First Impressions
Being a teaching assistant, I thought would be relatively straightforward. I did not envisage myself helping children eat their lunch, put on their coats, or even clean up their sick! Within the first day of my placement I had to do all of these tasks and more. When I naively walked into the classroom, I was greeted by 26 children all under the age of 5. I was slightly alarmed by the sheer volume of noise in the classroom as it had been a while since I had been in such an environment. Although I have several years’ experience of working with young children as part of my volunteer work with my local football club, I was slightly apprehensive initially about how I would get on in the more formal setting of a classroom. My experiences of going to school have always been one that is filled with positivity and enjoyment, and I want to replicate that same feeling amongst every child that enters the classroom that I am teaching in.
‘School can be a frightening, chaotic, and unsettling place for teacher and student. Both have a vested interest in each day’s goal, and yet neither knows what expectations or criteria the other will impose .’
(Jackson 1968)
The class began with all the children saying their prayers on the mat. We went through a range of different prayers and the children had to recite them back to the teacher. This for many of the kids was a struggle. Some were just shouting back at teacher, others not even making the slightest attempt to say anything back. After this, the class were given a range of different activities to complete, and I was asked to lead and facilitate one of them. I was assigned a task by the class teacher to take a small group and assist them in spelling their names using cardboard letters cut out. I had to demonstrate to the small group what was expected of them. Luckily, I had read ‘A Student’s Guide To Presentations’ by Chivers, B. and Shoolbred, M. One point that resonated with me in the book was that, “You will need to give a confident performance and deal effectively with their comments, manage the crowd and limit any negative reactions. As with all types of presentations it is crucial to keep control, especially when there are contributions and responses from the audience.” As I was demonstrating how to complete the task a lot of children were talking and simply not listening. One child in particular was extremely disruptive. I had to take him aside and show him again how to spell his name. The rest of the children were able to spell their name with my assistance. I particularly enjoyed doing this task as I got great personal satisfaction from helping the children to spell their names and to see the delight on their young faces when they realised that they had spelt their name correctly. Watching them learn and to see the children take on board on some of the tips I give them really enthused me. The approach I decided to take when teaching a class was to always praise and give positive feedback as I believe this creates a productive and collaborative learning environment in the classroom.
‘Exemplary teachers often stated that students should assist, praise, and provide feedback to each other. They modelled these supportive behaviours and guided students in learning how to do this appropriately.’
Cabello, Beverly, and Raymond Terrell. “Making Students Feel Like Family: How Teachers Create Warm and Caring Classroom Climates.”
Lunchtime
Another activity I volunteered to do was lunchtime supervision to ensure pupils were safe, happy and interacting positively with one another. Observing the pupils at play was very informative. I notice different traits and characteristics of some children which contrasted significantly from their behaviours inside the classroom. For example, one boy in particular who was very reserved and quiet in the classroom, conversely, was confident and boisterous in the playground. Richard M.Bossone writes that ‘To achieve desirable and effective classroom management the teacher must first learn as much as he can about his students, that is, their abilities, aptitudes, strengths, and weakness.’ With the advice of the permanent staff, I was able to efficiently regulate student behaviour and make timely interventions before any disagreements escalated. This involved watching out for pupils’ adherence to the school rules and regulations and ensuring appropriate conduct at lunch. On occasions, when the weather is particularly bad, the children are required to stay inside for their lunch. In one instance, I decided to turn on a kids tv show on YouTube but swiftly realised that the children weren’t interested in watching. I asked the children what they would like to do instead of watching the show and they suggested that we play, ‘Heads down thumbs up.’ I had never played or heard of the game before, so one of the children had to explain it to me. This in hindsight was a mistake as each child had their own version of how to play the game. Unbridled chaos then followed in the classroom as several children began to leave their chairs and come up to the front of the classroom to demonstrate how to play the game. Thankfully the bell rang for the end of lunch because at this point, I was in no doubt that I had lost control of the classroom. On reflection I should have never asked the children how to play the game. In the future I will instruct the class to play a game that I knew to avoid this incident repeating itself.
