My alarm sounds. 7:00am. Go through the checklist: teeth brushed, gotten dressed, packed my bag and out the door. Nerves set it. New people to meet, new classes to go to and a new school to attend.
I arrive. I’m in the front door.
“Hi Miss!” is heard as I enter.
It’s my first day, but not as I’d ever experienced before.
Placement was a daunting concept to me at the beginning, but in my craving experiences and knowledge I could only learn from a hands-on experience, I embarked on my journey. I opened my emails and contacted The Wallace High School and, not even an hour later, I was met with the simple, heart-warming phrase that would later change the course of my year…
My first meeting Mrs. Weir was the catalyst to the new outlook I would gain into my future career prospect in teaching. She was warm, welcoming and willing to help me embark on this new chapter of my studies. She cleared up any queries, stated my prospects of helping both in Drama and English lessons (which was especially comforting as it is the subjects I wish to teach) and spoke of her excitement of hosting me in the coming weeks. This instilled confidence in me upon my approach to my first school day. Being ‘the new girl’ again in a school should have been all too familiar but it was a foreign experience which gave me an exciting insight into the educational sphere.
Jasper (2003) claims that “ Gibbs’s framework has achieved the status of a seminal theory in reflective practice” in his proclamation of the importance of recounting and analysing events whilst forcing participants to examine what they would do should the situation arise again.[1] I have concluded it would be the best reflective method to critically reflect upon and analyse my experiences on placement thus far. Additionally, it will allow me to examine how this experience may be effect into my future actions, both regarding the placement itself and my future career plans in teaching.
The Daunting First Day
Upon entering the school, I was immediately welcomed with a smile; a precedent that would outline the following weeks to come. Formalities were exchanged Ms Brown who is in charge of placement students. The fact that there was a specialist role to deal with student teachers and placement students was a big relief for me, instilling confidence that I had chosen the correct placement setting. This was reinforced as I was given a booklet of materials outlining information about the school and key teaching techniques that would be important to recall upon both within the classroom setting and when applying for a PGCE. The staff were previously made aware of my plan to apply for PGCE courses and this, therefore, made me feel even more welcomed in their consideration for my placement role within their school but for my wider university studies.
The first lesson began, and I introduced myself the students and immediately became enveloped in the classroom life. A nostalgic feeling was evident in my reminiscence of my own school days. The students were tasked with creating their own trunks (as seen in Roald Dahl’s book Boy: Tales of Childhood). I built a rapport with the students as I discussed the task with them individually. Many students got to tell me about their pets, favourite celebrities and hobbies. This simple interaction was my confirmation that teaching was the career I desired to embark on.
The next lesson exposed me to a lively year 10 English class. Ms Ferguson greeted me and outlined to the class that I would be observing their class. As the whiteboard flickered, the topic of the class sent a smile to my face. Invictus by William Ernest Henley. A poem I knew all too well. The words in the poem recalled in my mind as I understood how they stood testament to my teaching ambitions.
“I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.“
Invictus, WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY
Ms. Ferguson was indispensable in my understand the HOW of teaching. Often, she would come to ask me how I was finding the class and offering me clarity and reasoning behind her teaching choices, allowing me to note these down as they would be increasingly important to understand in my immanent future career.
The final period allowed me to have my first real taste at teaching. Ms. Rogers’ previous excitement and interest in the drama side of my course seemed to foreshadow my final task in committing to running one-on-one monologue sessions with students in their impending performance in the school’s musical. I got to provide advice and help critique her performance and was provided both a flashback to my own past and a window my future.
The Fear of Failure.
Sent. The email was sent. The fate of my last year at Queen’s University life lay enclosed in one email to The Wallace High School which was returned with excitement and kind regards, a theme which ran throughout the following emails over the next few months. Although nerves were evident in the lead up to my placement beginning and in the initial meeting with Mrs. Weir, excitement blinded my perspective in the new experience that lay ahead.
Now, admittedly, I never thought I’d be scared of going to a year 8 English class, but I was nothing short of terrified before that first fearful lesson of the day. Every doubt and question immediately flooded my mind. What if I wasn’t prepared enough or good enough? What if the students decided they disliked me? What if teaching was the wrong placement and even career to consider? The hyperbolic tendencies of my doubting brain kick started as I wrangled into a ball of nerves. However, this immediately melted away as a chipper, “hi Miss! I’ve heard so much about you!” was exclaimed from a smiling Mrs. Rogers.
The same pattern followed in the following lessons as I grew more confident and comfortable. Mr. Ferguson’s eagerness to help me and the students’ openness to learn from me and get to know me was the encouraging boost I needed. After exiting through the doors, I left with an elation regarding my return in the weeks to come. In recognising, “the deeper the reflection, the stronger is the individual’s awareness of his or her affection, experiences and cognition”[2], I understand how these feelings are all a part of the overall experience that will help frame my future approach to my placement.
