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March 29, 2024, 12:33:30 am

Author Topic: Teaching advice  (Read 4663 times)  Share 

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keightleennd

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Teaching advice
« on: January 10, 2020, 12:51:36 am »
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Help!

So I’ve wanted to be a teacher since prep, like it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I just completed year 12 and during the final couple of months I heard about this program called teach for Australia.

I looked into TFA and I decided that it would probably be the most beneficial way for me to get into teaching. However, if I do TFA I can’t do any education units, thus learning all the teaching stuff just before I become a teacher.

Originally, I was thinking that I was going to be able to handle how intense the course is and working with students from low socioeconomic areas, but the past couple of months at work has been making me question myself.

I don’t know if I’m just being extra sensitive because I’m over working where I do. They don’t pay us over time (so I could be back for 30 mins and not get paid) and I’m too scared to say anything about it, incase they limit my shifts. I also have this really passive (not always) aggressive manager. I’m a member with the union, but I’m scarred that I’ll start losing shifts, if I do anything.

I’ve been getting a lot of abusive and disrespectful customers recently and I am able to hold myself together while on the store floor, but over the past couple of shifts I have had a meltdown during my break, or when I finish. Sometimes I even go to the back of the store to calm down.

Because I’ve been behaving like this, I’ve started to wonder if TFA, or even teaching, is the right path for me.

I’ve started looking into getting tutoring jobs, but it’s kinda hard since I stuffed up all my exams. I don’t really have appealing scores. I mean they’re good, but not what a lot of tutoring joints want.

With all this being said, I also got like 3 years to sort myself out.

I’m doing a bachelor arts, majoring in psych and minoring in lit studies. I’m going to do behavioural studies and linguistics as electives, which probably won’t help me really get a job.
uwu

Aaron

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Re: Teaching advice
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2020, 01:36:31 am »
+11
You have to be a really resilient person to be an effective teacher. It is a bloody stressful job and often thankless. Take comfort in knowing that you will learn as you progress through placement and career and that you are a lifelong learner as a teacher.

You need to have a backbone, and what I mean by that is: if somebody is acting out, you need to take a stand and say 'no, that's not right'. I supervise student teachers as part of my role and I have seen quite a few of them who cannot control a classroom at all. There are just some people who aren't meant to be teachers. When kids sense that you don't have control, they know this and they'll walk all over you, so it's really important to know the behaviour management procedure in your school and how to apply it.

Teaching is not simply delivering content in front of students - this no longer is the case and will not cut it in today's profession. First and foremost, the ability to reason and build relationships with young people is critical to success as a teacher. Second, being adaptive is also crucial. You are often presented with challenges and situations at a moment's notice so you have to quickly think on your feet and be prepared to go outside of your comfort zone and change things up. Third, you have to like kids (even the younger ones). As a teacher, it is unrealistic to expect that you'll be able to hide away just teaching VCE. Especially in the first few years of your teaching, you will most likely not be teaching Year 12 and in majority of cases that i've seen (so take this with a grain of salt), you'll be given a junior class (or multiple) as a means of developing your teaching practice and demonstrating it.

brenden would probably be the best person to comment on the TFA program since he is currently doing it - but as a teacher with 3 years experience I can comment on some of the aspects you have raised:
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However, if I do TFA I can’t do any education units, thus learning all the teaching stuff just before I become a teacher.
You know, it's actually not the worst idea. Having gone through an academic masters program in teaching, I really like and value the idea of 'on the job' training (or internships) purely because they are a realistic expectation of what you'll encounter when you start teaching yourself. I found my academic degree to be (for the most part) quite useless and just a stepping stone. The placements/practical experience is where you learn majority of things because you get real feedback from real teachers that have a current understanding of the profession.

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Originally, I was thinking that I was going to be able to handle how intense the course is and working with students from low socioeconomic areas, but the past couple of months at work has been making me question myself.
What do you mean 'handle how intense the course is and working with students from low socioeconomic areas'? Having had experience in all three of the main socioeconomic schooling environments (low, mid, high), I can say that while schools that are considered 'low' are often much more challenging, I found that my first school was one of the most valuable experiences and has shaped me as a teacher. I now work in a high SES school and the difference is significant. I would respectfully ask that you take the view: 'what can I get out of this experience' rather than 'these kids are going to make my life hell'. If a low-SES school is that much of a big deal for you, then simply try to find a school that isn't. Every school has its challenging students though, regardless of what SES it is. Even at my high-SES school, there are quite a number of students who require intervention. I would also say that teachers should WANT to teach these kids, as they are the ones who really need high quality teachers... anyway, that's just my view on it.

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They don’t pay us over time (so I could be back for 30 mins and not get paid) and I’m too scared to say anything about it
If pay is something that is a significant influence to you, then i'd say teaching perhaps is not the career for you. Like I said earlier, teaching is often a thankless job and one of the reasons is financial. My own personal experience involves preparation and marking probably a good 3-4 hours when I get home from work on a daily basis. I get one full day off on the weekend and the other day is spent working. The work-life balance sucks but it's so rewarding. I love my daily interactions with my students and I feel so privileged that this position gives me the opportunity to work with these young people.

