when i began teaching
i was a 21 year old mess. i didn’t know what i wanted to do in the world. i just knew that i needed a job.
actually, zooming back even further, i remember sitting in a university lecture: an occupational psychology lecture, and the lecturer was talking about why different people choose to do different jobs. and she was talking about why some people are motivated to be teachers. it’s something to do with them enjoying using their social skills / emotional intelligence: it’s people who like “performing” to a room full of people (miniature people) and creating circumstances for them to learn etc etc…
it sounds stupid, but at that point in my life, i had neglected to even consider that teaching could be an option for me. and i was loving educational psychology at the time. (i was doing a psychology degree).
so after university, i managed to get a job at a local school as a trainee teaching assistant, mainly working with kids with special educational needs. i worked very closely with one fantastic autistic kid. the school was having trouble with him. he wasn’t engaging in class and lessons and things like that. he was often refusing to do work and was speaking a lot when the teacher was talking. he was also extremely clever.
i really didn’t know what i was doing to begin with, but i learnt a LOT from the teachers around me. the good thing about being a teaching assistant is that you get to observe LOTS of other teachers. i saw it all. i mean, i picked up so many good skills from— many things surprised me. the best teachers knew when to “break the rules” for the good of the lesson. they’d say “this isn’t working. let’s change plans” or “let’s try something different” or even “okay Josh” (not his real name) “I want you to go on a special mission with Mr Wilson” (not my real name).
I think I had the most success from building up a good relationship with the children I worked with. if they trusted me / if they knew they could trust me, then they’d often be more able to relax and enjoy their learning. i saw how [just] listening to a child can be enough to get them to listen back.
though… in many other cases, i lacked authority. the big kids often saw me as [just] another big kid that they could push around and play tricks on (despite me being double their age). and i often lost control of the class. and when that happens, that’s when you need to come down stricter on them… or that’s what i thought… back then… i was very wrong about most things…
nonetheless, my one year working there was enough to tell me that yes: i wanted to be a teacher.
my application got accepted to do a PGCE (post graduate certificate of education) in primary school education (age 4 to 11). so i did that! and oh boy we haven’t even gotten started yet
sometimes i think of the kids i worked with back at that first school and i hope they’re doing okay. i suppose they aren’t kids anymore, though!
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