Brand New to Supply

[skiteacher]

the simplest one of all to get their attention or fill 2 mintuess is just clap a rhythm / action .eg. 2 claps, shake hands, or a rhythm, and change it after about 10secs - then those that are not paying attention respond to peer pressure or soemthing, don't quite understand but it nearly always work, especially if you say something like 'caught you out / you're so good I can't
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ch you out!!)
I can't help with KS2 - I hate them! only ever done yr3 in 1st schools which are different. But stick at it, I really hope and am sure it will get easier. After all you got through training. Just keep it simple on carpet and get them off it on to a task quickly, all year groups struggle listening / sitting for long periods at this time of year.
big hug

[irmemac]

As luck would have it, I dragged myself into school this morning... and had a great day! Lovely Y3 in morning - I actually felt like I was not bad with them - and no real problems with Y4 in the afternoon. One relentless pain, but I sent him to the HT, who kept him for the rest of the afternoon. Great: pain gone, class biddable!

That added to your supportive and useful comments has
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e me feel much better. Able to face next week's work with some degree of optimism! At least there are periods of smooth along with the rough.

[Gnomoospan]

Keep it up you can do it, there are far more good days than bad, and if you stay on here long enough you won't be a supply teacher for long, you'll get a permanent job like most of the rest of us!

[irmemac]

Thank you, that would be nice! Imagine having a class where you knew the names and what each child was capable of academically...! I've only been doing this for a fortnight, and I usually get at least 50% of names by lunchtime, but I'm already mixing up names with children in other classes. Aboout 250 children have already passed through my very inexperienced hands, mainly due to 1 day covering 4 classes, and I find so many that remind me of others. I called one boy Declan so much that he began to answer to it!

Have a lovely weekend.

[clarabelle]

At least you're getting work! My diary (and wallet) is decidedly empty..
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Today I taught a Year 6 class for the morning (I haven't taught Year 6 for a year!) and I actually enjoyed it!!!! Fingers crossed for work next week.

[danfur]

Me too Clarabelle, i've had one morning and one afternoon this week and that's it. Feeling very uncertain for next week. Seems to be hardly any work at all at the moment.

[ruby_tuesday]

I really hope the work picks up for you soon Danfur and Clarabelle.

irmemac - glad the forum is helping you. I'm a fairly experienced teacher but I did supply teaching last year for the first time. It is really really difficult when you are 'visiting' a school and are not sure who everyone is and how everything works. Some schools are much easier and nicer to work in than others, as Nutty mentioned its all about respect. If the school is not supporting you while you are there, make your expectations very clear and then exclude anyone that is disruptive by sending them to a member of the leadership team or another class, I would send a brief note and choose a sensible child to accompany them. Don't accept them back, just keep sending them. Then, never work there again. Hopefully when you're established you'll get invited back to the nicer schools and you can pick and choose where you work.

Have a nice restful weekend!

[skiteacher]

glad you had a better day, i'm sure each day will be. I know it's hard with names, but learning names is a really good skill, and if you mix them up, admit it, smile, opps, and they don't usually really mind. I am usually great a name - enhanced by my time on supply, I knew all my new class by the end of the first day whereas the parallel class teachers took 2 weeks! But on fridays - hhmmm not always so great at remembering most things! the children jsut smile at me now!
Have good restful weekend - while the rest of us are planning!

[sal 26]

Hi, I had my first day supply teaching today..really quite daunting! I was covering PPA - it was really difficult getting the best out of the lesson when I DON'T KNOW THE NAMES OF THE CHILDREN!!! One class of Y2 children was badly behaved - everytime I tried to speak to the class, two boys spoke over me loudly. Needless to say, the lesson lurched from bad to worse! Help! Am I cut out for this???

The second lesson of the afternoon was much better. Just hoping the second is more typical of what I can expect....

x

[danfur]

Well done for getting through your first day. I found it quite daunting too but you soon get used to certain aspects of it. Some days will be brilliant and will go really well, some days will not. But that is the same if you have a class all of the time.

Learning the names is always hard, especially when you are only on a half day or the school teaches in sets and you always have different children. Only tips I can give is to try to get children to put their hands up when you read the register, that way you look at everyone as you are reading their name, sometimes some go in. Then I usually manage to learn the name of the helpful child and the pest (there is usually at least 1 of each) and then you have names to call out either 'isn't 'helpful' child sitting so smartly' or 'pest can you be quiet please'. I also try whenever I ask a question, get the child to say their name before their answer. The names do
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t to go in eventually, you never learn them all though and usually spend a day shouting a name of a child who isn't even in the class (like me today who spent the morning shouting Liam when I meant Jake and there was no Liam in the class, durr
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)