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I’ve been getting a lot of abusive and disrespectful customers recently and I am able to hold myself together while on the store floor
Yeah, in the classroom you'll get that too. Just understand that you are in complete control of your classroom and most (if not all) schools have a discipline policy in place that you can follow and a referral process to somebody higher up if you aren't able to deal with it yourself. As a graduate you are supported to develop your capacity as an effective teacher. Just remember that it's never personal and there's a WIDE range of reasons why kids act out.

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I’ve started looking into getting tutoring jobs, but it’s kinda hard since I stuffed up all my exams. I don’t really have appealing scores. I mean they’re good, but not what a lot of tutoring joints want.
While tutoring might look good on a CV when you go for your teaching job, it is not entirely reflective of what makes a 'good teacher'. One-on-one tutoring is a completely different ballgame in comparison to teaching a class of 25 young students, which is what you'll most likely get in the government system. Don't let the 'i stuffed up my exams' thought prevent you from pursuing teaching.

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Because I’ve been behaving like this, I’ve started to wonder if TFA, or even teaching, is the right path for me.
My advice would be to try it out and see how you go. When you go out on your first placement round, you'll know straight away whether you've made the right decision or not. If teaching is something you genuinely want to do, do it and do it for the right reasons. If you genuinely want to teach, you will put all these things to the side and take a leap of faith.

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I’m doing a bachelor arts, majoring in psych and minoring in lit studies. I’m going to do behavioural studies and linguistics as electives, which probably won’t help me really get a job.
Cool, so you'll most likely be teaching Psychology and English/Literature if you decide to go down this path.
« Last Edit: January 10, 2020, 01:47:42 am by Aaron »
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brenden

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Re: Teaching advice
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2020, 08:36:02 am »
+10
Well - you have a lot of time to make your decision :). You don’t need to choose now. You might feel a lot more strong and capable in a few years, which could make your decision easier.

You’ll be surprised how much you grow and develop as a person through uni. If you don’t feel capable, just focus on becoming someone who is.

Literature is a good idea - that will help you with TFA because English teachers will be in demand a lot more than Psych teachers.

Otherwise, keeping your grades up is a good idea, as is keeping up part-time work. Tutoring may help, but volunteering for an education service like St Vinnie’s would help you in an interview, if you want to be that intense about it. Obviously not a pre requisite, and not something you should do if you aren’t already pretty interested.

I’d pretty strongly recommend TFA, I’ve loved it so far. Let me know if there’s anything else I can answer for you :).
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K888

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Re: Teaching advice
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2020, 10:27:45 pm »
+3
Aaron & Brenden have given fantastic advice but I just wanted to comment on the work side of things - if you're a member of the union then definitely speak to them. They'll keep things confidential, and also if your employer starts limiting your shifts due to you speaking up about issues, you can take them to fair work - you have rights as a worker :) Speak up if you're being unfairly treated.

Sine

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Re: Teaching advice
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2020, 10:39:46 pm »
+3
Because I’ve been behaving like this, I’ve started to wonder if TFA, or even teaching, is the right path for me.

I’ve started looking into getting tutoring jobs, but it’s kinda hard since I stuffed up all my exams. I don’t really have appealing scores. I mean they’re good, but not what a lot of tutoring joints want.
I don't know your scores so can't comment directly on this but yeah tuition companies usually only hire 45+ students but you can start private tutoring (if you have the knowledge and are comfortable teaching). Usually, with this you might start small if you don't have the extremely high scores from highschool but eventually, if your students do well and you get referrals and recommendations this might make it easier. From my experience, I found tutoring really useful in developing and enhancing soft skills which will be useful for you regardless of whether you choose to go through with teaching or not.



keightleennd

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Re: Teaching advice
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2020, 07:50:14 pm »
+4
Thanks to everyone that had replied and offered their opinion. tbh I think I was just more tired and upset over the fact that my job was putting me in situations that made me really uncomfortable (despite regularly speaking up about my discomfort). I think ist was more I got myself worked up and in the headspace that I shouldn't be faced with any difficulty, or  at least to the extent that I was facing.

The pay in regards to teaching doesn't really impact my decision to become a teacher, since it is a career that I really want to pursue. It's just more the fact that there has been times where I have had to stay back for like 40 minutes and not been paid, the fact that I don't like where I work it doesn't feel like I can justify those 40 mins without pay, especially when I am kind of financially struggling.

With all of that being said about work, I am planning to contact my union, because it is getting to the point where I need to stick up for myself. I'm studying at Monash and I saw that they do tutoring there, so I might try get into it through them. If not I'll just have to start small and I am fine with that, it would probably just be easier to do it through an actual service.

Honestly, I think all this self doubt was a result of my work environment. Like I have been with them for nearly a year and I have always been put into really uncomfortable situations (mostly because customers don't know about boundaries lol) and work hasn't done anything about it. I used to work in a cafe and the whole vibe was different, when customers would disrespectful the manager would step in and defend us.

Teaching and education is something I have always wanted to be in, I know that it is the right pathway for me.
uwu

Aaron

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Re: Teaching advice
« Reply #6 on: February 01, 2020, 08:54:14 pm »
+3
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Teaching and education is something I have always wanted to be in, I know that it is the right pathway for me.
Great stuff. This is a mandatory prerequisite, since pay often doesn't reward the required effort to be successful in this career... so the passion has to be the priority otherwise you and the kids you teach will suffer. Make an impact, good luck. Cheers
Experience in teaching at both secondary and tertiary levels.

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