There’s The Catch!

Exhaustion. Exhaustion and illness. They are the words of the week and what I did not experience last half term, I have been hit with full on in the face this half term. I am currently off sick for my second day with a throat infection, so I have decided to try and use my time constructively by finally writing another post for my blog.

To put it simply, I feel like the bar has been raised this half term and I certainly did commence the half term holiday with a false sense of security. In the last four weeks I have conquered two successful parents’ evenings, implemented a whole new spelling and guided reading system into my classroom, begun a detailed science assessment, kept on top of a heavy workload of marking (up until this week, anyway), attended trainings, dealt with various admin type jobs and on the odd occasion managed to see and teach my class. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining that I am on my own in this situation, nor without support. This is the lifestyle of every teacher in my school, indeed in the country I imagine, but I just cannot get over how different this half term is to the last!

Some of you may be thinking that I have started this blog entry off rather negatively, especially considering I have left it a month before writing. However, I do not mean for it to come across that I am moaning about my job in any way. Throughout all of this I have had immense support from SLT and my colleagues who I now consider close friends. What I am trying to convey is how FULL ON this job really is. And despite all the advice from uni lecturers, other seasoned professionals and fellow bloggers I wasn’t prepared! Advice is only helpful when you can relate it to experience and therefore somewhat paradoxical.

I also want to make it clear that I blame no-one who I am in direct contact with for the workload of my colleagues and I. As with any business, demands always come from the people who don’t actually do the job day-to-day and we all know to whom I refer! Let’s not dwell. There are enough voices out there fighting for the little folk already, and that is not what my blog is about.

So, back to me (minus a voice) and my little class. What a bunch they are! As I mentioned earlier, it sometimes feels that the time I spend actually in the class teaching them is the shortest part of my day. When I am with them though, they force me to experience every emotion under the sun… and good on them for being so wonderful as to do that! Every single one of them has a past, a personality and a present. In some cases, all three of those aspects are very closely linked and can make some days very tough. Tougher than any 8 year old should have to face. But that is the challenge of my job and that is the reason why I still love it. They can drive me crazy – especially with the chattering – but any behaviour is a reaction to something else and therefore I understand that if they are misbehaving, it is either because my behaviour management needs tweaking, or there is an external cause that I may or may not be aware of.

I feel confident enough to say that I have taught some very good lessons. I am still experiencing a sense that I don’t have the time to give it my all and it even feels like some lessons I am rushing to get things done. A day of teaching NEVER drags and you could always use more hours in the day. I think one of the reasons I have fallen ill is because I cannot switch off. I am still learning how to mark work effectively in the lesson so that I don’t burn myself out every evening marking books until 9pm. To me, marking is one of the hardest parts of the job because once I have seen to everything else, I don’t have the energy to, on some occasions, mark 120 odd pieces of work!

The other area I feel I need to work on is how to extend my highers. There are a couple of children in my class who are not far off being classed as gifted and talented and they are the children who I need to know how to push more in their learning. I actually said to a parent once that one of the biggest challenges of my job is to know how to challenge their child because they are so able in their work! Obviously I want all my pupils to make progress, but following a pupil progress meeting I have realised that I can’t just assume that my high ability pupils will stay at that point. I need to push them as much as every other child in my class, doing so by deepening and enriching their understanding of a subject. I must keep my growth mindset open.

There is probably so much more that I could write about but already it seems like one big blur. Time is flying by and now there is only 3 weeks of term left. Quite naturally, thoughts are turning to Christmas and even the children throughout the school are reacting to the C word already. I am now going to continue dosing myself up with medicine to ensure I am back in tomorrow. I want to do a maths morning with my class looking at the Singapore Bar method (something I should have taught this week but not been there to achieve it!) and also the school are having a belated Children In Need event by having a pyjama day. I have my penguin onesie at the ready!

Where’s the catch?

Well, my teaching chums, we have done it! Whether you are are seasoned traveller of the educational world, or like me you have just zipped up your back pack, we have arrived at our first mile stone. And doesn’t it feel great? Yes, the autumn half term is upon us and the first 7-8 weeks of the academic year are done and dusted. I feel a real sense of achievement, but with a sense of an anti-climax at the same time! I have only cried on 3 occasions, got through a class assembly in one piece, survived assessment week with hours to spare and taught some half decent lessons. So, I start asking myself, where’s the catch? I was fully expecting to fall through the door on Friday evening, exhausted and defeated, too tired to even put the kettle on. What actually happened was I joined some colleagues in a trip to the local arcade, played the slot machines, downed a few balls in pool and had a celebratory drink at the bar. It was a satisfying way to start the break and I felt good!

