I am worried!

[luclu]

I have just joined and agency and will be starting supply teaching from Monday. I have just finished 4 years BA Primary Education, and have lots of experience but I cannot help but feel really nervous. I desperately need the money.... so I need to do it. Is it normal to feel very nervous. I just keep worrying about if the school think I am rubbish, or if I cannot think on my feet quick enough. Or if I cannot understand how to teach from someone elses planning. So many worries and concerns!

Has anyone ever felt the same way?

Luclu
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[smc533]

Hi Luclu and welcome!

Yep, we've all felt like that and we can honestly say it gets better!

Go in confident (even if its an act), don't tell the kids its your first job, but do tell them you're a Guest or Visiting Teacher.

If you don't understand the planning don't worry and wing it, most planning is pretty short, but should give you the learning objective.

You'll be fine honestly, but do let us know how you get on.

[NuttySupplier]

Luclu, welcome to the forum. Sarah's right, we've all felt like that, it's bad enough being an experienced teacher let alone an NQT starting!
However, it's amazing how quickly these fears will disappear when you get there, the kids smile hello and the competent TA introduces herself! Get through the first half hour, and you've done the worst bit!
The first day is the worst, and then that's over and done with! Make sure you have wine and chocolates ready for the evening to help celebrate your first day and help you to relax too - also important to be able to think about your first piece of chocolate if you're sat in a staffroom and everyone's talking about something you know nothing of!

Easy to say, but don't worry, keep posting questions as they come up, and you'll do great!

[luclu]

Thank you so much, this site is great and as always put me at ease! I am just spending a day preparing resources which should hopefully help me! I have goit lots of great resources from this site! Thanks a lot! xx

[ruby_tuesday]

Hi! You've already been given some good advice... but... try and find out age, class size and sen beforehand if you can, make sure you get there in plenty of time, find out how you call for if you need any help with things like times (assemblies & breaks etc) resources/ behaviour. Be very firm with behaviour, don't put up with any nonsense at all, don't make the beginner mistake of being too friendly, have activities planned in case things aren't left or don't work out for some reason and be flexible, things are always changing in schools.

Good Luck.

[ScarlettMarie]

Hey Luclu,

I am in exactly the same position you were in, I finished my teaching degree and then took a year out and amnow doing some supply (hopefuuly) to get back into it before applying for full timw from January.

Iam extremely nervous and apprehensive what this will bring, and because i haven't had too much time to prepare has anyone got any tips on what to take tomorrow that I can whip up now, to make myself more at ease or slightly less anxious?!

It's been while since I was even in a class and not too confident my knowledge and skills have remained! ANyone can give me any advice I would be very grateful and I would be very interested to know Luclu how you got on?!

Scarlett.xx

[NQT_Sam]

My advice is ask the kids. I always ask them things like when you're teacher wants your attension what does she do?- Usually ive found its some sort of clapping thing. And I'll say things like ok, and what do you do when she does that? tell me, when its time for play time what do you do? Do you line up before you go out? If you're naughty, what usually happens? What do you do before you go home? do you need to put your chairs up? Where do you keep number lines, cubes? Etc... Don't be afraid to ask the kids- they will help you loads! They honestly will tell you, and like I was in a catholic school, and we had to say a prayer before we went home and i didn't know the prayer so I said something like, who can come out to the front and help to start the prayer? They love helping you, so seriously do ask them. Try and stick to their usual behaviour stuff, timings, routine etc when they tell you, but at the same time if you want to do something else, do it. Like the other week some of them said usually we decide whether we need our coats to go outside (and it was cold and spitting) so I said well, I'm teaching you today and I'm telling you that you're all going to put your coats on. Be confident- get there early so you have time to read the plans that have been left, collar a kid and ask them what they know already- I'd been left a plan about Muslims, and I knew nothing about it, collared a few kids and it turned out they didnt either, so we did something else which is perfectly acceptable. Try and have a
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of activities you could do incase this happens- 9 times out of 10 you won't need any, but just incase. Stuff like design your own dream town and stuff, as well as numeracy n literacy stuff, the primary framework site, if you click on the library has some good stuff, especially some maths problem solving things. Scholatic and teachit primary have some good things too.
don't be afraid to ask other members of staff as well as the kids, they'd much prefer you asked instead of got it all wrong- and they'll understand that you dont know where stuff is.
And, if you go somewhere and you don't like it, then you don't have to go back
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[NuttySupplier]

Hi ScarlettMarie, welcome to the forum!

Excellent advice there from Sam... also I thought have you done any voluntary work? Maybe half a day a week just to get you feeling more comfortable/confident in the classroom?

[ScarlettMarie]

that is a great
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Nutty, thanks I'll look into it. Would it be contacting individiual schools?
ANd thanks so much Sam for all your help, though I guess the best thing I can do right now is go to bed in case i get an early morning call! Thanks all again ill keep you posted!!

SM

xx

[NuttySupplier]

Yes, SM, just contact your local schools, within walking distance? Just for your own benefit really!