I am going to a small school that I’m familiar with. The area has a horrid reputation for crime and violence but the school is close to the tube station and is very pleasant. I get there at 08:15 and sign in at the front desk to the happy lady at reception and then the headteacher shows me to the year 1 class I am to teach. I meet a TA who informs me of the day’s schedule. The students come into class at 08:50 and sit on the carpet for registration at 09:00.
We go through the days of the week and months of the year before beginning our first lesson of the day which is a phonics lesson at 9:15 and I am assigned the highest learner class. We do diagraphs from the sh, ch and qu sounds and every child is keen to take part. We then practice said words in a team practice demonstration between two students, one uses their finger and another reads and vice versa, the method is Read, Write, Inc.
It’s horribly cold in the classroom and the children are all wearing jackets, myself included due to the boiler acting up, I’m told this is a regular occurrence as the funding for the school hasn’t gone up significantly in quite a long time and parts of the school infrastructure are failing due to time and wear and tear.
9:50 After the class has returned to the class, I have them sit on the carpet spaces. I call them row by row to go and clean their hands and then have some fruit and milk while I have some Alphablocks on YouTube in the background. 10:00 Is choosing time when the children can choose an activity that has been set up by the wonderful TAs. They are sensory and an exploration of materials and include improving things such as hand-eye coordination and gripping different tools.
10:55 the students clean up all areas where they have played and sit on the carpet by 11:15 where they proceed to take the chance to go to the bathroom and clean their hands. It is cold outside so we have them put on their coats and jackets. At 11:30 the TAs and a representative from the kitchen staff escort the children to the lunch hall where they get help with choosing food and I go to lunch in the staffroom until 12:30, staffrooms can be daunting because you don’t feel part of the staff but I find most of them friendly and I relax a little before the children return.
We retake the register and its clear as day to every teacher in the land that the children act out more due to the combination of the energy of being outside and the consumption of sugar, they sit on the carpet full of emotion and we get ready to get into our maths groups at 12:45.
The class I have is at the lower end of ability so I have a TA helping me identify the most in need of extra attention.
I often have to remind myself just how much work and love these unsung heroes contribute to the UK education system, without them, I have no doubt education in this country would disintegrate such is their level of commitment, all hours and in every situation, pitching in to help their school cope with vanishing resources.
They are everywhere and deserve our utmost respect. The children learn about how to add and take away 1 in value by using different objects such as plastic blocks or crayons, it can be enhanced by asking them to show you different ways to make up certain numbers such as 5 crayons plus 4 crayons = 9 crayons.
13:20 the children arrive back and the class is reunited. They have a chance to play and interact with whatever they desire to a point as we observe some children exploring only one aspect of learning such as playing with dinosaurs every week. We have these children explore writing, reading, and taking part in other activities that are available.
They do these activities until 14:30, there are normal accidents during this time period such as falling over in the outside parts on the concrete or tripping over the toys which permeate the floor for which they themselves have layered. It helps them understand boundaries and their own limits so it serves a purpose if rather a painful one.
My resident pair of SEN are both autistic and so there is some leeway for their behaviour but as children, they are still capable of being manipulative and will test a new teacher constantly so you have to stay on guard as some are physical, have anger control problems or are used to getting their own way that they will cry for hours in the hope of breaking you down until you accept. This is all normal in the daily activities of children while working within the industry and shouldn’t put you off if your passion is teaching others.
14:45 The children are back in the class tidying up once more and then getting ready for home. The children are a mixture of tired and excited at the same time, so excited that they often forget their bags or rush past teachers when they see their loved ones so keeping the class calm is a priority.
15:00 The TA knows the parents so I let them take the lead when disgorging the children into the waiting arms of parents. If the adult is not recognized we will not allow the child to leave even if the adult is insistent, your duty of care comes first and is a measure of protection for yourself.
There are always a few student’s parents late so I hand them over to the reception waiting room where another TA is handling that activity for the day such as phoning parents. 15:25 I check that everything is done including any marking and then get ready to leave.
I had a great day but the needs of the children can be exhausting mentally more than physically but I love the school so that’s half the battle. The school itself manages to do its best with the limited resources at its disposal to the maximum effect for the children.
