Unhelpful school mentor?

[followthefairytalexx]

I am doing some experience days before my PGCE in September in the school I will be teaching in. I've only had 4 days of experience one last week and one this week. My mentor is nice but she makes me feel like I'm a burden. She doesn't eat lunch with me and doesn't show me how to do stuff and criticises everything I do like the lunch I bring or me not being able to find my way around the school yet which is crazy I've only been there 4 days! I am scared to ask her for help now, she seems like she doesn't want to be a mentor and I feel like a burden already. All of the staff make me feel like that.

Bubbles buddy you know nothing about what it would be like working with me or noble.

I'm a very supportive mentor who gives up time for mentees over and above the expected amount. I reply to last minute lesson plans after 11pm, I sort things at the last minute in the morning if trainees are struggling, I sit with them more than the required hour a week and help them. I dealt with an issue during February half term which took over 6 hours of phonecalls, emails etc. I don't mind doing this to get people in the classroom and teaching half decent lessons. However the reality is that the time is a drain on me mentally and impacts on my workload. A lot of time when training is spent reflecting and reviewing your practise....sometimes these conversations aren't pleasant and can contain criticisms. Part of being a trainee is accepting this and acting on it.

How could they be nicer? Eat lunch with you and show you the way round? You're a grown up!

@teachermaths I wouldn't be opposed to being criticised on my teaching etc thats not the issue

Yes im a grown up whos new to something and would like people to be friendly... what a revelation. No need to be so bitter.

Agree with @noblegiraffe. I think the key thing to point out is that the school gets money for trainees. The Dept/teachers don't - and they are the ones who get the extra burden. Our SLT happily take PGCE students and assign them mentors. I'm a massively overstretched HoD and really wouldn't want a PGCE student next year, thanks. It's one more thing on my workload - not one less. No one will give me any extra time which is the thing I'm short of; my A level classes are bursting at the seams - classes of 25 or more, which is utterly ridiculous. My PPA is slashed to the minimum - I actually get 30 mins a week to do my HoD role - 1 extra PPA per fortnight, yet the amount of work I'm expected to do on top is incredible. I don't have the time or the energy to mentor a student and at this point in the year I am knackered. Energy levels have been sucked by Y11 and Y13 - and now (hooray) I have Y7-9 doing end of year exams, 3 Y10 classes (90 students) sitting GSCE papers and 2 Year 12 classes sitting Mock A level papers. Great. Huge amounts of History marking. On top of that end of year reports, UCAS reports - and I can see why your mentor might be a bit curt and frazzled.

Perhaps if SLT mentored trainee PGCE students rather than just expecting overstretched staff to do it they would be lovelier. You say your mentor is nice, but makes me feel like a burden. You are one. At least she's nice. I'm struggling to be that to anyone at the moment.

You haven't actually said, apart from lunch, why they haven't been friendly? It might just be a different environment to what you are used to.

@teachermaths Perhaps it is a different environment. Everyone seems cold and unwelcoming and reluctant to help and thats how i feel

What was your previous job?

What are they expecting of you over these 4 days?

What subject?

BubblesBuddy
I think teachermaths is making some fair points.

I really enjoy teaching. I'm glad i retrained. On advice threads here I'll always give realistic and honest advice (including when I think schools and mentors are out of order) I also love being a trainee and NQT mentor and bend over backwards for them because I know how much I valued having to supportive mentors (helpful but not hand holding).

But, and this is true, there is no extra pay for it and I don't get given time for it.

With a good trainee (not as in teaching good, as in good approach), they are proactive, thoughtful, self-aware, understand the demands of schools or are at the very much open to the idea that they are finding their feet. They refer to the course packs, they make notes, they use materials given to them (e.g. maps/staff or trainee handbooks). They slot into the team well, get involved but don't demand loads of fuss. Even if they are a good trainee who is weak at teaching, they work with class teachers and mentors but they also use their own initiative and don't place unreasonable demands on the school. It's a pleasure to work with them and see them grow.

With less good trainees they are very much a burden. They are very quick to complain about the tiniest things, they will turn up regularly during people's prep time asking questions that have already been covered multiple times, complain to their training provider if I've set them prep work other than lesson planning because they have decided (with all of the expertise of 20 days in school) that it's not useful to them and is preventing them planning lessons (rather than accepting that prep is going to make them a better teacher). They take professional constructive criticism as personal nastiness and are quick to be the victim saying class teachers and mentors are being mean and 'always telling them what's wrong' without thinking thay every lesson has positives and areas of development. They can be regularly incessant with questions rather than using their initiative (e.g. I had a trainee who would stop me asking for information that I knew was in the training provider file given to all trainees and then when I told them that I didn't know off my head but go and look in their course pack, got shirty).

Both types of trainee exist. I do my very best for both, but on occasions have had to involve the training provider with the second type because they were becoming like a vampire sucking the life out of staff. It's always horrible if it gets to that point, but ultimately they have to be made aware of how training placements work.

I hope you don't decide I'd be a horrible person to work with now.

