I don't want to teach today.

It definitely depends on the school. I went from a really intense grammar school to an underperforming comprehensive. With the much lower abilities of the pupils and the fact that every lesson is a double I've found my planning has come down massively (I'm sure that's also somewhat to do with getting used to things too). I've been able to use this placement to really focus on the areas I knew I needed to improve - differentiation and behaviour management, and have enjoyed getting stuck into things. It's also really great to have seen such a contrast of schools as I now have a much clearer idea of where I see myself spending most of my career (grammar, probably).




I think everyone has days like that (I know I have) when it all feels like too much and you're stuck in a hole with no way to dig yourself out. Particularly at the end of term.

It sounds like the issues with your observation weren't down to your teaching, but due to technical errors. And I can definitely understand how that throws you (I teach science so demonstrations decide not to work quite often). The first few times it happened to me I was completely derailed, and it still knocks me sideways sometimes. But the important thing to remember is that there's always another lesson, and particularly with holidays in the middle you can establish a new relationship with a class pretty quickly afterwards. Just focus on getting through to the holidays, and know that it's always worst at this time in the term when something goes awry.

Keep it up! We're nearly finished!

Had a better day today so that's made me feel a lot better. Spoke with pretty much everyone in my department and had my progress review come out at a good trainee teacher level.

I think I just need to get through tomorrow (I have my favourite classes ) and then spend easter really tidying up my planning. My uni lesson plan template just messes with me so much so I'm going to work using a different template for personal use and then type it up to put into my folders.

I just really really need to nail planning.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I completely feel you about lesson planning. My university plan is full of so much that's not really useful for me to think about but is time consuming. I can see the point of every box for the start of the course, but a lot of it just feels needless.

I've started rough-sketching my lessons on a scrap of paper - giving timings and activities - and then typing them up and I've found it way easier. I'm glad you're more positive today, I guess it wouldn't be the PGCE without those "I'll never be able to do this" moments XD

Last day of term today, hurrah! Only inset tomorrow to get through and its easter holidays
then only 5 weeks to the end of the course essentially!