“Teaching is the Highest Form of Understanding.”
The quote above, stated by Aristotle, highlights the need for teachers to be continuously reflection upon their teaching methods in order to create the best possible class environment that they can. Merryfield recognises that “a comment or experience in class may serve as a catalyst in generating new ideas, new perspectives or concerns that could be examined.”[3] This, therefore, shows the importance of implementing Gibbs’ model of reflection to fully reap the experience of placement both for its rewards and its recognition of self-criticism for development.
Ultimately, it is important to recognise that my first day was only a fraction of the entire placement and teaching experience. In the following weeks of placement, this became clear. Additionally, I learnt that every experience may not be as hands on as I first believed it would be. Previously, I believed I would have been more hands-on in classes however, with pending examinations and differing wants of each teacher, it is simply not feasible for me to be leading/helping classes all of the time.
This is not to say the experience has been bad. If anything, it is to praise the opposite. Uncovering the admin-based side of teaching and getting to embark on tasks such as clearing the drama store and creating presentations about and questions for the GCSE Drama course allowed me to understand the importance of the ‘behind the scenes’ element to teaching. You cannot simply turn up to class and expect to begin teaching without a clear lesson plan and objective. Teaching is recognised as an vital profession as “the teacher is responsible for child, body, soul and mind”[4]. As a teacher of mine would constantly repeat, the adage “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” is extremely important regarding the teaching profession. I have began to recognise that everything I do in placement has a ripple effect on the students and, therefore, I must be fully dedicated to my responsibilities for the advancement of the students.
The Student becomes the Teacher…but how?
In a placement setting such as teaching, it is difficult to say there are things which you wish you could have done differently due to the strict time restraints and the lingering imitation of exam content which needs to be explained adequately to students. In recognising this, I would have asked more questions on my first day. I feel that my first day was characterised by nerves and I prioritised making a good impression rather than diving straight into my own personal learning and reflection. This is not necessarily a bad thing but, as my placement time is confined within 100 hours, I understand the importance of making the most and learning what I can from each school day.
Moon states that reflection draws on past experience, reflects on it in the present and uses it to inform future practice.[5] Considering this, I feel that in the coming weeks I will address my desire to gain teaching experience as I have often been tasked with observing lessons or cumulating extracts for worksheets during my placement sessions. Additionally, although I am extremely happy within my placement setting, if I were to change my placement setting I may have considered contacting a school with has an established GCSE Drama course. I have been aiding in the advancement of the subject in the face of the year 10 pupils choosing their GCSE subjects in December as I (ironically as the person with the least amount of teaching experience) have the most experience in the course, having studied it myself. As a result of this, a lot of my responsibilities have been preparing to launch the subject rather than having a ‘hands on’ experience. Ultimately, I believe that reflecting on my experiences is vital in order to organise my learning after a busy school day. The knowledge I gain completing my placement is priceless and will be advantageous for my future.
References
- Melanie Jasper, “Beginning Reflective Practice”. 2nd ed., Cengage Textbooks. (2013). Print. p.78.
- Kam-shing Yip, “Self-Reflection in Reflective Practice: A Note of Caution.” The British Journal of Social Work, vol. 36, no. 5. (2006). pp. 777–88. p. 780.
- Merry M Merryfield, “Reflective Practice in Global Education: Strategies for Teacher Educators.” Theory Into Practice, vol. 32, no. 1. (1993). pp. 27–32. p. 30.
- R. W. CORWIN, “IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING.” The Journal of Education, vol. 89, no. 5, 2215, (1919), pp. 120–120.
- Jennifer A. Moon, “Reflection in Learning and Professional Development.”, Theory and Practice (1999). Print. p.54.
Bibliography
CORWIN, R. W., “IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING.” The Journal of Education, vol. 89, no. 5 (Califronia: Sage Publications, Inc, 1919).
Dahl, Roald. “Boy: Tales of Childhood.” (New York, Puffin Books, 1999).]
Gibbs, Graham. “Learning by Doing : A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods.” Online edition., (Oxford: Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development, 2013).
Henley, William E. “Invictus.” Poetry Foundation,(Illinois: Poetry Foundation, 2023).
Jasper, Melanie, Beginning Reflective Practice. 2nd ed. (Massachusetts: Cengage Textbooks. 2013).
Merryfield, Merry M, “Reflective Practice in Global Education: Strategies for Teacher Educators.” Theory Into Practice. (London: Taylor and Francis LTD, 1993).
Moon, Jennifer A., Reflection in Learning and Professional Development.”, Theory and Practice (London: Kogan Page.1999).
Yip, Kam-shing, “Self-Reflection in Reflective Practice: A Note of Caution.” The British Journal of Social Work, vol. 36, no. 5. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006).