The day started early with a 6am alarm however I was far too excited to care! After a cold walk and a short bus ride I was finally there and it all suddenly became very real. The school was nothing like I’d ever experienced before; it was old and massive (3 stories to be exact). Much bigger than my small village primary!!
I was greeted at the door by a lovely teacher who took me up to my class. As I was early I occupied myself by completing some of the tasks I had to do. I started by drawing a sketch of the classroom laughing at the silly table names and reading the amazing wall displays. I soon began to wonder where my teacher was when I was greeted by the head teacher. He explained to me that my teacher Mrs M was off today and she was very sorry she wouldnt get to meet me.
Despite this the day went on and the class headed to ICT where i got to meet Mr B the ITC specialist and was shown the moring routine of register, lunches and travel tracker. I observed the class throughout the lesson identifying the different charcters. After break the class had maths where I got to meet yet another teacher and new teaching techniques. Mental maths stations were set up and I began to go around the groups getting to know the children and their abilities. Next was PE and a 3rd new teacher Mrs H who gave me some helpful tips for controlling childrens excitement in the gym hall. I got involved by judging the final gymnastics presentations and the time flew by! Finally it was the last lesson of the day and of course another new teacher!!
When the bell rang at 3.15pm I could not belive how fast the day had went. However there was one important task left. The class explained to the cover teacher that every day 2 pupils are chosen for star of the day and recive stickers on their charts but there was a problem. No one teacher had observed the class for the whole day….apart from me. I was given the role of choosing the 2 stars and it was so exciting to be given that responsibility.
Overall despite not getting to meet my class teacher I still feel happy to have gotten the opportunity to meet and observe many differnt teachers. And of course my class! Now all I need to do is learn their 30 names…
Hi Jennifer,
Great to hear you had a good first day of placement. I remember just how nervous I was, I don’t think I slept at all the night before. I love the way you are referring to staff as “Mr B” etc as this gives the reader a name but doesn’t give away any details and keeps within confidentiality guidelines.
Next time, have a wee scan over your writing for words like “gotten” and think about some of the words you’d use for a professional reflection.
Other than that, this is a really good reflection, keep it going throughout placement and make it a habit! I’d love to read about how you get on 🙂
Katie Rebecca