Summer off? Are you joking?

'What's it like having nothing to do for four months?'

To be honest, I would have hated it. I spent too much time in my first three years at uni doing zilch. Standard. Final year was a massive turnaround. I feel like I didn't stop, that was without a part time job too! People must have seen how much time I was given to my work, plus everything else, because everyone keeps on asking me how my 'stress-free' summer is going.

Well, I wouldn't exactly call it stress-free for a start.

Welcome to the wonderful world of supply!

Now, let's be honest. I absolutely love it! Well, on the whole. As you would guess I have had some absolute stinkers. One of which was so off-putting it seriously made me think 'am I cut out to do this come September?'. But I can honestly say I have had some of the most wonderful days (including my stand out best! Geography lesson in a Jamacian accent...don't ask!) days of teaching.

After one of my less successful days of supply (not saying that I can't teach, but you know PPA cover is another way of saying 'all hell will break loose' the majority of the time), it seriously made me think. There are tons and tons of handbooks for teachers. But what is there for supply? I know is a short term fix for some, but it is throwing yourself in at the deep end if you are new to it, especially as a NQT (well, technically I am...ish!).

Think the major issue I've come across is behaviour management. The amount of courses, placement and lectures where people have said 'wait for the kids, they'll get the message'. When you've got an afternoon to finish off basically a day's work, that basically isn't going to happen with someone new.

When you implement something new for the day, some kids might listen. KS1 don't tend to, obviously. You get loads of 'Miss does this' and 'Miss does that'. When you're hand goes up (I have a 'give me 5' rule) you are bound to get half the class looking whilst the others carry on gabbing for the next 2 minutes. This may be different for everyone, but when I stand up there, it is sometimes like you're talking to air. It's something I'm not used to as a teacher when I have taught 'my own classes' and it will definitely not be the case next year. It's weird how different classes are, even school comparisons are interesting.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated, but now, I'm sticking it out for the next six weeks, with Sue Cowley getting a serious read again.Serious holidays will be happening in the six weeks off, hello Rio and Italy! Then back to the panic of 'what the hell am I mean to do in two weeks...'

I think it's starting to kick in now.

@MissLeeSays

#CreativeTeachingFTW

I am taking full ownership of that hashtag. Thanks to @SparkyTeaching for the retweets and use of the hashtag for a while.

Anyway,

I started this blog post a while back. Mid placement to be precise. Hence why I didn't finish it. But the wonderful people at ST got me thinking about creative teaching. Now, we all know that creativity isn't all about the arts, but about pushing the boundaries of teaching and learning to create memorable learning yayayaaa we know.

But what are my favourite lessons for creative teaching and learning...

I think I'm coming back to this one again, I'm gonna be here for a while

#CreativeTeachingFTW

its June...PANIIICCCCC!!!

So the 31st May deadline has kicked in. Cue a half term filled with mad applications for those NQT's amongst us who still haven't got a job. I felt that I was really lucky to get a job so early on in applying. But looking back, it was a mixture of luck, hard work and a LOT of pencil edits on application forms. A couple of people at my uni got in touch with me when they weren't having any luck with applications. I just passed on the information that I was told earlier on in the year. Most of them are quite happily waiting for their new jobs to kick in. (Not all down to me, I'm not big headed! My mates are fab teachers and would have got a job anyway!)

Any child who has at least one parent as a teacher gets a heck of a lot of nagging throughout their lives. The whole 'kids in school behave better than this' or, in mine and my sister's case, 'I sent a child home today for exactly what you've just done' (no dad,  no you didn't. Thanks for the guilt trip though). It's even worse when you decide to go into the same profession. However, as bad as I though my parents were nagging me to get a shift on with everything to do with my teaching career, it was a slight blessing in disguise my dad telling me to take a job anywhere, regardless of where it is.

Okay, I didn't really listen to him, seeing as my new job is only an hour away from where I currently live, but he gave me the incentive to get my backside into gear.

