Arriving part way through the day

[zoe]

Hi all,

I'm new to supply teaching, and teaching in general (NQT) and am reflecting on todays teaching assignment. Any comments/suggestions would be appreciated.

I had a teaching assignment today where I was called at 9:30 and arrived at the school about 10am. The school secretary asked me to sign in and ushered me straight to the classroom, before I got chance to even think about asking for school behaviour policies etc. I thought she was taking me to the staff room or something, and I was in the classroom before I realised where I was going!

A lvl 3 teaching assistant was already teaching, she asked if I was a teacher or TA and whether I wanted to teach/assist/team teach. I was being paid a teaching rate so I thought I'd better teach but as she knew the school/class better than me I thought it would be a good
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to team teach, so I suggested this. Because of this and the fact that she had already started teaching for the day I didn't think it was appropriate to start sitting the children down on the carpet to go through my rules and giving out sticky name lables as I had planned to. Instead I thought it would be wiser to simply "jump in" with the teaching, trying to follow the bare bones of a lesson plan left by the teacher (literacy 9-10, numeracy 10-11 etc). I do however think that the "lack of rules" and names led to classroom management problems during the day.

To add to the disruption of a new face, the children had their school
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graphs taken before I got there, so already had their routine disturbed. We also had the caretaker drilling into the classroom walls for part of the day to put up new display boards. Because of this I had to speak louder to the children to be heard and loud teacher=loud children.

According to the TA the class were noiser than normal so we had to keep asking for quiet. Also I had a boy giving me a power struggle (luckily in private), blatently ignoring my requests for him to put the toy down and sit on the carpet. I had to ask him several times to put the toy down, I tried to do this patiently but assertively, telling the child "you are playing with the toy, and you need to be sitting on the carpet, put the toy down and go to the carpet, thanks". The child in question had SEN and I'm not sure whether this was the cause of the defience. That particular child did seem to warm to me however as the day went on and I got to know him better.

I also had an issue with the children getting my name wrong, as it's quite a difficult surname to pronounce for reception children. (My dd get's the same problem all the time at school.) Some children found this funny and started calling me strange names when they thought I wasn't listening, I replied with a calm "you seem to have forgotten my name, let me know when you have remembered it", then moved on. I continued hearing the name a few more times, I ignored this however thinking it may just be silly attention seeking. Did I do the right thing?

When the 'real' teacher returned to class we had a chat and she asked me how long I had been teaching, so I think it must have been obvious that I was a complete novice at this.

How would you deal with issues such as these?

Also how would you have responded to teaching in these conditions?

Many thanks
Zoe

[janeb]

Well, I think you did a remarkable job - well done!
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Everything was a recipe for failure but you managed to teach the children something and keep them all alive for another day!!
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So, give yourself a pat on the back and a big bit of chocolate
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Being reflective is great - you will definitely be more prepared next time it happens because you've survived it once. And there can never be so many strange things next time surely!!!
My surname can be easily 'adapted' too - I tend to just
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along for a minute and then the children give up! One teacher at a school I taught at had the surname "Blackadder" so it could be worse!!
It sounds like the TA was brilliant ... and if she was struggling too, don't blame yourself!

So, go on, give yourself a pat on the back... NOW!.. go on, I'm watching!

[zoe]

Thanks Jane,

I've really been beating myself up about this, the TA was struggling too but I hadn't considered this, I just blamed myself. I can see that I need to stock up my cupboard with chocolate for after these teaching assignments. I can also see that I'm going to put on a few pounds, but it is better this than opening a bottle of wine - i'd quickly turn into an alchoholic
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I never shouted, perhaps I should have, but i'm not really a shouter. In the past I have psyched myself up to shout at a difficult class but I don't think it really helped in the long term.

After reflection I thought that faced with this situation again I should probably introduce myself properly the first time I have the children sat on the carpet listening, I should also perhpas ask them to practice saying my name a few times... and then as you suggested
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with them to make light of it when they get it wrong.

Anyway enough of my ramblings.

Thanks so much for your support, it's really comforting to have another teacher blame the situation and not me!

[NuttySupplier]

Hi Zoe, just a thought I had, I think I would have let the TA finish teaching the lesson she was doing, and supported her / got to know the kids and the classroom. Then at the end of that session, got the kids on the carpet for a quick chat / name practice!

You did great though, I got sworn at at the end of a Y6 fight (boy got suspended), sent for the headteacher and sat in the staffroom
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ing for an hour on my first day of supply, and I'd been teaching about 6 years already! And yes, worth a few quid spends at Sainsbury's getting nice chocolate treats in!

[audrey]

Zoe you
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ed brilliantly don't be so hard on yourself girl, they were not exactly
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l conditions to work in! Thankfully the TA was a decent human being and not on a power trip, she sounds like an asset to the class. Ignore the comments of the classteacher, she must have started as we all did
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Getting to know the chn is the most important thing although there is not always time for that, especialy in those circumstances.

Well done, things can only get better, always expect the unexpected and you will always do okay I reckon. This site is
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l for letting off steam, we've all been there so you are not alone
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[Hectare]

There are several issues here:

1. Arriving mid-lesson is never as good as being there at the start, because you can set your standards during the register, but it happens a lot. If you feel things going awry, stop the class and explain your standards. Use your discretion as this would be unwise just before break or assembly.

2. Well done here for recognising that the class
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s and the thoughtless actions of the caretaker meant that you had to speak louder to the children to be heard and loud teacher = loud children. I do not mean to be patronising, but you are correct and cannot do much more.

3. The TA telling you that the class were noisier than normal means little. They may be noisier with you than the teacher who is there every single day - or they might not!

4. I find defiance, as with the child and the toy, one of the main problems as a supply teacher. Schools will either support you or they will not. They range from those with a zero tolerance, removing the child, to those who have a woolly, ambiguous policy. If you make a reasonable request to a child and you are clear, polite and assertive, you have done your bit.

5. Children get my name wrong all the time. Sometimes, I get their name wrong. That's life. I work hard to learn their names and use them positively (I may have forgotten by the time I return). There are many headteachers who do not know my name, at least the children WANT to KNOW your name so write it on the board for them.

6. Take the question about how long you have been teaching as positive. If you are new to teaching you will bring enthusiasm, fresh
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s and a knowledge of new initatives to schools, which they will value. Every teacher had to start somewhere.

Finally, much easier said than done I know, but try to develop a thick skin when you are woking.