The Start Of My Teaching Career - By Luke Wilson 

At the initial stage of my teacher training, I was overwhelmed with the amount of information that was thrown at me. I suppose it was like being back at school as a student, constantly getting thrown lots of information everyday that need to be remembered and understood. It was a relief speaking to other trainees and realising that they also felt the same way I did. I am looking forward to going into school and putting all this theory into practice.  

I have chosen to do a SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) as I would gain more practical experience which I believe is the best option to go into teaching. By having more experience and practice in schools, I would have more opportunities to reflect and improve as a practitioner. It was also great that I was never alone in the classroom. The teacher observing me would have a discussion with me after the lesson to go over what went well and what could be improved. 

I did not have a huge amount of anxiety as I have worked with children previous in schools. The biggest concern was starting my teacher training during a pandemic. However, upon entering the school and walking around I felt very welcomed. Teachers offered to spend time with me and to answer any questions that I had. 

In the first week I was observing teachers and taking notes of different areas such as behaviour management and student participation. As I progress through the term, I will slowly take lead of more parts of the lessons. What I have found most frustrating is that I was being held back by a black and yellow line on the floor where I could not cross. It was very difficult not being able to go walk around, speak to the students and help them with their work. This felt like it will stagger building a rapport with my students. The best I could do is to call a student to come closer to the front and then I could check their work and give some hints.  

One of the biggest hurdle I face is not ever being a “perfect teacher” as I have always strived for perfection, especially coming from a mathematics background where it is possible to be perfect when answering questions. 

I am looking forward to the challenges that face me ahead of this year as well as experiencing different school settings, one is supposed to be international, but it will depend on restrictions at the time. 

By Luke Wilson 

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