Be positive and enthusiastic!
Show you are willing to take part and get involved in what is happening in the school. Talk to the teachers, support staff and pupils to get to know them. Don’t hesitate to introduce yourself to staff and explain your role at the school.
Don’t be afraid to ask
Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the school’s systems, people’s names – anything in fact! As in all organisations, people get on with their daily routines and may not realise you are unclear about procedures.
Be pro-active – about everything
Find out what extra-curricular activities you can be involved in or if there are any working parties you can join. Attend school functions (if you can) that will enable you to learn more about the school – this can involve anything from the settling-in morning for reception parents to the school play. Listen at staff briefings or look on notice boards to ensure you know what is happening. Read the school newsletter if there is one. Offer your skills –
this can range from your skill at IT to skills from a previous job that may be useful in a lesson; or your contacts from work or friends. E.g. You are an ex-journalist and Yr 6 is doing newspapers as their literacy work; can you arrange a visit for them to your previous place of employment or organise for a journalist to come to talk to the class? Do you speak another language – can you help with translating?
Observing lessons
You will spend time in each school observing lessons – return to this later in your placement and also towards the end when you have had more experience teaching. Remember you are a guest in the lesson and always check that the teacher is aware that you are there, introduce yourself and ask if you can support pupils in the lesson where appropriate (e.g. when doing group work or individual writing etc) A teacher has the right to ask you not to observe – they may have another visitor already, a difficult pupil may have just returned to the class or it could even be that the teacher is covering the lesson for an absent colleague. Respect their decision. On the other hand – if you know there is a specialist teacher in the school seek them out and try to arrange an appropriate time to observe. You may also wish to observe the same lesson you’ve taught in a parallel class.
Act professionally – about dress
Even if there isn’t an official dress code, all institutions have unwritten rules about what is appropriate for wearing for work. If unsure, ask. It is better to arrive dressed for an interview on your first day than get it wrong! Use your common sense – is your outfit suitable for a job where you move around in lessons, reach up to write on a board and work with young people who, in most schools are expected to wear a particular uniform?
Use of the school’s facilities
Schools will give you access to their computer facilities – make sure you heed rules regarding passwords and secure areas and internet access.
Be on time. If there is a real emergency, let appropriate people know you are going to be late. Ask on the first day what the procedures are for when you are ill – most schools have formal systems for notifying them of absence by a specific time. Ask in advance what the expectations are so that you know if you are ill what to do. Simply sending a text message is NOT acceptable. Notify schools, LTs and your Programme Lead in advance of visits to schools where you have applied for a job and when you are away for job interviews.
Cover work when absent
You should establish what the expectation is and discuss this with the teacher of the class you are teaching – if you have been teaching a class regularly and you are covering an ongoing unit of work it would be reasonable to expect that you suggest what they should do while you are away; or you need to explain what the class completed in the last lesson with you so that the teacher will know what they should be doing next. Don’t just assume the teacher will teach them – talk about it.
Keep to agreed meeting times and come prepared
Make the most of your weekly meetings with your CBM and any staff you meet with to plan. You are responsible for taking notes and writing down suggestions and feedback. Prepare for such meetings – make a list of questions you want to ask (no question is too insignificant!) Raise any issues that concern you.
Don’t suffer in silence – share your problems (sooner rather than later)
Say when and what you are finding difficult. Confide in your LT or CBM about issues you have around behaviour of pupils, planning, in fact anything. If a sensitive issue, alert them that you would like to talk in confidence and in private. It is best to talk about what you are worried about the moment it starts, if things are left to drift it may become worse and it could be far more difficult to deal with then. Remember that ALL teachers find some classes and some days at school difficult to cope with – saying you need help is showing you are a reflective teacher and trying to address the issue.
Listen to advice and constructive criticism – accept these gracefully
Teachers will give comments on your lesson – this is an essential part of your training but can also be the uncomfortable part! The aim is to help you to develop as a teacher. See it as an essential dialogue that is part of your learning. Talk to the teacher about how you can apply the advice; ask too about what they felt you did well that you can build on.