Introduction
I’m still continuously pinching myself (cliché – I know). This week, the months of gruelling PGCE work have finally paid off – I’m pretty sure everyone that reads this already knows but… I got a job! And not just any job – a job at my first placement school. A job I have dreamed about since October! It’s been a whirlwind and I still can’t quite believe that I will be working in my dream NQT job with an amazing English faculty in a fantastic school.
So, now that I am settled for September, I have made a promise to myself – a promise to enjoy myself for these last few weeks. It’s crazy to think that there’s only 2 months left – the end is close, and it’s been everything I thought it would be and more. The work load has been intense and I have questioned my ability to teach well on a regular basis. Learning to teach has been the biggest challenge I have faced so far, and I know I am nowhere near finished. So, I am very, very excited to see where my career will take me in the future.
Interview
I have honestly never been so nervous for something in my life. Wanting this more than anything else had led to me to convince myself that I would not get it, but it would be lovely to go for the interview just to go back to the school. I obviously had a lot of knowledge about the school, having worked there for a few weeks during my first placement, but I knew there were other more experienced people going for the role, as well as one of my good friends at uni.
In comparison to some of the interviews some of my friends have been through, this one was fairly straightforward and actually quite enjoyable! There were 4 of us being interviewed, and to begin with, we had to fill in a bit of paperwork before having a tour of the school, with the deputy head. Driving there and parking where I used to park made it feel like I had never left. A few people recognised me, asking me how I had been, and it gave me a little confidence boost to begin the day.
To my delight, a couple of students from 8V, the class I had for English and tutor, were on office duty this morning, so I was able to have a quick chat with them. I also saw one of my former year 7s at reception (cradling a sick bucket!). Her eyes lit up and she waved frantically at me when she saw me. It warmed my heart and I knew right then that I had to nail this interview, because this is where I want to be.
I floated around during the tour, memories of some of my more favourable moments in P1 coming flooding back to me as we went from place to place. It filled me with hope – and I was even able to ask a question concerning progress 8 – knowing that it is so important to schools at the moment!
Nevertheless, I was petrified to teach a group of unknown year 9s. It’s been well over a month since I last taught, and my year 9s at this school were a very challenging group! I was up second, and I was grateful to be going before break, but waiting whilst someone else was teaching the students I was about to teach was very nerve racking.
I know I spoke to quickly and I know I flapped my arms a fair bit – I know exactly what my feedback would’ve been from my current AT! I knew that I wanted the emphasis to be on the students, and I know my questioning was great – they all definitely made progress with the poem, Island Man, despite them not understanding it as quickly as I thought they may. I had borrowed a friend’s lollipop sticks, giving them out with the warning that I will use them if no one puts their hands up, but over half the class contributed regularly – which I’m calling a win for a 25-minute lesson!
There was a lot I would change about the lesson – and I was terrified it had let me down! I had a few technology issues…. Swear whoever invented visualisers should have stipulated they all should work in the same way!! But I made it through, and it can’t have been that bad! I think the most important part of that lesson, was that I got the students talking – and some even excited about the poem! It’s really hard to engage students you know nothing about, and I was reluctant to pick on students I did not know. I know I could’ve done better – but I was so nervous, there was no way I would’ve been able to!
Then it was time to play the waiting game! It was so lovely to see everyone in the faculty at break time, catching up on the latest news. But that was short lived, as I had my interview just before lunch time – meaning I ended up home before 2!
The interview itself went better than I hoped it would – although I have a hideous tendency to waffle on and on and on… then forgetting the original question. But I guess my passion must’ve shone through! All my preparation went out of the window, I kicked myself afterwards for not saying more, but the example I picked, I feel, really helped to show how student centred my teaching is. The highlight for me was answering one of the governor’s questions about extra-curricular activities – I talked about what I had already done for St Bernadette and then talked about the dystopian fiction club I am starting in P4, inspired by my students – making sure I talked about how one of my year 9s lent me one of her books – truly showing how quickly I was able to create a great relationship with my students.
