When I was younger and someone asked me what my dream job was, I would tell them I wanted to be a teacher. I used to pretend I was a teacher with my cousins and siblings, and I would make them do spellings or different tasks so I could mark them. I enjoyed the thought of people listening to me so I could pass on my knowledge. As Warner stated, ‘excellent teaching is sequential, consistent, highly organised, prepared, and well-planned.’[1] I strive to be a teacher that can possess all these qualities, but I am aware that is not always possible. As I grew up surrounded by the best teachers, this desire became more apparent, and I was set on the teaching career no matter how many people told me I won’t get paid enough for what I do, that didn’t seem to bother me.
“As most Americans continue to say they have high trust and confidence in teachers, a majority say they don’t want their own children to become teachers.”[1]
[1] “Teaching: Respect but Dwindling Appeal The 50th Annual of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools.” The Phi Delta Kappan 100, no. 1 (2018): K1–24. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26552430.
My degree has enabled me to delve deeper into the world of English and I can confidently say that I love my degree. my thoughts are who would want to do something they didn’t love? I believe it has set me up well for a career in teaching English. I have applied to complete a PGCE next year and I am looking forward to it. I will be using Gibb’s reflective mod el to recount and analyse my placement so far.
[1] Warner, Connor K. “Contested Definitions of Excellent Teaching: An Analysis of the Discourse of Quality.” Journal of Thought 50, no. 1–2 (2016): 20–36. http://www.jstor.org/stable/90010508.
Description
I started my placement on the first week of October and I was very nicely welcomed into the school from the first day. Walking through the front doors felt as if I had never left. Most of my teachers recognised me and it was lovely getting to talk to them again after not seeing them for a while, it was as if the school hadn’t changed a bit since I’d left. I met with the English department, and everyone was interested to hear why I was there and how my degree was going.
By my second week, I had a few tasks to complete and was eager to get started, I felt like I was embarking on a new adventure. My first one-on-one with a pupil was an interesting experience. This pupil is a year twelve student in the SENCO department, and she was struggling to do any work for her upcoming English language exam. She is a very nervous and reserved child so I was made aware that I may have to do a lot of the talking myself, I wasn’t bothered about this because I can talk the leg off a stool, so this was going to be easy, I thought! I was very well informed by her teachers about her needs and struggles. My goal was to make her feel as comfortable as possible around me. It took a while to get her talking in our first meeting and she was holding back slightly. I decided that I wasn’t going to scare her by going straight into English work but instead I was going to work on some other activities first. We worked on an anxiety triggers programme, and it was clear that she was becoming less nervous and chattier with me.
It was a very useful exercise because I was able to grasp the things in school that she wasn’t enjoying. There were obvious things that were triggers for her such as, large crowds and the thought of exams. My experience with this student so far has been very positive and I can tell that the meetings are beneficial to her, although at times I hold myself back from panicking if she doesn’t respond to me, it is all about patience. Even though she would not say how the meetings have helped her, I can tell by her growing awareness, comfort and easement with the meetings. I have made it clear that I struggled with many things in school and these triggers and anxieties are normal feelings to experience in school. She likes the fact that I understand her worries and I make her feel less alone in her school life. I have learnt that students won’t always praise you or let you know how they are feeling with your meetings. I realised that the praise is in their progress, and I am seeing great progress as the weeks go on.
I am also working with a year twelve student who needs some extra support when it comes to structuring and solidifying his English essays. He is a talkative student who is willing to listen to you and try to understand what you are teaching him. He finds it difficult to think of points to lengthen his essays. I was working on his controlled assessment with him, and he was able to reinforce his arguments even more. It is rewarding when a student is interactive with you because it makes you feel that you are doing something right, even if you aren’t!
Another one of my tasks that I have embarked on is helping with the lunchtime study group for the year eleven English language exam. This has been a pragmatic and productive event and working alongside the teacher, I have been able to give any advice and help that is needed. In the short window that lunchtime is, the students can ask any questions they may not have asked in class or speak to students from other classes. This opens their minds for studying as they can see different perspectives. The calm nature is favourable as it is less intimidating for the students who are used to the fast-paced mood of a classroom. It is more of a meet up study session to make the exam season less daunting and less scary.
Feelings
I wouldn’t say I was overly nervous when I entered the school on my first day. I was apprehensive of the different jobs I would be given but I am doing my best to deal with everything as it comes to me. I did have a lack of confidence when I was first introduced to different classes and groups as I felt that the students wouldn’t appreciate me as I wasn’t a teacher. I felt more at ease when I was given good feedback from the teachers, and they were happy to let me continue with the work I am doing. I think it is normal to feel as if you are an outsider because you are only a placement student, but I just remind myself that the teachers were all in this position at one point as well.
Evaluation and Analysis
I haven’t had any disastrous moments during the experience, but I don’t want to speak to soon! I think if I was to pick a moment where I felt under pressure and a little bit scared was when I was left alone with a class. The teacher had gone out to get some resources and they had been assigned work. Immediately every student was talking, and I didn’t know whether I had the authority to tell them to be quiet or if it wasn’t my place. I didn’t want the teacher to come back and think I had no control after a few minutes, so I stood up and told them to get back to work as they didn’t have much time to do it. Luckily, they cooperated with me, but it could have gone horribly wrong. I believe that confidence is the most important attribute for teaching as James Eison said, ‘to feel confident in the classroom the neophyte must begin acting confidently’[1]. It is as if you are putting on an act and must uphold this the full day for your teaching to be beneficial and for the students to get fulfilment out of every class.
[1] Eison, James “Confidence in the Classroom: Ten Maxims for New Teachers”, College Teaching, 38:1, 21-25, (DOI: (1990) 10.1080/87567555.1990.10532181
Conclusion
To conclude, on reflection of my placement in St Patrick’s Academy so far, is that teaching is not an easy job. There will be many obstacles and challenges to overcome and there will continually be many changes within the academic setting. I hope when I finish this placement I can look back and be proud of myself for testing myself and going out of my comfort zone to get the full experience. I hope to continue keeping myself involved in as much as possible and immerse myself fully into the teaching world. I will continue to use my skills and qualities that I have gained from previous work experience and my degree to get the full exposure to the life of a teacher. This placement has confirmed my love for teaching, and I am adamant that I want to pass on my knowledge of English literature and language to the younger generations. When I reflect on this, I am content that I had a positive experience with starting my placement and it gives me confidence that I will be able to go into schools that I am unfamiliar next year, during my PGCE.