PGCE - Current Students Thread
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Should have started my second placement today but had to stay at home poorly. Really worried because this gives such a bad first impression and I didn't have a single day off from my first placement. Desperately hope I can get in tomorrow but already on a real downer about it now 
I blame stupid uni though what's the point in starting a placement 3 days before the end of a half term anyway???
I blame stupid uni though what's the point in starting a placement 3 days before the end of a half term anyway???
I feel hopeless and useless. I had to cut my hours in half because I couldn't cope. I couldn't control Spanish primary kids who come to the academy after school. I just couldn't do it and it makes me feel useless.
Anyone else so disillusioned with the teaching profession and fed up with plan, get criticised, teach, get criticised, evaluate, repeat for 5 months, that they are very close to leaving the whole thing behind despite having nothing lined up?
Really want to go, as teaching is not what I want it to be plus mentor is a pain in the arse. Problem is I have nothing lined up to jump into, so I am worried about being out of work for ages, and never finding anything I'll be happy in. I will also have to sort all the finance out, but I'm so damn sick of the course, and the rubbish that goes with teaching that I need to get out.
It is all well and good saying stick it out, only a bit left, time will fly, It may be useful qual to have, but I am wasting my life doing it, being unhappy, incredibly overworked, with idiotic comments from my mentor. Uni won't change the placement, so I am literally out of options!
Really want to go, as teaching is not what I want it to be plus mentor is a pain in the arse. Problem is I have nothing lined up to jump into, so I am worried about being out of work for ages, and never finding anything I'll be happy in. I will also have to sort all the finance out, but I'm so damn sick of the course, and the rubbish that goes with teaching that I need to get out.
It is all well and good saying stick it out, only a bit left, time will fly, It may be useful qual to have, but I am wasting my life doing it, being unhappy, incredibly overworked, with idiotic comments from my mentor. Uni won't change the placement, so I am literally out of options!
Original post by John Mullen
Anyone else so disillusioned with the teaching profession and fed up with plan, get criticised, teach, get criticised, evaluate, repeat for 5 months, that they are very close to leaving the whole thing behind despite having nothing lined up?
Really want to go, as teaching is not what I want it to be plus mentor is a pain in the arse. Problem is I have nothing lined up to jump into, so I am worried about being out of work for ages, and never finding anything I'll be happy in. I will also have to sort all the finance out, but I'm so damn sick of the course, and the rubbish that goes with teaching that I need to get out.
It is all well and good saying stick it out, only a bit left, time will fly, It may be useful qual to have, but I am wasting my life doing it, being unhappy, incredibly overworked, with idiotic comments from my mentor. Uni won't change the placement, so I am literally out of options!
Really want to go, as teaching is not what I want it to be plus mentor is a pain in the arse. Problem is I have nothing lined up to jump into, so I am worried about being out of work for ages, and never finding anything I'll be happy in. I will also have to sort all the finance out, but I'm so damn sick of the course, and the rubbish that goes with teaching that I need to get out.
It is all well and good saying stick it out, only a bit left, time will fly, It may be useful qual to have, but I am wasting my life doing it, being unhappy, incredibly overworked, with idiotic comments from my mentor. Uni won't change the placement, so I am literally out of options!
It sounds like you've made up your mind really, if you've run out of options. It just seems a shame though, plus it'll be a pain in the bum sorting out how to return the bursary and the like.
It is bloody hard work, but I've not stayed up until midnight planning- I'd die! It really shouldn't take that long. I know thats easy to say, and creating resources takes time but you should still try and have some life. Believe me, I'm juggling being a mother with a PGCE, I know hard work!!!
Have you discussed with your mentor about reducing your timetable? You are entitled to do it, ask if you can observe more. You're paying through the nose for this, its within your rights AND you have nothing to lose by asking if you're a papers-width from dropping out anyway.
Original post by John Mullen
Anyone else so disillusioned with the teaching profession and fed up with plan, get criticised, teach, get criticised, evaluate, repeat for 5 months, that they are very close to leaving the whole thing behind despite having nothing lined up?