“Trainees are a burden” really?
Yes they take up time yes they require support yes in many occupations (not just teachers) mentors are not given extra time or money but we need them. Not only to ensure that our chosen occupation continues but because having a trainee who challenges our practice by questioning why we do what we do we have to be able to justify our actions and this helps us as individuals to maintain high standards In our practice. They may have worked in other areas be it another school hospital office local council etc and have seen alternative ways of working which they can share again or have ideas that will improve our practice. As a mentor I am acting as a role model for my mentee I want to be a good role model, I reflect on what I do, am I behaving in a professional way, are my decisions correct, am I demonstrating the highest standard possible? They also bring up to date ideas they’ve learnt in university and often know about current research. Three times in my career I’ve worked in areas with no trainees and the staff’s practice was out of date, unused to being challenged the staff had become complacent their practice was not underpinned by current research and they didn’t like it when what they did was questioned. Trainees are not a burden they are essential part of maintaining high standards we need hem as much as they need us.

They also bring up to date ideas they’ve learnt in university

You obviously have no experience of trainee teachers. The ideas coming out of university are like something from the dark ages in most cases.

@lolasmiles I don't think you’d be a horrible person to work with at all! I have no problem with taking initiative. Because I'm only doing experience days I haven't been given any maps handbooks or anything so perhaps thats why I have struggled a bit. I am very respectful of my mentor and I get its part of teaching but just from a human perspective it would be nice to feel a bit more welcome.

@Teachermaths English, Ive just finished university, and they just want me to observe lessons, meet the department etc.

I had a similar experience when I was in one of my pgce posts - one staff member was so rude, pulling faces and shrugging at me when I asked for help with classroom control of a tricky group, made me feel like an idiot all the time, complained about pgce students coming into her lessons while I was standing there, mocked me in front of the kids. I wish I had some advice to make it easier but some people are just arseholes :( it’ll go fast and hopefully u will be luckier with your first job x

followthefairytalexx
Maps would be a logical thing for them to have provided you with. I find that having things like that ready reduces the number of questions

Are you all in one block? Or at you moving around a bit?

I think you're seeing the common phenomenon of 'passing like ships in the night' which is quite common. If you say your mentor is nice then I'd probably chalk this up to it being a busy time of year.

When you said PGCE but one school, are you going to be shadowing classes gradually (usually with 2 placements) or more school direct teaching your own timetable? That would make a difference to what I might advise moving forward.

Teacherofmaths perhaps I have. I have to say that when I did my PGCE I was unsure what we learnt in university little of it could be applied to actual teaching. Our trainees luckily are not just taught airy fairy out of date ideas.

Ah that sounds fair enough. Have they put together a timetable?

There's usually a more formal settling in day in September where you get handbooks etc.

Try not to take the lack of feeling "welcome" personally. They're probably just busy. I don't really see how you can struggle with observations and meeting people though?!

@lolasmiles its school direct style.

@Teachermathsnever I never said Im struggling with observations and meeting people... I enjoy that aspect and Im enjoying being there and looking forward to teach. I would just like some of the people to be friendlier.

Ok, so what I would do is ask your mentor if they have 20 mins or so to have a chat about September at a convenient time.

Then make some notes about what you'd like to know and I would suggest the following sort of questions:

• what texts do they study at ks3/4 so you can read them?
• would it be possible for them to email your timetable when it gets released so you aren't going in cold in September (only do that if you know you are going to be a stand alone member if staff - if you're going to pick up other people's classes don't ask this as it won't be done!)
• is it possible to have access to schemes of work for the autumn term so that you can swot up?
• what's the format of the PD day on the first day?
• if you have any questions between now and the end of terms, would it be ok to contact by email or would they rather start fresh in September
• is there anything they feel a trainee joining their department needs to do/know?

They'll be impressed by your initiative, it gives you an opportunity to speak to mentor properly and also starts to establish expectations.

“Schools direct style”
Sorry to be negative but good luck with that one you really will need a very good supportive mentor if youve chosen that route. We had six who sometimes joined our lectures when I was doing my PGCE non finished. Obviously I met teachers who’d been successful in their training through schools direct but it really is a hard route.

Thats really great advice @lolasmiles thankyou Ill be sure to do that.

It's not a problem and if you're still mumsnetting on the course then feel free to PM me. School direct can be a funny route if the trainee is a stand alone teacher as it can turn into people putting on the trainee and forgetting they are a trainee who needs support.

Personally, I would absolutely get your mentor meeting set in stone in September and make sure it happens and you get the required support. It can be easy for mentors to fob off the meetings but they are really important, especially in the early days (and they can ease off later once the trainee is secure).

@Forgetthecareerchange what about it makes it hard in your opinion?

From what I saw those doing schools direct were chucked in at the deep end with little or no support, from day one they were teaching whole lessons (admittedly a reduced timetable) and many seemed to be making it up as they were going along they had attended an intensive course in August and were now standing up in front of a class of kids and were trying to be teach with very little knowledge both practical or theoretical, and with mentors who had the time for them due to their teaching commitments or couldn’t be bothered to help then seeing them as a burden or mix of both. One poor lady who’d Id forgotten about till I saw your comments will always stay with me she was so utterly miserable and drowning she was struggling with lesson planning differentiation, behaviour management you name it and felt totally unsupported she’d moved away from home and had no friends locally she stuck it out for nearly 6 months before throwing in the towel. Others doing schools direct were not as unhappy as that but none finished the training. We were frequently told by our tutors to “fake it until you make it” and they were definitely faking it.