Who wants to be a teacher?
List of all questions and answers
Your answers
Question 1: My Very First Lesson
Standing at the door of the classroom before my very first lesson, I wondered how I was going to make the point that I was in charge; not them. It sounded like warfare had broken out on the other side of the door. I decided to:
Impersonating Arnold Schwarzenegger will certainly grab the attention of everyone in the room. But what will happen next? Spectacular entrances have their place and can be really memorable, but they don't usually work if you resort to them every time. The danger is that a noisy teacher creates noisy pupils.
Have you ever met a hoarse teacher? There are loads around. Shouting is not usually a good first response, except in extreme situations. But it can be very effective when used sparingly.Do you think they noticed you? It's a weird experience to stand at the front of a class and realise no-one knows you are there. This strategy can work if you have a clear way of making the class pay attention when you want to start the lesson. The danger is that you won't seem to be in charge.This is what a lot of teachers like to do. But you do have to be well prepared because what happens next is crucial. Clear instructions telling the pupils what to do have to be on the tip of your tongue. You will lose their attention if you start faffing around now.[click on an answer to see its response, or toggle all answers]
Classroom discipline is something all new teachers worry about; most even dream about it! However there are skills and strategies that you will learn as part of your teacher training. You will need to practice them of course and it will take you a while to become an experienced manager of your classroom, but the evidence is that newly qualified teachers are much better prepared now than they have ever been. And it is not true that the only people who are successful in this realm are six foot six men!
The Gut Responder
The Confident Extrovert
The Quiet Influencer
The Thoughtful Strategist
Question 2: My First Visit to the Staffroom
It was break - blessed relief. The pupils are outside and I now have a chance to relax for ten minutes. Opening the staffroom door I look around at a lot of strange faces. What do I do now to make the right impression? I decided to:
Loads of teachers are coffee junkies, so this makes you look normal. However the really important thing is to make friends with your colleagues. So what you do once you have got your coffee is really important. Making friends with other newcomers to teaching really helps, but beware of becoming one of those boring teachers who always talks about their job. It has a soporific effect on other people at cocktail parties. Wanting to crash out is a very understandable reaction to a new situation. Everyone needs their space. But beware of becoming the staffroom hermit.You have got to start somewhere in making friends, so this is a good idea. It is really successful if you find someone with loads of good ideas who doesn't mind you stealing them to use in your lessons![click on an answer to see its response, or toggle all answers]
Joining a new staff team usually makes the most confident person nervous. In a smaller school you will probably get to know your colleagues quickly, maybe even before your first visit to the staffroom. In a larger school it will take longer. In terms of making friends probably the two most important things are to find people whose company you enjoy and to find people who will help you make a success of your first year. But remember that one of the rewards of teaching is the collegial ethos of most staffrooms.The Gut ResponderThe Confident ExtrovertThe Quiet InfluencerThe Thoughtful Strategist
Question 3: My First Confrontation
The moment I walked in the room, I realised James was looking for trouble. I decided to:
OK, you will probably feel better, but you might not be a teacher for long! Physical intervention is a real no-no. Best to try another strategy if you ever want to draw your pension. This might intimidate James into behaving; he will certainly realise you have noticed him and it works really well with some pupils. But it might also provoke an angry response. Some children will get really shirty if they feel they are being singled out.Quite a lot of teachers do this on the board. It can work and may well give you a quieter life. But there comes a point when the list gets too long and you begin to feel stupid. So you might have to bite that bullet and take direct action.This is the 'beady eye' backed up by making sure everyone has heard what the rules and sanctions are. This can be quite effective as everyone knows where they stand. Certainly James will be aware that there is a special message for him. Let's hope he conforms.[click on an answer to see its response, or toggle all answers]
It happens to every teacher. The pupil who seems determined to make your life difficult. Why, you will wonder, have they singled you out? You will meet several in your working life. The skill is to adopt a professional attitude which looks for the strategies that work with that particular pupil. Do not allow it to become personal. You will probably need help from other people in managing the situation, so do not be afraid to ask. And occasionally you will get a special reward when that pupil actually thanks you for persisting with them and caring enough to try and help them through a very difficult patch in life. When it happens, you will remember it for years afterwards.The Gut ResponderThe Confident ExtrovertThe Quiet InfluencerThe Thoughtful Strategist
Question 4: Meeting My Multi-faith Class
This was the first time I had taught a class where the pupils came from different religious backgrounds. To help us all deal with religious issues, I decided to:
