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PGCE - Current Students Thread

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I know, you're right. I'm just annoyed that I bothered doing this course. I am not qualified to teach alevel because I don't have enough experience of it, and I'm not qualified to teach my pgce subject at secondary because I don't have a degree in it. So I am qualified to teach nothing.

I am a good teacher. No, I am an outstanding teacher. I genuinely care about my pupils. I plan amazing lessons. Yet interviewers apparently know me better than I know myself. I have successfully hidden the fact that my background is not in R.E. on this course and people are shocked when they find out. I make a conscious effort to increase my subject knowledge. Yet it's still not good enough. Nothing I do is good enough and this whole course has been a waste of time for me. I will be a qualified teacher. But of what?

Sorry. ..I am having a major sulk at the moment. I am worried about my future.

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Honestly, it's so so natural to have these moments of weakness.

Interviewers get such a tiny snapshot of you on a day - you not getting the job doesn't mean that you suck - if you sucked, you wouldn't have been kept on for the rest of the day.

Of course you'll be qualified to teach RE... You wouldn't have been allowed on the course if you weren't capable of teaching RE! Plenty of history teachers I have met over the last year don't have a degree in history. Same with RE teachers, same with a lot of teachers.

Don't give up!

Reply 6121

tory88

Original post by Airfairy

Thank you all for your support. It means a lot. I'm just a bit low at the moment! My uni tutor cheered me up this morning though.

This is lovely - thank you so much. It means more than you know. xx

I know that is the way to think about it. I will have to wait and see.

Ironically, the reason I did an R.E. PGCE is because I wanted to help my employability by training in a national curriculum subject. I always wanted to teach A-Level originally, but I thought if I do a secondary PGCE then I could use that for both age ranges and it would help me get a job. I don't think it has helped at all though...

Yeah, I'm sort of annoyed that they let me on, but oh well. My uni tutor said today that they have had plenty to teachers with all sorts of subject backgrounds so I'm just waiting for somewhere to give me a chance.

Yes we need to stick together as NQTs! This thread really helps along the journey.

Just to add to the positivity - I'm training in maths and physics, which means I teach four subjects (biology, chemistry, physics and maths). Yet my degree is straight physics. I've been employed to teach all four of these next year, as have several of my course mates. Getting turned down for a job can mean all sorts of things, and I've heard some pretty stupid reasons given in the past, so it definitely doesn't mean you're a bad teacher. And even if it was based on your teaching, do you really think a single lesson is an accurate barometer of how good a teacher is in their day-to-day role?

Try to keep positive - there's still a long time to be looking for jobs yet. I'm sure you'll find something that fits you as well as you fit it soon.

Reply 6122

Pineapple pie

Original post by Airfairy

Hi Airfairy,
I thought I'd add a different dimension to the positivity thread!
I have an early years education degree and 18 years experience in the early years sector. I walked into jobs easily for years and I managed nurseries, worked in a private nursery, a chain, for surestart and as a school TA . Yet I applied for 3 jobs a couple of years ago and failed the interviews. I was trying to redirect my career so applied at Barnardos, at a 6th form college (to teach EY) & at the council to monitor quality.
I was gutted with 1 but knew the other 2 weren't for me.
And now I am about to begin the Early Years PGCE through School Direct.
So my message is that things happen for a reason and if I had got one of those jobs, I wouldn't have applied to teach.
Not getting a job means a path will become available further down the line and it wouldn't have been an option had you got this post.
Keep positive and believe in yourself.

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Reply 6123

buttons39

hi

im in my last placement of primary pgce, i did really well in ks2 before Christmas, but I am in ks1 now and not doing very well at all, lots of RI lesson observations, struggling to plan the way my mentor wants, struggling to think of creative ways to engage children at a simple level.
struggling in general, my mentor has subtly made me aware that shes not a fan of me or my teaching either and im so scared that I am going to fail, I just can't do it.

sorry to put this on you guys

Buttons

Reply 6124

Grant2007

Buttons....I can't offer much advice without loads more information and as I am from Scotland things are a bit different. Ask for observations and feedback and offer honest self evaluations at the discussion afterwards. I would be making the learning as active as possible to engage the children through games for numeracy, literacy and spelling and using a storyline approach to social studies and science. Make them want to learn and they will. Message me if you want any specific advice.

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Reply 6125

alabelle

Original post by buttons39

Ks1 kids in particular always need to be doing things. Look on the Internet for starter/plenary games, they are great. Sorry I haven't got a lot of advice, I am only just starting to move on from RI myself!

Reply 6126

kpwxx

Original post by buttons39

Is your mentor telling you specific things you need to improve? If so what are they. If so ask her up front what your targets should be and if she isn't being clear on what they are speak to your uni tutor.

Try borrowing lots of ideas from others, either from the TES website or from your mentor herself. There's nothing wrong with doing the same thing if it's enjoyed by them.

Happy to help more with more specific things, don't panic, they should be supporting you to pass so if you aren't getting that make sure you say so!

Xxx

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Reply 6127

Striving92

Original post by Airfairy

I know exactly how you feel. I've been rejected at a number of interviews and I felt the same way. However I've now been offered an NQT job! My advise to you would be to keep going, all you can do is try your best. If it's not written, it won't happen no matter how hard you try for an interview.

