New to your school - how was your first week?

[Wormzy]

I've just moved schools and completed my first week there. Wondering how everyone is getting on?

My first few days have been overwhelming - there are just so many differences, new behaviour systems, completely different tracking and homework systems, almost double the number of classes I'm used to, so many new faces and the site is a maze!

Negatives:

-The kids are definitely trying it on with new staff. Behaviour is a challenge.
-People get shirty about parking spaces. I'm yet to find a non-allocated space to park in without offending someone.

-Ad-hoc meetings all over the place.

Positives:

-Everyone is so supportive, it's unbelievable. I've just stopped so many random staff and asked 'so how does x work' and everyone is incredibly helpful in giving me a crash course there and then.

-Senior leadership are more than happy to muck in, help out with behaviour and not hold it against you. Complete opposite to my last school.

-Everyone is thinking about how to ease workload. The school have invested in making-our-lives-easier technology that actually does exactly that.

So, all in all, I'm glad I moved. I'm spending my first weekend exhausted, cannot switch off for the many new things I have to do and put in place and my brain churning over everything I had to learn. But I know that, once I've adjusted and fully know what I'm doing and once the kids have got used to me being a permanent fixture, life will be infinitely happier and easier than it's been over the last few years of teaching.

How is everyone else finding their new place?

My first week was only 3 days and it was exhausting. I've also got a serious case of I can't remember your name itus. Especially with the staff. I can just about manage to call you Miss Hawshore in front of the children, but can I remember if you're Tina, Mary, Sarah or Kate? Like hell can I.

Exhausting! I hate being new. I'm trying to learn all the names (pupils and staff), but it will take a few more weeks...

I still haven't quite gathered where the staff car park is... I need to follow someone in! My department is OK, but my 'mentor' has a very different approach to teaching and has very low expectations of the pupils-maybe I overestimated their level...

On the more positive side: large, modern, well-equipped school, with friendly staff, and fairly 'easy' pupils... No fights, good discipline, great headmistress... I will survive the year

This is a good reminder for all of us who are not new to look out for newbies. A simple, “how is your day” costs nothing and can make the world of difference.

but my 'mentor' has a very different approach to teaching and has very low expectations of the pupils-maybe I overestimated their level

Remember that you are an independent practitioner and a professional. You don’t have to follow your mentor’s advice if you have good reason not to.

Good. Surprisingly so.

Been at my old school eons so change of systems, kids, staff etc has been a bit of a shock.

But, my department seem nice, and the staff generally seem like a team. The staffroom is busy at lunchtime. SLT are very present, and helpful.

Best bit has been the kids. Taught 4 days last week and didn't give out a single pen, pencil or ruler. Not even to year 9. I'm shocked. The students seem engaged, and far more childlike in the right way lower down the school. Less sassy and smartarsy than my previous (big city) school.

Time will tell but so far, so good.

I'm exhausted though. I'll be a wreck by Christmas. I've already bought vitamin tablets and supplements for energy release.....

I moved to England to Scotland. Finished in July and they started mid-August, so the exhaustion is really kicking in now.

Positives

• staff are lovely and a real close knit bunch with a great sense of humour
• great sense of teamwork and really sensible approach to planning. Everyone's been so generous with their time.
• much better work/life balance- I've been working generally 8-4.30, not bringing too much home AND spending all of break and all of the lunch time in the staffroom!
• no playground duty and no assembly duty!
• teaching as a whole seems much more relaxed and more like when I started teaching. No stupid marking codes and much less concerned with arbitrary notions of 'progress'

Cons

• no TAs... has taken a LOT of getting used to.
• woeful lack of support for SEN
• I'm finding behaviour challenging (probably in connection to the two previous points). There will definitely be a bit of pushing boundaries for a strange face and strange accent in that though, so I'm hoping it will settle down.

On the whole I feel like it's been a really positive move.

Urgh the car park thing does my head in.

Thank you for saying that CraftyGin - I sometimes forget that I am a competent teacher! I will take my mentor's advice, and use it as I see fit

I hate my new place.

It's huge, and feels like chaos.
Inset days were spent listening to random speakers with very little of immediate use, so no time to get together with the the department and plan/figure things out/sort out my room.
Any department time has seen the NQTs taken off for out own meetings so missing out even more.
All the rooms have a funny layout, which my teaching/lesson style does not suit.
I have some classes with more students than seats.
I have no board remote. Which means I can't freeze the board with work on it to do registers. And I have to climb on a chair to turn the board on or off.
And to cap it all off, I hurt myself pretty badly so tomorrow will be spent teaching whilst taking as many painkillers as possible.

Only 186 teaching days to go...

Sorry it started off badly for you. The first week somewhere new can definitely be chaotic as you'll have had even less time to prepare than anyone else in your department. Maybe log the missing remote with IT?

I've definitely had my day of 'what have I let myself in for' when every IT system which could go wrond did go wrong and I couldn't figure out half the acronyms despite having taught for more than 10 years.

Give it until half-term and see how you feel. The first bit is always the hardest.

I asked my dept about the remote. They looked at me like I’d asked for the moon on a stick.

I’ve bought myself one from Amazon.