Day in the Life of a Teacher

By Bill, posted

Becoming a fully qualified teacher is not as difficult as is is sometimes perceived. The Education & Training pathway provides a genuine route into full teacher status via the private sector. Newly qualified teachers can go on to teach in the post 16 sector, and even within secondary education.

Today we are going to catch up with Del - a retired firefighter who completed his Level 4 Certificate in Education & training in order to qualify to teach the level 3 course.

Hopefully this will provide a useful insight for budding teachers out there who may be looking for a career change.

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08:00 - At the Venue

Hi i’m about an hour early but always best to get the venue well within time as there is nothing worst than being late for your own course!

Today I’m teaching on the Level 3 Award in Education & Training, which is an entry level course, designed to qualify people to train / teach unsupervised.

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I’m using the spare time to scan over the candidates application forms, and to see what industries they are from. We usually have a real good mix of people which makes for an interesting three days. Today we have a couple of hairdressers, first aid trainers and charity workers (amongst others).

09:00 - Time to Start

Everyone is here on time which is a miracle in itself!

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The first job is to put everyone at ease. As adults I find we can get a bit nervous when out of our comfort zone, and in an unfamiliar environment. This is all fixed by starting with an interactive ice breaker, and before long everyone is chatting and laughing together.

My main job of today is introduce the subject of roles and responsibilities within teaching. I want the candidates to understand what will be expected of them when they embark on their training careers.

12:00 - And that’s Lunch!

We have covered some real good ground so far. I have delivered a series of short lectures and we have had some quality group discussions. Some of the learners are quieter than others - therefore I occasionally split the class into small groups so that everyone gets an opportunity to have their say.

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14:00 - What’s Been Covered?

So far we have looked at the following areas in Unit 1:

  • Being a role model
  • Motivating students
  • Planning adequately
  • Classroom ethics

Now it’s time to introduce the 15 minute microteach session, which we need to spend time planning, ready to be delivered on day three. The learners will be naturally nervous about their lesson delivery so it's my job to clearly outline what will be expected of them.

16:00 - Students Go Home

It’s four O'clock and that’s the end of day one. Technically I am here for this last hour if learners want to sit in to review notes and plan their microteach session. On this occasion a couple of people want to go over the first draft of their lesson plan with me.

What I love about this course is seeing people develop in such a short period of time. There is also nothing better than the wide smiles on peoples faces when they have delivered their very first lesson on day three.

Catch up again another time
Del

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