Congratulations on making it to the end of your first term as a teacher!
The first year of teaching can be extremely rewarding, but also very demanding as well. Coupled with a pandemic, this could be one of the most challenging times to be an early career teacher. The purpose of this blog is to encourage you to reflect on what has gone well, and what you’re going to work on for next term.
First of all, let’s focus on what's gone well. I imagine that you have enjoyed getting to know the pupils in each of your classes. I’m sure that many of them will enjoy your lessons, and that you've relished the opportunity to do more practical work with them than was possible during your training year.
You may have had some “wow” moments with some of your classes. It would be great to share some of these with each other in the comments in the STEM Community group, and it is always helpful to hear positive feedback of what is going well with other early career teachers, as it encourages us to keep going!
You may have had to mark a number of mock exams by now. A tip myself and colleagues have found helpful is to mark one question on all of the scripts at a time. There are lots of good reasons for this, some of them include:
- You will be able to get a feel for the mark scheme and what is an acceptable answer
- You are more likely to be consistent with your marks for similar answers
- If there is a general misconception amongst your class then you will pick that up quickly and be able to address it easily when going over the paper. It’s very helpful to start with “ A lot of you thought that….”; it then makes sure students don’t feel singled out
- It's quicker as it reduces handling time
- This is also how most exam markers approach marking
Marking the same paper at the same time as some of your colleagues straight after school is always a great idea too, as you can quickly agree what you are or aren’t allowing in certain questions which again will ensure consistency across your department and your marking.
One of your greatest challenges is likely to have been workload and maintaining a good work-life balance. This is one of the challenges in teaching but it’s important to make good habits now which will stick with you during your career.
For example, you'll have interests and hobbies outside of teaching that you wish to pursue. I would recommend that you continue to make time for these as it gives your mind a complete break from the job and will enable you to focus on something else, and can be great for your mental health.
It may sound patronising to say – but look after your physical health as well. Eat a healthy balanced diet, take regular exercise and get enough sleep (between 7 and 9 hours is the recommended amount). It is often easy to overlook these things if you’re tired or feeling under pressure, but actually looking after yourself and your health is so important as it will help to reduce feelings of overtiredness or pressure. Remember, your class will always do better if you are fit and able to be there to teach them.
I do hope that you had a fulfilling first term, take the Christmas holidays as an opportunity to have a complete break and switch off – make sure you rest and enjoy yourself!