I am a fledgling teacher. Commonly referred to in the profession as an NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher). If I am anything like a fledgling bird, to be specific, I am an ostrich. My head is firmly buried in the sand.
Educationally speaking I have survived many things: a state education until the age of 18, a four year undergraduate MA in Divinity (Google it), and most recently, a PGDipEd in Religious Education which renders me accomplished enough to be unleashed upon the tween and teen masses that should be so fortunate/unfortunate to cross my path. While I survived the PGDipEd (more or less synonymous with a PGCE) it nearly killed me was the most difficult challenge I have faced to date (albeit I've only got 23 years to go on).
Having said that, the PGDipEd was conquered and well before the end of the year I emerged victorious with a job offer for my first full-time position as a teacher of Religious Education and Philosophy & Ethics (and as it would emerge a spot of Geography for good measure) at a school that will remain nameless somewhere in the depths of the East Midlands. It was when I received my timetable and gazed upon the bulk of GCSE and A Level teaching that I realised this year was going to be the true test, a real case of sink or swim. While I had remained hopeful that this was the end of my 'baptême du feu', the impending NQT year has been invariably described as the hardest year that I will probably face in the entirety of my teaching career.
However, all too soon hibernation season is beginning to wane. We're now drawing closer to the end of August and my start date is looming, the impulse to begin a blog in order to document my experiences and share some of my work has come upon me in the small hours of a Monday morning. Of course, I fully recognise this as a procrastination method to keep me from doing any 'real' work but it may provide some therapy in the process of discarding my ostrich like urges, getting my head out of the sand and fully embracing the challenging but undoubtedly amazing year that I am about to experience.
While I am painfully aware and apologetic about my current fatigued tone the reality is that I not only love teaching, but I love teaching Religious Education as a unique and valuable curriculum experience. The aims of this blog are to reflect upon my teaching experiences for my own benefit and if it does attract (any) readers who happen to find it of interest, to engage in discussion about the demands of both Religious Education as a unique discipline as well as those general to teaching in a secondary environment.
Thank you for reading.
H
So I'm already exhausted, mortified at the prospect of a year even harder than the last and desperately trying to ignore the sensation of impending doom. But summer has arrived, hibernation has ensued and my many ailments have began to calm after a year of choosing sleep over evening meals.
