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The staffroom

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Original poster

Finding it hard to work with NQT- please help

27 replies

BerryFramedGlasses · 13/10/2019 21:03

We're both in Y3. She's finding everything difficult but she doesn't come to me for help. I'm not her mentor so I can understand that and I don't want to undermine her. She isn't very approachable and doesn't really do chit-chat.

The other thing is that I don't really have time to mentor her (and I realise that sounds terrible). I've been teaching for a long time and I generally know what I'm doing. I have a lot of resources to draw on, which hugely helps workload, and I'm happy with how/what I teach. I don't want to hand over all my resources to someone else, and at the same time, I don't have time to sit and plan in-depth with her either.

I realise I sound like an utter bitch, but I feel guilty about watching someone struggling.

OP posts:
Mamasaurus82 · 13/10/2019 21:09

Have you told her mentor she needs more support? Maybe she's super stressed and that's why she's not chatty.

saraclara · 13/10/2019 21:15

I don't want to hand over all my resources to someone else

Why not? The essence of working together in a year group is sharing good practice and resources. when I found good resources for shared topics or books (or anything really) I'd share it with my year group colleagues.
Sharing resources is not like sharing pie. You don't lose them when you offer themto others. There's no downside unless you see teaching as a competition that you deserve to win.

Have you forgotten what it's like to be new to teaching? And these days it's even tougher to hit the ground running.

sakura06 · 13/10/2019 21:15

Just share a few resources with them. There's no harm in that. I'm sure they'd appreciate it.

ifeellikeanidiot · 13/10/2019 21:22

Are you both planning and resourcing separately then? That's madness, surely, adds so much to work load.

Original poster
BerryFramedGlasses · 13/10/2019 21:23

Have you forgotten what it's like to be new to teaching? And these days it's even tougher to hit the ground running

I'm worried that I have, tbh.

I think I'll go with emailing some things over and putting some master copies in her tray. I don't want to impose myself on her either.

OP posts:
user1471453601 · 13/10/2019 21:26

I'm confused. She doesn't come to you for help as you are not her mentor. I understand that bit. Who is asking you to hand over all your r esources, and to whom? Who is asking you to sit and plan in depth with her if she doesn't come to you for help?

Original poster
BerryFramedGlasses · 13/10/2019 21:28

Are you both planning and resourcing separately then? That's madness, surely, adds so much to work load.

I'm not really, because I've been in Y3 before, so I'm just tweaking round the edges to match the needs of certain children. Her mentor was working with her on planning at the start of term but has backed off now and I feel like I've not been given much guidance about where I've to come in.

She really doesn't do chit chat so I've found it hard to build up a relationship- e.g. we all tend to make a cuppa at 3.15 and a lot of casual planning happens then. She doesn't come along to the staffroom even although we've all gently suggested it.

OP posts:
Original poster
BerryFramedGlasses · 13/10/2019 21:29

Who is asking you to hand over all your r esources, and to whom? Who is asking you to sit and plan in depth with her if she doesn't come to you for help?

Oh, no-one has asked. I'm just going off how I worked successfully with colleagues before.

OP posts:
Littlefish · 13/10/2019 21:32

Why on earth aren't you sharing planning? You shouldn't have separate planning if you are both teaching the same year-group. The planning should be basically the same, but then personalised for each class to reflect the children's needs.

I'm sorry to say that you sound really unsupportive as a year group partner.

Does your school not have an ethos of working together?

user1471453601 · 13/10/2019 21:34

Thanks for your clarification. If you've done this for/with other colleagues, why are you reluctant to do this with this NQT?

Perunatop · 13/10/2019 21:35

You really should share your resources for the benefit of the children she is teaching, while encouraging her to develop some of her own. You sound a little patronising, just try to recall what your first year was like.

BluePheasant · 13/10/2019 21:36

Why wouldn't you share your resources with her? It sounds like she's struggling and she's probably got the vibe you don't want to work with her so is it any wonder she isn't chatty with you. Teaching is so hard to get going in these days but it seems like all too often there is this sense of rivalry instead of being a team which really doesn't help matters. Some people are natural high flyers, some need a bit more nurturing in the first few years before they go on to become great teachers themselves.