All you have to do though is to try your hardest (which I'm sure you already do) and if you don't get offered a job, don't worry. There is something that will come along, just be patient for it and I promise it will be better for you :smile:

Reply 6128

ParadoxSocks

On a Duke of Edinburgh with some of my pupils and it's so lovely. I don't want to leave my placement school. They're all so lovely :')

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Reply 6129

Ratchit99

Got an essay due in on tuesday, motivation is currently very low lol

Reply 6130

Samus2

Anyone else feel like they're stagnating?

I've improved SO much since September but it just seems like in the last few weeks, I've not been getting any better.

Spoke to my mentor about it and we've come up with an action plan so I'm looking forward to trying out some new ideas and seeing if that helps at all!

Reply 6131

Carnationlilyrose

Original post by Samus2

Teaching is an organic process and goes in phases. Kids also don't respond in automatic ways either. Sometimes you'll get nowhere at all, other times you'll have real eureka moments. I had a lesson last week when I felt like I'd been teaching a fortnight instead of 30+ years. It's the way it is.

Reply 6132

Samus2

Original post by Carnationlilyrose

Heh, I've noticed that just in the short time I've been teaching too! It's nice to know that it still affects seasoned pros! I'm going to go right back to basics ansd make some fresh medium term plans which will hopefully make me more aware of my end game for units

Reply 6133

Carnationlilyrose

Original post by Samus2

I'm a firm believer that if you are going to be a decent teacher, you will get there in the end. The difficulty with being on teaching practice is that the kids know you aren't their 'real' teacher, no matter how hard everyone tries to make it look that way. Once you have a job, everyone knows you are in for the long haul and it alters the dynamic.

Reply 6134

Tombola

Some time ago I made the mistake of rejecting an interview since I had my plates full with things. I'm kind of regretting it now given that I have no time on my PGCE course now to actually do pre-visits to primary schools before sending off application.

At the moment, I just don't want to look at job applications. I don't know how I'm meant to organise pre-visits without taking time off my placement.

Bleh.

Reply 6135

kpwxx

Original post by Tombola

Lots of schools organise set pre visits after school hours which can be useful if they're within around half an hour of your placement, or they might let you visit then anyway. Obviously not ideal as there aren't children there, but you sometimes see after school clubs and can still get a good feel for what's important to them. You also get to see the school lots on interview day so you can reinforce the visit and if you change your mind just say so and leave.

Other than that, I arranged all my visits in my PPA time. Again not perfect but at least you won't miss teaching hours!

Also, I empathise with the feeling, it is very overwhelming and often feels easier to just put it off. So don't feel bad about that. You made the choice before because it felt right for you. That's all you can do. But the more you apply the less scary it gets... You already have a good PS/application since you got an interview, so that's one big step passed!

Xxx

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(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 6136

Saint71

I feel exactly the same - my lesson obs are not getting any better - currently on a 3a from my 2nd placement, and on a progress alert (secondary PGCE) for a few weeks and I've just found that there should have been a plan for me helping with specific areas I need help with - there was not.

my KS4 is a real sticking point for me - my mentor is realy nice and helpful, but I only have KS3 with ther, I have (as admitted by the class teacher) a very difficult yr 10 class and the rest of my KS4 is year 9 and taught with the HOD who is not helpful at all - she refuses to plan with me, but complains every lesson I plan for her is not good enough. I am being formally observed in every lesson and the stress is really getting me down. When I have to plan for the HOD I go blank and freeze. I've wasted the whole long weekend procrastinating and I have an essay due tomorrow - it will definitely be late.

My tutor os coming to observe me tomorrow and I'm going to try and raise some of these points with her - not holding out much hope as the last time I tried to she told me to speak to a friend of mine who she trained a few years ago - I was kind of hoping she might put herself out for me - after all I am paying 9K for this!!!!

I feel like this whole year has been a huge waste of time and money.

Reply 6137

Grant2007

Seek help from your mentor for all the lessons, she should be able to liaise with the HOD to find out what you need support with. Is this tour final placement? I would expect you to be quite independent by now so if you need help they should be there for you..

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Reply 6138

Airfairy

I've seen a support job that sounds pretty good. Pay isn't amazing but it's workable for the first year or so. I want to apply, but at the same time I am worried that once I go down the support route then I won't be able to turn back to teaching. If I do supply, I would have been getting constant teaching experience, but if I do this support role then I won't have any teaching exp for the year.

I know I have had my doubts about teaching but I don't know if I'm ready to jump ship yet. Yet the support role is exactly what I'd want to do in a support job. Gah, I don't know.

Reply 6139

tory88

Original post by Airfairy

Speak to your tutor/mentor and see if they can give you some advice. Personally, I'd say if it's a job you think you want to do then go for it! You're obviously still unsure about teaching (which is fine) and this would be a good way to have some time to think about it whilst keeping yourself involved in education. Plus, I would imagine working at a school in a support role would mean you would be first to know if a job came up, and they'd already know they could trust you. If the only thing stopping you from applying is worry over not getting teaching experience, I wouldn't imagine that would be a massive issue.