Prepare for the press to be outside the door of your school. Religion is just too sensitive an issue to be made light of in this way. There are possibly a few rare individuals who could get away with this, but the most likely result is that you will offend someone.How would you feel being called a Bible-basher? There is nothing wrong with wanting to share your Christian faith, but sensitivity is the key. It is important to do some thinking about the appropriate relationship between sharing your faith and encouraging the pupils to be proud of their own background and to think for themselves.A laudable attempt to avoid any discrimination, but might it imply that you are not very interested in your pupils' home life? It is usually better to acknowledge and respect pupils' backgrounds rather than pretend everyone is the same.Some pupils really value this opportunity, others hate it. So you have to know them individually. Most of them will really appreciate being able to tell you personally about their home life.[click on an answer to see its response, or toggle all answers]
Schools, even faith-based schools, are usually made up of pupils and teachers from many faith backgrounds and none. The mistake is to see this pluralism as a threat. It is not. Being with people from diverse backgrounds is one of the most stimulating experiences in life and is a fantastic opportunity to be Christ to other people. Very few Christians have non-Christian friends. Being in school is an opportunity to be different.The Gut ResponderThe Confident ExtrovertThe Quiet InfluencerThe Thoughtful Strategist
Question 5: The End of My Second Week
Two weeks into the new job and the work is coming in. To cope with the marking load, I decided to:
You are obviously destined to be a great manager; they all think delegation is cool. But this strategy will find you out, not least because of the brown marks on the books! However, if you can find someone wise and sensible to assist you in other ways, it will help.Keep going until I finish; but I will make sure my pupils know how long I spent marking their books.Your commitment is commendable, but your work may expand to fill every waking hour. If you want a home life you will have to find ways of limiting the work you bring home from school. Teaching is one of those jobs where there is always more to be done. At some point going home will be the top priority whatever else is still to be done.This will probably seem a good idea on Friday evening, but things may feel different on Monday morning when you face the class or your line-manager. But you are right to think that there are limits to the time you give to the job.This won't solve your immediate problem. You are probably going to have to knuckle down for now, but learning how to manage time and the never-ending demands goes with the job. You will probably need the book for Christmas.[click on an answer to see its response, or toggle all answers]
Workload, and particularly paperwork related to assessment, is one of the big issues for teachers. There is only one way to approach this challenge; to manage it actively. If you don't, you will just sink. You will have to develop time management techniques that work for you. So as you observe teachers at work in your practice schools, find out how they do it and make a note of the techniques that you think will work for you. And one important tip; don't make the mistake of taking on too many commitments in the first few weeks of your first job.The Gut ResponderThe Confident ExtrovertThe Quiet InfluencerThe Thoughtful Strategist
Question 6: My First Inspector's Visit
To cope with my anxiety at being observed by an inspector, I:
Throwing a sickie is a very tempting first response to a stressful situation, but few people go through with it. You will be caught out!Full marks for not being intimidated, but maybe you need to take the inspector a bit more seriously!Succumbing to panic is like ringing in sick; hugely tempting. The art of being a good teacher is in controlling your reactions even when you feel like there is a food mixer in your stomach.This is a good idea because it means that you are confident with your material, but you may not always have a choice. You also need to cultivate the art of being able to respond to the unexpected.[click on an answer to see its response, or toggle all answers]
Being observed teaching by inspectors is part of life for a teacher. They may be from outside agencies like Ofsted and Estyn or they may be your own head of department or Headteacher. And yes, it will make you nervous, but the secret is to keep the event in perspective. Certainly you will take a little more time with preparation; but you are not teaching for the inspectors' benefit but for the pupils. So focus on them and the quality of their experience and the inspector will look after him or herself.The Gut ResponderThe Confident ExtrovertThe Quiet InfluencerThe Thoughtful Strategist
Question 7: My First Cracking Lesson
I knew the lesson would go really well because:
Are you a budding politician? They seem to think that a new curriculum will solve all problems. Obviously you must take the set curriculum very seriously, but of itself it won't create a good lesson. That's down to you.OK, some people are naturals in a classroom, but you will never be a good teacher if you undervalue the importance of planning.Certainly being in a senior position helps the discipline. But don't believe that a good lesson is only about discipline. It is always the product of inspired work by the teacher.Full marks for realising that careful planning and inspired ideas are the secret to successful lessons (though that isn't the same as spending huge amounts of time planning).[click on an answer to see its response, or toggle all answers]
The thrill of teaching a brilliant lesson is second to none. Relish it when it happens. It is so easy to allow the negative things that happen in school to dominate our memory. The psychologists say that it takes just 5% of the day to be negative to make the whole day feel like that. Combat that with positive thinking by enjoying your successes. And learn from a success. Why did the lesson go well? If you can identify that you can begin to repeat the experience.The Gut ResponderThe Confident ExtrovertThe Quiet InfluencerThe Thoughtful Strategist
