Being a teacher
Hi,present and future teachers!Want to share my experience of teaching English children(not for the weak-hearted,I must warn)
I’ve recently started working as a supply teacher in Primary schools(age group 5-11).
In the morning I get a phone call from my employment agency telling me where I teach.
I provide the general cover when class teachers are not in.
So every day is an adventure,apart from when I’m booked in advance
which makes my life easier and gives the chance to prepare myself.
I teach everything:Literacy,Numeracy,D&T(design and technology),Geography,Ict
(information communication technologies),even class worship(oh,dear…:))etc.
It’s all pretty easy,but the discipline…
I thought that after working in Ukrainian schools and a summer camp I wouldn’t be surprised.
But…Don’t get me wrong,some schools r good,children listen to teachers,but some…
Most classes are mixed-ability,where there are a few ability groups
of children with different educatuonal needs.
So u can hardly work with the whole class,they r split in groups.
There r also Special Education Needs children
(behaviour,physical disorders:Down Syndrome,Cerebral Palsey,Autism,Dislexic etc)
who normally have special teaching assistants sitting next to them
and helping them with their studies.
Oh,about the behavour…A lot of children do not listen to teachers,
especially supply,because they know they can get away with it,
as I can’t punish them.
According to the rules I am not allowed to have any physical contact with children,
(even if they r fighting)
Last week I went to teach 9 year-olds to a not very good school behaviour-wise.
Most of the kids were fine,but 4 of them-nightmare!
They wouldn’t listen at all,were swearing in the class-room,
shouting and screaming at each other,ripped off a door in the toilet,
and at the end,one of them bumped his forhead against a desk during a fight
and had blood all over him…I was in shock,feeling so much guilt…
The headmaster told me to complete an accident report,
I did it with my eyes full of tears.
Then I saw the boy’s mum-she was fine,so was her son,thanks God.
After the kids left,I had a word with their permanent class teacher
who said what had happened was absolutely normal.
I was so much put off teaching that day. Was shaking.
But thenext day…They sent me to High School!
Where the so called children are aged 11-17!
If only u saw what was happening.
I was happy I was alive when I was leaving.
The pupils swear at teachers so much,they r so rude because
they know teachers can’t do anything about it.
A conversation between a teacher and a pupil:
Teacher:Please,go back into your class-room!
Pupil:F…..f,B….!
And this is a teacher who is permanent at the schools,
deals with children every day.
I was trying to teach English Literature to 13 year-olds.
They were just sitting around awearing.
One of them(nearly twice my size) was actimg as if he was a rapper from Jamaica
(it’s a popular trend here).
I was trying to explain to him that to rhyme well u need to know English and Literature…No use…
Only 3 pupils were working.
i complained to other teachers,and they said:
That’ fine,never mind.And so on.
Children r not afraid of anything,they don’t get marks like in our schools,
they know teachers can’t do much.
But I’ve got over it now,it’s just the first impression.
U start seeing it as normal.
And there r good schools with well-disciplinned children and helpful teachers.
I wonder why in England there is succ shortage of school teachers,
especially in Secondary schools.:)
But being a teacher is great,u never get bored.Do u agree?
