When it came to choosing to enter a 4th year of study I didn't hesitate to sign up. How naive I was!
My expectation of structure and stability and consistency was about to be shattered and evaporated, leaving a residue of hope that at some point I would get some answers.
I enrolled on to a PGCE (level 7) because I wanted to share this joyous three years of experience with new students. I wanted to inspire and help them on their individual learning journey. I had high hopes of being part of somebody else's creative process.
Now in hindsight, I should have recalled my first FE experience on animal care, when I was asked why I wanted to do the course I said;
"I want to save all the animals and stop animal cruelty"
Now this statement is admittidly ambitious and unrealistic, but it is also completely accurate to my aims and expectations of enrolling on that course.
I learned some basic skills of care and handling (how to pick up various animals etc) but I was crushed with disappointment at the end of the year , when I was just the same teenager in a band Tshirt and beat up converse, no richer in power for my educational experience despite my dedication to my
original aim of saving every animal ever.
The same could be said for my PGCE. In the first week the following errors occurred. Starting with the most challenging;
1. The course I had enrolled to teach for - was cancelled and no longer running.
2. No other courses in my specialist subject were running either.
3. I had no mentor (responsible for you person) for a good two weeks
4. No access to resources
5. Issues with placement
6. I wasn't getting replies from anybody I contacted to try and solve these problems.
It wasn't until the SMT twigged on to how in distress I was that anything was resolved.
Within a week I was given a mentor, resources and lessons to teach which are connected to my qualifications. So after two weeks of incredible stress everything was fixed almost overnight.
Which begs the question, why couldn't it have been sorted originally?...
Having asked this question I got told that I had to be versatile to be a teacher, and FE education (where I am based) is constantly changing anyway. Therefore I needed to be open to change and adaptable in my approach.
Although all of these statements are true , I am still unsure of how they answer my question. Or if in fact, they answer it at all?
The work and the placements have made blogging difficult as my time is now stretched thinner than before. But I felt it was an important and justifiable post.
If you are considering a PGCE specifically or any form of teacher training I would recommend considering these pointers;
- Source your own Placement. By taking ownership of this responsibility you have control. This is important as this is where practical teaching takes place.
- Ask a lot of questions at interview stages. Know exactly what they expect of you and what they can ACTUALLY offer you. Don't be fobbed off with excuses or contacts.
- Make sure the providers of the PGCE meet your needs too. You are a client as much as any other student.
- Consider your employment, the course demands time for assignments ontop
Of lesson planning, evaluations,
Reflections, marking, grading and assessments. It is a big commitment that demands a lot of time.
- Read widely and use your initiative. Most teaching thirty lessons are 1 lesson a week, and once everyone has asked loads of questions and opened discussions those lessons fly past. If further understanding is required go watch a tutorial on YouTube, talk to other colleagues or students, read, observe etc.
- Review other courses to make sure this is for you. Petals, lavender and teach first are other paths into this career which can work better for some people with different circumstances. Some of these courses offer Part time oppertunities also.
Most of all, know your needs and expectations. Identify your own personal ambitions and challenge yourself to achieve them in the best environment for you.
I do not regret enrolling on my PGCE but it has been and continues to be a challenge of will, strength and determination.
It takes more than good grades to be a teacher. I am only a few weeks in but I will blog more about this as a process in due course. The challenge is the hardest but best element of teaching for me, constantly having to be 100% on point.
Could you do it?
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