Question 8: My First Playground Duty
The relationship I want to build with pupils whilst on duty in the playground is:
Maybe you would be better playing premiership football! Teachers are rarely pupils' heroes; well not until about five years after they have left school. It is certainly important that you are in control, particularly in a playground where accidents can happen, but you probably need to be thinking more about the pupils' development than many bosses do with their employees.It is good to be approachable, though remember you are a teacher not a youth worker. Trying to be friends doesn't usually work and can get you into professional difficulties if pupils get too familiar.This is a popular phrase to describe the role of the teacher. It makes the point that you have important responsibilities for your pupils. There are limits too though - few parents have 30 children to look after! [click on an answer to see its response, or toggle all answers]
Managing your relationships with pupils in contexts other than the classroom requires wisdom and subtlety, particularly if they go to your church. Most pupils understand the difference between formal and informal contexts, but some will abuse that given the chance. You will have to work at this. Whatever your strategy it is essential that you remain a figure of respect who is clearly in charge. I well remember the first Head I worked for. His greatest pride was to have the pupils leave the hall after the staff Christmas pantomime under his direction in absolute silence with him still in costume. It had taken him thirty years to get to that point!The Gut ResponderThe Confident ExtrovertThe Quiet InfluencerThe Thoughtful Strategist
Question 9: My First Eureka Moment
When I saw the look of understanding on his/her face my reaction was:
You are a wound up person! Maybe you should relax a bit and enjoy your pupils' successes? Sometimes the special moments in teaching can be a long time coming, but why not enjoy them when they do? Your pupil may remember this triumph for years to come.Lessons are full of surprises, but give yourself some credit. You must have done something to create this response. Do learn from experience, but remember teaching is not about just repeating tricks. It is the relationship with your pupils which creates the Eureka moment.[click on an answer to see its response, or toggle all answers]
This is the essence of teaching. The moment when the penny drops, when understanding dawns. Relish it; it's why you became a teacher.The Gut ResponderThe Confident ExtrovertThe Quiet InfluencerThe Thoughtful Strategist
Question 10: My First School Visit
When I was asked to go on the school trip I thought:
There are limits to trying to identify with the pupils. You will probably embarrass them (and yourself when you see the photos). Good teachers are always keen to expand their pupils' horizons, but sometimes it is important to let them follow their own interests. Learning to relax and switch off is an important skill for a teacher - not now though! This isn't the time - you are working. Lesson planning is partly about understanding your pupils and their interests. A school trip is a great opportunity to learn more about them.[click on an answer to see its response, or toggle all answers]
School trips are a sensitive issue, not least because of health and safety considerations. However there is overwhelming evidence that there is considerable 'added value' for pupils who go on them. It gives you the opportunity to interact with your pupils in a less formal context and means they see the real you. Certainly I am still grateful for the profound influence one teacher had on my life because of the quality of person I saw on a trip. And pupils learn better in the context of a well-planned trip. It can bring a subject alive.The Gut ResponderThe Confident ExtrovertThe Quiet InfluencerThe Thoughtful Strategist
Personality Types
The Gut Responder
The pattern of your answers suggests that you are an instinctive risk taker; someone who reacts to situations by favouring the dangerous or non-conformist option. As a risk-taker, you are probably well suited to the SAS, but did you really take the quiz seriously? If you are serious about becoming a teacher, you would have to be more measured and professional in your responses to situations.
The Confident Extrovert
You seem to be a strong personality who likes to take control of situations; a confident extrovert. Taking charge and giving the lead are very important characteristics for a teacher. You may well be good at classroom management, but will students be frightened of you rather than wanting to learn from you? Teaching is more than a power struggle between teacher and pupils. It is all about creating a learning environment where pupils flourish, and that isn't necessarily about you being the dominant person in the room. It seems that you have every chance of being a successful teacher, but you will need to think carefully about channelling your natural extrovert response.
The Quiet Influencer
You seem to like letting situations develop before jumping in; the sort of person who doesn't necessarily want to push others around. But you care a lot about doing the right thing. Pupils will appreciate your non-confrontational style, but it is important to have clear leadership in a lesson - and only you can provide that. Probably your main challenge in becoming a teacher will be to have appropriate confidence in your own ability to lead your pupils. Quiet people who do this can make excellent teachers.
The Thoughtful Strategist
You seem to have a good understanding of what teaching is all about. Your answers suggest you can think through the sorts of situations teachers face and come up with good strategies. But you will still have a lot to learn so take as many opportunities as you can to be in a classroom observing teaching and trying your hand.