Teacher Training: 10 things I wish someone told me

Most newly qualified teachers will tell you that their teacher training journey was filled with ups and downs. It is both wonderfully exciting but also challenging and overwhelming. It's important to keep calm, stay proactive and persevere.

To help trainees get a sense of what teacher training is really like and what to expect as well as what not to expect, we turned to Charlotte - an NQT. Charlotte shares some of the things she wished someone had told her and we hope they are a useful guide for trainees starting off their journey in to teaching. 

#1 Being organised is absolutely, fundamentally key to getting through this year.

#2 Your trainee year is the time to try out weird and wacky lesson ideas as you can get an honest critique on it and reflect on its effectiveness.

#3 Not all mentors are as supportive or nurturing as you would hope.

#4 You will need to be resilient as on a daily basis you will be told what went wrong with your lesson.

#5 It is weird to teach someone else's class, especially with them in the room. Just remember that you will have your own class soon and do things you want.

#6 Following on from point 5, make sure that you do begin to think about what it's you would like to keep for your own class and what you would change.

#7 Be critically reflective of yourself but not to the detriment of your confidence. A supportive mentor should help you but, as I said, you may need to be quite resilient.

#8 Find fellow trainees on Twitter to talk to when the going gets tough, a problem shared is a problem halved.

#9 Use resources that are already available rather than creating your own.

#10 Be good to yourself, take a break on the weekends, spend some time with friends and family and get ready for a very rewarding and challenging job.

About Charlotte

Charlotte is a newly qualified teacher starting in Yr 2 at a one form entry school near London. She is keen to connect with other #KS1 teachers and discover more about #T4W, #outdoorlearning and MA grouping. You can find Charlotte on Twitter at @MissB_theNQT