I keep wondering when I am going to get called into a meeting with SLT to be told I have got it completely wrong and I have made some massive errors in my teaching judgement. I have dreams that I fail my class in some way and they go backwards in their learning and I am banished from the profession for ever! I really am quite concerned that I am enjoying my new role so much and it is not as harrowing as I first believed. Don’t get me wrong, it is hard work and it is tiring. But, unless I am missing some very big trick, I am coping!! I still get that buzz when the children in my class go above and beyond my expectations and as much as they sometimes drive me crazy with their calling out (a class target we are working on together) they are a truly lovely group. I consider myself very lucky to be in the situation I am.

Intentions for half term are a mixture of work and, well, life. I am meeting up with friends and I am going to catch up on lots of TV, but I am also going to be planning and assessing. It will be parents’ evening on return to school after next week so I need to be prepared for those discussions. I feel quite confident that I know where my class are currently at, what I need to work on is how I am going to get them where they should be by the end of the term. I will probably look at changing the maths and English table groups around and one of my NQT targets is to work on promoting high expectations for all attainment levels. As I found in my training, I can push the lower attaining pupils quite easily, but I am not always prepared for the highest attainers who need that extra push in deepening their understanding of a subject. I will go back to my university notes to help me with this.

I really am feeling quite positive about where I am, and where I am going. I do not profess to be the best teacher ever, nor the most creative, but I do feel I am doing my all to be the best teacher I can be and I am so glad I started this career change back in 2012. I started as a volunteer with Energy Club – a scheme promoting health and fitness in schools, progressing to TA, PGCE student, to NQT. It’s been a brilliant journey and there is still so much to go. Advice for prospective/student teachers (because I like to offer a lit bit in every blog entry) is to get as much school experience as possible before you enter your own classroom for the very first time. You can never have enough experience, whatever stage you are at.

I will sign off now, ready for a bit of Sunday night TV (I think I deserve it). Here are some pictures of the class’ art work they produced at the end of the half term during an art day. Doesn’t it look fab??

It’s Better To Do It Standing Up

There’s been a breakthrough this week! One of the best things I have done in terms of behaviour management is to teach the children from their tables, rather than from the carpet. It was a suggestion made to me by the head teacher following an informal observation and is a technique I knew for a fact worked for me on my second PGCE placement when I taught a Year 5 class. During the observation feedback meeting the head teacher asked me why I taught from the carpet and after contemplating this question I responded by saying that I did it that way because simply, the carpet was there, and also because in every lower KS2 class I have been in the pupils always had the initial input sitting on the carpet. As soon as I said the words a light bulb switched on because I had realised that some of the things I have been doing are because they are ‘what I have seen’ rather than ‘what I know works for me’. The following day I ensured all the pupils were sitting at tables for most of the lessons and it allowed me easier access to the smart board, an enhanced teacher presence from being able to ‘work the room’ (as those in the profession like to call it) and I had a better overview of what the pupils were up to. It also helped me to assess during the lesson because I could bring any children who had not understood the task to the carpet and carry out additional teaching with them. My head teacher stated to me that it was a matter of tweaking a few elements of my lessons that would solve many of the low level behaviour issues I was experiencing. Following a second observation she stated that the changes I had made were apparent and working really well. She also said that I had created a brilliant working environment in my room and she was so impressed by it, she suggested other members of staff should visit my room to see what I had done. I felt really proud of that, because I have tried to utilise my working walls from the outset, and take a lot of time to ensure the environment is motivating for the pupils.

On a slightly less positive note, I did have a serious wobble in the previous week. So much so, that I spent most of the Thursday in tears. Looking back, I believe it was a mixture of exhaustion, stress and frustration. All of these are not uncommon for an NQT but I think it had been building up and literally all came out at once. It was fortunate that I had PPA time in the afternoon and I spent quite some time talking to a colleague and also the head teacher, who were both extremely supportive and helpful. I also made the decision that evening to leave everything school related at school, go straight home and sleep it off. I am so glad that I did because it allowed me time to recharge my batteries and since then I have been starting to see some changes in my mindset. What was truly lovely as well, was that the following day two teachers came down to my room with a gift bag bulging with goodies and the following note:

A Survivor’s Guide To Your NQT Year!

1. Tissues – for all the colds you will catch.
2. Paracetamol – for all the headaches you will get!
3. Face Mask – for when you just need to CHILLAX!
4. Face Wipes – to wipe away all that mascara.
5. Marvellous Creations (Choc Bar) – Because that’s what they’ll be!
6. Lozenges – To soothe from all the shouting!
7. Humbugs – for when you just want to say “BAH HUMBUG”
8. Muffin – because… who doesn’t need a muffin?!