Original poster
BerryFramedGlasses · 13/10/2019 21:37

Thankfully our school planning is excellent and designed to reduce workload. Her mentor really took the lead with her at the start of term so I think I just didn't hit the ground running with her and I'm not finding her approachable at all, which is making things worse.

OP posts:
Scarydinosaurs · 13/10/2019 21:38

Aren’t all your documents in a shared area?

What makes you think she’s struggling?

Cohle · 13/10/2019 21:39

I think you're creating a problem where none exists.

She isn't asking you for help and, given you aren't her mentor, management aren't expecting you to either.

If you wanted to help her out of the goodness of your heart then, great, do so. But given how you feel about sharing resources it doesn't sound like you do actually want to help her, so ... don't.

I don't really understand the issue.

Original poster
BerryFramedGlasses · 13/10/2019 21:40

A lot of my resources are things like games or sorting activities with parts which have been all cut out and laminated. I'm reluctant to share those because it's too easy to get nothing back.

I'm going to share more of the things I have master copies for.

OP posts:
unicorncupcake · 13/10/2019 21:42

She really doesn't do chit chat so I've found it hard to build up a relationship- e.g. we all tend to make a cuppa at 3.15 and a lot of casual planning happens then. She doesn't come along to the staffroom even although we've all gently suggested it.

I’ve just started at a new school and find the staffroom really intimidating. I literally pop in there to fill up my water bottle and then go back to my classroom. I’m gradually getting more confident in speaking to new colleagues. However I’ve been a teacher for 15 years and worked in lots of schools And I know that eventually it will seem easier. She may well be too nervous to go in after school with everyone else there. how about taking in some biscuits one day next week, bringing her a cup of tea and saying ‘ok on a Tuesday can we meet for 20 mins after school just to go through planning-I’ve got some great resources for x-y-z that we can use, do you have any good ideas for our topic lessons next week?’ And go from there.

BluePheasant · 13/10/2019 21:51

It sounds to me like she's just lacking in confidence and probably terrified. Maybe occasionally instead of going to staffroom at 3.15, seek her out and do a bit of planning just the two of you. Am sure she will gradually come out of her shell.

Original poster
BerryFramedGlasses · 13/10/2019 21:54

I'm going to really try. Thanks all Flowers

OP posts:
Alwayshangryhangry · 13/10/2019 22:21

I found it so horrid during my nqt year how horrid some teachers can be (considering everyone has experienced the training and nqt year pressures). I make it my mission to help out any newbie.

Alwayshangryhangry · 13/10/2019 22:24

And I second what a pp has said. Staffrooms can be so intimidating for new staff. I had as a target during my pgce "to integrate more with other staff." I found the school so gossipy and judgy, i just wanted to avoid it

LolaSmiles · 14/10/2019 19:50

Some of what you say is reasonable but some sounds really quite unkind. That said, I'm glad you're going to be sharing more. It makes a massive difference to new staff (and even experienced staff to be honest, our department has shared folders where we all add in things we've tried, homeworks, intervention and so on so that others can steal it and get ideas).

We always tell our trainees and NQTs that there's no award for reinventing the wheel and we share and share alike (except one colleague who seems to think that everyone should do their time of feeling really shit and working til midnight because it's character building and anything else is massaging their egos, but then I think their attitude is horrible).

Itsfineactually · 15/10/2019 19:05

As an NQT, I think you're being really mean. I have brought along and shared all my resources with my new staff that I have 'begged, borrowed and stealed' during my training year. They likewise have shared with me. Share and share alike

Tanaqui · 15/10/2019 19:57

Actually, I think it is really hard to share if someone isn't chatty- you don't want to come over as bossy or like you think she can't do it herself! I think if you have invited her to come for a cuppa the onus was really on her to accept. Yes it's hard, but it's part of the job. Maybe she likes doing it herself - lots of teachers prefer to do their own planning! Just be nice and tell her to shout if she needs anything.

fedup21 · 15/10/2019 21:01

How is the planning done? In every school I’ve been in, we’ve planned together as a year group and divvied up who is going to provide which resources.