Looking back at my training year
Hannah Howard has just completed her PGCE in Secondary History at the University of Reading.
When I was told that I would feel like a completely different teacher by the end of my training, I didn’t believe it! When you start the PGCE you have so much to think about. Behaviour management, setting routines and learning names are just some of the challenges that you are confronted with (and all at once!)
And, of course, this is not forgetting that at the heart of teaching is your subject! When you’re so passionate about a subject, as I am with history, you want it to be central to your lessons. This has definitely been one of the biggest challenges for me. I have spent many an hour grappling with how to get across the history I want to portray: how can I get students to understand its constructed, contested nature? How do I ensure that my teaching is guided by genuine questions that historians are asking, even when I’m not as familiar with that particular period myself? How do I get all pupils to think historically?
It has taken me time to realise that progress in learning takes time. There may be lessons that I am frustrated with, but I have learnt to position my students’ learning within a bigger picture. A lesson may not have gone as planned, but it’s not the end of the world (and it really isn’t, if you still have thirty pupils at the end of the lesson!) Learning takes time — it is over three, four or five lessons that you will see the fruition of your teaching of a topic.
Reflecting on my own progress these last few weeks has highlighted that, like students, learning for trainee teachers is neither linear nor immediate. It is important to think about your own bigger picture too. You cannot cover all elements of history or historical thinking in every lesson; instead, you drip feed it over the curriculum. Similarly, you cannot expect every lesson to be perfect.
I recently completed my last day at my placement school, and if I compare the teacher I was in November to the one I am now it makes me really excited for what is to come! After the many hours I spent agonising over my subject, I am now starting to construct sequences of lessons with (slightly) more ease. I am starting to incorporate the historical thinking I am so passionate about. I am starting to resist the temptation to pick apart every lesson, although on some days this is still a challenge. After receiving two thank you cards from students on my last day, it was heart-warming to be reminded that I am making a difference, despite my worries.
I love history, and I love teaching it — this is something I need to keep hold of even when I feel I am not doing it justice. I still have much, much more to learn, but instead of fretting, I am excited about the challenges that lie ahead. In ten months I have learnt so much — what will I learn in another ten?
Would you like to share your passion for your subject with young people? Register with the Get into Teaching website for tailored help and support. Find out more about teacher training at the University of Reading here.