On the other side of the note was a picture of the Loch Ness Monster and the caption “The important thing is that I believe in myself!”

It was such a lovely gesture and really helped me to get back on track. I feel so lucky to be working in a school where everyone looks out for each other and has empathy for the newbies!! If I had any message for prospective and new teachers this week, it would be to really sus out a school that you are considering applying to. I know for a fact that my NQT year is being made so much more fun and rewarding because of my new school friends. As I have said before, staffroom banter is a tonic for any stressed member of staff!

In other news, I have had my first one to one parent meetings to discuss issues happening within the classroom and I have also had exposure to parent Facebook groups. For obvious reasons I will not go into details but I do understand now how easily matters can be misconstrued in the short trip from within the classroom to outside of it. It is probably a good thing that I have my class assembly this week because, I hope, it will give parents the opportunity to see all the positive things that the pupils have achieved so far this term. I cannot imagine what it is like to put your trust in another adult and leave your child with that person for 6 hours a day. From speaking with friends of mine who are parents it seems quite common that children do not want to speak about their school life, for whatever reason, so parents are often left wondering what happens during the school day. With that in mind my class’ assembly is jammed packed with all aspects of the curriculum and role play. I hope the kids don’t get stage fright! What ever happens, I am sure I will be proud of them.

One last thing that I wanted to mention, is the importance of PSHE. I have noticed that there has been an increase in bickering and tale-telling within my class over the last couple of weeks and also, a lot of them seem to have a real lack in self-confidence in terms of being able to accept when they make mistakes. I spent nearly an hour with the class on Friday afternoon discussing what it meant to realise your own worth, and to celebrate being an individual. I ask them all to close their eyes and think about one thing they liked about themselves. The responses were truly insightful. At least 3 of them said there was nothing they liked about themselves, and a lot of them said things like ‘family’, ‘friends’ or ‘helping others’. They found it quite difficult to consider an aspect of their appearance/personality that they liked. I kept talking with them though, and it felt like the breakthrough when one child said that at first they wished they were another child in the class, but then they realised that if they were someone else they wouldn’t exist. They were glad that they were themselves. That was definitely a little stomach flip moment.

All Systems Go!

One of the hardest things I find about writing this blog is to ensure that I am actually providing something that is enjoyable and interesting to read, rather than merely providing a recount of how my teaching career is progressing. I have been reluctant to blog recently because the thoughts that go through my head are completely selfish and based solely around how I am doing. That said, I did not want to go down the slippery slope of leaving my blog another week before writing anything, and then finding myself 6 months down the line wishing I had just switched on my laptop once or twice.

With that I mind, I will start by saying that week 4 of teaching went well. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but I saw progression in work and the slightest improvement in behaviour and concentration from the class. I did have to keep reminding myself of my own advice from previous posts (don’t beat yourself up, positive reinforcement is the best behaviour strategy etc.etc.) but I would say my biggest achievements this week were having a positive attitude, keeping things in perspective and being uber organised. I am sure I sound like a broken record but I can only advise prospective teachers and fellow NQTs that these little mantras will keep you going. I got rather stressed on Tuesday following a bad morning when my car wouldn’t start. My stress and worry continued throughout the day and the result was an exhausting afternoon trying to teach computing and P.E. on my own with a very hyper class. The best thing I did though, following a colleague’s advice, was to go back in on Wednesday and start completely afresh with lots of praise for any children that were on task and behaving well. I found that by doing so, the class seemed a lot happier for the rest of the week, and I enjoyed the lessons a lot more.

I have learnt to love the break and lunch times in the staff room. I feel very welcomed by the rest of the staff and it has reaffirmed to me how important it is to give yourself a break from the classroom when you can. Even if the conversation revolves around autumn TV shows or plans for the Christmas Do, it is important down time and essential in building solidarity with peers.

Another survival technique I used was to meet up for dinner with a friend from university. Having the chance to sit there face to face with someone who has travelled on this journey with me from the beginning was the tonic I needed to realise that I do actually love my new profession. We spend a good few hours swapping stories and experiences, laughing and at times nearly crying and raising a glass to our successes. We did berate ourselves for spending the whole time talking about school, but then again, as I said, it revealed for both of us how much we are having the time of our lives. We are building relationships, we are teaching and learning at the same time, and we are living our dream.

