Anyone beginning their PGCE this September?

[Louise12]

Hi ,

Just thought I would say hello and ask if there is anyone beginning a PGCE this September. I have two teenagers and am starting my PGCE in a few weeks time. Feeling extremely nervous but excited. I just hope I can cope with what I know to be a very intense course.

Best wishes to anyone beginning their studies at the same time and juggling family life alongside!

No time for anything these days! I'm on placement two days a week,going up to 4 after half-term and have loads of tasks to do as well as the journal and an essay. And to cap it all I broke my finger last night

stamps foot there is always time for mn! i even put on my october coat especially. I have been in school for 7 days and have 2 days left of induction block. So needless to say i have a half filled lever arch that needs to be finished filling, a reflective essay to write and a lesson to finish planning ready for teaching to the kids on monday. Oh and to top it off i have OU assignment due in in 2 weeks and a subject audit to do. PLus i start block a in a weeks time - proper teaching then 10hrs/week

Doesnt even seem like there is time to sleep reading all that back.

Am finding that it is v difficult to work at home - I get lots done at college, but once at home switch into SAHM mode and end up cooking,spending time with DCs etc. Must go need to prepare SEN topic for tomorrow.
Sleep? what's that?
(Doing a pgce is a bit like having a v young baby in that respect)

With you with that I have to prepare for a review tomor and have only just sat done to think about it but find myself worrying about things like lunch boxes and other stuff instead. I need an early night.

I desperately need an early night too. Am trying to finish presentation tomorrow so can do dds reading, prepare packed lunches and go to bed! I thought I worked hard before but I was so wrong. Still,my mentor has been positive about my teaching so I must be doing something right.

it's going swimmingly here.

i've had about 2 flu episodes and now an ear infection since starting and have taken only 1.5 days off.

talk about stress!

sherazade - hope you're feeling better. Sounds like the stress is starting to kick in now. I think I will start to panic once the school observations start in November. Am really enjoying things at the moment - really need to brush up on maths and science subject knowledge though. Have some maths tasks but bizzarely task 2 has to be submitted (today, online) before task 1.

We had a Learning and Teaching session all day yesterday and all the tutors were very excited because Andrew Pollard was there - he was quite inspiring and gave a reminder of the rewards in teaching so that was a bit of a boost.

hello everyone! I am seriously considering doing the PGCE, but am still researching it. Like most of you, i have a young child(21 months), so am scared i wouldn't be able to cope!
before i can even ask about the pgce, i don't have the gcse maths needed. Can anyone tell me what they had to do in this case, and if they combined subject training with maths gcse- or if there are courses that do everything!My local college website says you have to have a D grade minimum to get on the gcse course- I have an E grade!thought about doing an equivalence course you can do from home..... Can anybody give me some advice please?Good luck all!

As far as i am aware, they wont consider your application if you dont have the grade. some unis offer an equivalency exam but it depends on what you want to do and which uni as some are stricter then others. Which subject is your degree in and what are you thinking about doing as that might have some relevance. eg i think they are stricter in primary about the maths then secondary

How is everyone doing? Or are you all too snowed under with planning, assignments and key skills requirements to come post anymore?

Is anyone else finding the further they get into the course the more they are enjoying it? I taught my first lesson in my block A placement school today. Whilst I didnt think it went that well i got really positive feedback, which was nice. There is still a lot of work to be done to get to qualified level of in lesson calm from the kids but they are lovely. Looking forward to teaching the next lesson after half term. What and how is everyone else doing?

I am barely managing to fit in eating and sleeping at the moment, and I'm not even in school yet!

I am enjoying the course work, but it feels like such a lot of information and I am wondering how it will all fit together.

My first placement if after half term and I am partly excited and mostly terrified!

My house is a mess, my ironing pile is gigantic, I am beginning to look forward to housework as it means I get a break from studying (very worrying!) and I have moments of feeling great and then moments of feeling completely overwhelmed...tell me this is normal?!

Well done on your lesson today DEM, it's good that you're looking forward to the next one!

Yep tis normal. i nearly quit a few weeks back and very grateful to a fellow student who kick some sense into me. I have a bombsite and and laundry monster to tame over half term, combined with assignments and lesson planning and key skills portfolio. Didnt even get breakfast this morning. But that is how it is. Will probably hate every moment of the group that are a little less then angels, but never know they might surprise me...