Waiting for the phone call was hell. As I was nursing a stinking cold, I just went straight home and straight to bed – nervously speaking to anyone that would hear my ramblings. One of my good friends was on the phone to me when I finally got the call at around 3:15 – thankfully it was the headteacher offering me the position and I cried with happiness! Right now, as I write this reliving the whirlwind that was Tuesday, ultimately I am proud of myself and giving myself this space to be a tad big headed – I’ve worked hard for this and I still can’t quite believe it’s really happening!
Literacy and Inclusion Conference
Moving on from the excitement of Tuesday, I hit the real world again come Wednesday with not just an EPS day, but possibly my favourite EPS day of the term. We had been asked to indicate our preferences on seminars beforehand, and I had chosen stretch and challenge, along with children in care. The stretch and challenge seminar was interesting, but, honestly, seemed like a repetition of a lot of ideas and theories we had heard before – luckily there were a few new ideas in there as well! However, the children in care session was amazing!
63% of children in care are in care because they have experienced abuse or neglect – or, I guess, are known to have suffered abuse and neglect. Along with this, teenagers are the biggest group of people moving into care, generally because their parents feel like they can’t look after them. There is work in place to reduce the latter, but it is still a scary possibility, and I know young people in care, personally and professionally. I believe it is our duty to give them the best possible start.
We watched a Ted talk by Lemn Sissay(the one hyperlinked isn’t the exact video we watched, but carries the same ideals), and led to me thinking – why are ‘looked after children’ or ‘children in care’ not experiencing the very best we all have to offer – they are routinely let down by the system and people around them. I am very fortunate to have a job as an English teacher. I have no doubt that I will come across young people in care, and I am going to make it my mission to ensure my expectations of them are high, and they have the chance to flourish in a safe, stable environment. I could go on and on about children in care – it is a topic I feel very passionate about and I am eager to learn more. But, as I am fairly busy in learning to be a teacher, it will be something I hope to explore in the future.
The final part of the day was about exploring racial diversity in the classroom. Similar to the session on homophobia, there was an emphasis on tackling hate and raising awareness of how history holistically effects everyone, regardless of their race. There is a long way to go before the curriculum as a whole is decolonised, but it is an interesting point to make – we should be celebrating every individual, not just the majority.
The speaker left us with this final message, that I found extremely powerful:
Change is needed. Culture is important. Teachers need to be willing to meet the challenges.
Final Assignment
We were set our final assignment this week, and what we research is more or less up to us. I figured that the most useful thing I could do with this time, is to see what could be useful for my NQT year, so I dropped the head of English a message asking her what would be useful. They are currently looking at rejigging the year 9 curriculum, focusing on diversity, so I am hoping to do something around the diversity of the English curriculum – potentially covering KS4 and 5 as well as KS3.
J
Currently Reading:
Refugee Boy– Benjamin Zephaniah
I can remember reading this novel in year 8 – and really enjoying it! With all the talk about diversity and thinking about refugees last week in one of our subject sessions, I felt it would be a good place to start thinking about diversity, and its place in the English curriculum. Whilst there is a lot of stigma around this novel, saying it has been overused, I disagree – I think it poses an important talking point and could really help vulnerable students – potentially refugees themselves – feel a little less alone. It’s not perfect, and it’s a YA novel, so isn’t written to a particularly high standard. But, I feel this helps to add to the authenticity and rawness of Alem’s, the 14 year old protagonist, feelings.
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories– Ken Liu
I’ve just finished State Changeand I thought it was a truly beautiful story, about people who believe that their souls are inanimate objects. The protagonist believes her soul is an ice cube, spending the majority of her life ensuring it stays frozen but nearby to her. As the title suggests, the story revolves around change and I think the ending was truly beautiful – and particularly resonating.
Much Ado About Teaching 