The Rollercoaster life of a Teacher (Secondary School Teacher)

Member Name: ps8sjk

Product:	Secondary School Teacher
Date:	28/02/09 (247 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Job satisfaction

Disadvantages: Stress and tiring

I found the other reviews on teaching very interesting so thought I would add my experiences as well - which seem quite different. I am in my fifth year of teaching in a secondary school - I stayed in the same one which I had my last long training placement. I think this gave me a good advantage as I could see that the school was well suited to me and that I suited them as well!

I teach English - although I have a Psychology degree so spent two years doing an English conversion PGCE. I love my subject - I think this is a must; you should have an abundance of passion for what you will teach. Otherwise how will the pupils be engaged! I have always loved reading and have always known that I wanted to teach so I am thankful that five years in I still want to be a teacher! I also now teach Media Studies so most schools will offer you more opportunities to develop your own interests and career.

It isn't an easy job by any means - but I want to focus on the positive first, there are more of them! The job is (hardly!) ever boring, each day offers me different challenges and you are so busy on a school day that it does go fast! I love working with teenagers - they have a fresh way at looking at life which keeps me enthuasiastic and often amused!

For me though, the biggest thrill I get is when I feel like I am helping someone and perhaps (I hope) making a difference in their life. When a lesson goes well and the pupils are engaged and enjoying a lesson - and learn all the outcomes I had intended it can give me a real buzz. One of the best things is when you manage to help a pupil, who may not necessarily be the brightest pupil, but somehow you manage to capture their attention for a few years and they come away with good GCSE grades something that I feel can help them in their future, or even on occassion change their future altogether.

I am also a firm believer that a teacher is not just there to teach their subject and achieve grades. I hope that I help pupils develop as young adults as well, and teach them about becoming responsible and well-rounded individuals. For me their well-being is just as important - my pupils know they can always come to me if they need someone to talk to and I will always give them the time they need. This does mean I am often without a lunch-time but I would rather be a teacher that cares.

I am also probably lucky because I found a school which I love working in and I am proud of. It is a normal comp with fairly good results but the staff are all friendly and my department is very supportive, this makes a big differene because if you are having a bad day you will get all the sympathy and advice needed. In my first years of teaching I often turned to more experienced teachers who helped me through the more difficult times.

The downsides? There are some and I want to be realistic so those reading this who want to teach can be prepared. The workload can be heavy (during term-time anyway) - my subject involves a lot of marking but I do promise new teachers that it does get easier over time. But I can be very tired in my evenings after a long day. You can find that you work some evenings but I have to say that the long summers when you have a lot less work can help make up for this!

My biggest worry and stress is that however hard you try as a teacher you will not be able to get through to every pupil. Some may just give up on learning, some do have behavioural issues, some have difficulties at home... the list goes on. Both the pupils and teachers are human after all and sometimes you have to accept that not every pupil will pass their exams or do well at school. I have to say though that on the whole, teenagers are not so bad, there are a few that can be very difficult and I have had a few dreadful issues but they are rare - and for every difficult lesson I have had many more good ones which make up for it.

I know some people can get disheartened by the bureaucracy of the school system - and it can be tough at times. Policies from the goverment change constanly and a lot is expected from teachers but I feel that I still focus on the individual pupils. Yes, I need to fill in a lot of forms, reports and paperwork and attend endless meetings and training days but I ensure I spend more time with the pupils themselves. I also feel that every job has parts that you will not enjoy as much. It's important to be part of a union - they can help if you feel your school is not helping enough with problems you are having. Luckily I have not had this but know I can talk to my rep should I need to.

It can take over your life a bit sometimes - if I am worried about a particular pupil or lesson then it can be hard to switch off in the evening and relax at times. But at least it is a job I care enough about to think about and put a lot of my energy and time into it. It can be hard at times, you have to deal with pupils, staff and parents so you need good communication skills and you have to enjoy working with people - you won't get a minute to yourself when at school!

If you are thinking about teaching, I would really encourage you to spend time in a classroom before you take on teacher training - see if you enjoy the day-to-day life as a teacher and if you like being around young people. I would also encourage young teachers who are finding it tough to try a different school before they give up on teaching entirely, if you find a school you love and is supportive then it makes it a lot easier.

And when you are in the classroom? My best tip is to be consistent. You need to set very high expectations at the start - I am known for not letting the pupils get away for anything and will be quite strict. But actually the pupils respect you for that and usually like the fact that they know what will be expected of them. It makes it easier in the long run - I set seating plans at the start and go through my rules and expectations on the very first lesson - and I won't deviate from them and set punishments when I need to.

But don't forget to have a sense of humour and allow the pupils to see some of your individuality and personality. I try to create a warm, safe and friendly environment for all my lessons and on the whole, have good relationships with my classes and pupils. I had one class I couldn't get to grips with when I was newly qualified and remember dreading every lesson with them - everything was a struggle and they took all the patience and energy I had but I kept persisting. Amazingly, they all came out with good exam results so something must have gone in! I always say as well, that I have something to thank them all for because I learnt how to deal with a difficult class and learnt from the mistakes I had made from them.

You constanly learn as a teacher - no one is perfect but you do your best. My Head of department (after teaching for over 40 years) says that he still learns new techniques and methods now - so how can this job get boring?!

Summary: A worthwhile job