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PGCE - Current Students Thread

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Original post by Bexxxx
Why can't anyone else have a week off? What am I not doing? I handed in my first proper essay after Xmas and the next isn't due for months... finished block practice, don't start again for about 3 weeks. Nothing much to do! IS THERE?!!!

I am ill though. :frown:


It depends on the way the courses are organised. :smile:

On my course, we don't get the half term holidays. We are in university as normal. Makes it a very long term - Jan 3rd until the end of March/start of April - but that's what they expect us to do. :redface:
Original post by Bexxxx
Why can't anyone else have a week off? What am I not doing? I handed in my first proper essay after Xmas and the next isn't due for months... finished block practice, don't start again for about 3 weeks. Nothing much to do! IS THERE?!!!

I am ill though. :frown:


As above, depends on the uni. We had two essays before xmas, another two due very soon and another due after Easter. Plus starting to plan for after half term.
Original post by Bexxxx
Why can't anyone else have a week off? What am I not doing? I handed in my first proper essay after Xmas and the next isn't due for months... finished block practice, don't start again for about 3 weeks. Nothing much to do! IS THERE?!!!

I am ill though. :frown:


If there's no essay or planning then you're fine!

If I had been organised I could be finished with this essay by now and enjoying my holiday like one of my friends- she's been writing a draft for the past 3 or so weeks and just tweaked it over the weekend, and is now free of stuff to do other than some planning (but our teaching load isn't *too* heavy at the minute)

actually scratch that, had I done more work yesterday and Monday I probably could be largely finished by now. Ah well. Just passed 2500 words and can easily make it 3000 by blabbing on about more methods I've seen/used for including different multiple intelligences... whether this is wise or not I don't know, but it seems like the easy option so I might do it.
Reply 1003
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Bexxxx
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Aaah, I see. Sorry to those who don't have half terms! Though I did only have two weeks for Xmas, I know some people had three so maybe that's why? Best of luck with the assignments though! Half way though - v exciting. Just looking for jobs now - eek!
Original post by Bexxxx
Aaah, I see. Sorry to those who don't have half terms! Though I did only have two weeks for Xmas, I know some people had three so maybe that's why? Best of luck with the assignments though! Half way though - v exciting. Just looking for jobs now - eek!


We had two weeks for Christmas. And we have two weeks for Easter.

It works out at 4 weeks off [in total] between September 5th and July 5th. I shouldn't complain, as that is the amount you can expect in a normal job [it is the basic amount], but it is a bit harsh when the undergrad/masters etc students have so much here. They started in October, are finished by June, had 4 weeks for Christmas and have 5 for Easter lol. :redface:
Reply 1005
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Bexxxx
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Original post by affinity89
We had two weeks for Christmas. And we have two weeks for Easter.

It works out at 4 weeks off [in total] between September 5th and July 5th. I shouldn't complain, as that is the amount you can expect in a normal job [it is the basic amount], but it is a bit harsh when the undergrad/masters etc students have so much here. They started in October, are finished by June, had 4 weeks for Christmas and have 5 for Easter lol. :redface:


Haha I know, it is quite unfair when you look at it that way. I am v grateful to have half term off! Though, as bad as this is, I do see being back at uni as a little bit of a break. I suppose because it isn't as stressful.
Original post by Bexxxx
Haha I know, it is quite unfair when you look at it that way. I am v grateful to have half term off! Though, as bad as this is, I do see being back at uni as a little bit of a break. I suppose because it isn't as stressful.


I agree. I am in from around 8.30am until 5pm and there are things like readings/tasks to do but it is no where near as stressful as being on placement. I was actually really looking foward to being back in university this week lol [although, obviously a week off would have been even better lol]. :smile:
I'm having this week off, but then I did have my tonsillectomy yesterday so its slightly weird circumstances
Original post by myblueheaven339
I'm having this week off, but then I did have my tonsillectomy yesterday so its slightly weird circumstances


Argh I'm supposed to be having one of those soon! What was it like? How are you feeling?
Original post by Becca
Argh I'm supposed to be having one of those soon! What was it like? How are you feeling?


Everything went well, except I took a while to come round so had to stay in overnight. Feel ok so far, eating isn't as painful as I thought it would be, but I've been told it'll get worse before it gets better
Lost my mojo for this essay... got 2800/4000 words, sent those to my tutor to check & she hasn't replied yet so I'm waiting to write the rest in case she says it's awful/I need to cut a large chunk of that out. Good (bad?) thing is that I have around 1800 words planned to fill the 1200 I have left, without conclusions... argh.

And I have a driving lesson at 1 so won't be doing anything before it, or probably for an hour afterwards! Reverse round a corner, maybe also parallel parking, AND dual carriageways = stress.
Original post by Bexxxx
Aaah, I see. Sorry to those who don't have half terms! Though I did only have two weeks for Xmas, I know some people had three so maybe that's why? Best of luck with the assignments though! Half way though - v exciting. Just looking for jobs now - eek!


Bex- long time no see :biggrin:

No half-term for me, it's a "Reading Week" and there's a 6,000 word essay due in a couple of weeks time.

