Thoughts From A Trainee: My First Year At WA

 By Sally Ingram

This time last year was my final week of being a management consultant. I remember hosting a leaving party where my colleagues were describing my new job as ‘brave’ and a ‘big change’. I was so excited to leave the corporate world and start teaching that I hadn’t taken the time to process how much of a change school life was going to be. All I had heard from others was that teaching is a real rollercoaster but again I naively didn’t think too much into that as I was too excited to get started. I had no idea what to expect when I stood in front of my first class in September. All I knew is that I had a lot to learn. One thing I learned very quickly is that I should never tell a class that they are behaving like animals as all that will happen is they will all take on a different animal and proceed to make animal noises instead of speaking for the duration of the lesson. Another lesson was the importance of giving clear instructions when working with mini-whiteboards because if not I needed to be ready for all sorts of images and diagrams. It is definitely true that teaching is a rollercoaster full of ups and downs but I don’t think I was prepared for the extent of these ups and downs and how they are never steady. There have been times when I was riding from the success of a behaviour management strategy I had implemented to then have something out of my control come along and change the dynamics completely. At first I found these sudden changes would catch me by surprise and I was lacking confidence in my ability to adapt to them- I think it is hard to separate the idea that a bad lesson is not solely down to my teaching and that sometimes there are things that are out of my control. Reflecting afterwards helped me determine what was and was not within my power to influence and think of the best ways to respond. I have found myself caring more about each lesson and each pupil. I am still learning when I need to detach and put things in perspective, to avoid taking something too personally or feeling overwhelmed. I used to think I was quite resilient but now looking back I realise how wrong I was- you have to be a whole other level of resilience in teaching. I have noticed that teachers also have this incredible ability to go from a really tough hour of teaching where you can feel quite drained, to quickly resetting your energy levels and welcoming in a brand new class ready to go for another lesson. I also don’t think anything can prepare you for the brutally honest comments that kids share with you; there is nothing more cutting than 14-year-old asking if you are ill today because you look it! Despite these honest comments from the pupils, this is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Without sounding too cringey, it is so nice to have a job where each day you feel and can often see the purpose and value that you are adding. My old job had a very different purpose to help clients achieve their project goals but there is something so much more satisfying about helping children, even if it is teaching them they look smarter when they tuck their shirt in. The biggest reflection I have of my first year at WA is how grateful I am to have been placed here! I have really appreciated the support of the wider WA community, whether that is sharing specific pupil behaviour strategies, helping me to use the printer, or even PGCE assignment advice, it has all been really appreciated so thank you. A huge thank you to the science team for welcoming me in and being so patient helping me with my many questions and for making sure my practical skills are up to scratch. I have been lucky enough to co-tutor two brilliant but very different tutor groups this year, 11X5 and 11Z1, alongside Alice and Jenny. Thank you both for teaching me about all the different aspects that come with being a tutor. My final thank you has to go to my amazing mentor Dipesh. Thank you for all the advice, support and constant encouragement you have given me; I really couldn’t have gotten through week 1 let alone this year without it. Bring on next year!