Really want to go, as teaching is not what I want it to be plus mentor is a pain in the arse. Problem is I have nothing lined up to jump into, so I am worried about being out of work for ages, and never finding anything I'll be happy in. I will also have to sort all the finance out, but I'm so damn sick of the course, and the rubbish that goes with teaching that I need to get out.
It is all well and good saying stick it out, only a bit left, time will fly, It may be useful qual to have, but I am wasting my life doing it, being unhappy, incredibly overworked, with idiotic comments from my mentor. Uni won't change the placement, so I am literally out of options!
Really want to go, as teaching is not what I want it to be plus mentor is a pain in the arse. Problem is I have nothing lined up to jump into, so I am worried about being out of work for ages, and never finding anything I'll be happy in. I will also have to sort all the finance out, but I'm so damn sick of the course, and the rubbish that goes with teaching that I need to get out.
It is all well and good saying stick it out, only a bit left, time will fly, It may be useful qual to have, but I am wasting my life doing it, being unhappy, incredibly overworked, with idiotic comments from my mentor. Uni won't change the placement, so I am literally out of options!
I think I was really lucky with my mentor in my first placement (going to Phase B school for the first time on Monday so will see how that goes!) so don't recognise your cycle of "plan, get criticised, teach, get criticised, evaluate, repeat". My experience has been more along the lines of "plan, teach, get encouragement with tips of how to improve, do a quick evaluation form when I get time, repeat". Still time consuming, but less demoralising!
It certainly has been a lot of work - teachers in my first placement department were very helpful but worked quite independently, all producing their own resouces, and the expectation was for me to do the same most of the time. So with starter worksheets, reading activities, games, powerpoints, grids for speaking tasks, etc. on top of planning the lesson structure itself, it was an awful lot of work, but I enjoyed teaching the lessons and my mentor was supportive.
Do you have a visit from the university to moderate your mentor? In ours, the university tutor observes the lesson, then before making any comments of their own, they observe the mentor giving feedback. That way they can check that the feedback is constructive, rather than either ripping you to shreds or just saying it was great and not giving suggestions for improvement. If your mentor isn't fulfilling the role properly, this is something you should discuss with your co-ordinator or university tutor.
It seems like the main things you have a problem with are the constant scrutiny of being observed, and the amount of time it takes to plan. Both of these (I am assured!) will get better.
As an NQT you have to be observed a minimum of once per half-term - 6 times in the year. Even if it's more than that (due to needing extra help, Ofsted, faculty review by SLT, etc.) it's still going to be less than now, so you'll have more independence in the classroom. And after the NQT year observations are even less frequent.
In terms of time, at the moment I find it hard to imagine how teachers plan 20-something lessons per week and still have free time, but they do, so I trust we'll get there too. All of the teachers I know work bloody hard, but they definitely have a lot more free time than I found I had on placement and I was often jealous hearing them talk about doing normal fun things after they'd finished their work. I suppose it partly gets quicker because of being observed less, as I know observation makes me overthink things. Also after the first few years we'll have a bank of resources we can reuse and adapt rather than making everything from scratch.
If you do decide to continue and apply for jobs, since you teach a shortage subject, hopefully you can be a bit more choosy about where you apply, and things like the level of scrutiny (whether you have to submit lesson plans to your NQT mentor, for example) would be something to try and find out about.
If you really are completely "disillusioned with the teaching profession" then by all means, get out now - it's not worth causing yourself stress if you really don't want to teach. But if it's those 2 issues (rather than teaching itself) that you have a problem with, it might be worth sticking it out and seeing if things get better.
Good luck whatever you decide.
Original post by StarBabyCat
It sounds like you've made up your mind really, if you've run out of options. It just seems a shame though, plus it'll be a pain in the bum sorting out how to return the bursary and the like.
It is bloody hard work, but I've not stayed up until midnight planning- I'd die! It really shouldn't take that long. I know thats easy to say, and creating resources takes time but you should still try and have some life. Believe me, I'm juggling being a mother with a PGCE, I know hard work!!!
