Wednesday 2 February 2011

2nd Placement

On Friday I visited my 2nd placement school for the first time.  I had a very enjoyable but tiring day.  The school seems quite similar to my first placement in demographic although it is much bigger, and all the classes have more pupils in them.  Not sure yet what I will be teaching them, but it looks like I may have to do some more of the dreaded poetry with the 2nd years and maybe the 1st years as well.  I really must get to grips with my fear of the poetic!  I would happily talk about any novel or play till the cows come home, but poems are problematic for me!  I think it's just a mental block thing.  Sometimes I read a poem and think wow! and sometimes I think what a load of pretentious twaddle.  Anyway I think I will just keep it simple and do a lot of related activities that don't have to rhyme!  I honestly dont hate poetry per se, I'm just very selective about what I like and what I "get" without having to try too hard.  Crikey, I hope nobody from the English department reads this!

It's such an unusual position isn't it?  Being parachuted into a department and having to hit the ground running, gauge your colleagues, fit in to the order of things, not get in the way, be useful and interested but not too needy and demanding.  I've had various jobs in the outside world, ie not in education, and I think I'm pretty experienced in the art of fitting in with work colleagues, but teaching is a whole new ball game.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to starting afresh on Monday, and being prepared for a lot of hard work over the next few weeks.

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