Think i'm a rubbish teacher

[Zena389]

Well i'm actually a Cover Supervisor, though qualified as a teacher.
I'm full-time at one school, and I earn not much more than the minumum wage.

I accepted this as a trade off for not having to do any work outside of school and being able to leave at 3pm.

The kids either cheer when they see i'm their cover or groan and say' For fuck's sake'.

They just ignore me and have zero respect. A certain number of classes are great and get on with the work, and are polite, but it's a battle with many.

I think being a young female doesn't help either, I also look young for my age and I am naturally shy/quiet.

When I try to discipline the class,some of them just laugh at me. SLT are supportive and come into the room but the kids start talking the minute they leave.

I don't think I should only have to earn respect, kids should respect their teacher regardless of who it is.

Cover work is usually very uninspiring 'Do Page 5',so I try to make it more interactive but the behaviour is so bad that it's hard.

I really have no idea why the school hired me, i'm rubbish. I don't know how to build good relationships with the kids.

The TAs in the lesson actually take over sometimes. I don't ask them to, they just take it upon themselves.

It's not worth it for 17k. Does anybody else feel like this ? I'm just rubbish and the kids walk all over me. I use the behaviour system but it doesn't turn them into renowned characters, they end up hating you even more because you phoned their parents or gave them a detention.

I am now looking for a non-teaching job with at least 20k salary, but it's difficult at the moment.

You say you don’t know how to build good relationships with the kids, and I think this is the main problem.
I am an experienced secondary teacher and have worked on supply but also in a challenging school as a cover supervisor for a year, and it can be a very difficult job.
But I found that building relationships is the key, if you can get out on the corridors between lessons, break time, before school greeting students by name, asserting yourself in that environment it will change how you are seen in the classroom. Show the students you care about them, especially the difficult ones, and that you are not afraid to initiate conversations with them. Try to develop cooperation rather than conflict but make your boundaries absolutely clear.
It’s very tricky. If you like children, even the challenging ones, you will get there. If you don’t really like them then it will always be difficult.

I’m in charge of the inclusion room so deal with the kids that get sent out of lessons, I had to establish a presence right from the start otherwise they’d run riot. I got a lot of ‘it used to be fun in here’ and ‘other Miss let us do xyz and she was a legend’ but i just ignored it. It sounds like you have lost the will, you don’t have to change career but maybe look for the same position at a different school and start as you mean to go on. It’s hard, wearing work and you have my sympathy 😊

@BrumBoo

Haven't you posted about this several times before?

Deffo looks familiar. In style & content.

You may be in a loop of feeling defeated and then that coming across to the kids as soon as you step through the door, leading to you feeling more defeated/wary of the next class.

I am not able to pinpoint the exact things you need to do to show you are confident/capable (maybe posture, stride, tone of voice, pace of talking/actions) but there is a ‘knack’ of commanding a room.

Have you any chance of watching some classes with people who have that knack? Even online (though this is much less effective for getting a ‘feel’ of the atmosphere in the room) so you can try some different techniques out?

Even if you view it as you figuring out how to be a better teacher by ‘practising’ on these challenging children then you may feel less intimidated by them and at least one person in the room is learning

Teaching is all about relationships and doing cover means that you don't have the same opportunity to develop those relationships. It's not your fault, it's just the nature of the job. Also, as you've said, the work they have to do is boring - and that's not your fault either but will lead to poor behaviour. Don't beat yourself up too much. It's easier if you have your own classes week in and week out. Can you not get a job teaching your subject?

It's so hard being a cover supervisor. And demoralising.

I wouldn't do the standing there saying nothing thing. They will ignore you for the full hour and start throwing things.

I personally would line them up outside the classroom if it's that bad. Possibly repeatedly.
Bring them in in silence and continue the work.

Can you preprepare any better work? Reward more.
Remember they're children.

Try to be more upbeat, tricky as it is. Kids will know youre pissed off and reflect that.

Look for positives with the kids. Focus on the positive and reward those who are behaving.

Follow the behaviour policy.

Remove points.,
Put in dentention.
Phone parents.
Keep following the behaviour policy.
Remove points again.
Put in detention.,
Phone parents again.

Pick them off one by one if you have to. Make a massive effort to learn names.

I agree that a cover supervisor is the worst of all worlds. You'd be better off using your teaching qualification and getting a new job.

Your role is the issue. You don’t really get the chance to build a relationship of respect with the kids. Personally, I’d try a change within education. Possibly at a new school so you can start as you mean to go on with discipline. The kids at this school already see you as too easy. I did your role a few years ago when I was pregnant but I’d already been a class teacher previous to this so my mean reputation preceded me. Also on another note I was paid more. You are qualified therefore you should negotiate at better salary.

Don’t give up on teaching yet, you’re just in the wrong role.

Never shout.
Go into class with an idea of what you want to say.
Something interesting that will grab their imagination.
Even something that’s in the news that you are indignant about. Have a prop- wave a news paper about, point at a story that might grab their attention.
Stand at the front and just start talking. I used to aim my comments at the biggest trouble maker. Speak quietly.
Look animated. Make them want to hear what you are saying.
When they start to listen drop your voice so the ones at the back are straining to hear.
I was given this advice 30 years ago when I first faced a class. It’s always worked for me.
Having said that, I think it’s harder these days!
Worth a try though,
Good luck!

I don’t think you are cut out for this job. Have you thought about teaching younger children you would be more suited to it

Cover is such a hard job, OP. The kids do this to EVERYONE!!