Have you discussed with your mentor about reducing your timetable? You are entitled to do it, ask if you can observe more. You're paying through the nose for this, its within your rights AND you have nothing to lose by asking if you're a papers-width from dropping out anyway.
It is bloody hard work, but I've not stayed up until midnight planning- I'd die! It really shouldn't take that long. I know thats easy to say, and creating resources takes time but you should still try and have some life. Believe me, I'm juggling being a mother with a PGCE, I know hard work!!!
Have you discussed with your mentor about reducing your timetable? You are entitled to do it, ask if you can observe more. You're paying through the nose for this, its within your rights AND you have nothing to lose by asking if you're a papers-width from dropping out anyway.
I doubt they would allow a reduction in the timetable certainly not long-term.
You are right it is a shame, I have wanted to come into teaching ever since I did my A-levels 4 or 5 years ago, and had this vision that I would really enjoy it although knew it would be tough with behaviour etc, but now I realise I was living in cloud cuckoo land. Lack of freedom in the teaching really annoys me, targets, grades, levels, objectives, plenaries, ofsted - It was not my vision and I am left now not noing where my future lies.
Original post by myrtille
I think I was really lucky with my mentor in my first placement (going to Phase B school for the first time on Monday so will see how that goes!) so don't recognise your cycle of "plan, get criticised, teach, get criticised, evaluate, repeat". My experience has been more along the lines of "plan, teach, get encouragement with tips of how to improve, do a quick evaluation form when I get time, repeat". Still time consuming, but less demoralising!
It certainly has been a lot of work - teachers in my first placement department were very helpful but worked quite independently, all producing their own resouces, and the expectation was for me to do the same most of the time. So with starter worksheets, reading activities, games, powerpoints, grids for speaking tasks, etc. on top of planning the lesson structure itself, it was an awful lot of work, but I enjoyed teaching the lessons and my mentor was supportive.
Do you have a visit from the university to moderate your mentor? In ours, the university tutor observes the lesson, then before making any comments of their own, they observe the mentor giving feedback. That way they can check that the feedback is constructive, rather than either ripping you to shreds or just saying it was great and not giving suggestions for improvement. If your mentor isn't fulfilling the role properly, this is something you should discuss with your co-ordinator or university tutor.
It seems like the main things you have a problem with are the constant scrutiny of being observed, and the amount of time it takes to plan. Both of these (I am assured!) will get better.
As an NQT you have to be observed a minimum of once per half-term - 6 times in the year. Even if it's more than that (due to needing extra help, Ofsted, faculty review by SLT, etc.) it's still going to be less than now, so you'll have more independence in the classroom. And after the NQT year observations are even less frequent.
In terms of time, at the moment I find it hard to imagine how teachers plan 20-something lessons per week and still have free time, but they do, so I trust we'll get there too. All of the teachers I know work bloody hard, but they definitely have a lot more free time than I found I had on placement and I was often jealous hearing them talk about doing normal fun things after they'd finished their work. I suppose it partly gets quicker because of being observed less, as I know observation makes me overthink things. Also after the first few years we'll have a bank of resources we can reuse and adapt rather than making everything from scratch.
If you do decide to continue and apply for jobs, since you teach a shortage subject, hopefully you can be a bit more choosy about where you apply, and things like the level of scrutiny (whether you have to submit lesson plans to your NQT mentor, for example) would be something to try and find out about.
If you really are completely "disillusioned with the teaching profession" then by all means, get out now - it's not worth causing yourself stress if you really don't want to teach. But if it's those 2 issues (rather than teaching itself) that you have a problem with, it might be worth sticking it out and seeing if things get better.
Good luck whatever you decide.
It certainly has been a lot of work - teachers in my first placement department were very helpful but worked quite independently, all producing their own resouces, and the expectation was for me to do the same most of the time. So with starter worksheets, reading activities, games, powerpoints, grids for speaking tasks, etc. on top of planning the lesson structure itself, it was an awful lot of work, but I enjoyed teaching the lessons and my mentor was supportive.