So, I suppose the point of tonight’s blog is that when you get a few weeks into term, the routine sinks in and you are in full swing as a class teacher. What you must do at all times is to have the outlets and plans organised to keep yourself sane. Please don’t get me wrong though, it is not as if every moment with my class is stressful and tiring. You do build a bond with all the children in your class and your pride continues to grow when those little light bulbs start switching on. All I mean to say is that yes, this job is all consuming and will take over your life so you do need those release valves in place when the pressure is building up.

I am still managing to fit my running in and this morning I managed my first 4 mile run in a very long time. Well done me! Now it is back to finishing my smartboards for the upcoming week and to face the fact that in a couple of weeks I have to do my very first class assembly. Gulp. Can’t avoid that one much longer!

Ooh, I have just remembered that I was going to mention what we did for our The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe week. Well, there was a lot of freeze frames and role play; using adjectives and expanded noun phrases to describe Narnia and the characters; portraits of the White Witch and my favourite idea, telling the class a story that the White Witch had dropped her spell book and unless we put the pages back in number order she would turn us to stone. I also explained that they needed to use manipulatives (dienes, multilink etc.) to justify their decisions. For a split second the class actually believed me and were getting really excited about beating the White Witch. One of the best maths lessons I have ever taught! 🙂

Graduating Steps

This last week has been so full on that I could not decide where and how to start this blog. There has been some real highs and a few inevitable lows, all of which have helped me grow as a teacher. I feel, therefore, that the best way to present this blog is in the form of a list of Do’s and Don’ts that I have experienced in my first 2 weeks. Please let me know if any fellow NQTs can emphasise with my initial experiences!

DON’T:

Waste your energy worrying – there will always be things to get finished. The to-do list will never be done and you just need to realise that if you haven’t printed off a worksheet or ran over on a lesson it is not the end of the world. There are always people on hand willing to provide support and assistance and you will not teach effectively if you have burnt yourself out surviving on nervous energy.

Lose sleep if a supply teacher is covering you – last Monday I had the afternoon off work for my Graduation and I spent my NQT time a quivering wreck because I was leaving my class to someone else. It turned out that there was nothing to panic over and even though all the work I had left had not all been completed, the room was in order and the work that had been done had been marked. Again, worrying was a waste of energy and I realised that nothing is irreparable.

Raise your voice (too much) – I have heard it time and time again that shouting at a class is pointless and can even make the situation worse. I tried my very best throughout the week to keep my voice calm and controlled, but there were a few occasions where I had to shout at the class. By Friday, what I discovered was that standing by a behaviour chart ready to move names up and down can be just as effective in controlling behaviour and I didn’t even have to speak. I also resorted to standing in silence by the whiteboard with my pen hovering over the ‘class lost golden time minutes’ tally chart. I did not have to say anything. I just waited, and the more observant children soon made it known that the rest of the class were jeopardising their opportunity of a Friday afternoon run around in the playground.

Lose a child – Oh yes, that happened. If there was any time to worry, it was then. I was sending the children out to parents at the end of the day and the receptionist came down to my class to request that a child wait at the office as their parent was running late. 10 minutes later I had still not seen the child and the receptionist returned with a look of horror on her face. The next 20 minutes were a blur for me, but I remember that suddenly all staff were on hand for the search and the child was located outside of the school grounds with a friend that they had decided to walk off with. As soon as I was informed they had been located I burst into tears and seriously believed that I was about to be sacked. Fortunately, everyone was understanding and the child has apologised for walking off. Nonetheless, it was the scariest 30 minutes of my teaching career so far!

Go in unprepared – despite mentioning that it is not the end of the world if a worksheet is missing, it can ruin an afternoon if you try to ‘wing it’. I am sure more experienced teachers can handle this situation, but I soon learnt my lesson by not having a plan. The afternoon did not flow and it took me a long time to get the children on task. I thought I could spend some time doing PSHE but without actually considering the content, I had the children on the carpet for far too long (ending up with some very fidgety bottoms) and then the role-play part of the lesson felt like a riot. Lesson most definitely learnt!

Hand out awards left, right and centre – if you want to use praise in your behaviour management then hand out stickers. I was cursing myself on Thursday evening when I had to write out 20 odd ‘Pot of Gold’ certificates for all the children I had moved up the behaviour chart for merely sitting quietly. Stickers are quicker to dish out and far less time consuming! Admittedly, this may not work for older children but in lower KS2 stickers are your allies.

Now let’s move on to the far more favourable do’s!

DO:

Celebrate every little success – nothing works better than motivation. See previous section for why stickers work better than certificates. Every child laps up praise (even if they pretend not to).

