Will I cope?
It is a very unusual person who has absolutely no anxieties about becoming a teacher. The two greatest worries are to do with the pressures of the job and with classroom management.
Becoming a teacher is a bit like deciding to run a marathon - you need to be clear about the demands that will be made of you before you sign up. Likewise a prospective teacher should make an informed judgement about the demands of teaching. But having a realistic understanding of what you are taking on doesn't mean you will be worry free. There is no sane marathon runner who isn't a little anxious about the demands of the task. Likewise those contemplating teaching. Successful teachers are never complacent or glibly overconfident. They have always developed strategies to deal with the demands.
Don't be deluded - teaching is very hard work. But it is also one of the most fulfilling jobs you can do. There is something very special about seeing a pupil grasp something for the first time. In a survey of a range of professions, teaching was rated as the least boring. But you will have to work hard at maintaining an appropriate work/life balance, particularly in your early years in the job. This is what the spouse of one newly qualified teacher, whose partner had come into teaching after a successful career as a journalist, wrote.
"I have always had the greatest respect for teachers. Now I am simply in awe of what they do".
You will have to learn to be an effective time manager and particularly to prioritise. Above all you will have to learn to manage yourself and your emotions. This learning process takes time, so expect ups and downs in your first year. Here are some suggestions to help you on the way:
- Work hard at identifying the essential tasks, some of which will be urgent (e.g. tomorrow's lesson) and some of which will be important but possibly not urgent (e.g. thinking ahead to next term's work so you can begin to collect resources) - do them first. Don't just do the things you find easy.
Find the work pace and times that suit you best. Don't try to copy other people's working style if that doesn't suit you.
Don't compromise on sleep.
Keep space for friends, family and activities that you enjoy. If you are moving to a new area create opportunities to make friends.
Prioritise your social life. Some things will inevitably have to give way.
Seek out people who will help and support you, either by helping you with your teaching or who will support you emotionally and spiritually.
Write everything down! For example recording what you have said to pupils will improve your classroom discipline because you will get a reputation for not forgetting threats or promises.
Try and kill three birds with one stone, particularly when lesson planning e.g. by working in partnership with another teacher or doubling up on resources.
Above all get organised.
The classic teachers' nightmare is of a lesson descending into chaos. You will be a very unusual teacher if you don't meet some very unpleasant pupils whose aim is to make your life a misery by disrupting your lessons. However the majority will be pleasant, likeable pupils who want to learn and who will respond to your increasing effectiveness as you gain more experience.
During the course of your training you will be given heaps of advice on classroom management. Take it very seriously and keep trying different techniques and ideas. It is quite amazing how a new strategy can turn what feels like a disaster into a triumph. Never be afraid to seek help. Above all do your up most to remain positive and optimistic - and laugh a lot when you are away from the situations that stress you.
Maintaining Your Spiritual Stamina
Perhaps the most important thing you need to do is to maintain your spiritual stamina. This means looking after your own mental, emotional, physical and spiritual life, because they are interconnected. Here are five pieces of sound advice:
Set challenging but realistic standards for yourself. One problem with teaching today is that fantastically high expectations are set by everyone around you. They are often unachievable. A newly qualified teacher who despairs because some aspects of their lessons are not excellent is not being realistic and will never enjoy teaching.
Rejoice in the successes. Teachers experience an incredible number of person to person encounters in any day. Apparently if 5% of these are negative, it makes it feel like a bad day. The trick is to focus on the majority of positive encounters rather than let the negative minority dominate your perceptions.
Focus on your calling. In the midst of the pressures and busyness of teaching it is easy to forget why you became a teacher. Reflect on the influence you are having on the pupils' lives. Remember teaching is a long term investment in the future. The immediate impact may sometimes be hard to see, but what you do tomorrow could be remembered for years by one of your pupils.
Developing strategies to sustain you. Each of us needs to refill our personal reservoirs. You should know what helps you to do that. Common strategies are physical exercise, spending time with friends, going out in the countryside, going to the theatre, music etc. You should aim to know yourself well enough to know what these are and then use them. Read more...
- Keep teaching in perspective. Teaching is one of many secondary callings that God will have for you in your life. It may be that it becomes your lifetime's work. That's great. But for many teachers, they spend a few years in the classroom and then move to another calling. The most important thing is that whatever secondary calling you are currently undertaking, each is done in fulfilment of your primary calling to be faithful to God. Read more...
Further Help
Two excellent websites packed full of practical advice and designed specifically for student teachers and NQTs are provided by:
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers
You might also find Sue Cowley's website useful. She is one of England's "experts" on the first year of teaching and classroom management.
Angharad's Story
Angharad Vickery is a primary school teacher in the Church school in the village of Chedworth in Gloucestershire. It sounds idyllic; indeed it is idyllic. But as an NQT, Angharad found that starting teaching in any school is a demanding experience. She shares that experience in common with thousands of NQTs every year.
"I suppose what took me by surprise was the sheer workload and responsibilities. Even though NQTs have some additional preparation time, I still found the sheer quantity of the work that was expected of me overwhelming. It also took me a long time to get used to all the many responsibilities I had. There was just so much to think about. Generally the children in our school are well behaved and want to learn, but put 30 good children in a classroom and you still have to work hard to keep them focussed on their learning. I just found it all so exhausting. What upset me was that I felt I was changing as a person under the relentless pressure - and I didn't particularly like the person I was becoming. I felt like I was being stretched in places I wasn't stretchy! I'm very much a person who likes to cross the jobs off the "to do" list and move on to the next thing. Teaching just isn't a job that allows you to do that, so I had to work hard to prioritize. Being OK with the fact that there are some things that will never be "completed" is a real discipline for me and I've had to learn to constantly surrender to doing it God's way.
I found myself frequently feeling "I could have done that better", "that didn't work as well as I had hoped" etc - feeling dissatisfied almost became a habit. I realised that for me to do this job in the best way I can and in the way God wants me to, I needed to start making a conscious effort to change my attitude and thought patterns. For example I love singing. So on my drive to work every morning I took to play a worship CD and singing at the top of my voice. It did wonders for my morale and for my spiritual life. I also know that walking is a way that I can unwind and get things in perspective. I now go out as much as I can.
Now I am in my second year, I look back on this time knowing that, without these experiences, I wouldn't feel as equipped to take on new challenges! I feel more able to be in stressful situations without felling totally stressed out myself. This, though, is a choice I have to make. To try not to get sucked into the relentlessness of the job but to allow myself to take the foot of the accelerator once in a while and cut myself some slack! I'm still working on it I hasten to add! The second year of teaching brings new responsibilities, but I am beginning to view them more as exciting opportunities because I know that, as I move on in my career, the way I live my life can affect lives in a big way on a daily basis.
To see Angharad on the Transforming Lives DVD click here
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Being OK with the fact that there are some things that will never be 'completed' is a real discipline for me and I've had to learn to constantly surrender to doing it God's way.
I realised that for me to do this job in the best way I can and in the way God wants me to, I needed to start making a conscious effort to change my attitude and thought patterns.
I know that, as I move on in my career, the way I live my life can affect lives in a big way on a daily basis.