How has your training prepared you for your teaching role?
The training has been very intense, but it’s been worth every step. We’ve been able to ask questions throughout all the different training sessions, and with our BSITT (Bishop's Stortford Initial Teacher Training) director and the team, we’ve been able to contact Tes whenever we’ve needed to, and we have each other and our mentors to talk to as well.
Everything we’ve done in the last nine or ten months has been really important. There’s not one thing I’d say we didn’t need. As a group, I feel confident that we’re ready to get started.
What aspects of teaching do you feel most confident about?
I feel confident in how I’m going to manage the classroom. There’s a very clear expectation in terms of behaviour and classroom management. I know all the students will be expecting to be in a safe space with me. They know they’re going to learn something, but they’re also in an environment where behaviour is challenged rather than accepted.
I’m really looking forward to having clear boundaries the children will understand, getting to know them better, and knowing that when they come into my classroom they’re in a safe space.
What aspects of teaching do you think will be most challenging?
Being on my own for the first time in the classroom. At the moment I’m used to having another member of staff there to check if I need support with the learning, and I think the first time I stand in that classroom on my own, without anyone else there, is probably going to be when it’ll seem very real to me. I think that will be a challenge at first, but I’m really excited for it.
How are you feeling looking ahead to the new school year?
There's still some nerves there, but I'm feeling a lot more settled than I was. Getting to do a couple of taster sessions meant I could practise the expectations of the classroom, get used to that particular school’s way of learning and pedagogy, and use the reward system. Getting to grips with the technology has been quite difficult too – having to get used to the laptop and all the resources.
But knowing that when I come into the school in September I’ll be ready to get straight into my classroom, I’m really excited about that.
What are you most looking forward to as an ECT?
There’s still lots of training ahead, and I think there’ll be different parts of it that aren’t the same as what we’ve experienced as a trainee. There will be things that help us in our school setting specifically, as opposed to knowing how to be a teacher, it’s more about knowing how to be a better teacher.
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