Do you have a visit from the university to moderate your mentor? In ours, the university tutor observes the lesson, then before making any comments of their own, they observe the mentor giving feedback. That way they can check that the feedback is constructive, rather than either ripping you to shreds or just saying it was great and not giving suggestions for improvement. If your mentor isn't fulfilling the role properly, this is something you should discuss with your co-ordinator or university tutor.
It seems like the main things you have a problem with are the constant scrutiny of being observed, and the amount of time it takes to plan. Both of these (I am assured!) will get better.
As an NQT you have to be observed a minimum of once per half-term - 6 times in the year. Even if it's more than that (due to needing extra help, Ofsted, faculty review by SLT, etc.) it's still going to be less than now, so you'll have more independence in the classroom. And after the NQT year observations are even less frequent.
In terms of time, at the moment I find it hard to imagine how teachers plan 20-something lessons per week and still have free time, but they do, so I trust we'll get there too. All of the teachers I know work bloody hard, but they definitely have a lot more free time than I found I had on placement and I was often jealous hearing them talk about doing normal fun things after they'd finished their work. I suppose it partly gets quicker because of being observed less, as I know observation makes me overthink things. Also after the first few years we'll have a bank of resources we can reuse and adapt rather than making everything from scratch.
If you do decide to continue and apply for jobs, since you teach a shortage subject, hopefully you can be a bit more choosy about where you apply, and things like the level of scrutiny (whether you have to submit lesson plans to your NQT mentor, for example) would be something to try and find out about.
If you really are completely "disillusioned with the teaching profession" then by all means, get out now - it's not worth causing yourself stress if you really don't want to teach. But if it's those 2 issues (rather than teaching itself) that you have a problem with, it might be worth sticking it out and seeing if things get better.
Good luck whatever you decide.
Thanks for your advice.
To be honest the whole thing seems to be a problem. I don't look forward to doing half the stuff that I am forced to do in lessons e.g. Objectives written copied referred to, Plenaries, silly activities (as one teacher (correctly in my opinion) said referring to textbook work: "thats the only way they learn i'm afraid").
I don't even like giving out detentions as I don't think they solve the problems, and I don't like giving out homework as I don't believe there is any point, some get someone else to do it for them anyway, and you have one hell of a job to get people to complete them and hand them in. When you do succesfully get them all in, you have to spend ages marking them, anyone who doesn't do it gets a detention which takes up lots of your valuable time.
This is all in addition to all the planning you have to do, which feels like a waste of time for most of the classes full of kids uninterested in learning about maths, and 'outstanding' targets like 'all pupils engrossed in their work' is impossible in all cases in a lesson spanning 60 minutes.
However I do like standing up in front of people and teaching maths, but certainly not in this capacity with all the extra rubbish that goes with it. It has become a nightmare and I am in such a difficult position.
Original post by John Mullen
Thanks for your advice.
To be honest the whole thing seems to be a problem. I don't look forward to doing half the stuff that I am forced to do in lessons e.g. Objectives written copied referred to, Plenaries, silly activities (as one teacher (correctly in my opinion) said referring to textbook work: "thats the only way they learn i'm afraid").
I don't even like giving out detentions as I don't think they solve the problems, and I don't like giving out homework as I don't believe there is any point, some get someone else to do it for them anyway, and you have one hell of a job to get people to complete them and hand them in. When you do succesfully get them all in, you have to spend ages marking them, anyone who doesn't do it gets a detention which takes up lots of your valuable time.
This is all in addition to all the planning you have to do, which feels like a waste of time for most of the classes full of kids uninterested in learning about maths, and 'outstanding' targets like 'all pupils engrossed in their work' is impossible in all cases in a lesson spanning 60 minutes.
However I do like standing up in front of people and teaching maths, but certainly not in this capacity with all the extra rubbish that goes with it. It has become a nightmare and I am in such a difficult position.
To be honest the whole thing seems to be a problem. I don't look forward to doing half the stuff that I am forced to do in lessons e.g. Objectives written copied referred to, Plenaries, silly activities (as one teacher (correctly in my opinion) said referring to textbook work: "thats the only way they learn i'm afraid").
