Remember your first day at school? Your uniform being hung up on the outside of your wardrobe, shoes polished to perfection, the butterflies in your stomach from both nerves and excitement for the day ahead. That’s basically how I felt my first day of my new placement.
I’m now 3 weeks in, so far I’ve had mushy peas launched at me, 2 tops ruined by paint and multiple bruises up my legs from walking into tables (get used to that if you plan on becoming a teacher). I should probably explain; my placement is based in a SEND school, I have a primary class where the needs of my pupils vary. I teach the class 70% of the time, planning lessons for 3.5 days of the week.
Please don’t misunderstand me, it’s been the best 3 weeks of my life. More often than not things haven’t gone according to plan, but that’s okay, I learn something from every experience. All of the plans I’ve made so far are covered in notes for improvement for next time! Each day is a new learning opportunity, thats the brilliance of a SCITT-based training scheme; you learn the practical application of all aspects of teaching life from day one.
In particular, this week was actually the first time I really felt like I’d had a successful lesson, when I saw a pupil lay in front of a mirror role-playing brushing their teeth. Seeing the small steps of progression that each of my pupils make and knowing what a huge difference to their life its making; I know that will always be a memory I will cherish. It’s special moments like this which are the reason I want to become a teacher and which make each day in school the best day of my professional life.
A lot of people warn you “this year will be the hardest year of your career”, and I feel fairly confident in saying they’re not wrong. But it will be worth every second, to be able to do this for the rest of my life; that’s truly the dream.