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.

My son is a secondary school teacher. He says with the year 7 intake he does not smile until Christmas. When all the new starters were in the hall being allocated their form tutors he had his class lined up in two rows in silence whereas the other classes were standing around in groups chatting. One child asked why they had to line up he answered because you are in my form and I have high standards.

He is very strict and won't take any nonsense, he give a couple of warnings then it detention. He does not get much trouble from his classes. Pupils have to stand when a teacher enters the room.

Having said all this he has a reputation for being very fair but strict. He will go out of his way to help children that have problems both personal and academically. Generally he is well liked by most of the children at his school.

Eventually the peer pressure will slowly swing it your way and they’ll be ready for an interesting/fun lesson.

@AbbeyRoadNW8

My son is a secondary school teacher. He says with the year 7 intake he does not smile until Christmas. When all the new starters were in the hall being allocated their form tutors he had his class lined up in two rows in silence whereas the other classes were standing around in groups chatting. One child asked why they had to line up he answered because you are in my form and I have high standards.

He is very strict and won't take any nonsense, he give a couple of warnings then it detention. He does not get much trouble from his classes. Pupils have to stand when a teacher enters the room.

Having said all this he has a reputation for being very fair but strict. He will go out of his way to help children that have problems both personal and academically. Generally he is well liked by most of the children at his school.

This is how I operate, strict but fair. Sounds like a great teacher, I remember having to stand up for teachers! I’d forgotten all about that.

Or if you want to go to the dark side, massive threats are always useful. Next time one of the naughtiest ones starting acting up, grab a piece of A4 and start writing. When a student asks what you’re writing, say it’s a letter concerning their behavior which you will share with the head teacher straight after school. If class behavior improves immediately, put it in an envelope on your desk and say you’ll make a decision at the end of class. Repeat on following days as necessary.

There are things that you could do, and you would see very quick results if you were prepared to start contacting parents and revising the content of the lessons, but this would involve staying after 3pm.

I’ve read your posts but I don’t understand why you left your teaching role? It’s a sad truth that students know the difference between a qualified teacher in a teaching role and a cover supervisor and behave accordingly.

I am so sorry. It feels so personal and counter intuitive to keep placing yourself again and again to be ridiculed and disrespected.

So, kindly I say to you, the only thing that will change this is time spent forming relationships with the pupils. And when I say time I mean it will start to get better in about four years when the current Year 9 - 11’s have moved through and on.

It’s an absolute shitter of a job. Everything is against you. You have such a small amount of control over things.

The worst thing is it can wreak your confidence when it’s not you.

I would never do this job unless you want it as entry into teaching (but you are already qualified) or you have the skin of a rhino and couldn’t care less.

I've been both a Cover Supervisor (for one year) and now, for the past eight years, a normal classroom teacher, also in secondary schools. I have no problem maintaining order with my classes as a class teacher, but I found it almost impossible as a Cover Supervisor. The students just don't respect the role, and you're not there consistently so it's tricky to build up any real relationship with them or follow through with disciplinary stuff. I don't know what to suggest really: unless you have a naturally terrifying presence (which I don't either!) I think being a Cover Supervisor is a bit of a miserable job. But I love being a teacher now and have great relationships with my classes. And the naughty kids tend to give up messing around quite quickly because they know they will have to see me every day, and that I will (repeatedly!) put them in detention. Plus they sort of need you as a permanent teacher, but probably view a cover supervisor as dispensible. So basically what I'm saying is, don't be so hard on yourself. It isn't you. It's the nature of the job.

I'm wondering if it might be worth considering switching to permanent class teaching instead, but doing it part time? Given how crap the pay for cover supervisors is (I remember from my own experience), you could hit the same salary level as a classroom teacher without having to go full time, so you'd still have a similar amount of non-school time, even factoring in planning and marking, and you might also have much greater job satisfaction.

I worked as a cover supervisor before qualifying as a teacher, and it's a really hard job. You have an uphill struggle before you've even started because as soon as they see they've got you, and not their normal teacher, they know that the lesson doesn't really 'count'.

Having said that, working on your behaviour management is key to making it work for you. Work out what works for YOU (eg, for me, being quirky and funny and super nice got me so much further than trying to be Mrs Strict) and then be consistent. If you keep at it, they'll know what to expect from you and you'll hopefully develop a positive relationship with the students which works in both of your favour.

I agree with PPs, behaviour management is much easier as a teacher.

And I also totally understand why you didn't want to take all that work home with you. I've recently moved into a different role within the school after 10 years of teaching English and I absolutely LOVE having my evenings and weekends back!

It’s a really really hard job. I trained to be a teacher a long time ago. They don’t teach you behaviour management on the course, it’s just down to luck whether you have the knack or get a mentor in your school who can give good guidance with this.

I didn’t pick up what to do and gave up teaching before I started.

You are brave OP going in there. God it’s stressful and scary.

I’d look for another job not in school which will be much less stressful.

It’s not you. It’s the job.

Another one here saying that it's a tough job and I would never do it although I am a teacher.
For the money you could be doing so many other things, even working in a supermarket.

OP, being the cover supervisor is nothing like being the regular class teacher. Behaviour management is far harder as the kids don't feel the same investment.
But try these things :
Be consistent and enforce policy
Read a book on behaviour management to help
Praise the hell out of them, even the naughty ones 'Kyra, isn't your hair a nice colour! Don't forget to put your blazer on sweetheart' even when Kyra is ignoring the uniform policy
Start with positives
Big confident smile
Remember it's a confidence trick to make them believe you're in charge.

Also, get a supply teacher job and stop underselling yourself with the crap CS wage.

I personally think it is a tough job you have and poor pay. Well done for sticking at it.

Start looking for alternative employment that values you more but in the meantime thank you as a parent for being there to supervise the children when teachers are ill etc.