I am on placement and absolutely knackered! Have been teaching parts of lessons and enjoying it but have a particularly noisy Yr7 science class who are stressing me out - how to get them to quieten down? I've just finished making a starter for tomorrow so am going to bed now. Glad to hear everyone's still on board

Really interesting to hear how your placements are going. I started mine yesterday, so far so good, just observing at the moment. I find that there is so much information to note down and am just thinking about how to organise my file - have lots of specific observations to complete too so will have to make notes during the lesson. Am in complete denial about every having to teach though .

hi all! its been a long time since i popped in. think we're all so busy we've no time for mnetting.

well, i had my second supervised visit today and it didn't go well. i knew, while teaching, that the class was not going that well. i was finding it hard to get my point across and was lecturing rather than getting the class involved.

anyway, my tutor and i went to a room to discuss her comments afterwards. i suggested to her that it had gone badly and she said that we had a lot of areas to look at. i was so tired and disappointed that i started crying like an idiot . i'm finding this much harder than i thought i would. its so frustrating, my first visit was ok. feel like i'm going backwards. i can't get a handle on the teaching...i'm not sure if i have the ability...plus i'm cold and can't really afford to put on the heating.

well, rant over . sorry all... i'm just so scared that i've put money and time into this course and that i will not get a good mark. hope everybody here is having a better week than me .

o mamaloves..., I'm sure we'll all have days like that. I question my decision every day to start this course. I think we just have to develop a very thick skin and focus on the things that go well. It is very tough.

Mama - On our course they have really emphasised the fact that you learn much more from a bad lesson than you do a good one. They said that they would worry if we just got it right from the off.

I would feel exactly the same as you (and I would cry too!) but try to take the positives from it if you can. You'll be a much better teacher for it I'm sure. If you're having a wobble maybe have a look on the TES site forums at the student section, as there are lots of people feeling similar, and lots of positive replies and suggestions.

saadia - I am also in denial about having to teach, glad it's not just me!

i wish it was the teaching bit that i find hard. I had a review meeting with my in school mentor and the short of it is I can do the teaching bit and that is improving nicely lesson by lesson but if i dont sort my paperwork out I will fail it is a bit of a nightmare really. I dont get the qt standards requirement bit and i teach on the fly so the lesson plans are plus i failed the first assignmnet. thankfully it wasnt assessed and i have been given guidance about what i need to do for the next one but still... it will be intersting and need to submit a plan by the end of the weekend really. So this weekend i shall juggle the ironing and laundry, doing something with ds, the weekly review, anything that i have forgotten paperwork wise and this essay plan which requires reading and thinking about. tis a nightmare really. Do we have a communal stash of pro plus we can raid as needed? shall i start one and we use as needed. Caffine on drip also available.

Hello, I'm not doing a PGCE yet but am considering it. I want to teach secondary maths and was wondering what the PGCE is like? Do you get taught about the curriculum and what to teach in each lesson? There are other questions I want to ask but can't think of them just now, DS2 is howling his head off!!! Any advice would be great ta, and sorry to hijack this thread.
Good luck to you all

Hi VJay. I'm doing 7-14 so do most lectures with secondary students. You get an overview of the curriculum and the national strategies but planning you learn on placement through working with your mentor. There should be schemes of work and medium term plans in place and you work from those and the national curriculum objectives to plan lessons. is all good fun

On a sadder note, I have to let you all know that I am leaving my course as my mum has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and has about 6 months left. I hope to return and finish it next year and wish you all the very best of luck with your courses. I'll check in now and then to see how you're doing.

Thankyou KateF, and so sorry to about your mum.

Am really sorry to hear that Kate, wishing you lots of strength for the coming months .

So sorry to hear that KateF, wishing you and your family strength and peace at this difficult time .

kate, i'm sorry to hear about your mum , sending hugs your way...

as for the pgce... oh my word!!!
what cna I say!
I feel like i've been mentally and emotionally battered for the past 4 months!
My school was amazing, i had a gorgeous class of childrent what i bonded with and a super mentor. I was graded outstanding for this placement :-)
on the othe rhand i think i have developed a bbit of depression over not seeing my children as much as i desperately want to.. is this normal? doesnt seem to be as the staff have under 5's and don't seem to be rushing home to them the way I do :-( i've really struggled with being a MUM and a teacher.

children THAT i bonded with.. i know the spelling and grammar is shocking in above post.. blame it on the exhaustion!