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I am a bit scared of how my mentor will treat me...

19 replies

pinkrocker · 17/12/2016 00:10

Have final placement due at Easter, lovely school, really looking forward to it!!

Just discovered I have the same mentor as last time. My last placement ended on a low note after an upsetting incident which happened immediately before I was due to teach, my mentor didn't take it into account when the lesson didn't go so well and basically ripped me to shreds afterwards for my grading with the class teacher. I was still in shock after the incident and just agreed with everything.
A month later they lowered the only good mark I had in the end review, straight after I filled in a questionnaire about how I was supported on placement (I'd said I felt unsupported)

I had counselling sessions at uni to overcome the situation I'd been in, who were brilliant, I was so cheered up and happy ....and now I have the same mentor.

Student Union say that if I ask for a different one it is putting their professionalism into question.

Everyone says that in your career you will have to work with people you don't get on with and I agree.
But WWYD in this situation?

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Bumbleclat · 17/12/2016 06:34

Could you swap placements with another student in your course?
Or alert the uni to the previous situation?

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Bumbleclat · 17/12/2016 06:34

I'd really try to secure a different placement.

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mnistooaddictive · 17/12/2016 06:48

You poor thing. In these circumstances you should expect a different placement. You can't have a different mentor at the same placement but a new placement is the sensible way round the problem. Are you a member of a union? Could you phone their helpline? Have you asked your university tutor for help?

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Bagina · 17/12/2016 06:59

That doesn't sound right or fair at all. It's setting you up to fail. Youve told them you felt unsupported and they're setting you up to be unsupported again?!

It's important to get it right. My mentor didn't even speak to me, until she couldn't get away with it any longer. Then she was just vile.

My other mentor disappeared home a few times with stress, leaving me to teach her classes that I hadn't even met at that point!

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Bitlost · 17/12/2016 07:04

Your student union is idiotic. Get a new union and a new tutor.

On another note, bullying appears to be rife within schools. My husband, who was retraining to be a teacher, refused to take this bullshit and quit. Don't just accept it.

Good luck. I know how stressful this is.

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Sleeperandthespindle · 17/12/2016 07:09

Is this your college tutor? Not the class teacher?
I had an awful one (many years ago) and had to have him for four years - it's just how the system was. Establishing very good relationships with the school - class teacher and HT - meant that he was unable to inflict his prejudices on me too much and their opinion counted more.

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pinkrocker · 17/12/2016 09:29

Thanks for the replies!

The mentor is from the uni who I would see 1st of all to discuss targets, have regular email contact, then I would be observed teaching twice, they they would sit with my class teacher (who also observes me twice) and they decide how my placement went, and what grade to give me.

My uni tutor is okay, but as they are the head of absolutely everything, and responsible for writing my reference, I'd be uncomfortable asking them what my alternatives are, I REALLY want to go to my allocated placement school...

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pieceofpurplesky · 17/12/2016 09:41

Just go with it. If the uni tutor thought you were really bad you would be on RI already .... you have passed the first part and your mentor will see progress.
Just go for it and prove her/him wrong (I am an in school subject mentor)

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FuzzyWizard · 17/12/2016 09:48

This is your uni tutor rather than your in-school mentor? In that case I don't think you can ask for a change as it's completely normal to have the same uni tutor for all of your placements. From the OP I originally thought you meant that you had a second placement in a different school and your mentor from school 1 was going to work at school 2 and be your mentor there. If that's the case then you could absolutely ask for a swap.

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pinkrocker · 17/12/2016 10:27

That's the thing, because of the grades on last placement I have an action plan (it's not RI) which I have no doubt I can fulfill, yet when I have the same uni mentor following me I think I really doubt myself !

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pinkrocker · 17/12/2016 10:30

I'm confusing matters, I'm sorry.
Uni tutor remains the same for 3 years, Uni mentor is employed by uni and paid per student placement but doesn't see students any other time.
Class teacher is exactly that and they aren't referred to as mentors, but they support students in their class.
(That's at my uni anyway!)

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ChuckGravestones · 17/12/2016 10:50

Do what you can to change that person that has already been unsupportive. I would have questioned at the time how your grade was lowered after they got feedback - I would not have let that go. It is bullying.

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pinkrocker · 17/12/2016 11:24

Thank you Chuck.
I did bring this all up with my tutor and they said "let's leave it there and move on". Which is true about moving on. It's just hard for it not to colour my next placement.

They also said that should my final grades given not reflect what was said in the comments (like last time), they could be raised and amended by the uni.

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ChuckGravestones · 17/12/2016 15:34

How is this moving on when you are being given someone who has already behaved like this towards you?

They also said that should my final grades given not reflect what was said in the comments (like last time), they could be raised and amended by the uni.

But last time that didn't happen so why would you have confidence in it this time.

They have a duty of care towards you and putting you with the same person is only ever going to end badly. They need to rethink this and sort it.

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pinkrocker · 22/02/2017 15:42

So my last ever placement has been confirmed, at a school I like. This is great.
But the uni tutor who observes me twice is the same one that changed my grades down and ripped me to shreds after the horrid incident, it's just been confirmed that's she's going to be with me.
I am so upset now, I feel like jacking the whole thing in, because I haven't been sleeping at night hoping desperately it wouldn't be this woman. Now my worst fears are confirmed.
I know we have to work with people we don't get on with, and I'm professional enough to do this......but not with this unsupportive woman.
I don't know where to turn.

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ChuckSnowballs · 22/02/2017 15:43

Who have you asked about this? What did they say?

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pinkrocker · 22/02/2017 15:51

I asked the Head of Primary Education for advice. Firstly I asked how I should approach this tutor (if I had her again), should I meet her for a cuppa outside of the school and discuss where things went wrong and how to move on.
The reply was "you've got a lot of making up to do".
I then asked if it was possible that I could have someone else, the Head of Primary then said "yes, I believe it might be advantageous for you to have someone different".
So I've done all I can, trying to be positive.

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ChuckSnowballs · 22/02/2017 18:13

I then asked if it was possible that I could have someone else, the Head of Primary then said "yes, I believe it might be advantageous for you to have someone different".

That is the wrong question. Ask 'how do I facilitate getting a different mentor as I am keen to for my observations to come from more than one individual'. This is your education, you are the customer and you are not walking straight into a situation again.

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pinkrocker · 22/02/2017 19:55

Thank you!

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