by Caterina Bisland
Caterina Bisland has recently completed her teacher training at Hillingdon School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT). Her training year was supported by a British Council teaching scholarship.
After 15 years of teaching languages to adults, I finally took the plunge in September 2018 and started my secondary teacher training. Both my children were in secondary school and I knew that if I didn’t do it then, I would never get round to it. Although I had a teaching background, I soon realised that teaching in secondary schools was very different, but there was no way that I was going to give up!
As part of my training I attended weekly sessions with my SCITT provider, and as I was studying for the PGCE there were also some sessions at university. I don’t need to tell you just how much work was involved: planning, marking, assessments, data, university assignments, reading, research and also homework from my SCITT provider. But it was all worth it!
Here are my top tips on managing your time and workload:
1. Speak to your colleagues and see if you can share resources with each other. There is no point in duplicating work and adding extra stress. There were a couple of colleagues at my placement school with whom I regularly exchanged ideas and resources, which worked really well as it took the pressure off all of us.
2. Check websites such as TES to see if the resource you need is available on there — there are lots of free resources that you can adapt to meet your needs.
3. Sign up to Twitter and Facebook. If you are teaching languages, there are so many social media groups where teachers regularly exchange ideas, resources and advice. On Twitter, for example, you can use the #mfltwitterati hashtag. Don’t just follow subject-specific teachers though — there are so many great teachers out there who are willing to help out, especially when you need a boost!
4. Attend as many training and development sessions as you can — both internal and external — as you will not be able to do this so easily once you have a full timetable of lessons. I have attended sessions by exam boards and some British Council webinars, all of which have had an impact not only on my teaching and delivery, but also on managing my workload.
5. Don’t leave things to the last minute as they will start to pile up! At some points during the year it’s really difficult to juggle work, university assignments and have family time, but if you try to stay on top of things, it will be much easier!
For example, look at key dates for exams and assessments — December and March/April will be busy times, so make sure you have enough time for your university assignments. My second university assignment was due just before Easter. I had already planned it in the Christmas break and was able to research it during the first few months of the new year. I started to write the assignment in the February half term, which meant that I wasn’t as stressed as I could have been if I’d left it to the last minute.
6. Make time for yourself and do things that you enjoy. If it’s all work, work, work, you will lose your enthusiasm and you’ll burn out. Do an exercise class, try a new sport or set aside a night each week where you just completely switch off.
7. Try to plan a holiday — February half term or the Easter break are great times to go away.
There are times when you ask yourself, “why I am doing this?” During those times (I had a few during my training year), you need to remind yourself that you are making a difference, sharing your knowledge with the next generation and inspiring them to learn your subject. ¡Suerte!
For help and support in getting into teaching, including information on funding such as scholarships, visit the Get into Teaching website.