Keep up with your hobbies – Back in the days when I was still a twenty-something girl, I could run a marathon. Injury and boredom got the better of me and I have spent the last couple of years being very unfit. Over the summer I went on a health kick. I lost half a stone and picked up my running again. I am pleased to say that I managed to go out jogging three times this week and it has really helped my state of mind after a long school day. It has also allowed me to have a ‘clocking off’ time from school work and it is the best de-stress method for me. Whatever you hobby is, keep it up no matter what. Shut down the laptop, close the books that need marking, get that ‘I wish I had taught that lesson differently’ thought out of your head and do something else. I even find that my weekly fix of Bake Off and Educating Cardiff are ample treats for a mind with too many browsers left open.

See every day as an achievement – I cannot believe that I have now been a teacher for a week and a half and even though I have identified many areas for improvement, I have surprised myself at how many things I have been proud of. I wanted to give my class a massive cheer on Friday morning when they managed to beat the timer and be on the carpet ready for register in under 3 minutes. I just gave them all a silent high five instead! Silence really is a powerful tool in the classroom and I have decided that before I get the pupils talking on the carpet, I need to show them how to be silent. That is a big challenge for most of them!

Remember the special times – I did not appreciate the significance of my Graduation until after the event, but looking back at the photos I realised that it was a lovely way to celebrate with my friends who I was only about to meet this time last year. The ceremony rounded off the experience perfectly and helped me to understand the transition I have made.

I will sign off now happy in the knowledge that I have already planned my maths and guided reading for the week, and that I just have computing left to sort. My lovely fellow Year 3 teachers have provided the other plans and it feels like we do make a great team. I have even managed to spend the afternoon and evening out with my boyfriend at the cinema and having dinner. All I have to worry about now (because I am very good at worrying despite my own advice) is Meet The Teacher evening on Tuesday, and photos at some point this week. We are having a Lion, Witch and The Wardrobe themed week in preparation for a theatre company coming into school the following week to perform the story. Can’t wait to add some photos of the activities that we will be doing. Here’s a little sneak peek:

The Lion face and mane were designed by one of the other Year 3 teachers. I added in the idea of using the mane as an adjective exercise. I think the overall effect is fantastic and so impressed with my colleague’s initial idea.

Back In The Pen

I am certainly not breaking the mould by confirming that teaching is one of the most stressful, yet rewarding careers you can come across. This has, however, been established, for me at least, in just two days of being Miss G. I feel as if there has been a torrent of information exposed to me since Wednesday (INSET day) and as soon as I get my head around one procedure, policy or skill another twenty questions form in my head. I have spent the last half an hour lying in bed worrying over the fact that I did not hand out reading records to the pupils on Friday and whether I am meant to do so before I have confirmed their reading ‘levels’. There are literally questions and queries forming in my mind on the hour, every hour, and they are all based on the one main concern I believe every NQT has: Am I doing the right thing?

Casting all niggles and worries aside for one minute, I have to admit that I have had the most thrilling two days being a teacher. I have both listened to advice of my colleagues and peers, and I have acted on instinct. I would not say that what has occurred in my classroom has been particularly creative or dynamic, but I believe it has been consistent and necessary. I have put my behaviour management strategies into place and the class and I have spent our time building up our skills in presentation and routine. Due to the fact that my school is a junior school, my class are brand new and are making the big leap from the world of the infant school across the field. They seem, to me, extremely needy (for want of a better word) and I can sense that one of my biggest challenges this year will be teaching them how to become more independent in their learning. I hope that I am making the transition to Year 3 a pleasurable experience thus far; we are certainly all learning the ropes together!

I have found it very useful to be able to concentrate on ‘skills – based learning’ before jumping straight into formal teaching. My school have set up a skills fortnight whereby teachers have the flexibility to work off timetable, concentrating on refining skills such as letter/number formation, presentation and layout, behaviour expectations, fine motor skills and so on. In upper KS2 the teachers are embedding the skills practice into more structured lessons because the children are more familiar with the school procedures, but certainly in year 3, we have been going back to basics and spending much longer assessing whether our pupils can draw a straight line with a ruler, cut out a 2-d shape and use glue sticks correctly (amongst many other things). From speaking with the other year 3 teachers, we have agreed that being off timetable has had its drawbacks in terms of establishing behaviour boundaries and routine, but it has nonetheless helped to assess where we are starting from with the pupils.