I don't even like giving out detentions as I don't think they solve the problems, and I don't like giving out homework as I don't believe there is any point, some get someone else to do it for them anyway, and you have one hell of a job to get people to complete them and hand them in. When you do succesfully get them all in, you have to spend ages marking them, anyone who doesn't do it gets a detention which takes up lots of your valuable time.
This is all in addition to all the planning you have to do, which feels like a waste of time for most of the classes full of kids uninterested in learning about maths, and 'outstanding' targets like 'all pupils engrossed in their work' is impossible in all cases in a lesson spanning 60 minutes.
However I do like standing up in front of people and teaching maths, but certainly not in this capacity with all the extra rubbish that goes with it. It has become a nightmare and I am in such a difficult position.
OK, it does sound like you have some real issues with the current way things are done (and I can see where you're coming from in several respects).
So now it's just a case of whether to hang on for another few months for the qualification and bursary (in which case you need to work on some strategies to manage your workload) or whether it's better to quit (with the potential for different stress in the form of unemployment/no money), and I can't really advise what to do there.
I do think you've had a very unreasonable mentor. Mine was always focused on whether I was doing wellfor a student teacher - she admitted that most of her lessons as a student and NQT were no more than 'Satisfactory' and that this is normal as we're still learning. So long as the lesson isn't a disaster (most students do as they're told, are engaged in some activities some of the time, and learn something) it's a good start and we can build from there. But if your mentor is constantly putting you down for not being outstanding, I can see why you'd want to leave.
Original post by myrtille
OK, it does sound like you have some real issues with the current way things are done (and I can see where you're coming from in several respects).
So now it's just a case of whether to hang on for another few months for the qualification and bursary (in which case you need to work on some strategies to manage your workload) or whether it's better to quit (with the potential for different stress in the form of unemployment/no money), and I can't really advise what to do there.
I do think you've had a very unreasonable mentor. Mine was always focused on whether I was doing wellfor a student teacher - she admitted that most of her lessons as a student and NQT were no more than 'Satisfactory' and that this is normal as we're still learning. So long as the lesson isn't a disaster (most students do as they're told, are engaged in some activities some of the time, and learn something) it's a good start and we can build from there. But if your mentor is constantly putting you down for not being outstanding, I can see why you'd want to leave.
So now it's just a case of whether to hang on for another few months for the qualification and bursary (in which case you need to work on some strategies to manage your workload) or whether it's better to quit (with the potential for different stress in the form of unemployment/no money), and I can't really advise what to do there.
I do think you've had a very unreasonable mentor. Mine was always focused on whether I was doing wellfor a student teacher - she admitted that most of her lessons as a student and NQT were no more than 'Satisfactory' and that this is normal as we're still learning. So long as the lesson isn't a disaster (most students do as they're told, are engaged in some activities some of the time, and learn something) it's a good start and we can build from there. But if your mentor is constantly putting you down for not being outstanding, I can see why you'd want to leave.
No sorry, the problem with the mentor is more about some quite puzzling remarks made last week about my attitude, amount of work I was doing, and being told off for reading a paper for 15 mins at 08:00 the other morning. There were comments about being "laid back" and I don't think this is how a mentor should be talking to you. They should be encouraging you. This is on top of my dislike for things connected to teaching.
I produced plans last friday, which were described as "just not good enough" and apparently had problems - this is before I had even tought the lesson. That is the problem with the mentor. The issue of being 'outstanding' is more a long term issue, where teachers in general have to try to be 'outstanding' by ticking boxes of seemingly impossible tasks with many classes (due to behaviour, interest in the subject etc.) These students are in most cases forced to do the work (for their future wellbeing), and don't want to be there, so "all students engrossed in their work" is one of the many laughable aims.
Have to make a decision over the weekend about whether to leave the course. Don't know what to do.
Original post by John Mullen
No sorry, the problem with the mentor is more about some quite puzzling remarks made last week about my attitude, amount of work I was doing, and being told off for reading a paper for 15 mins at 08:00 the other morning. There were comments about being "laid back" and I don't think this is how a mentor should be talking to you. They should be encouraging you. This is on top of my dislike for things connected to teaching.