I applied for my first job in January, to a school I thought (and was told by a governor) I'd walk an interview for. That didn't happen. But that first knock back gave me a massive spur on. So, I stripped back my supporting statement, and after a few tweaks and after a fabulous phone call from a primary head (cheers Andy!) I got an interview for everything I applied for.

So, what did I do...

- Ignored the person/job spec! No word of a lie. I wanted to tell schools about me as a teacher, rather than telling them that I am the teacher they want because they said so on a document. Some people use the spec as a starting point, but that's all I would use it for. You're good enough to do the job, so tell them so!

- Made it personal - leading on from the above, I included a paragraph detailing what lead me to be a teacher. One chair of governors who interviewed me said he loved how he could see that this wasn't a short term phase, but it had been a long term goal and I showed how hard I had worked to get to where I was.

- Tell them what I do - 'I use formative assessment regularly in the classroom and I feel that it is a great tool for teachers to use...' so how do you use it? It may seem tedious but back up everything you say! If you use assessment in the classroom, tell them how! They may not do what you do in their school, and they may be genuinely interested! Hello interview.

- what curriculum strengths do you have - pretty straightforward. If you did a specialism at uni, how would you use it in school. If you have a particular area of interest, mention that! I did RE and Maths along with my Music pathway from uni. So for example, 'Having studied Maths to A2 level, I feel that as an able mathematician, I am able to teach alternate methods of calculation to suit the different needs of the learners in my classroom'.

- PASSION FOR THE JOB - the very kind head who gave me feedback on my initial application (FYI, not the same head of the school I applied to, just so not to get your feedback hopes up!) said that although I had mentioned my passion for the job, it needs to be explicit throughout. It's not a just career, it's what we love.

- what makes an outstanding - outstanding teaching = outstanding learning. Simples. Tell them that you know what makes an outstanding lesson...you're halfway there with regards to Ofsted (hint...PROGRESS!)

- faith school? Put a paragraph in there about the ethos of the school! If you are of the faith, tell them how the values you practise as a follower of the faith influence you as a teacher. If you're not, explain how you would upload the values and ethos of the school in your teaching.

- people tell you that you're good, so tell the school! Use quotes to back up anything you have done in school on placement and mention it. I italicised mine just to show how different it was. So...'I am a great staff member and contribute well to a team. In my end of placement report it was noted that...', catch my drift?

Now I know I'm no head teacher, or chair of governors, or interview expert. But I just followed a few tips, along with my head and my heart, and I got a job :) hooray.

Interview tips...now that's a different story

The Neglected Blog...

Just call me an awful technophobe. Although, I'm really not a technophobe. To be quite honest, this is the first time in about 8 months that I actually feel like I've had the time (and managed it!) to sit down and write something. Now I know teaching is an extremely time consuming job, but my final year of uni just felt like a massive push; it feels like a complete blur now. Vivas thrown in with an exam, a dissertation and everything else on top. However, the one thing I did not have to worry about was a job. That was sorted way back in March, massive massive shock, but I did it!

So, I have a mid year resolution. To actually blog more. Or to make an effort of doing so. I've found so many good things and been told so much that I have used, and I am going to pass those on.

So here goes nothing...

@MissLeeSays

Right then so.

Okay, so my blogging has genuinely been pathetic since I set this whole thing up at the start of the year. I mean, I do a million and one things as it is, just sitting down and blogging is just one of those tiny things that slip.

However.

Put that into comparison with everything else I do. People generally think I'm mad, and have done since the age of about 5 as to how much stuff I actually do. You know, when your a kid it's all, I do this on Monday, this on Tuesday . As a trainee teacher, it's even worse than normal for a 22 year old.

Here's the list.

Football. Netball. A whole shebang of music related offerings. Production rehearsals. Youth leader-ing. Little Church Team Member. Marking. Planning lessons. University. Writing essays. CCRS.

I'm mad aren't I?

I often think to myself, somethings got to give. However, I love everything far too much (Marking included, just not the time scale. Except maths marking, that's really not likable... Ever). Cue dilemma. Am I doing too much? Will sheer exhaustion kick in mid way through NQT year? Will I end up with stress pouring out of my eyes.
Most probably.

Is it time to make some changes?

TBC.