The fourth week of my placement and the last week prior to X’mas break! Hooray!   I haven’t had problems with students this week but I have discovered that there are a lot of political issues going around the department.  

On late Sunday night, I had a text message from one of the tutors to tell me that the Head had decided to use the classroom where I would be teaching on Monday morning for their departmental meeting.  So I must take the students to the Library for half an hour instead.  Luckily she informed me and I was able to prepare a question and answer exercise for them to do for that half an hour.  However, it disrupted my plan terribly.  There are rules in the department that if you want to swap lessons or classrooms you must first get the permission from the Head. I have been told that he doesn’t like it so don’t bother to ask!  But it is alright for me to notify someone at the last minute!  After all it is his show and I presume he can run it how he likes!

I think this placement is ideal; It does all the student teachers a world of good AS they really have the opportunity to get a real taste of the real world, meeting the real students (misbehaved students!) and real politics flying around the department!  I am so glad that I don’t have to be involved in the political side of things, as I have decided I don’t want to be a full time lecturer.  Too much stress! It is very bureaucratic and every single tutor moans about the amount of paper work that they have to complete which is unbelievable! 

I have instead decided to be a supply teacher, a private tutor and perhaps to become a Chinese Language Examiner!  All of these will not involve me in the complication of the office ‘politics’ and I’ll work for myself, be my own boss and work whenever I want, to suit my young family’s lifestyle. 

Good start for my X’mas holidays: plenty of marking to do and the preparation work to complete!  If I have to make comments at the end of our PGCE programme, I will suggest that placement work should be organised between February and May for 12 weeks with  no lectures at the Uni during the 12 weeks hence no assignments.  All the teaching and assignments are to be completed before the start of placement.  The placement should be in place as soon as the Uni course starts.  I find coping with the assignments at Uni and preparing lessons at the same time stresses me out and I am not sure if anyone feels the same?!  Comments welcome!