My first week on the ITT course
In the run up to starting my ITT course, I was slightly concerned that I would fall quickly behind and miss out on making good relationships with my colleagues studying, due to a clash with my honeymoon. As a result of this clash, I was authorised to miss the first official week of my ITT course, given that I couldn’t change my wedding date.
I was encouraged by the course leaders that this would be okay, and they were right! As soon as I started, I was welcomed in and felt part of the group. I’ve enjoyed finding out about the wide range of backgrounds all my colleagues have. The ITT is really different compared to my undergraduate, as there is a massive focus on where we are heading as a group. The goal is to be inspirational teachers, and this means we have a common purpose for studying.
Despite having a week’s worth of work to catch up on from the beginning, there was so much support and reassurance that I would be on track in no time. By the end of the week I was on top of my work and felt ready for what is to come. In a matter of days, I had settled into the rhythm of studying, was on top of work, and had this great motivation to get stuck in.
Another big concern was the fact that due to COVID-19, all our lessons are currently online. I had wondered how this would affect us, for example, how much we as a group would miss out on the small chats with each other in between lectures and lunch breaks. This is a general feeling for most of us, and it’s still something we are working out. However, we have been given plenty of time during online lectures and group work to discuss hot topics on our minds. Even with COVID having its effect on our studies, there’s nothing that has put anyone off from chasing the dream of inspiring and teaching the next generation.
Learning how to plan lessons, beginning to understand the (what seems to be) infinite misconceptions that arise in mathematics teaching and how to address them, has been such a joy so far. There’s lots to learn and lots of work, but it’s so worth it, especially with so much support and resources from the ITT provider and the Scholarship.
Theo Lynds