Last summer, I'm sure many of us were dreading the thought of September rolling around again, of waking up at 6am and dusting off formal dress. For me and many of my peers, there was an extra weight on our shoulders: being an ECT. This would be the first time I was truly alone in a classroom, with nobody to hide behind, and nobody to look to when a Year 9 asks a question that would better suit a lecture hall. It was just me, and it was terrifying.
Looking back
I was in a different situation to many of my fellow SCITT (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training) trainees. Whereas they gained roles in large music departments, I was the only music teacher employed at my school. I was in charge of planning the curriculum and, having been told that the school wasn't a huge fan of the one currently in place, I felt I had to start afresh and shape one from scratch, and with haste.
So, that's what I did. I spent weeks of the summer holiday planning, researching, experimenting and borrowing from any sites and organisations I could find. Scouring the lesson plans and schemes I had made during my ITT year, I hoped to find things that could be adapted to suit the new environment. In the end, I managed to pull together a framework for KS3 that I was happy with. And I braced myself for Day 1.
It's safe to say I felt extremely underprepared, and wanted nothing more than to email my previous mentors and seek their approval of my curriculum plans. In the event, the first months of my ECT year were in fact bliss. Having voiced my concerns with my ECT mentor over the first few weeks, I received curriculum support from the deputy head. Plus, the worries I had regarding attitudes, behaviour and policy were soothed by a friendly team around me.
Takeaways
There are always those few little golden nuggets that we wish we knew before we started out. In my case, little snippets of information have made my life so much easier. I'd like to pass on some advice to other trainees who may be struggling with confidence.
1. Don't be scared of your senior leadership team
I think I was deeply affected by my relationships with the SLT at the school I myself attended as a student. Subconsciously, this experience affected my relationships as an adult going back into school. For the first few weeks I avoided SLT members like the plague, trying not to say anything that would make them think less of me. But after being around them and taking part in conversations, it became clear that my fears were highly irrational and had no backing. The SLT loved to have a chat and helped in any way they could.
2. Cherish the freedom!
I did my first placement in a large multi-academy trust, and their music departments ran like a well-oiled machine. Each teacher taught the scene in exactly the same way, with the same anecdotes and examples. This ingrained a feeling in me that I had to be the same. Everything had to be perfect and exactly right from Day 1. I'm sure anyone reading this can agree that this is a bizarre assumption and it's far from reality. Lessons are never going to be perfect: you must adapt and re-plan on the fly, identify what works with each class and run with it.
3. Get involved
If whole school projects are happening – whether skits, house team events or big productions – make the effort to get involved. I avoided these for the first month of my teaching and really wish I hadn't. It would have been a great way to become immersed in school life, and to establish myself with pupils and the whole school in a short space of time. As it is, my authority is sometimes challenged by students I don't teach, or by teachers that don't know who I am and ask about music-related things.
All in all, I have loved my experience of coming into teaching. I know that if I had read some of the points in this article before I started, my anxiety would have been easier to manage. Go forth and be the best you that you can!
