This week, the Secret Teacher looks at the challenges of being on placement.
When I was at university studying to be a teacher, my lecturers were generally really positive about the fact we were going to be going on placement.
The only words of warning came from several lecturers telling us to be wary about how we behave in the staff room. In particular, what seat or mug you use.
This may sound bizarre to those outside of the teaching profession, but I can guarantee 99% of teachers in Scotland have been told a story about a school someone was in, where a student teacher was belittled because they unknowingly sat in someone’s seat or used their mug. Whenever I’ve been taken into a staff room, I’ve been told “don’t worry, we’re not one of those staff rooms,” alluding to the tales of experienced teachers who have sat in the same seat for 20 years, drinking out of the same “World’s Best Teacher!” mug, casting down a poor student for their crime.
Compared to the rest of our student lifestyle, placement was a bit of a culture shock. Suddenly working 12-hour days on top of having to commute a couple of hours every day.........