Teaching practice
A few years ago, I attempted to do a degree in primary teaching.
To cut a long story short, I failed. this in itself would have been bad enough, but undoubtedly the lowest moment of the whole sorry experience was during my placement. I'd been struggling to manage my time, teach the children effectively and organise things, as I was knackered all day every day, having to travel for an hour on the bus each way, eating crappy food at uni etc. I was only 19, maybe I'd have handled it better if I was doing it now.
Anyhoo, I was supposed to be doing a profiling book every day, and while I'd had a few cursory stabs at it, I'd not really done what I was supposed to. The time came for me to be assessed by my link tutor, i.e. the big gun whom i had to impress enough to pass. She would watch me do a lesson, check my folder and then my profiling book. The night before it dawned on me that I hadn't done my profiling. Never fear, i thought, I've got a few hours to myself tomorrow morning before my lesson, I'll do it then. i'll be fresh and in a trigger-environment. It'll help me do it properly.
Come the next day, I arrived at school, having chucked my profiling book in my bag at the last minute. I pulled out what i thought was the profiling book, and, well you can guess the rest. it was another book the same colour (all our books were green in the first year). This one was about standards or some bollocks. Oh fuckaroo. My link tutor's going to be pretty pissed.
Right, i think, better check everything else is in order. My main file was disorganised, but everything was there at least. And then I realised I'd done bugger all on my monitoring and assessing of the pupils.
Needless to say, I received an almighty bollocking from the link tutor, who accused me of 'deliberately forgetting my book so i could get out of the fact that I hadn't done it.' This really hurt, as it insulted my intelligence: why would not bringing the book help when i had a window of opportunity to fill it in? It didn't make sense. She called me a 'silly little boy' and pointed out that 'this isn't an A level course, this is children's lives.' I only think she could have been more patronising if she'd patted me on the head, although i think she wagged her finger at me. A real dragon of a woman, too.
My class teacher and mentor then took the opportunity to lay into me about a whole load of things that I'd been doing wrong, half of which they'd 'seen coming'. Well why not tell me in a helpful and constructive way? The accused me of clockwatching (I thought occasionally glancing at the clock might help me keep time in the lesson), not giving my all (I ran myself into the ground during the three weeks, lost one and a half stone in weight (about an eighth) and kept falling asleep whenever I sat down. it was without doubt the most stressful time of my life, and they accused me of not giving my all?!! I'd barely had time to think about my folders...) and being rude. For the record I make a conscious effort to be polite and well-spoken, probably when I don't even need to be.
I quit the course not long after, when I could have resat and possibly passed. I changed to English and never looked back. (Just graduated this summer. woo!)
I never really got into that much trouble at school (which was surprising, considering how much I actually got up to.) and so i don't actually think I've ever been made to feel that small as I did during my link tutor's visit. Granted, most of it was my fault, but explaining to me in a civilised manner that perhaps teaching wasn't for me after all wouldn't have hurt. It would have also taken a lot less effort and undoubtedly lowered her blood pressure, the anvil-faced harridan.
Apologies for length and lack of humour, but I'd finally got a really appropriate story!
(pacman_40 Pocket Kleenex: for the wanker on the go, Wed 26 Sep 2007, 17:38, Reply)