I produced plans last friday, which were described as "just not good enough" and apparently had problems - this is before I had even tought the lesson. That is the problem with the mentor. The issue of being 'outstanding' is more a long term issue, where teachers in general have to try to be 'outstanding' by ticking boxes of seemingly impossible tasks with many classes (due to behaviour, interest in the subject etc.) These students are in most cases forced to do the work (for their future wellbeing), and don't want to be there, so "all students engrossed in their work" is one of the many laughable aims.
Have to make a decision over the weekend about whether to leave the course. Don't know what to do.
I produced plans last friday, which were described as "just not good enough" and apparently had problems - this is before I had even tought the lesson. That is the problem with the mentor. The issue of being 'outstanding' is more a long term issue, where teachers in general have to try to be 'outstanding' by ticking boxes of seemingly impossible tasks with many classes (due to behaviour, interest in the subject etc.) These students are in most cases forced to do the work (for their future wellbeing), and don't want to be there, so "all students engrossed in their work" is one of the many laughable aims.
Have to make a decision over the weekend about whether to leave the course. Don't know what to do.
Umm yeah, your mentor's comments don't sound right to me - what you're doing before the school day has officially started isn't really any of their business (since it's not anything unprofessional) and it's good if you can find time to take a break and read the paper.
It sounds to me like for some reason you've made a bad first impression on them and this is having a knock-on effect on how they see you. If you stay, I'd focus on just being as professional as possible and generally keeping out of their way unless you need them for a specific mentoring purpose.
Ultimately the point of a plan is for you to be able to teach an effective lesson - it is for your use, not anyone else's, so the main thing they should be judging is your performance in the classroom, not what's on paper (especially seeing as qualified teachers don't have to produce written plans, or just a few notes in their planner). My mentor didn't even ask to see my plans...
Still, if they're looking at your plan before the lesson it should be to help you teach a good lesson, by identifying potential problems so you can avoid them in class. So it shouldn't be a case of saying it's "just not good enough" but of questioning the time you've allocated to a certain activity, or suggesting that you may need another extension activity to challenge the more able students, or something... Have you been asking them for more specific feedback/targets/tips, as maybe they're waiting for you to take the initiative on this? (not saying that justifies it, by the way, just that it could be the way they're thinking...)
Original post by John Mullen
No sorry, the problem with the mentor is more about some quite puzzling remarks made last week about my attitude, amount of work I was doing, and being told off for reading a paper for 15 mins at 08:00 the other morning. There were comments about being "laid back" and I don't think this is how a mentor should be talking to you. They should be encouraging you. This is on top of my dislike for things connected to teaching.
I produced plans last friday, which were described as "just not good enough" and apparently had problems - this is before I had even tought the lesson. That is the problem with the mentor. The issue of being 'outstanding' is more a long term issue, where teachers in general have to try to be 'outstanding' by ticking boxes of seemingly impossible tasks with many classes (due to behaviour, interest in the subject etc.) These students are in most cases forced to do the work (for their future wellbeing), and don't want to be there, so "all students engrossed in their work" is one of the many laughable aims.
Have to make a decision over the weekend about whether to leave the course. Don't know what to do.
I produced plans last friday, which were described as "just not good enough" and apparently had problems - this is before I had even tought the lesson. That is the problem with the mentor. The issue of being 'outstanding' is more a long term issue, where teachers in general have to try to be 'outstanding' by ticking boxes of seemingly impossible tasks with many classes (due to behaviour, interest in the subject etc.) These students are in most cases forced to do the work (for their future wellbeing), and don't want to be there, so "all students engrossed in their work" is one of the many laughable aims.
Have to make a decision over the weekend about whether to leave the course. Don't know what to do.
What subject do you teach? Is there a way on her that you can submit lesson plans for us to look at?
Depending on school policy, in the NQT year the students won't have to write LOs down (would be seen as timewasting in my school tbh) and you won't necessarily have to give detentions unless that's the behaviour route you take. I work on giving the students very positive classroom experience that rewards good behaviour rather than one where detentions are constantly issued.