My aim for this coming week is to work on the pupil’s tendency to ‘chat’. It is taking me a long time to get them lined up silently, or to have full attention when they are on the carpet. It is by no means unruly, but I do need to instil back into them when and how it is appropriate to talk in the classroom. Again, I believe I am not alone in this area; 6 weeks is a long time for children to get out of the routine of the classroom. I should really see this as a positive; an opportunity to practice my talk-based learning strategies. The other area of concern for me is that I am not in the classroom on Monday. I have my NQT time in the morning and I have been granted the afternoon off for my graduation ceremony. I have been worrying all weekend about the type of work that would be appropriate to leave for a supply teacher. I am also worrying that the class will play up for a different teacher. It is causing me palpitations trying to plan for someone else to take my class. It is not that I doubt that teacher’s ability at all, it is more that I am doubting what I am doing, and whether it will look ridiculous to someone else!

Putting all concerns and stresses aside, I am loving it. I love seeing the pupils enjoying themselves and taking pride in their work. I am loving being able to make 28 children laugh and showing them my silly side but then being able to bring back order when required. I love being in MY classroom and I love being Miss G. I sincerely hope that the parents approve of me so far and that they consider me approachable. If nothing else, I know that by becoming a teacher I am doing the right thing.

Know Your Signs

After being in my classroom for the last two days, I have decided that now is time to admit that I have done all that I can to be prepared, without burning myself out, before the start of the term. The class has been deep cleaned (not by me) and I have added my final personal touches. I am really pleased with my challenge and reflection tables:

This table will be available for fast finishers. There will be a selection of challenge cards from a variety of subjects and children will be invited to ‘outsmart’ the teachers!

I have chosen ‘reflection area’ rather than ‘time out’ or ‘behaviour’ table to try and put a positive spin on negative situations. Pupils will have a chance to think about their actions, along with the consequences, and do so in a quiet corner of the room.

I am also delighted with the new style display boards that the school have purchased. They are ready (and permanently) backed so they will be great as working walls:

There will be no problems with torn paper and old staple marks!

I feel that the classroom is feeling like my own now; I definitely have been able to put my stamp on it.

It was nice to see a few of the staff around the school, and I appreciated having a talk with my mentor. Amongst many supportive words, he advised me to know my warning signs and to make sure I speak to people if those signs occur. The words themselves seem quite straightforward, perhaps even a little obvious, but I was glad to hear them. I do know the signs of when things are getting on top of me, but I sometimes try to ignore them. I obviously want to prove myself this year, as I am sure all NQTs will be doing, but it is important to ensure help is asked for when it is needed. It is advice that is up there with what I said in my last blog: give yourself a break.

From speaking with other teachers, it is most certainly not just me suffering first term nerves. And that is fine. There is not much more I can do now, other than finalising my timetable for the first couple of days. It is time to shut up shop and enjoy the bank holiday weekend. I don’t feel that I have any new words of wisdom – I’m not wise enough yet – so I think all that I can say now is GOOD LUCK fellow teachers. You will be brilliant!

I imagine the next time I blog I will have started teaching. More adventures afoot. I look forward to having the next entry on here full of tips of what to do, and NOT do, as an NQT.

Butterfly Ball

For the first time this summer I have had that ‘Sunday night’ feeling. We are well and truly over halfway through the school holidays, and it is a matter of two short weeks left until the autumn term commences. I am not really sure why I have started to feel apprehensive already; I have had some real down time since my last entry, and despite not embarking on any great adventures, I have had some thoroughly enjoyable experiences with friends and family. Perhaps the cause of the Butterfly Ball occuring in my stomach is simply the fact that I know the start of term is drawing upon me and that I am a bag of nerves about my first couple of days.

In light of this, I thought that the only way to deal with nerves is to add a positive twist. The way I decided would be best to achieve this is to suggest ideas for first term preparation for any fellow NQTs going through the same experience. (If there are any… I hope there are!?) So, here they are, a list of things that I have found beneficial in curbing the first day anxiety:

SET EXPECTATIONS: Along with the usual admin jobs, I would suggest that you start making a list of all your expectations from the children. I know that I have a long list of instructions that I need to deliver to the class over the first couple of days of term and unless I write them all down beforehand I know I will forget something. In addition to this, I don’t want to scare the class by bombarding them with too much information in one go, so a written check list will help me spread the important bits of information out throughout the day. These expectations do not just include behaviour, but also aspects such as how to make their way to and from assembly; lunch time rules and systems; how the school timetable works and how the children will be seated during lessons.

