What a Difference a Few Weeks Makes!!!!

When I first found out that I had failed final placement - the worst nightmare of any student - I was keen as to repeat as soon as possible - crying all the while! Then I got good and mad and felt that my career choice was really misguided and that I should be happy with my part time bar job and my part time teaching job at Science Alive....I in fact, hated everything about classrooms, kids, planning - you name it, i hated it!! So! I gathered all the stuff from college - books, assignments, study guides, resources etc and threw the whole lot in the recycling bin! Yes! This is a true story.....

However, lucky for me, recycling wasn't getting collected anytime soon much to my dismay because I wanted no memory left of what I had done!!!! Lucky for me because I woke up one morning knowing that teaching is my career of choice and I sure as hell was not going to let a shit five weeks ruin what had been a brilliant (read stressful, horrible, overworked under-informed) year of great experiences at college and on placements. So, guess what I did???????? Yup, I rescued all my stuff from said bin and put it all back in the study in cool boxes and files!!!! Then I contacted college and enrolled to repeat my final placement! Such a good day, I cannot tell you.

The experience of failing has been a blessing (I want to hear from all those who have also failed and gone on to greatness) because it is giving me time to process all the stuff I have learnt over the last year as well as reminding me that the hard work of it is good practice for later when I have my own classroom. Having said that, my mates who have such a thing are no longer tweeting, facebooking or emailing due to being busy beyond imagination with their own classrooms!!!!!

I realised that even if Ihad passed the placement, there was no way that I would have felt confident even relieving let alone being put in charge of my own class.....I just was not there yet and you know what?? That is totally ok! I know that I am not ready for sure, to take on intermediate level and that my strengths are only emerging in terms of the curriculum! So! How can I possibly look at the placement failure as a really, true failure of me as a teacher? I just can't and won't.

I have also discovered that sometimes you will come across associates who are very insecure in their own teaching ability and so make it difficult for a student to succeed! My comment to schools is 'make sure your AT's are skilled, confident and willing to commit to the success of their students'. For sure, I was not the perfect student in terms of planning etc but I put so much of myself into that placement and can at least know that I tried as hard as I could - just a bad mix. However, the kids were just awesome (save two who were just diabolical!) and I was lucky enough to run into one the other week who said "Ms S, you were cool!'. Made my year!

I am excited about my next experience....BRING IT ON!q

Repeating a Placement

I unfortunately, failed my last placement and so will be doing it again in July. This was hard to take for a while and I was angry at myself and others and was set to give up the teaching path altogether. Talking with people whose opinions I really value helped alot as did my own belief that I am a wonderful teacher and must finish this training no matter what!

I will be really prepared for the repeat and will go into it with a new confidence and enthusiasm....

Watch this space.

Final Placement

Well, placement is right - stuck! Hardest part of the College journey for sure. Very stressful and the paperwork doesn't end - long hours in front of the computer and you know what? I really miss my kid! We live in the same house but I am not especially available to her right now. Don't worry, I have apologised to her and we are sweet.

We certainly need one extra placement with the grad programme and preferably not one that is forced on us - as in, we failed and have to re-do! Jumping from six days full control to 15 is a massive step and I certainly had no idea what to expect.

While I am learning heaps, I am also sure I have not cried this much since I did Outward Bound four years ago. Think that I will probably have the same feelings about this experience once it is finished - loved it but totally hated it all at once.

The great thing? My college mates who are literally pulling me dragging and screaming through this placement. I have wanted to drop out several times and they have all been more than wonderful!!!!!!

My kids are great though. Have had issues with two of them but we are coming to an understanding with one another and I have used my ability to connect with people to do the same with them. Is only just starting to work and I only have 8 days left! They are a Year 8 class and I love the age group! They know what is right and wrong so you can have good discussions where you put the responsibilty back to them......bribery works well, too!

Have learnt heaps! For one thing, while I can be rattled if the lesson schedule changes at the last minute, I manage to teach something and see learning anyway. That is good isnt it?

Maths is the area that I lack some confidence in. However, as my visiting lecturer told me today, 'every day that you teach, you learn more and get more confident.' Very true!

Be Open About the Age Group you Want to Teach

My placement is just fantastic! For an old bird like me who came into teaching at 45 to realise that she has finally found her truth north is quite something......to my Outward Bound leaders, I did listen to that bit but didn't ever think it would happen for me.

I am on placment at a really cool school with a great AT and an awesome bunch of kids....I just love the Year 8's and while I can fully understand why some don't want to teach them, I find that they prove to me why I came into teaching. I have really enjoyed the juniors and middle guys but these older kids are by far the most stimulating for me. Being at an Intermediate has demonstrated to me how differently we can communicate with the kids - we can be real with them and I think this is what has hooked me. If one of them has not toed the line you can just tell them and in those words..........they get it!!!