Importance Of Reading
The simple idea of just standing in front of a class and imparting knowledge is not the only challenging aspect of teaching. Following this incident, I sought advice from the school principal, I explained to her what had happened, and she simply told me that I needed to show more authority and courage in the classroom. The principal advised that I read a book that was on her desk. The title of the book was “Running the Room” by Tom Bennett. Bennett makes the case that fostering a culture of good behaviour in the classroom is a deliberate and thoughtful process, with the teacher acting as the most authoritative figure. These words resonated and stuck with me. Another routine in the classroom was the short story, read by the teacher. I was delighted to be given the task of reading the book, ‘Bears Don’t Cry’ to the children. Reading aloud to children is crucial for their growth and welfare. The children were completely engrossed in the book and wanted to see the pictures throughout the story. Reading to children can be a great way to engage their imagination and foster a love of books and storytelling. I thoroughly enjoyed reading to them as I have a real passion for books and wanted to pass that onto the children in the room. Not every child however was listening or attentive, several were distracted by the most insignificant thing. Having done a great deal of reading I came across this fantastic point made by Ray Petty ‘We stop class to reprimand an inappropriate behaviour; why not stop class to recognize a good effort? Rewards can be as simple as sincere compliments and praise.’ So instead of reprimanding those who weren’t listening I decided to praise those that were clearly listening and engaging in the content that I was reading out.
Bears Don’t Cry!
Emma Chichester Clark
Physical Education
The following week I returned to the primary school on a Friday. I again was in the primary 1 class. Friday is a very different day in the primary school and is seen as a ‘funday’ for the school children. I first began by making sure all off the children had their coats on. After this the children got ready to go to Mass, which is a short walk from the primary school. This was another challenge as the roads at that time are busy and there was a high risk of danger. The class teacher had completed a risk assessment which was shared with the principal, classroom assistants and other teachers that were accompanying the children. Thankfully, with the assistance of the lollipop lady we made it to and from the Chapel safely. To finish off the week the class participated in a PE lesson in the afternoon. For primary school students’ general growth and wellbeing, physical education is vital. Beyond the classroom, physical education has a beneficial influence on behaviours that last a lifetime and encourage an active, healthy lifestyle. PE builds the basis for well-rounded people who are better prepared to tackle the challenges of the future by encouraging a positive attitude towards physical exercise and imparting crucial life skills. The class done a lot of short exercises. We then played Duck Duck Goose and Simon Says which were two of my favourite games at school. Overall the class really enjoyed it with almost everyone taking part.
Progression
I feel that I have made great progress since I first started my placement and I look forward to working in the school each week. I received very positive feedback from the class teacher about the positive relationships and great rapport I have developed with the class. Assisting in a primary one class can be challenging but it is also so fulfilling. Each child has their own unique personality and learning abilities and it is very important for me to adapt my teaching style for each child. One of my main objectives is to get to know each child pastorally, to get to know their preferred learning style and to get to know their strengths and weaknesses. This experience has confirmed and consolidated my desire to pursue a career in teaching. I look forward to continuing my placement at Dromintee primary school for the remainder of the year.
References
Chivers, B. and Shoolbred, M. (2007) A student’s guide to presentations: making your presentation count. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.
“Running the Room” by Tom Bennett.
Petty, Ray. “Discipline in Your Classroom.” The Science Teacher, vol. 55, no. 2, 1988, pp. 34–35. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24140762. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.
Bossone, Richard M. “What Is Classroom Discipline?” The Clearing House, vol. 39, no. 4, 1964, pp. 218–21. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30182722. Accessed 11 Nov. 2023.
Gibbs Reflective Cycle
Bears Don’t Cry! Emma Chichester Clark
Cabello, Beverly, and Raymond Terrell. “Making Students Feel Like Family: How Teachers Create Warm and Caring Classroom Climates.” The Journal of Classroom Interaction, vol. 29, no. 1, 1994, pp. 17–23. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23870438. Accessed 12 Nov. 2023.