SEATING PLAN: In light of the last, get your seating plan for each lesson sorted early. I have spent some time going through my class’ assessment folder from last year and already changed the seating plans several times. Now that they are done though, I feel more confident in beginning to plan lessons, because I can see where differentiation and support will be required. I initially wanted to seat children in mixed ability groupings for each lesson. For an NQT though, I decided this is a more risky strategy and therefore have seated by ability in the core subjects, and mixed ability for topic. I have also given table names e.g. for English I have given punctuation names such as Courageous Commas, for Topic I have used oceans. I have seen this used before and it helps the children to learn their seats with ease.

I am very fortunate to have the same amount of tables as there are oceans! Also it fits in nicely with the world map carpet (see previous entries)

FOLDERS: Even if they just have contents pages and dividers, ensure you have ready: Behaviour, Assessment, Planning AND NQT folders. I spoke with my head teacher before the end of term and she advised me that I will need a folder to gather evidence in during my NQT year. I have set this up, along with the others according to school policy so that I am ready to go on the INSET days.

MID TERM PLANS: Everyone has said to me not to plan in too much detail over the summer, therefore I have drafted guided reading, PSHE and maths mid term plans to again give me a head start in September.

DELEGATE:  Furthermore, learn to delegate. It is not a weakness to admit that the workload is immense and (if you are a control freak like me) it is tempting to try and prove that you can take it all on yourself. Don’t. It will do your class and you no good if you are frazzled before the day has even begun because you were up until midnight trying to take on too much. I have already planned jobs for my classroom helpers and once they have learned the ropes I know they will help me to save previous minutes throughout the day. Classroom Spotters are great roles for those eager children who love to point out a pencil on the floor, or a child who is not listening on the carpet. I have also added all the children’s names onto coloured lolly sticks for a ‘names out of the hat’ approach to allocating jobs. (Also useful for choosing talk partners and for fair choosing of children to answer questions – embrace the no hands up approach!)

Cheap and cheerful (from a well known arts and crafts store). Certainly not a new idea, but a well utilised and recommended one

MARK YOUR TERRITORY: There will not be many opportunities to be in the school and your classroom with nobody else is there. Check out with the caretaker when the school is open (or bribe him/her with cake) and get in there to get to know it. It may only be four walls – but it will be your second home for the next year. Adding some personal touches to your desk/work area is a great way to stamp your mark. Also, it gives you the opportunity to check out if anybody else has taken the best furniture, or whether the stockroom still has any good stationary left!

And finally…

GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK: One piece of advice I would offer to fellow NQTs is to learn not to be too hard on yourself and at times, even if you don’t realise it, you may need to remind yourself why you became a teacher. It is a good way to keep yourself balanced in what is going to be a very topsy-turvy year. We are not going to know everything; we will make many, many mistakes. But, everybody starts somewhere and something will only seem impossible until it is done.

Holiday Blues

I am about to say the one thing that all teachers out there will shake their heads at and say “Miss Gregory, we are very disappointed in you”. I am sorry fellow educators; I am bored.

There, I said it. As the second week of the summer holidays commences, I am going a little stir crazy. So far, I have read the first two Harry Potter books, along with a book by my favourite author, Carlos Ruiz Zafón; I have been to Nando’s twice; I have taken my cat to the vet 3 times; picked my mum up from the airport for her tri-monthly visit; slept; watched countless episodes of Once Upon A Time on Netflix; began teaching myself Swedish and revising my Spanish knowledge, and I have slept some more.

If I am honest, I feel like I am filling time until September, and I know that once the October half term arrives I will be kicking myself for wishing my time away. I feel like I want an adventure; this time last year I was travelling to Sweden for a week exploring Stockholm and the surrounding area, followed by a 10 day break at my parents’ sun-trapped apartment in Ibiza. The year before that, I was moving into my aunt and uncle’s house in preparation for a year of transition as a teaching assistant. Now, I am here. I have achieved my goal of the last 3 years to become a teacher and there is somewhat of an anti-climax. Everyone has said to me to enjoy my summer and rest well before the onslaught of the autumn term. I have itchy feet though. I am not very good when I am not working towards something (hence teaching myself a new language) and I also do not cope well with anticipation. Really, I just need to start the school year and face the next roller coaster to come.

I probably sound a tad dramatic about this. I have had the opportunity to spend time with my mum and sister which has been so much fun and I have met up with a few friends from both my previous employment and from university. Possibly the highlight of the last week was eating a cream scone the size of a child’s head (this simile does not have the negative connotations it suggests..)

Should the jam go on top, or the cream?

