PGCE: My mentor is sabotaging me

[AgeOfEarthquakes]

A rather dramatic title but it’s how I feel. I’m doing a PGCE via the apprenticeship route. This means I have full class responsibility for a Year 3 class and have done since the beginning of September. I attend university one day a week but am expected to plan for the day so a HLTA can cover my class.

As it is a requirement of my course that I have to have experience in both key stages, I spent Spring 1 at another school teaching Yr 1. The idea was that I would do a swap with someone else from my course so my class would have cover, but for some reason (probably a fuck up by those running the course) this didn’t happen. Rather than employ a supply teacher, my school instead shuffled staff around and my mentor ended up teaching my class for 6 weeks.

Now I’m back it’s just… awful. She’s my year group partner but it’s not a collaboration at all. She’s changing our joint timetable without telling me, pulling my TA out of class to do things for her, speaking to parents and agreeing things without telling me.

It all came to a head on World Book Day. We’d agreed (by text! She never emails or walks through the school to actually speak to me) that we would both plan for our respective classes. A HLTA would then deliver my planning as I was at uni.

Planning takes me a long time and I wanted it to be extra clear because I wasn’t delivering it. I spent hours planning a day of activities that were based on our class book, were fun and engaging and also ticked off a good few objectives. I was very proud of it.

I got in on Friday and none of it had been delivered. None. My mentor had phoned the HLTA at home on Wednesday night and told her that she now wanted the whole year group to do the same thing and the HLTA was told to deliver her planning instead.

I got in on Friday and the HLTA awkwardly informed me what had happened. I was so upset. It felt utterly disrespectful and undermining. My mentor hasn’t spoken to me about it at all. I was going to bring it up at our weekly mentor meeting on Friday afternoon but she texted to say she was busy marking so I she’d have to skip it.

I bloody hate this. She’s always been quite hands off/chilly as a mentor but my observations have been consistently good so I really do I not know what her problem is. It’s just so dispiriting. Any advice please?

You should have a professional mentor in school that is above your day to day mentor. In primary this is often the HT.
Speak to them first.

As far as I’m aware, this is not the case. None of my course documentation has any mention at all of a ‘professional mentor’.

And in any case, I really cannot see the head supporting me on this one. Firstly because my mentor is held in very high regard and is very friendly with the HT. She is the reading lead and was instrumental in the school having a ‘good’ with outstanding features Ofsted last year. Secondly, there is a sense that good teacher automatically = good mentor. And thirdly, the head has told me more than once that I’m lucky to have this place. I have no fees and am paid at unqualified teacher rate.

having ruminated overnight, I’ve decided to just tough it out. I’m more than halfway though and am on track to pass.

Have you considered speaking to her directly about this? Perhaps she doesn’t see it from your perspective? I might start off asking if she had anything to say to me before explaining my perspective.

Your university tutor should also have some say in this matter and as above stated each school should have a professional mentor who is responsible for quality control across all mentors. Your uni will know who this is. Perhaps worth giving them a call?

If you are on track to pass and she is largely off your back I'd smile and wave, smile and wave.

In the past 20 years the number of times I have spent ages setting decent cover with clear instruction. For them someone else to Wade in and change it is to numerous to mention . It's not just this situation it's a regular occurance

My probably unwanted advice is to spend less time setting cover so you dont care so much whether it's done or not. As for phone calls just see it as one less job to do. Moving the TA is hugely ANNOYING. Started texting her Saturday morningz

Eghiya Shirley, what's Tracy doing this week as I'm just doing the planning for x and need to know when she can help with x or x and x?

Have a lovely weekend - thanks x

If no you don't follow SLT newbie on socials media then you should!

I'd speak to your university mentor about this for advice and perhaps the head if you feel comfortable to. You are entitled to your weekly mentor meeting and she can't just cancel it because she is busy marking! Contacting you by text is completely inappropriate too...