I've had good with oustanding from Ofsted with one of my bottom set classes where focus is less than perfect, so yes "all students engrossed in their work" is one of the many laughable aims as you can still get very close to outstanding without ticking that box.
In my PGCE year, I would spend 3-5 hours planning each lesson and still not feel happy with it. Now I'm in my NQT year and have my own classes, planning a good lesson is so much easier as I know what they enjoy and what works to get them engaged - some of my classes hate group work/'fun' tasks and would rather work independently (a very studious bunch)!
It gets so much better next year: bite your tongue; head down; keep going and you'll have the summer off before you know it
(edited 11 years ago)
Glad you're getting on well Jaime, if I remember correctly I think your specialism is history which is mine, currently a woman on a mission regarding finding a job, I'm applying for everything going! At what point in the year did you get your position? I'm limited by geography (I'm not able to move) but my provider said that getting a job shouldn't be a problem but I just don't believe them!!
Cheers!
Cheers!
Original post by StarBabyCat
Glad you're getting on well Jaime, if I remember correctly I think your specialism is history which is mine, currently a woman on a mission regarding finding a job, I'm applying for everything going! At what point in the year did you get your position? I'm limited by geography (I'm not able to move) but my provider said that getting a job shouldn't be a problem but I just don't believe them!!
Cheers!
Cheers!
I'm English, I'm afraid, so had my job by this time last year. However, everyone on the History PGCE at my uni had got a job by the summer which is good news
[size="1"]Posted from TSR Mobile[/size
Do u have to make your own resources or is it acceptable to look for them or download them?
Do u have to make your own resources or is it acceptable to look for them or download them?
Original post by sunfowers01
Do u have to make your own resources or is it acceptable to look for them or download them?
Do u have to make your own resources or is it acceptable to look for them or download them?
Varies between schools - some have a culture of sharing everything and teachers add resources to a shared area on the network, but in others everyone works very independently and does things their own way, including making or finding their own resources.
Most people on my PGCE seem to have used shared resources from their department quite a bit during the first placement, but my school didn't do that so I had to make everything myself. I'm hoping my 2nd placement school will share more, as I don't know how I'm going to cope with the increased timetable if I'm making all my own resources...
Nothing wrong with having a look for things online, just be critical (plenty of resources on TES have errors in them, or just won't be quite right for your class), adapt them to the needs of your class, and don't try to pass someone else's work off as your own.
Original post by myrtille
Varies between schools - some have a culture of sharing everything and teachers add resources to a shared area on the network, but in others everyone works very independently and does things their own way, including making or finding their own resources.
Most people on my PGCE seem to have used shared resources from their department quite a bit during the first placement, but my school didn't do that so I had to make everything myself. I'm hoping my 2nd placement school will share more, as I don't know how I'm going to cope with the increased timetable if I'm making all my own resources...
Nothing wrong with having a look for things online, just be critical (plenty of resources on TES have errors in them, or just won't be quite right for your class), adapt them to the needs of your class, and don't try to pass someone else's work off as your own.
Most people on my PGCE seem to have used shared resources from their department quite a bit during the first placement, but my school didn't do that so I had to make everything myself. I'm hoping my 2nd placement school will share more, as I don't know how I'm going to cope with the increased timetable if I'm making all my own resources...
Nothing wrong with having a look for things online, just be critical (plenty of resources on TES have errors in them, or just won't be quite right for your class), adapt them to the needs of your class, and don't try to pass someone else's work off as your own.
Completely agree with this. It is best practice during your PGCE to make your own resources (it is also good to get into that routine). However adapting from online resources is absolutely fine and your mentor should not say otherwise really (maybe unless it is for an observed lesson, even then I'm not sure).
It is always nice to have a school that has a bank of resources to use, although you should be making your own it is nice to have a safety net in-case you are particularly behind in a week (happens to everyone!). It is also very good practice if you contribute towards their resources. I left all of my plans and resources in the school system on my main placement just out of courtesy.
