PGCE - Current Students Thread

I got a job interview today for BTEC Business Studies, and I've never studied business in my life. I'm a little confused! I applied for A-Level Economics and they rang me, said they want to shortlist but wanted to warn me it is now BTEC Business. I just said yes without thinking but I am majorly confused why they would shortlist me for something I have zero experience in!

I mean, I am an adaptable person, but this seems a stretch...

Going through my folders and weeping softly at how much I still have to do.Still embarrassed about the sobbing too.

Had my first at school cry today. I know it's a rite of passage.

I was crying so much I couldn't teach my lesson because I couldn't stop. Had to tell the other trainee to let my mentor know I needed to be on my own.

It's all because of one stupid class that have made me feel like total crap. I hate them so much.

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Very well put. When you are actually doing the job, you will be appalled that the very people who tell you to be encouraging to the kids can be like Hitler to the staff. They are often the same ones who will spend an entire INSET day exhorting you to use some exciting and innovative teaching methodology by the method of standing there and lecturing you.

What happened? My mentor told me children cannot only bully other children but they can bully the teacher too if they find something to target.

I just can't control them at all and they feed on it. My mentor has given me tips but nothing is working. Worse still, I was on track for a 1 but my mentor said I can't get a 1 if I can't control this class.

My behaviour management is normally based on my strong relationship with the pupils, which is said to be one of my strengths. But I hate this class and they hate me, so I can't build up a relationship with a class so unlikable, meaning I've lost my key strength here.

It sounds pathetic to cry over a class. I just feel they are holding me back and making me realise how crap I am.

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I have seen this myself - one of the girls on my course has several young kids and as well as being a full time mother and wife she's training to become a teacher, her mentor expects lesson plans to be in a week before they're due then sends them back correcting her mistakes for her to send back and this cycle continues at least 3-4 times. The girl in question sat on her chair once (in the staff room) and she EXPLODED! How dare she sit on my chair! 'MY' chair, then she says you're not allowed to take equipment home because I don't trust you. Like we've paid 9K in fees to steal stuff - seriously?

This is the worst case of 'mentor' I have ever seen, makes my bad experiences seem okay, but poor girl she's got through it and the end is near.

We name these people TORMENTORS! (pun intended) Seriously hope they see the error of their ways, though I never wish bad upon anyone some people need it to be slapped in their face.

I could have written this post, and I'm an NQT! Today I cried at lunch because of my y9's who I hate. They hate me. Like you, my strength during my PGCE and this year was creating a strong relationship with my classes. I don't have one inch of a relationship with this class and today was 1 hour of pure hell with them. No constructive advice but I do feel your pain! xx

I need advice on this though. What do I do?

I have a class on year 8s who aren't naughty, but there is CONSTANT background chatter and I can't get them to shut up. The problem is there are too many who are doing this to use my usual methods. My mentor told me that writing names on the board and pinpointing them won't work because it is about 80% of the class who are talking. I can't keep them all in either because that punishes the 20%. Whenever I get them quiet it literally is noisy again after seconds. Nothing I say or do will get them to be quiet. What do I do?

I saw my mentor teach them for one lesson today and they were fine for her yet she does nothing different. I am convinced I just don't have chemistry with this class and that the lack of relationship means I'm never going to be able to control them. Is this true?

I've tried everything my mentor has said but it is hard to do on a class wide basis. She tells me to state the obvious - "you're talking over me", but I can't say that to the whole class because it means nothing. It is good for just one but not all. Then things like moving around the class when trying to get them quiet because they need a physical presence - made no difference. Competition with points on desks today - made no difference.

I need advice on this though. What do I do?I have a class on year 8s who aren't naughty, but there is CONSTANT background chatter and I can't get them to shut up. The problem is there are too many who are doing this to use my usual methods. My mentor told me that writing names on the board and pinpointing them won't work because it is about 80% of the class who are talking. I can't keep them all in either because that punishes the 20%. Whenever I get them quiet it literally is noisy again after seconds. Nothing I say or do will get them to be quiet. What do I do?I saw my mentor teach them for one lesson today and they were fine for her yet she does nothing different. I am convinced I just don't have chemistry with this class and that the lack of relationship means I'm never going to be able to control them. Is this true?I've tried everything my mentor has said but it is hard to do on a class wide basis. She tells me to state the obvious - "you're talking over me", but I can't say that to the whole class because it means nothing. It is good for just one but not all. Then things like moving around the class when trying to get them quiet because they need a physical presence - made no difference. Competition with points on desks today - made no difference.

It is difficult but it really is about building an ethos of mutual respect which is really hard for a student teacher to achieve, especially if it has gone on for a wee while. Rewarding good behaviour does work but it can take time to establish. Is your mentor in when you teach to observe and give feedback as that would be most useful really?

Are you really clear and pointed with your learning intentions and success criteria so they know exactly what they are learning and if they are succeeding as that is really useful too as it can motivate them? Make sure it is something achievable within the one lesson are are active and interesting. For example I wanted a class to hold a debate so I mocked up a newspaper article saying that they were going to use wave power on the coast at the beach and the beach would be closed all summer. They were livid and really motivated. I did tell them before at the end of the lesson , after pointing out how they had been really successful, that I had made it up!

Hope this helps...