I've read some articles, and a couple of books, but no way near enough.

Right, off to the uni library, to stop procrastinating and do the damn thing!
Reply 1012
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Bexxxx
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Original post by j.smith1981

PS Back on topic I majorly respect anyone wanting to teach people in a secondary education full stop! I would never have the confidence to do that, though I do know some people that do, good luck to them but no you go for it!


I don't understand why so many people have this view. Teenagers aren't monsters! They are interesting, funny and deep down - intelligent! They have "issues", but didn't we all at that age? I think their bark is worse than their bite. It's a shame so many people see secondary education as a tough place, it really shouldn't be seen as that.
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Bexxxx
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Original post by FadeToBlackout
Bex- long time no see :biggrin:


Hey! Great to see you're doing a PGCE. Are you enjoying it? Still living on the boat?
Getting really annoyed with a teacher at my school, she won't let me teach any lessons. "oh you can do a starter" "why haven't you sent me a plan for your starter, you can't do it now, it might not be good enough" (IT'S A ****ING STARTER IT'S FIVE MINUTES). I kind of get where she's coming from starting me off slowly, but I'd much rather just crack on with it. I'm not going to be amazing, I'm probably not even going to be good, but I know I'll sure as hell get good a lot quicker if I could actually teach, and like if I am awful with my starters what is she going to do, not let me teach them?

She asked me to do a starter for a lesson the yesterday and it was kinda crap because I only saw the email at 11pm the Sunday (she sent it at six so it's not like it was there for weeks) so I did it and she grassed on me to my mentor that my starter was crap. WTF.

I think I'm just overreacting because it's SO different from my last school (Hi, nice to meet you, here are your classes, good luck! Lesson plans? Nahhhhhh we don't need to see them, you'll know when you do it if it's bad or not) and I miss the freedom!
Original post by *Sparkle*
Getting really annoyed with a teacher at my school, she won't let me teach any lessons. "oh you can do a starter" "why haven't you sent me a plan for your starter, you can't do it now, it might not be good enough" (IT'S A ****ING STARTER IT'S FIVE MINUTES). I kind of get where she's coming from starting me off slowly, but I'd much rather just crack on with it. I'm not going to be amazing, I'm probably not even going to be good, but I know I'll sure as hell get good a lot quicker if I could actually teach, and like if I am awful with my starters what is she going to do, not let me teach them?

She asked me to do a starter for a lesson the yesterday and it was kinda crap because I only saw the email at 11pm the Sunday (she sent it at six so it's not like it was there for weeks) so I did it and she grassed on me to my mentor that my starter was crap. WTF.

I think I'm just overreacting because it's SO different from my last school (Hi, nice to meet you, here are your classes, good luck! Lesson plans? Nahhhhhh we don't need to see them, you'll know when you do it if it's bad or not) and I miss the freedom!


I feel for you. I can understand about the starter. I had to put my foot down with that since I felt that if I only did a start the kids would automatically know I was only a traineer (although they will figure it out soon enough I am sure).
My school is very different in exactly the same way. I never had a lesson plan check before which im not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing where as here i need to have my lesson and resources all checked before hand :/.
The school also hates powerpoint which i find strange. I understand the whole death by power-point but sometimes I just find it easier to have the learning objectives and homework already written up on the powerpoint ready to go!
Original post by nikki_louise
I feel for you. I can understand about the starter. I had to put my foot down with that since I felt that if I only did a start the kids would automatically know I was only a traineer (although they will figure it out soon enough I am sure).
My school is very different in exactly the same way. I never had a lesson plan check before which im not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing where as here i need to have my lesson and resources all checked before hand :/.
The school also hates powerpoint which i find strange. I understand the whole death by power-point but sometimes I just find it easier to have the learning objectives and homework already written up on the powerpoint ready to go!


My school hates normal white boards, why can't they just have both??

Can't you be sneaky and use notebook on the IWB, not technically powerpoint? lol

Hopefully I'll settle in to school two soon, only 5 weeks 3 days til Easter :P
The lesson I thought would be my worst today turned out to be one of the best I've given! :biggrin: And for once in my life when the teacher asked how I thought it went I could answer positively. I had genuinely prepared myself for having an awful evening tonight in anticipation of failed lessons too!

I do like it when I catch myself in a good mood... why can't you bottle it?
Original post by noodles!
The lesson I thought would be my worst today turned out to be one of the best I've given! :biggrin: And for once in my life when the teacher asked how I thought it went I could answer positively. I had genuinely prepared myself for having an awful evening tonight in anticipation of failed lessons too!

I do like it when I catch myself in a good mood... why can't you bottle it?



That's great :biggrin: I had a good lesson today too, shame the other teacher had to ruin my good mood haha
Original post by *Sparkle*
That's great :biggrin: I had a good lesson today too, shame the other teacher had to ruin my good mood haha


Boo :frown: can't you ask to change classes because you "need" experience elsewhere? No point in sticking around there, doing bits is rather pointless at this stage I think!

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