Advice Please!

[MummyIsMyFavouriteName]

Starting my NQT year in September. Any advice for making it through my first year?

[Haggisfish]

Hire a cleaner.stock up on ready meals. Do all main socialising over summer. Keep autumn half term clear for recovering. Repeat 'it will get better' a thousand times.

[GinandJag]

Accept help.
Listen to advice.
Take time to organise paperwork.
Be strict with time management.

[noblegiraffe]

Understand that you will hit what my PGCE tutor called 'The Wall' at some point and that it doesn't mean you're a failure or not cut out for teaching, just that the job is very tough.

How you deal with hitting the wall is something you'll only know when you get there. Many quit.

[GinandJag]

You will also forget the wall in years to come.. A bit like childbirth.

[MummyIsMyFavouriteName]

Thank you. I'm both looking forward to it and dreading it. I've not had the best placements in terms of support but I'm hoping this year will remind me that while teaching is hard, I still love it.

[Belager]

It. Gets. Better.

Just finishing my NQT year. There's been many a wobble. The fact I love teaching is all that's got me through!

[Maladicta]

Starting mine too, PGCE year has been hellush but my NQT school is great. Are you primary or secondary Mummy?

[kesstrel]

Crowd-sourced advice from lots of teachers, on all sorts of topics:

starterforfive.wordpress.com/

[Scarydinosaurs]

What subject do you teach?

Buy pretty stationery, it makes marking more fun.

Listen to all advice patiently, and then make your decision.

Get on Twitter!

[Belager]

Keep on top of your marking! Once it piles up, it PILES up!

[SisterViktorine]

Are you Primary?

If so:

-Pay up for Twinkl platinum.
-Buy yourself a range of work books for your year group to photocopy from when you are knackered- the odd worksheet will not make the little petals wither and die.
-Get yourself a marking 'system' early and stick to it like glue.
-Make a useful friend asap- year group partner, phase leader- someone you can go to with stupid questions without feeling bad.
-Get your kids into routines quickly so you can stop having to tell them what to do constantly.

[RamonaTheGreat]

Listen to experienced teachers when they give you advice and act on it. We've had an NQT this year who thinks his way is the right way and won't take feedback on board. Frustrating for us and it means he's isolated himself from the team because of his attitude.

Make friends with the other NQTs - they'll give you hope during the long slog to Christmas.

Show the kids you like them (even if you don't!) They love it when they feel liked. I never subscribed to the 'don't smile till January' thing and have done OK

Good luck!

[MummyIsMyFavouriteName]

Thank you all. I am Primary so will be teaching everything.

[Belager]

Do you know what year you will have? And how your PPA is worked out?