First off, it's exciting. Like, seriously exciting. You're about to start a whole new chapter in your life and this deserves celebrating. If you haven't already, give yourself a victory squeeee!!
For those of you not already in the know, I've recently completed my PGCE in Secondary Design and Technology at the University of Huddersfield. The PGCE course is just one route of getting into teaching - there's a few different options these days. Check out the Get Into Teaching website for more information.
So, a bit of background on what it actually is: the PGCE is a one-year teacher training course, loads of universities all over the country offer them, and in a whole variety of subjects. There are grants, bursaries and student loans available (all in a variety of values) so you're not going into a year of completely unpaid training. Over the year, you spend one third of your time studying at university, and two thirds of your time working and teaching in two different placement schools. Squished into the year there's also an opportunity to work for a week in a primary school as well - so you can see the transition from KS2 to KS3.
Anyway - so, you've accepted that place onto your PGCE course - if you're anything like me you'll no doubt me a bit clueless as to what happens next. I've written a few little survival tips to get you through those first few weeks back at university - and I hope you'll find it useful!
Make friends
Sounds like an obvious one, I know! But on that first day when you walk into that room, you'll be surrounded by new faces and it can be quite daunting - but all these people are going to be your survival team for the next nine months of your life. Our PGCE cohort set up a Facebook page where we shared our many woes, worries and success stories - do it - it'll make you realise you're all in the same boat.
Stay on top of your paperwork
I legit cannot stress this one enough. You will be inundated with paperwork from the minute your PGCE starts and until the minute it ends. File it! NEATLY! Somewhere down the line, some reading you've been given in a lecture about AFL that didn't seem important at the time will hold the key to an assignment and it'll be your little lifesaver. Not only that - but getting into the habit of logging lecture notes and filing paperwork now will help you out so much in the long run. It's a long year, you'll get shit tonnes of paper. Make sure it's organised.
BUY ALL THE STATIONERY
Linked to the above... Now you have every excuse under the sun to buy every folder, marker, highlighter, fancy pens, errrrrthang you need to kit out your ultimate teacher fantasies. I bought a new desk and filing cabinet and everything before my course started. I cannot stress enough how good stationery is the ultimate key to success.
Get to know your lecturers
DO this! Our course had about six lecturers for the different PGCE subjects - and they all took it in turns to lead different seminars throughout the year. These people are there to guide you, anything you're worried about - they've seen it allll before... My subject mentor was the handiest and most knowledgeable person I've ever had the pleasure of teaching me - and I know I'll continue to bother him with my teaching queries long into my career!
Immerse yourself fully into it
In your first couple weeks, you're going to get those horrendous and cheesy 'getting to know you' exercises. The horrible 'ice breaker' tasks; you know the ones! Honestly, the thought of them makes us all cringe but just say "sod it", throw caution to the wind and be yourself. You're training to be a teacher - so there will be plenty of opportunities where you're asked to stand up and present ideas, and talk to a group - embrace it. Nobody will laugh at you, and you're going to have to develop a pretty thick skin to this sort of stuff if you're about to get let loose in front of a bunch of kids.
Don't be a 'typical student'
The PGCE course is way more structured than any other course I've heard of. In your three year undergrad degree, you've got weeks and weeks to do things and nobody really checks up on you - the compressed nature of the PGCE means that it's seriously intense. I had daily to-do lists, and I'd get in from university in those first couple of weeks and spend an hour or two just collating the amount of information we'd been given on that day. Don't let it fall by the wayside early in, it's not like being an undergrad student again!!
Speaking of which...
Get to university early
Remember in that undergrad degree where you'd sleep in four days out of five and be late into uni and it not really matter? Yeah that doesn't happen any more. The PGCE course is treat like a job, if you're late in - it's noticed - and it's not appreciated. Treat it like work! Get there early, grab a coffee, organise yourself and your thoughts and be there ready and waiting with a pen in hand in those first few weeks. Think of it as prepping for the amount of work you'll have to do on your placements - you'll look back on those first couple of weeks with a nostalgic rose-tinted view. Trust me.
Don't believe the horror stories about social media
In that first week - you will be scared witless about the perils of teaching and social media. Trust me, I get it. I panicked. I had a blog with five years of my life that was very open, honest and VERY accessible. My Instagram feed is now private - my Facebook is pretty much on lockdown unless you're already a friend of mine on there - but you cannot censor your life.
You will go out for drinks, and you will be photographed holding them... So what? Just apply a degree of common sense to what gets published on your feeds and you'll be fine. I've recently changed my Twitter and Instagram handles just to make me that little bit harder to find... And I'll only use my first name on this blog. It's a security blanket rather than a need to fully censor myself. Just because you're a teacher does not mean you do not have a right to an online life - just be cautious about what is posted and what can and cannot be misconstrued. Like I say, it's common sense.
I mean there's plenty more I can write - and I mean there are probably hundreds of tips and tricks for the ultimate PGCE survival - but for now, it's all about prepping yourself back into that university frame of mind - and remembering that it's not all doom and gloom! It IS hard work, but it's SO worth it. Trust me.
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