Do smile before Christmas but don’t foray into the staff room if you actually need a break. Here are some top tips for surviving your first year
Congratulations on qualifying to enter the world of glitz, glamour and hedonism that is primary education. Sorry, I meant glitter, clamour and headaches – far more exciting. You’re about to embark on one of the most challenging yet rewarding periods of your working life, so here are a few pointers to help you make the most of it:
1. Get to know parents
Parents have more influence over their child’s life in the classroom now than ever. You’ll probably hear your school’s veteran staff reminiscing about the days when teacher, head and parent were all guaranteed, as surely as night follows day, to unite as one to deal with a child’s disciplinary problems or lack of effort in the classroom.
These days are long gone, and the onus is now very much on the teacher and school being able to justify their decisions to parents. So it’s a good idea to engage your new class’s parents as quickly as possible. Little things like standing outside your classroom for a while even after all the kids have left will help to show that you are welcoming. Why not invite a few parents in to show off their child’s successes? If they respect you from the start, their child is more likely to do the same.
2. The staffroom: you might not want to go there
Besides hosting a constant scrummage for the kettle or biscuit tin, the staff room is often the hub of the school building. But it’s also the one place where you’re most likely to get collared by a senior member of the staff and “updated” or expected to quickly digest an urgent memo.
If you actually need a break, it’s the one place you might want to avoid. Even after seven years, I still regularly beg a trusted colleague to make me a cuppa and then hide in the ITC suite for ten minutes at breaktime.
On the up side, if you ever need advice in a hurry - and you will - it’s the only place you’ll ever need to be.
3. Sorry, there will be nasty people
You may feel a little bit isolated as your induction year progresses, and particularly around those who are seasoned professionals or who have risen very quickly up the ranks. Support should be on hand in the form of your mentor, but in rare cases it’s worth bearing alternatives in mind.
There comes a point where too many sideways glances in the staff room or scoldings for minor shortcomings might threaten to get the better of you. Try to remember you’ve worked hard to get this far and you shouldn’t have to put up with it. Talk to your headteacher or someone from the governing body. If that doesn’t help, then go to your union.
4. DO smile before Christmas
“Don’t smile before Christmas” is a cliched piece of advice regarding classroom discipline, typically dished out to new teachers by veteran ones. The truth is that at the moment, too many children have little or nothing to smile about at home and their best hope of any positivity might be in your hands. It may sound simplistic but it’s pivotal - whenever you can, smile your head off. A little bit of comedy goes a long way.
5. It’s the thought that counts
Now, I’m not being greedy here, I am being practical. Every staff room cupboard in the country has ten “World’s Best Teacher” mugs inside, so when the end of term gift-giving season approaches you might want to prepare the ground. Demonstrate to the kids that you only ever use your one “special” mug (the one with Wayne Rooney on it), and instead drop little hints about your favourite indulgences: children love to find out little snippets about their teacher’s life outside of class. This is definitely worth doing if you want to avoid being inundated with Terry’s All Gold when you’re trying to diet, or alcohol when you’re cutting down.
6. Behaviour: pick your battles
Whether you are working in leafy suburbia or a very disadvantaged inner city neighbourhood, you are going to come across children who have specific behavioural needs and you need to empathise with them. If you inherit children in your new class whose behavioural traits are so exceptional that the school policy cannot be applied to them, then they should have an IBP (individual behavioural plan) already written. Familiarise yourself with this, and be sure to listen to the advice offered by parents and previous teachers.
7. There’s no such thing as an “informal” observation
Lesson observations and book scrutiny are something every teacher endures several times a year, and never more so than as a NQT. During my first year, on top of all the standard observations, we were told that a random 20% of us NQTs would be subject to a visit from a county adviser, who would check we were receiving the in-school support we needed. We would also be observed informally, but it was “nothing to worry about”.
I delivered a barely-satisfactory literacy lesson, which led to the deputy head describing my NQT year as being “near dead-in-the-water”. Remember, you should prepare for all observations diligently.
8. Be aware of the rise of cross-curricular writing
The rise of extended writing in the primary classroom is nothing new – most schools will have seen a notable increase in the quantity of writing, editing and re-writing their pupils are required to produce. More recent studies suggest that children learn subjects more effectively by writing about them at length. Brace yourself for questions about how you’re planning to make this happen early on in the new school year. And sorry, but don’t expect your marking pile to become any more manageable either.
9. Keep it real
No matter how much you might have excelled on your training placements, having your own class is a different world entirely. The majority of your lessons as an NQT will not be outstanding, nor will every set of results go as you expected. Don’t dwell on it, for the sake of your own self-worth. Take advice on board and move on quickly, as something else will soon come along and you’ll be expected to take that on board as well. The good news is that successes are also guaranteed, and whatever shape or size they might take, make sure you celebrate and reward yourself for each and every one of them.
10. Let go
The first class you teach will always be special, despite the times when you have been left screaming in your store-cupboard shortly after home time. But everybody has to move on, and you would do well to bear this in mind. The end of the year will creep up on you so be prepared to feel thoroughly emotional during those last few days, and thoroughly exhausted in the few that follow.
Now go and enjoy your new career – and make sure you stick at it because it’s worth it.
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