I feel more myself with this age group and more relaxed too. Perhaps this is because it is my last placement but I don't think so! I find them much easier to manage - it helps that generally they are really polite and respectful - no ! the school is not Decile 10!!!! and that the whole place has an amazing chilled feel to it!!!! I got included in the class photo today and that made me feel really great.

And the stuff I am learning!!! My God! MY AT has introduced me to so many new strategies and ideas already and it is only Day 3!!! Brilliant! What more could you ask for! I have learnt some amazing new things - the main one being how to be a really bad reliever!!! The biggest thing I have learnt already about relieving??? Always find out who the 'go to' person is in the school who has copies of planning so you know what to teach! The team leader will generally have copies of unit and integrated plans so you can simply go from them - prevents the teacher from being grumpy when they get back!!!!! We all know what a headache planning is.

Feel annoyed that I have to do large amounts of paperwork for College!!! Do they not get that Ihave to work as well...only joking! College stuff gets pushed to the backburner because so much school stuff takes priority!!!

Anyhoo - GO FORTH AND BE FABULOUS!!

Sue

The Final Week Draws to a Close

Very Sad Actually! Have just had a busy week presenting our Inquiry Projects which were really incredible and very inspiring. I learnt heaps and have been able to compile a folder of resources which will be really useful for my teaching.

I mentioned in a previous post that my goal was to have the CV together by the end of this week. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!! Just didn't happen what with tossing and turning about my presentation and my final teaching practice - heaps has to be done this weekend to prepare for that - and putting in quite a few extra hours at work. Such is the life of a student, eh.

I want to take this chance to say that my peers at College have been such a wonderful inspiration to me this week. What amazing presentations and what fantastic information I have now! I feel really lucky.

A new student approached me today about how the programme is........I took her over to talk with Char, Bridgie, Esther, Lance, Emz and me, of course. It reminded us all of how bewildering our first week was at College but also that it was a mere 12 months ago and what a difference a year makes!!!!!! We talked about how the jargon was so strange, how tired we all were and how we got well and truly thrown in the deep end from the beginning.

I think we have been so busy for the last 5 weeks that (thankfully) we didn't have time to think about the fact that some of our mates will be moving on to other parts of NZ and the world. These are the same people that we did placements with, group work with, projects and the odd night out on the grog with. This is very sad and it will hit us tomorrow because it is the last day we have class together! We became a really close unit and relied on each other alot when things were really stressful.

But! How proud are we of ourselves? I know that I had many moments where I was sure that I could not (bloody well, did not) want to finish my training. Crying, heart paplatations, fights with my precious daughter, late nights, frustration - you name the emotion, I felt it! But we had each other and we shared and laughed and hey! here we are at the end! Bittersweet.

I will remember the laughs, the insane discussions in the computer labs, the panicked texts, the love and support............

I love you all and will remember this last year always.

Sue

My Last Week of Teacher Training College

I guess I am a little sad that I am at the end of this part of my journey. When I came into College today, all the new students undertaking the Grad Diploma were here for their first day and that was ME, exactly one year ago....I have come so far! When I think that for the first week I really did not know what on earth was happening, to be confident teaching a class of kids is quite stunning. I am very proud of myself because there were times when I didn't think I would make it through. Mind you, it was a common feeling especially over winter when we were very busy with assignments and most of us were sick with colds....but hey!!!! WE DID IT!!!

This week is a very busy one for me. I am part of a panel that will be discussing with the newbies, the realities of the course, I am presenting my inquiry on the Creative Classroom on Thursday, need to be finding resources and getting my integrated unit together for placement which starts on March 2 AND I will be working both my part-time jobs and of course, being mother to my daughter - PHEW! I am exhausted just reading that.

I know that this is a really pivotal time for graduating teachers - moving on from the reasonable security of the training to getting into the real world to find a job!!!! I am really excited about that now and not nervous at all. I know what I have to offer and I am keen to show it off!!!

BRING ON THE NEXT PHASE!!!!!!!

Have a happy week, all.

Excited........

Have had a fantastic week really.......my final placement is with a fantastic school and my associate is brilliant! I am being given alot of opportunities to teach things I haven't taught before such as German and Drama........I am so excited I can't tell you!

Am well over being scared of applying for jobs now. Had a really useful workshop at Teacher's College yesterday on CV prep. Looked at some really good examples so am feeling jazzed about putting mine togther.

Have a busy day today finishing off my Inquiry Presentation - it is called the Creative Classroom and looks at how we need to be encouraged to teach creatively. There is a beleif that we are educating the creativity out of our kids and I see that there is such value to integrating the arts into the core curriculum to enhance learning.....I have seen it happen. Your thoughts and comments on this would be really welcome!

Bye for now...