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It really is difficult to get a handle on them when they're not really 'yours' and they know it. There will always be classes you just don't click with, and you will spend all your time hating them just as much as they hate you.

With low level background chatter with one of my classes. I took about 30 minutes of a lesson once and lectured them on their poor manners and lack of respect. They don't like being told they are 'bad people'. I explained the implications of their noise and the impact this has on other people and that their downright selfishness is not appropriate for the classroom. Rather than being angry with them, a hurt/ disappointed approach worked better for me. I then implemented an "I will warn the entire class 3 times about noise levels, on the third warning you work in silence" plan.

Or you do a 10 min plenary in which they right down the classroom rules they think should be implemented. They hand this in, you sift through and come up with 5 basic rules from what they have written. You start afresh next lesson and punish them by their own rules.

Other than that, put a stopwatch on the board and press start every time they start talking and inform them that that is time they owe you.

Or pit them against each other for a reward of leaving the classroom first (works well before lunch or end of day). I do girls vs boys. Naming names and liberally adding points to the other side gets mine pretty angry with each other.

Or a simple, "the next person to interrupt me comes back at lunchtime".

Or you put them in silence for an entire lesson and give them nothing but boring crap to do and tell them you won't be teaching them properly until you think you can trust them enough. That their behaviour has FORCED you to do this to them. Anybody speaks and the sanction is applied immediately. (Mentor might not like this idea lol) This one really worked for the class I mentioned above, with permission from my hod. Now I need only say "oh, perhaps we need some silence for the next task?" and they shut up quick.

Or you kill them with kindness. You thank those who are doing as you have asked. You shower them with praise and ignore the rest. You have the list of activities for the lesson on the board as they enter with some nice "work with a person of your choice" for a 10 min task or a wandering around scavenger hunt and take away their privilege of doing this if they can't be respectful enough to listen to your instructions. Some of mine respond well to being given that bit of extra freedom, (even though I'm hesitant to give it to them because they're too noisy) and they then respond well to the next task.

And a final thing I'm guilty of (having lots of year 9 in the final period of the day) is giving them a good 5 minutes to get in and get their stuff out and say everything that needs to be said before I ask for quiet. Don't try and get them to be quiet before they're all sat down with their stuff out.


Depends on your kids and school overall, really. I don't think I work in a particularly 'good' nor 'bad' school, but they certainly understand the value of respect and don't want to be told that they are disrespectful. It has taken me months and months to be satisfied with the relationship I have with some of my classes. Don't be too hard on yourself if you don't get there with them.

I really can relate to this. I have a similar dilemma. They're year 8s and they just don't respect me. With their usual teacher they are a nice group, but as soon as I am left alone they just don't shut up. I can't get anything done and I always struggle to plan because I feel I can't control them enough to do the things I want with them. It sounds awful to say 'we hate each other' but that is how it really feels to me. When I leave I will be glad not to see them ever again. I'm less intimidated by my year 10s than this class.

Wow thanks for all this advice. Much appreciated!

With the lecture you gave your class, I did that to them earlier in the week and got told it was a bad move because they don't care if they are rude or disrespectful. My mentor wrote on my notes 'so what?', which is quite accurate for this class because they couldn't care less. They know they are disrespectful and rude and pointing it out sadly makes no difference. I wish I had kids who did care about that!

I love the stopwatch thing, I've used it in the past and forgot about it to be honest. The absolute pain is that I mostly have them at the end of the day and I'm not allowed to keep them back at all because of buses . I think telling them to come back at break the next day won't work. Most won't turn up and then I'll have to push it further for something that didn't need to go that far, if that makes sense. So that is really irritating. I do have a couple of lunch time lessons I can make use of that with though.

Competitions are something I need to put some thought into more. The class is 80% boys and obviously they love a bit of competition. It is finding something effective because I have tried a couple and it hasn't influenced them as much as I'd like. I give sweets out at the end for the table that got the most points and they get really annoyed then that they didn't get sweets, but they still don't try harder to actually get them!

Thanks for all your pointers though. I am definitely going to try and adapt some for my class. I need to start thinking creatively.

You're welcome The only true advice one can give on behaviour management is that you just gotta keep ploughing on. As for the competition, getting the ringleaders involved first is the key to cracking them. Get them into it and the sheepy ones should follow. And if you have them at the end of the day like I do, maybe the winners can leave first. Then the second team/ third etc. The losers have to put all the chairs up, or collect dictionaries in or something.

Literally any time you have them just before lunch, you have them over a barrel. Put their name on the board and then just keep adding minutes. The minutes go too many for lunchtime detention, fine.... they've earned an after school.

Like I say, I'm still going... Teenagers are like unexploded bombs. You never know what they'll do next.

Yeah, I know what you mean. What is really annoying with this class is that they are on a carousel, so I have them for three weeks and then get a new class and never see them again. So it sometimes feels that as soon as I start to get a grip on them I lose them and get a new class!

One thing I forgot to mention actually is that my mentor has told me that I need to pick one pupil, take them outside and completely let loose on them, just loud enough so the class can hear so it establishes my authority. But I've been totally honest with her and told her I don't think I can do that. I am just not comfortable with one to one screaming with kids. Not yet anyway. And if that makes the difference between a grade 1 or 2 for me then so be it.