by bylili

Created on: October 18, 2009   Last Updated: October 19, 2009

Being a student teacher is an enjoyable but terrifying experience the first few times that you walk into a classroom. There are some tips that you can take into the classroom that will help you survive the experience.

The first thing that is most important is to be prepared.There is nothing worse than getting started then realising that the vital thing you need for the activity to run is missing. Make sure you have enough copies of work sheets. Plan out your lessons in a sequential manner so that you have an idea of how it should work. However, don't get disheartened when everything falls apart - sometimes the students just don't get it, they don't engage with it, it falls flat on your audience. Teenagers are strange people, I have found that some things I thought would be a sure-fire hit have bombed completely, yet some things that I thought they would hate they really got into. If you have technology such as projectors or speakers test them before the lesson, it is uncomfortable to have all the students watching you while you press any and all buttons to get something working! The most important thing on rounds is to have a backup plan. For me this was a few theme-based word searches or crosswords, a colour-in activity (kids up to middle school love to colour!) or a simple game that you can break into, eg. guess that song, hangman, bingo with words or symbols. This ensures that if you run short with the activity you planned you have something else to go on with. It can be a long time to the bell if you fall short.

The next thing is to ask lots of questions. Don't be afraid to ask about simple things such as 'How do I use the photocopier', 'What's the deal with the tea and coffee in the staffroom', 'What is the name of that teacher', 'How do I stop myself from throttling that kid in class who keeps giving me lip...' I found I picked up a lot of tips just by asking questions of teachers in the staffroom. The office staff are also a great source of information about how the school runs and how to do things, expecially if you are really nice to them.

The last thing is to keep your cool. It is a very stressful situation being in an unfamiliar situation such as being in front of a class of 20 odd teenage students. They will test you out, push the boundaries and in general see what they can get away from. While on supervised rounds you have a back up plan of their teacher sitting in the room, but when you are by yourself some of them really try things on. Know what you will and won't tolerate, speak clearly about what you expect and don't allow yourself to be drawn into any arguments. This is the quickest way to lose credibility. Have fun with the students, they like it if you smile and have a bit of a joke with them.

As you complete your teacher training don't be too hard on yourself. Its a difficult thing to walk into someone else's class and execute wonderfully engaging and successful lessons. In the first year of teaching it's mainly about staying afloat and surviving to the end of the term. Some things will work but some things will fail spectacularly. It's all a steep learning curve. Successful teachers will still fail with some things, they have simply learned skills to recognise when things are going downhill and know how to salvage them. It has taken me about two years to feel confident in my job and to start feeling like I can start doing more than just treading water. It's an interesting, exciting, terrifying and rewarding journey into teaching - and I can honestly say that it's never been boring in the slightest.

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