Furthermore, it has done me the world of good to spend a few days not thinking about my classroom, planning and most importantly, my first class. As I may have mentioned before, teaching is somewhat addictive and when you are caught up in the midst of school life it can be hard to switch off. I have decided that for a few days towards the end of August I will go into school and get the last minute to-do list ticked off. I will also plan the lessons for the first couple of days back (I have taken on maths – HA! – ICT and History. The other year 3 teachers will be planning English, Science and other curriculum areas). I mentioned to my headteacher that I would really like to set up a Spanish club because I will not be teaching my class their MFL lessons and I want to put my degree (BA English Literature with Spanish) to good use. She doesn’t want me to take on too much in the first term, but she will bear it in mind that I am keen to do something with languages.

See, there I have gone, thinking about school again! I think what I need to do is just hit the savings account and book a weekend away somewhere. Bring me adventures!

La Reina Del Castillo

Earlier today, I had an hour to spare because my car was in the garage for its annual MOT. I had the option of sitting in the windowless waiting area, which consisted of a smoke enveloped greying leather sofa and one of those Nescafe drinks machine that produce a tepid milky liquid you wouldn’t pour on your Dahlias,  or to venture across the road into the retail park consisting of DIY stores and desperate sofa sales persons who are sweating over their next commision. Neither sofa experience appealed to me very much so I marched on, past the greasy, leering car mechanics and the perspiring, twinkly eyed sales letches* and arrived at the gates of TK Maxx. A bit of window shopping couldn’t do me any harm and it smelled significantly fresher than grease and leather.

What did I discover? Well, once I had managed to bypass the clothing section (I am still surviving on the last dregs of my student loan, and do not yet have the luxury of purchasing pretty summer dresses) I found myself in the Homeware section. All I can say is that it felt as though I had entered a teachers’ Aladdin’s cave. At first, all I noticed was some charming crockery and bizarrely scented candles (honeyed fig?). But then, I turned a corner and one item struck me:

I looked at it, and at first I simply admired it as a brightly coloured plant holder that could be used indoors or outside any home. I carried on, but I kept thinking about the object. How could I use it in my classroom? I went back again, looked at the price tag, thought about my student loan and then walked off again. I located the stationery section and selected a new academic diary and planner for myself. All teachers need to be organised, I thought, and I could justify this purchase as an investment for my NQT year:

The plant holder kept calling to me. I walked along the clearance aisle, looking at all the various gadgets that I could turn into table stationery holders, or storage solutions. Eventually, I gave in. I just knew I had to buy the plant holder, and that it would become an important feature in my classroom.It is now sitting with a pile of books that I have collected ready to be transferred into my classroom over the summer! I may use it as a stationary holder, I may use it to keep plants in to brighten the room. Whatever its use, I found it for a reason.

The point of my ramblings is that one of the many joys of being an NQT, and indeed a veteran teacher, is that you can take as much or as little pride in your classroom as you like, and essentially you become your own boss. I have never been in job where I have had my own desk, let alone a whole room, so the experience of making it my own is extremely exciting and filling me with pride. If you have the time and money, I would certainly recommend a trip to stores such as TK Maxx. It is enjoyable to sit and trawl through sites such as Ebay and Pinterest, but you will get the most inspiration from exploring. My next stop is going to be local charity shops; cheap and diverse!

In terms of my actual classroom, Miss Gregory is now in residence. It was the final day of term yesterday and the current Year 3 teacher ‘handed over’ the helm. I spent the day with my TA preparing the remaining wall resources, and ensuring all the little jobs are done such as peg and tray labels for the new class. As you can see from the following images, it is no longer a blank canvas, but I am chomping at the bit to get it finished off over the summer. This first image is from MY desk. This will be where I spend my first year of teaching:

Welcome to Castle Class!

The next few photos are from different points around the room:

I wasn’t keen on using ‘Numeracy’ and ‘Literacy’ on my displays due to the new Curriculum, but the school seemed to be in agreement that they should remain and I did not want to cause an uproar!

The reading corner

Finally, here are images of my maths trolley (I am proud of this idea), and the gorgeous World Map rug where the children will be sitting with me.

I am really hyped for September now. I will try to spend some time relaxing and forgetting about school for a bit, but I don’t want to get complacent. September is going to be one of the toughest challenges yet and I need to be prepared. If all else fails, I will just keep using my laminator that I received as a gift from my first placement back in February. I am having far too much fun with it:

I will also spend some time re-reading my NQT bible – a must for all teachers out there!

Happy summer everyone!

*To all mechanics and furniture sales persons, I apologise if my words offended you. I am sure there are many of you out there who do not fit the stereotype, and I used them purely for writing effect 🙂