Original post by Imelda
Do you have experience of a PGCE and can therefore compare your job to that of a trainee teacher? Or is it random speculation?
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Posted from TSR Mobile
Yes im doing something similar to a PGCE, which is still teachers training. Are you trying to make a point? Ok here's a question for you are you doing a PGCE? and if yes have you worked in KFC?
My mentor left me with some pretty scathing remarks when I finished first placement on Friday...
My "personal appearance" apparently wasn't up to scratch the whole time I was there - I was told to come in "comfortable clothes - tracksuit and trainers or jeans or something, just don't show too much flesh" - so I wore tracksuit bottoms as I was in a school where things often got very messy and I just don't have the money to be replacing jeans and smart trousers all the time. Also, in tracksuit bottoms, I can move around more easily so that I can be more involved with the activities - I wasn't just dressing like a tramp out of laziness, the clothes were always clean and never offensive or even too detailed. The whole time, not one single person told me anything about my attire, if they had I would have changed it.
Now I'm really worried this is all going to go in my final report about my professionalism not being good enough :/
There was other stuff too, literally the only positive she could give me was that my class teacher liked having me in the classroom... Hopefully I get a bit luckier in my next placement, I've just got to find it first :/
My "personal appearance" apparently wasn't up to scratch the whole time I was there - I was told to come in "comfortable clothes - tracksuit and trainers or jeans or something, just don't show too much flesh" - so I wore tracksuit bottoms as I was in a school where things often got very messy and I just don't have the money to be replacing jeans and smart trousers all the time. Also, in tracksuit bottoms, I can move around more easily so that I can be more involved with the activities - I wasn't just dressing like a tramp out of laziness, the clothes were always clean and never offensive or even too detailed. The whole time, not one single person told me anything about my attire, if they had I would have changed it.
Now I'm really worried this is all going to go in my final report about my professionalism not being good enough :/
There was other stuff too, literally the only positive she could give me was that my class teacher liked having me in the classroom... Hopefully I get a bit luckier in my next placement, I've just got to find it first :/
Starting second placement properly now, after our half term break, feeling surprisingly good about it actually... how is everyone holding up, and any good news on the jobs front?
Original post by SuperSam_Fantastiche
My mentor left me with some pretty scathing remarks when I finished first placement on Friday...
My "personal appearance" apparently wasn't up to scratch the whole time I was there - I was told to come in "comfortable clothes - tracksuit and trainers or jeans or something, just don't show too much flesh" - so I wore tracksuit bottoms as I was in a school where things often got very messy and I just don't have the money to be replacing jeans and smart trousers all the time. Also, in tracksuit bottoms, I can move around more easily so that I can be more involved with the activities - I wasn't just dressing like a tramp out of laziness, the clothes were always clean and never offensive or even too detailed. The whole time, not one single person told me anything about my attire, if they had I would have changed it.
Now I'm really worried this is all going to go in my final report about my professionalism not being good enough :/
There was other stuff too, literally the only positive she could give me was that my class teacher liked having me in the classroom... Hopefully I get a bit luckier in my next placement, I've just got to find it first :/
My "personal appearance" apparently wasn't up to scratch the whole time I was there - I was told to come in "comfortable clothes - tracksuit and trainers or jeans or something, just don't show too much flesh" - so I wore tracksuit bottoms as I was in a school where things often got very messy and I just don't have the money to be replacing jeans and smart trousers all the time. Also, in tracksuit bottoms, I can move around more easily so that I can be more involved with the activities - I wasn't just dressing like a tramp out of laziness, the clothes were always clean and never offensive or even too detailed. The whole time, not one single person told me anything about my attire, if they had I would have changed it.
Now I'm really worried this is all going to go in my final report about my professionalism not being good enough :/
There was other stuff too, literally the only positive she could give me was that my class teacher liked having me in the classroom... Hopefully I get a bit luckier in my next placement, I've just got to find it first :/
What sort of a school were you in? Did other staff dress like that- I'm guessing they did? If so, then I'm not sure what planet your mentor was on.
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