Is quitting a placement possible?

[Warmday]

I’m not sure on this. I’ve felt really run down lately by my placement. I’m sat here always counting down the days. It’s really cliquey when I go in for my week on week off duty. Then due to lockdown I never see my mentor as we work diff rotas. I feel unsupported sometimes because no one tells me anything I’m literally constantly chasing someone to find things out. I don’t even have a timetable yet and I’m like 3 months in. I’m just tired. I’m really tired. Idk if it’s lockdown or just the school itself. I’m really exhausted and I want to leave my placement. But I’m not sure if that meant I’m basically quitting the course.

I feel so run down, I just need structure in my life all the time because of my ocd and I feel like no ones giving me any support in that way at placement. Of course they’re all busy. But that’s what a mentor is for. To help.

What do I do :(

Don't quit yet. There should be a professional tutor that is in overall charge of all the mentors and trainees- do you know who that is? Can you contact them and tell them that you're struggling to get time with your mentor, and that you don't yet have a timetable? Things are very difficult in schools atm but if they have trainees they are still obligated to support you. I feel really bad for trainees at the moment, what a difficult time to get the hang of teaching and I'm sure there are people up and down the country feeling just like you.

It may well be a cliquey school and not the right place for you, but remember it is not your forever school, just a few more months and then you'll be done and free to look for a school that will suit you. You may well secure a job soon and that'll perk you up.

I've worked as a professional tutor and have had to manage situations like yours lots of times - it may be as simple as a change of mentor - perhaps yours is overwhelmed with the current situation and not able to support you as well as they might normally. Hang on in there op and contact the professional tutor or SLT member in charge of teacher training.

@Ploughingthrough you had me in tears. I can’t thank you enough for that. I really did feel like quitting but I agree. I’ll make sure I keep pulling myself through. I’m halfway in there’s only halfway more to go.

I’ll have a chat with my tutor who hosts the placements. I just don’t want it to come across as me saying my mentors not good enough. It’s not that. It’s just j really need more help.

I fully know work should never feel like work if you love it. I loved my last placement so much. I had loads of trainees around me to bounce off. Here I have no one. I have to sit among staff cliques and I feel like I’m being a bad trainee if I just take myself off elsewhere.

I just feel drained. But thanks for your encouragement kind internet stranger.

Unless you really feel like you can't cope just keep going, knowing that teacher training is a monumental struggle at the moment and many are feeling out of their depth. Remember this is unprecedented even for experienced teachers, and it is easy to let your trainee slip by the wayside even unintentionally.
Don't worry about feeding back to your tutor who sort the placements. You can make it clear you are not moaning about your mentor but that you feel a bit out your depth and need a bit of extra support to pull you through. You can do it, in a few short months you'll be an actual teacher which is awesome.

I fully know work should never feel like work if you love it
I mean this kindly, but even if you like your job there are always going to be a few shit parts that feel like work! I love being a teacher but as a HoD I sure as hell don't like writing knowledge, skills and understanding statements which is taking up my time today! Don't overthink so much, no one cares if you 'take yourself off elsewhere' just say you've got some planning to do.

Just don't quit, the profession needs you and this is just one placement before what is hopefully years of a good career. My favourite favourite part of my job is supporting new and training staff, so if I can help you via PM, even just emotionally (but also practically) then drop me a message.

@Ploughingthrough you’re so kind. Honestly you’re pretty much the only reason I have spent time rethinking quitting.

I think it’s more often than not the decider of why many people leave. It just feels like I’m the odd one out. I feel like I’m mentally drained chasing after others to help or not having a mentor in the building when I am. I’m rushing round asking others who have their own things going on.

Not having other trainees with me also. That’s something difficult. I don’t have moral support from other similar. Or someone I can bounce a rubbish day off. I just feel tired and this placements taken it outta me mentally.

I feel like it’s very important I’m proactive. But when I’m organising every literal thing. It’s frustrating af.

It depends on your uni but unless you have a really good reason, you usually can't change your placement school. You would need to provide evidence showing you are not being supported and you have actively tried to rectify this. Your link tutor should be able to give you advice on how to best go about this. You certainly won't be the first student teacher who has felt like this.

In regards to the school being cliquey- unfortunately many schools are and even if you were to go to another school, it may be similar. I remember that feeling from my student teacher days but I imagine it feels even more isolating at the moment as you can't meet up with friends etc. at the moment. As pp said, it is not your forever school, try to get through it. I made myself a placement countdown calendar and gave myself a treat every Friday for getting through the week.

Mentors should be supportive but it can be an incredibly stressful responsibility, one which many have been given on top of other responsibilities. I find that it usually adds about 2 hours extra work to an already busy week. I always see my class as my number one priority and my student teacher comes second place to that. Could it be the case that your class teacher is so engrossed in trying to meet the needs of the class they have overlooked you? Have you asked for support and not got it, or are they oblivious to the fact you need it?

You must be doing a brilliant job though- if you were not, no matter how busy everyone was, they would not be letting you get on with it. So be proud of everything you have done so far!

hope you've had a good start to the week op and you're feeling a bit more positive about getting through this placement.

@Ploughingthrough I really just want to say Thankyou. You really helped me, I don’t know why but you just gave me a bit more confidence plus I made a countdown calendar and keep in my mind this isn’t the place I want to stay and this is a choice I can make.

Thanks again @Ploughingthrough I wouldn’t feel like this if it wasn’t for your kind words

@Warmday you're so welcome. hang on in there, the placement will be done soon then you can spend time trying to find the right school for you.