Today has been such a good day. I am sitting here writing, just before our end-of-term break, having just experienced one of the best days in the school calendar – House Drama!
I witnessed the reward of weeks of practice – my tutor group were up there on stage performing to the rest of the school; it was a proud moment as a form tutor.
These pupils have only been at the school for a few months and have overcome their anxiety and faced their fears to perform. To see some of them who, two months ago, wouldn’t have even felt comfortable standing up in front of their tutor group, perform in front of hundreds of students and teachers, was a very special moment.
This is why I went into teaching and these moments are what I think of when the going gets tough – it is the students’ achievements and progress that makes it worth the hours that we put into the job.
As you read this, the new term will be upon us and Christmas will be a distant and fading memory.
However, as NQTs across the country begin term number two at the chalkface, we will be reflecting on the many and varied lessons we have learned during the challenging autumn term. So, based on my experiences last term, here are my 12 tips to NQT survival that have got me through the past few months.
Someone to talk to
The weekly mentor meetings are very helpful and a great way to share success, reflect, and also vent about the week!
Your mentor is there not only to monitor and help with professional development, but also to check that you are coping and not feeling overwhelmed.
For example, at the start of the year when I received my timetable, I was timetabled to teach in 10 different rooms dotted over the school (not always in the maths department). After talking to my mentor and head of department, it was an issue that was corrected swiftly and this lifted a weight of anxiety.
Talking about even the smallest of issues has helped me keep on top of my workload and has also allowed me to prioritise what to do when (cake club on a Friday has proven a great time for these chats to take place as well, although I appreciate this might not be a regular occasion in your school)!
Seating plans
These may be annoying to produce and it can take ages to decide who’s sitting where, taking into account SEN needs and who doesn’t like whom, but the planning really does pay off.
They also aren’t always perfect – it is a document that should be updated on a frequent basis. At the start of the term, I was very prescriptive about having everyone sit in the same seating plan for every lesson, but I realised that the students do react well (usually!) to changes in the seating plan depending on what activity we are doing.
For example, I delivered a student-led lesson on experimental probability and the students came into the lesson and were given a colour that directed them to the first carousel activity. In this case, the random seating plan was a risk that I took but meant that the class was mixed up for a group task.
Routines
This was my main task at the start of term. From lining up outside the classroom before a lesson, to the weekly raffle, setting up routines for the students was paramount to setting high expectations.
As the students come into the classroom, I am able to greet them and check uniform and also pick out the students that might need to take a minute or two to calm down.
I have found that students react well to an established routine but do like something different in the form of a code-breaker or puzzle starter as they enter. I’ve also found that students of all ability react well to praise for outstanding work. By giving out raffle tickets during lessons, I’m able to praise them for their behaviour or work and at the end of the week have a raffle to celebrate their achievement.
THAT problem class
For the first few weeks of term, I had a class that had quite a few bubbly characters in it. It was for this reason that they were the class I sometimes dreaded to teach, especially last thing on a Friday.
After speaking to my mentor and other departmental colleagues, I tried a few strategies to hook and focus them at the start of the lesson.
I have found that giving them a booklet of 30 simple sums and key skills to practise at the start of every lesson has given them structure and a focus during the first 10 minutes of the lesson. It has also become a competitive activity and I have been able to reward for accuracy and improvement on speed.
Me time
As the term progressed, my stress levels have gone through peaks and troughs. One thing that I have been trying to keep constant is having time away from school to relax and recuperate. Something I managed throughout my training year (to the dismay of some of my colleagues) was that I gave myself Saturdays and most of Sundays off from school work and emails. This year, I have also given myself mid-week Wednesday evenings off too.
As alluded to above, it is all about routines and prioritising time effectively. Recently, I have even managed to come into school early and do some planning or mark a set of books, which has given me more time at the end of the day to relax.
It is difficult some days to be so disciplined, but having hobbies outside of school and having time for “me” reaps rewards when I am at school because I feel more focused during the day.
