How do, once again, everything is going along quite nicely.
The work load has definitely increased since half term. We now take on about
30/40% of the timetable, and that includes all the marking. I have a schedule
for when I mark each set of books though and if I stick close to this, I find
everything works out. My biggest fear (OCD) is that I’ll forget to do something
until 2 minutes before it’s needed. I think that is a real possibility. There's so much to keep in mind, it is inevitable. It's happened to other trainees and, one day, I suppose, it will happen to me.
Assignments.
Everyone is suddenly panicking about all these assignments
we have to do. That’s a lie. People have mentioned assignments and I’m
panicking because I didn’t think they were a big deal. There’s this one we have
to do with a child who has SEND, like observe them and write a report and
stuff. I’ve read the brief for that assignment and it seems to me that’ll it
take a week. Small group work with the kid, look at their file to figure out
what they have and why, type up the report, done. But people are treating it
like it’s the blueprint for storming the beaches at Normandy. They’ve set aside
weeks and weeks and meetings and meetings in order to ensure it is done to
OUTSTANDING standards. Am I just doing the bare minimum? Or are they gold
plating when there’s really no need? I mean, come on, time management. Isn’t it
better that we just wank out this task, to tick the boxes for the training
provider, and then focus on the nitty gritty of our actual practice, of our
actual work within our actual school (teaching lessons, gathering resources,
marking, doing displays etc)? Who knows. I’ll bash it out my way and see what
happens. Personally, I think priority lies with the act of teaching and all
those jobs, and the assignments issued by the training provider, whilst
important, shouldn’t take up all our time.
Interventions.
We have to organise interventions as well. See above for my
attitude towards these. Sure, do them, and do them well, organise the targets,
set aside time, etc, but don’t go above and beyond the call of duty. Don’t do
more than you would do if you were a regular teacher. I don’t understand this
attitude that the other trainees have. It’s like, they put in a certain amount
of effort everyday, but when it’s assignment or graded task, they suddenly feel
the need to double that effort. I think that’s counterproductive. We should be
being taught how to be consistently amazing. Not amazing most of the time and
then bloody stupendous to the point where we’re not eating and sleeping
correctly because we’re putting in so much effort. When we’re all actual
teachers, we won’t be putting in so much effort for our interventions, so why
start out that way, if it conflicts with other duties? The teachers don’t do it
now, the teaching assistants don’t do it now. We should be following their
example and delivering consistent and effective interventions, whilst also
maintaining consistent and effective teaching practices in all other areas. I
have the same feeling towards observed lessons, not just for the trainees but
in what I’ve witnessed in actual, qualified teachers as well. When they know
they’re going to be observed, teachers pull out all the stops, pull in all the
resources and deliver a really good lesson. Why aren’t they doing it like that
every day? It’s not indicative of their actual teaching practice if they only
deliver OUTSTANDING lessons when they’re being observed. It’s all about
consistency. Every day should require the same amount of effort, whether you’re
being observed, whether you’re conducting an intervention that will feed in to
your overall grade, whether nothing is happening and it’s just a regular
Tuesday. Consistency.
Resources.
Getting resources together is a bitch. Any great lesson idea
you come up with is nearly always hampered by the fact that you need access to
the Room of Requirement to make it a reality. Take note.
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