I feel like I can't reach my full potential at my placement

[fluffyslipper1]

I've been at my placement for a while. I'm done in a couple of months which I must be honest I'm so excited for. But I have found that I'm not able to show my full potential here. I got a first in my degree so I know my stuff and I used to do really well in my subject at school.

On my placement I find it really hard as I've had to simplify everything. I teach a lot of lower set classes which isn't a big deal, but I just find myself having to simplify EVERYTHING. Tier 2 vocab just isn't something these guys get. And what's worse is I feel like they're just going along in education but I don't think they've been able to understand it much.

I find the teaching here quite poor too. Often I've observed teachers making serious mistakes about factual info which is so concerning.

I just feel like I could never flourish as a teacher or show how much I love my subject because I constantly have to simplify everything. It's just a bit hard sometimes I really want to love it but I can't

Simplifying material to match where the students are currently at IS teaching. Matching your lessons to the students in front of you IS part of the definition of good teaching.

A teacher who cannot, or will not, do that is not a good teacher. It doesn't matter if they have a PhD is astrophysics or theology in the Catholic Church between 1000-1234AD, if their lesson is about how much they know and not where the children are then it would be a terrible lesson.

It sounds like you've still got a huge bee in your bonnet about this placement, on everything from what colleagues discuss in the staff room to your decision now that their teaching is poor and you can't flourish because you love your subject.

If you're going to thrive in teaching, you would benefit from taking a step back and reflecting on a couple of central questions:

1. Is what I am doing in every task, in every input, in every lesson helping the children make progress from their current level of attainment?
2. Do I want to spend 22 hours a week carefully structuring my subject so that all children, regardless of prior knowledge, prior attainment or individual needs can make progress?

*Simplifying material to match where the students are currently at IS teaching. Matching your lessons to the students in front of you IS part of the definition of good teaching.

A teacher who cannot, or will not, do that is not a good teacher. It doesn't matter if they have a PhD is astrophysics or theology in the Catholic Church between 1000-1234AD, if their lesson is about how much they know and not where the children are then it would be a terrible lesson.*

@LolaSmiles has hit the nail on the head. It's not about how much you love your subject (although that helps!) or showing off how much you know: teaching is about the students. They are the job.

As the teacher you have the privilege of meeting them wherever they are academically and guiding them forwards, using whatever means and resources you have that suit them the best. This means simplifying language where necessary. It means adapting resources so that they can access them, and flourish.

Nobody becomes an astrophysicist overnight. Not everyone can even become an astrophysicist, or wants to be one. But everyone can learn something. Everyone has the potential to enjoy learning. It's your job as the teacher to open up that potential - and when you manage it, that's the reward.

I always say to my trainees that this is a job that you have to want to do, because if you didn't, it would be horrific.

The best teacher I ever saw got an ordinary degree from the second university they went to after being kicked out of the first one because they weren’t going to pass.

Teaching is about simplifying everything for the pupils. No one cares about how much you love your subject if you can’t do that or aren’t willing to do that or can’t see that that is what the job is. You should be able and willing to teach anything (even stuff you don’t have any level qualification in) because that’s what the job is.

Time for some very hard thinking on your part I’d suggest.

Making your subject accessible to the students you have in front of you is what teaching's all about though isn't it? You have to meet the needs of the students you have.

To be blunt though, I've seen several posts from you now all complaining about this one same placement. The answers have generally been in the same vein..... no school is perfect, learn what you can from it, suck it up, move on at the end,

Whilst you might find a school that you are better suited to in time, I'd suggest that right now you need to take a long, hard look at yourself and wonder if, in fact, the problems are coming from inside you?

I have to say I find your posts increasingly concerning. Why exactly are you doing this job? All you do on here is complain about everyone else's deficiencies ... you're in for a pretty rough career if this is your attitude now. I would genuinely encourage you to seriously cancer whether this is the path for you.

Simplifying things is good teaching. You use the knowledge base the students already have and use that to build up new knowledge.

Tier 2 vocabulary needs explaining to students. Have key word lists and refer back to it. Use retrieval techniques to help students retain the definitions. Encourage them to use the words when writing.

The thing is, not everyone is academically able. Some pupils genuinely struggle with learning.

As teachers, our job is to make learning as accessible as possible to allow pupils to achieve the best they can. That may not be a grade 5.

However, a grade which shows that someone can learn at a basic level is still valuable. It will help them to progress to a job/further training and have a valuable place in society.

If you don’t have the patience to teach younger pupils who take time to understand and learn things then maybe teach adults.

HAHAHAHA
The sheer arrogance. This has got to be a wind-up, right?

Sorry to be blunt but based on pretty much all your posts I think you are possibly barking up the wrong tree by training to teach. What do you think the purpose of teaching is if it is not to simplify, rephrase and reimagine material for the learners you have in front of you? Perhaps you should study at PhD level then look into academia or something. .

You show true security in your knowledge by being able to simplify it and make it comprehensible to even academically challenged students.