When I was teaching I found even the nicest and most well behaved kids still acted dickish in cover lessons.

I think it's par for the course, really. I know I used to love it when I was at school.

The only advice I have is to use the school behaviour system rigorously. If you're a cover supervisor you'll end up teaching the same kids enough for them to know not to go too far or they'll get a punishment.

Keep handing out those behavioural punishments and if a handful of kids are really bad speak to their form tutors and/or parents.

BIG GIRL PANTS ON, OP!!!

There's always gin

Oh, and ditto the above poster who said to learn names - couldn't agree with this more!

Wouldn't you earn more teaching part time two days a week than do this job full time? If you passed your teacher training you can't be that bad

Do you like teenagers? Genuinely?

I'm a trainee in my 40s, worked in sales and marketing for years then got pulled back to teaching. I have primary and secondary aged kids. I am under absolutely no illusions of what the job entails, having come from a family of teachers. And am certainly not in it for the money (!)

It is hard going, but the rewards are worth the effort. It's more a vocation than anything. I was always volunteering in schools doing reading and tutoring, before I realised that I was in my natural environment. I struggle with behaviour at times

• a sense of humour goes a long way though..and I spend time observing lessons in different environments, PE, drama, science. Watching other teachers and picking up tips.

Tbh it sounds as though you weren't keen on teaching anyway if you took a reduced hrs job. Maybe a career move is wise. You do have to love bits of it as the majority is hard, hard work and tough going.

Maybe teach in a private school? I'm not a Teacher but I come across school aged kids all the time and there's only one way - Presence - you give them The Look and then Speak whilst maintaining The Presence. It does truly work but not something that comes easily to a lot of people.

It really is a shame that good Teachers leave because of this type of behavior amongst students/pupils, but it's been that way since we had education. Even in the days of The Slipper most teachers would hand this task to the Staff Psycopath (Head, Deputy).

So now you need to find a placement where the School accepts that not all Teachers are toughnuts and support those that are gentle of nature too.

Good Luck OP .

The school also have this weekly staff rewards ceremonies and I have not been nominated even once, let alone won anything.

This stood out for me from anther of your posts. How divisive and awful to have rewards for the staff! I'm glad I don't work where you do.

Often it can be a matter of same job, different school for it to be a better situation. And hit the ground running with the expectations you want to have from the start.

Kids know when they aren't liked and when teachers don't want to be there and it sounds like kids are picking up on this.

You don't deserve respect as their teacher automatically , no. It doesn't sound like you respect them very much.

Storyoftonight

Please stop. The OP said nothing about not liking the kids. They are misbehaving because this is what they have learned to expect will be acceptable during cover, not because she doesn’t like them. And yes, she does deserve respect as their teacher automatically. If my child said otherwise to me I would be having very strong words with them. Grow up.

I think you would be better working for an agency. Clearly these kids have got to know you as someone they can mess around with, you need to start again with different students and be very strict.

You kind of do have to earn their respect - we don’t live in a world where you are respected just because you’re an adult. I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s how it is. In lots of schools you’re not going to walk into a classroom and have kids give you their total respect without building a relationship, and it sounds like you’ve struggled with that.
YABU to think you’re a shit teacher. But if TAs are taking over the lesson and you’re shouting over children who ignore you, then there’s an issue and that will feed into why kids don’t respect you - because they see you be undermined by other adults.

Supply/cover is waaaay harder though than being the class teacher, especially in terms of behaviour management. Maybe cover teaching isn’t for you. It wouldn’t be for me. I think you need to have absolute balls of steel and be very, very good at behaviour management for it to work.

Personally I would leave, and then spend a lot of time researching behaviour management and building your confidence because plenty of classes do have the potential to go this way if the teacher isn’t careful and it does sound like you need to work on some skills.

However - you should not be in the situation where this is repeatedly happening. SLT are letting you down massively. You can and should use this as an opportunity to restart and build your areas that need to be developed. I bet you have loads of strengths too, so focus on those, but it doesn’t sound like cover teaching is for you. And I don’t blame you!!

It sounds like the school are a bit shit and unsupportive to be honest.

If the workload of a full time teacher is too much have you thought about teaching part time in the subject you are qualified in? You could probably be on £20k for 4 days a week or something similar to a cover supervisor for 3.

It is a tough time to change profession but I reckon you might be able to get a teaching job somewhere in Jan depending on your notice arrangements and the. Look at changing career if you still feel like this at Easter or summer?

What you describe is normal and not a sign that you are some kind of failure. Kids push boundaries, particularly with cover unfortunately. It won't magically get better with time but a supportive school will help you.

Firstly, it's not personal. The little shits darlings know they have some power and go all out to use it. Focus on the work - remind them it's their work, not yours. You've already passed your exams. Get help from the pastoral leads. Use the system of rewards and sanctions that is already in place. Believe in yourself. You are the one in charge, even if they don't think so.

And leave. Look for somewhere better. I did nearly twenty years in a place where no-one valued me at all. It destroys you.

Secondary school kids are much more challenging, have you tried younger children?

Tell them straight out:

“If you listen up and play by my rules we can have some fun this class (do some really fun stuff, quizes, games ... whatever).
Or if you’re going to be dicks we just do these worksheets the whole class. Your call.”

Act non-plussed at what they choose. If they act like dicks give them worksheets and chill. Repeat sequence next class.