New teacher's diary - September 2007

Steve Rivers (PGDE: Primary student)

It’s only days to go until I start the PGDE (Primary) at Edinburgh. I feel excitement about starting a new course of study, meeting my fellow students and most of all, about beginning to actually teach a group of children. I feel apprehensive to some extent about the real situations I’ll face where I’ll have to use all the skills that have been learned. The workload of the PGDE is quite daunting and there will be a lot to absorb very quickly. But most of all I feel confident and positive about the career that I’ve chosen and the way the year (and more) ahead will proceed.

Scotland became my home three years ago after moving from Manchester. My degree was Philosophy and I’ve spent the time since then working with adults with special needs. This led me to voluntary work with children in play schemes and then a classroom assistant position. I became more and more sure that I wanted to work with children and the work in the classroom made me decide that teaching was what I wanted to do. My belief is that having such a direct effect on the lives of children will mean that I will go home from teaching most days and feel positive and motivated, and this is something that many jobs lack. I also feel that teaching offers a great chance to use my brain; teaching to the necessary standard requires a lot of skill.

The application process was very competitive, including a written application, a panel interview and a group discussion with fellow applicants, and it felt great (and a relief) to receive the letter telling me that I’d been successful. There are personal challenges to the year ahead: how I will manage the large workload and keep on the right side of the learning curve; how I will stand in front of a class of children and show them that I can teach. There are also more mundane challenges: how I will manage financially for the year ahead, having to give up years of full-time work to pursue this career. I look forward enthusiastically to facing all this though.

I hope that this diary will, over the duration of the course, give more insight into the day-to-day challenges I face and the experience of learning to teach.