If you can't explain something in really simple terms then you don't know it properly imo.

I really hope for your sake that this attitude of superiority is not coming across on your placement. You seem to be sneering at experienced colleagues and student's who 'can't understand' (as others have said - that's the job, helping them to understand). If all students were able and didn't require scaffolding and support to get there then yes you could pontificate and demonstrate your wonderful subject knowledge and I dare say you would find that highly gratifying but that's not the job.

I find I sneak higher learning and more abstract concepts and lines of enquiry into lessons and it's a wonderful feeling when a student not considered 'able' is the one able to respond to that 'think hard' question with something really insightful. It's also great when you find a 'way in' linking something quite complex to something they already understand and relate to and can almost here their brains 'click'.

It doesn't much sound like teaching is for you. If you can afford it get back to uni and do masters and phd and aim for uni lecturing though I'm sure even there you'll find your job is to translate what for you seems obvious but for others is new territory for which they need you to draw a map

Time for a rethink. From all your posts it really doesn’t sound like teaching is the career for you. The whole job is about meeting students where they are and supporting them to understand. Genuinely, I’m baffled by what else you think it is... you standing at the front showing how clever you are?!

Fwiw my DH got a 2:2 and is a seriously outstanding teacher. Because he is amazing at understanding where students are and their barriers to learning & understanding and overcoming them. Being ‘good at school’ does not = being a good teacher.

I'm afraid I have to agree with those who've questioned whether this is the career for you.
I've taught students way smarter than me, and students who needed handholding to get a grade one.
Every one of them deserved a teacher who cares, is committed, and is able to value them.
I have a student this year with a 2 target who will be getting grade 6. I've worked him and myself hard to get there. That's my job.
It's also my job to judge teachers. It's yours to learn from them, not to pass judgement.

Tbh from all your posts I'd be surprised if you got a job in the future- certainly if you speak about colleagues/ students/ yourself in that way in interview.

I agree with others, I don't think teaching is for you...

Jesus, give it a rest.

@winewolfhowls

Jesus, give it a rest.

You said what I was thinking!

Ok I did a search. You’re very high maintenance. You’re complaining that staff talk about lessons and students (aka their job) in the staff room and this is leaving you out? Listen and learn or better yet get some work done. I don’t remember having time to sit around feeling sorry for myself on my pgce.

Ask their advice about a group you’re struggling with and note down suggestions.

What is your subject? I feel like you would be better giving lectures about it at university.

Placement is hard. I’m on the other end of the age spectrum for teaching - I teach early years and trained just over a decade ago.Placements are hard because you have to just slot in and at the end of the day, a certain level of responsibility is being kept from you because at the end of the day you haven’t yet qualified. A student increases a teacher’s work load - the pressure on them is considerably higher than you realise. They don’t have time to stop and natter over a cup of tea, so you as the student have got to use your initiative and approach them yourself or just use the break time productively.

On the issue of simplifying - 2+2 is simple maths. But to most of my class at the start of the year, I may as well have been asking them about GCSE algebra. I have to teach 2+2 in a multitude of different ways to make every child understand and be able to apply that. That’s my job. It would be much easier if they could all just shout out the answer and we can move on.

Teachers also make mistakes. I’ve been writing upside down (to me) on a whiteboard and realised I’m presenting a number or letter backwards. I’ve seen teachers check spellings in front of a class. They’re human! Of course there are poor teachers but to be honest you sound quite smug. You haven’t actually been a teacher yet - once the full load is on your shoulders you will have much more of a right to critique but right now you need to open yourself up to advice, constructive criticism and take to reflect because you seem to be very unable to take on board reality right now.

Your passion for your subject is important, and you need to apply it, your passion should allow you to break it down for your students and you use this passion to make your students excited, but teaching it means you break it down into a thousand parts,

Knew it would be you, OP, before I even opened the thread.

Please consider whether you want to be a teacher. From your previous posts, it really doesn’t seem like you do.

I know what you mean. Yes teaching is adapting and I totally expected this anti intellectual atmosphere here (in a country where you can be OVERqualified for a job as everyone is so insecure.) This said if you have a lot of subject knowledge it’s ok to be able to use it. I’m all for adapting and differentiation but I really felt dead in a class of students who didn’t know how to read and spell their own names, who didn’t know basic capital cities, turned everything into jokes about sex, etc. Some thrive with groups like this but some want to be able to think.

Find a school where your subject knowledge matters and go there. You will still have to adapt and adjust and explain - that’s what teaching is but you might be able to teach your subject too, learn and grow.

Leave all the haters behind.

If I worked with a trainee that had your attitude, I think a conversation with the uni, the trainee and the school might be needed.

I work in a school where students often don't have tier 2 vocab. It's my JOB to introduce it and normalise it, not to sneer at them and gripe about it. God forbid you should carry on in this career with that attitude. Find something else to do. Children can tell if you resent them or despise them.