Taking the kids on a field trip!

Spent all day today with 30 teenagers helping out the NHS and other services to do this drop session, no one really turned up to the event, but the students got to talk to the stall holders and asked some really good questions in the Q&A. They behaved really well very proud of them!

First time i have felt useful

One of the students today was freaking out, something had been said about having more English lesson one week and less the following week, to add in extra time in the darkroom for students.  The sounds of extra English made this student shut down completely.
 Considering most of the students have a entry level 3 ability in English and Maths, I could see why he would shut down. But course work needs to be in for them soon and he hasn't written very much as it is. So I sat next to him and got him to open up about his worries, he dislikes English as I suspected. My only advice I could impart on him, was to not worry about something that wasn't yet set in stone. Then I moved on to encouraging him to get on with his work, he had no idea how to write down what was in his head. So I got him to tell me verbally what he was thinking. Then I said to him, that's great can we get this down in word, bullet points to start with then you can go back and expand. By the end of the lesson he had written more than he has done in the past 3 weeks.  Success at last! 

A little better

I still feel like i don't belong very well. But i am learning how teaching should be done and how it is done. While in lesson's i have seen some things that i would like to do differently, is i were to be the teacher.

First of all I don't like how the students put head phones and listen to youtube, i don't understand how students can follow what they are meant to do, when they have music blaring in their ears.
 I have thought of ways that students could still have music but on a level where the students create a playlist that is played from my computer, and that music can then be turned down when direction is needed to be given. 

First day in placement

It was so scary, I thought I would feel more comfortable but because I went into the lessons, three weeks after the students had started. I felt a little bit like an outsider.

The students where a little bit stand offish about me being there, they are used to having Helen in the classroom and I don't blame them liking change.

I really want to settle in and quickly, I hope that the students will become more used to me.