Getting involved
While in school, I’ve realised that getting involved in clubs or extra-curricular activities around school has helped me get to know students in my classes better and also to improve my whole-school reputation.
This year I have been given additional responsibilities with the school’s Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. By the end of the year, I’ll have been first-aid trained and gained other expedition qualifications. I cannot wait to get stuck in – seeing students progress during extra-curricular activities while personally get something out of it.
Smart marking
Assessments and feedback are something that should be effective for the students and a worthwhile exercise. It is with this in mind that I have ensured the students are assessing themselves and each other as much as possible.
For every homework exercise, they will either peer or self-assess what they have done well and how to improve. I will then provide a next step task which will be differentiated to their ability and involve a maths question to be completed in response to the improvements that their peer has suggested.
I have experienced a reduction in the time that I mark books but an increase in student interaction with the feedback being received.
Plan to repeat
By using my mid-term planning, I have been able to be quite smart with my lesson delivery. By chance, I was teaching year 8 students percentage increase period 1 and year 10 were starting their percentages work in period 2. By thinking about level of ability and suitable differentiation, I was able to use the same lesson format for both classes and just adjust the resources to offer more scaffolding for the middle set year 10s.
I have started looking at topics across key stage 3 and 4 to see whether I can teach these in sync. It has also allowed me to spot any common misconceptions and ensure these are addressed in the parallel classes.
Share your stuff
It is pretty simple: share resources with your department and they will share back. We have improved collaboration in my department by creating assessment materials together and sharing them among all teachers.
This has reduced the time it takes to produce resources and assisted with standardisation of assessments. Plus, it is quite satisfying getting an email back from colleagues thanking you for your efforts!
Extra time granted
During your NQT year, use that “magic” 10 per cent extra time as effectively as you can. For some free periods, productive use of time can genuinely be grabbing a cuppa and sitting there for an hour chatting to other teachers about anything (my first free in our even weeks is after a full three days of five periods so this is what I tend to do on the Thursday morning).
There are lots of things that you can do and it depends what your school offers as part of their CPD programme. Observing other teachers at school in other departments is extremely useful and I have gained lots of ideas from history and music teachers that I wouldn’t have expected to be useful in mathematics. Also, going on learning walks with other teachers and spending 10 minutes in five to six lessons is a great way to get a snapshot of how students that you teach behave in other classes.
Time to reflect
As with my training year, reflection is an important part of this year; it always will be. It is not about writing pages about your strengths and weaknesses, but more about making a mental note of what went well and what could be changed to make it better. It is about the next steps and the actions completed that will benefit you and your students.
I have made use of my planner and write down some notes at the end of each lesson on how I could improve it. I have even asked students as a plenary what they would have liked to help them understand a concept more easily. Student feedback is so useful!
Sleep!
Need I say more? The most important thing is SLEEP. Recently, I have been in bed by 9:30pm to ensure that I get enough rest.
Generally, a good night’s sleep is a routine that I have kept up. I definitely regret it the next day if I haven’t rested enough!
Conclusion
It has been tough to switch off from school and get a good work/life balance, but I feel that if you make the effort at the start you’ll soon reap the benefits. This year is going to be tough, I’ve realised that, but I have also realised that I should enjoy it as much as I can. I am doing a job that I love and that’s the most important factor: enjoyment.
So, as you reflect on a term with NQT status, make a note of your key “lessons learned” but also celebrate how much you have progressed since September and remember that all teachers are continually reflecting on their practice. Teach, Reflect, Rest, Repeat.
- Mark Grimmett is a mathematics teacher at Guildford County School and was formerly an operations manager at an investment bank.
NQT Special Edition: Free download
In November 2016, SecEd published its latest NQT Special Edition. This edition featured eight pages of best practice advice, tips and guidance aimed at NQTs as they approach the end of their first term at the chalkface. You can download a free pdf of this edition on our supplements page at http://www.sec-ed.co.uk/supplements/