Need support

[Need2looseastoneor2]

I have started teacher training in secondary school so am on my first placement. My mentor seems to be narcissistic this has made life difficult. I emailed my uni tutor complaining about my mentor this has now escalated and the school know about my complaint and I am waiting to hear if they will let me carry on with the placement with a new mentor. This has been a massive distraction from my training practice and the school think I don't have the necessary attributes to pass the placement. I don't feel I've had a fair shot at it yet and have asked to go back. Any advice?

I sympathised with and supported a student teacher whose mentor was a psychopathic inadequate bully. Despite my standing in school as Head of another Faculty and an experienced teacher of the trainee's (and the bully's) subject, no notice was taken, I received a strong informal telling-off for 'being divisive' and she continued to struggle.

Fortunately she managed to do her second placement in a properly-managed school with a supportive mentor, and succeeded the year. Sadly, her treatment at the hands of my 'colleague' ultimately put her off teaching, and she went into industry.

My advice is to try to stand up for yourself, keep a copy of everything and ask to see examples of your mentor's 'best practice' ... that might shame her/him into submission ...

Thanks, my placement has now been withdrawn as a result of my 'slanderous' comments I made in an email. There is an expectation for me to apologise. Previous student teachers have not had a problem with her. So now I have to rethink the whole thing.

I think making v personal commrnts about the mentor is a mistake. You would have been better to couch your reason for needing a change in other ways.