To ask about your best student teachers?

[AttaGirrrrl]

Shamelessly a TAAT but I thought it was important to get the positive side too. Potential trainees reading the other thread must be terrified!

I’ll start:

• anyone who is there because they genuinely like teenagers, rather than because they didn’t know what to do with their degree
• any student who has done their planning and listens to advice
• any student who asks questions because they want to learn
• anyone who washes their mug after themselves and offers to make coffee for others when they’re doing their own

The absolute stand outs for me:

• the student who not only continued teaching (that lesson and all of the rest of my lessons that day), but kept the class calm and reassured when I collapsed in a lesson and had to be bluelighted to hospital
• same trainee, who despite naturally being an excellent teacher, listened carefully to every tiny bit of feedback she was given and acted on it in the very next lesson. She was an (exceptional) HOD within two years.
• the woman who got the school bus and ate her dinner in the canteen every day because she wanted to udnerstand school from a pupil POV too (I’m not suggesting anyone does this btw, but it showed me who she was)
• the teaching pair who tidied the English office

The school bus woman sounds like the TA from Nativity. I can remember the school bus and canteen from my school days and they honestly haven't changed much .

I am not in education. However, my eldest son who has SEN had a brilliant NQT a few years ago. Thanks to a young man of no more than 21/22 he grew in confidence so much. His sleep improved massively, he stopped hurting himself when he felt anxious and he achieved higher marks than he ever has done before or since.

My message to all of the student teachers and newly qualified teachers is that you can make an enormous difference, and even though you may be young and inexperienced you can still be totally amazing.

This is a brilliant point @Patssewingbadge
Two of the best teachers my DS has had have been trainees. They’d read his Ed psych report (unlike his class teacher ) and ‘got’ that he was autistic and anxious, not naughty. Also, because they didn’t teach all of the lessons they were able to observe him in others and get a really good idea of his character. He thrived under their care.

I worked in schools, but the best trainee I ever encountered taught DD2.
DD has narcolepsy and a few very specific triggers. She struggled in the trainees first class and had to explain why. By the next class the poor trainee had, at very short notice, adapted quite a few bits of her lessons so that DD didn’t miss out. Many experienced teachers just asked her to leave the room over the years and I was very impressed by the trainee.

same trainee, who despite naturally being an excellent teacher, listened carefully to every tiny bit of feedback she was given and acted on it in the very next lesson. She was an (exceptional) HOD within two years.

Two years after doing her pgce she was a HoD? That’s really hard to believe.

Quite agree with this thread, op. My most recent trainee arrived keen to develop, quietly watched and asked proving questions….about the kids. She learned their names really swiftly and made superb progress over a term. She was a fun, team player and will be a stellar teacher. I have two boards in my room and her name remained on one of them after she left because my kids asked me to leave it there after she’d left as they missed her. I’d have employed her after six weeks.

You can believe it or not @PurpleDaisies, but it’s true

We’ve surely all seen exceptional teachers who rise through the ranks quickly? It’s when the non-exceptional ones do that it’s frustrating!

Being a good head of department isnt about being an exceptional teacher. Some of the better heads of departments I know are good teachers but exceptional man managers, planners and decision makers. I don’t think when you take on extra responsibility is necessarily linked to how utterly outstanding a teacher you are, and I’m not sure it needs to be.

@PurpleDaisies

same trainee, who despite naturally being an excellent teacher, listened carefully to every tiny bit of feedback she was given and acted on it in the very next lesson. She was an (exceptional) HOD within two years.

Two years after doing her pgce she was a HoD? That’s really hard to believe.

Three yrs after I qualified I was acting joint head of subject and a head of year.

Acting joint head of department is not the same as a sole head of department after two years is not the same as a permanent sole head of department after two.

I clearly can’t write coherently today. Hope it’s obvious what I meant.

Once had a very cocky male student teacher... he was a pain in some respects but the kids loved him and his actual lessons were ace! He once appeared dressed up as an astronaut to teach a lesson on the moon 😁

I had a horrible mentor on one of my placements when I was training so I try so hard to be kind and supportive of my student teachers!

Have had some terrible students but most are just young and inexperienced..especially trainees doing a teaching degree! Some can be 18,19,20 years old and to have to teach a lesson can be so daunting! As long as they spend time reflecting on feedback then you soon see how much progress they make.

The best trainees I've mentored instinctively knew how to assert authority, maintain respect and have the kids genuinely like them. As opposed to the ones who thought they needed to be the kids' best pals and it was all 'mate, mate, come on maaaaate.'
For me, the best NQTs have high yet achieveable expectations for our children in spite of their deprived backgrounds. The weaker NQTs have often been of the 'our poor kids, they can't be expected to do xyz...' Very frustrating.

We had a really great trainee about 5 years ago. She was so thorough and hardworking, pleasant and interesting to chat to. If things didn't go well, she always heeded advice. She often observed pshe lessons in addition to her tt, just to get an idea of what was involved. She found it tough, but never gave up with the tricky year 9s and came through it well.

I had an amazing trainee a few years ago. Not afraid to ask for advice, implemented suggestions, observed extra lessons across the school to help with specific things (eg she asked to see a language teacher so she could get ideas for teaching key words in her science lessons). She worked hard, but efficiently so didn't do insane hours and burn out. Four years on she's now a head of year and teaches my nephew (he loves her).