Recently I found myself back in the class room, it’s only for two mornings a week and I’m not teaching on my own, I’m assisting but I have to say I have found myself surprised. On the first day I was exceptionally nervous, it was years since I’d been back in the classroom in a capacity other than a parent helper and I was worried that as I knew some of the children as a parent they wouldn’t accept me as a teacher. I was concerned that the teachers wouldn’t want a trained teacher assisting either in case they were worried I was treading on their toes. I needn’t have worried, after about the second lesson lots of things came flooding back, as well as my realisation that things had changed.
The interactive whiteboards that were starting to be rolled out when I first went on maternity leave with Matthew were now fully operational and from watching the teachers use them they seem fairly intuitive although I still haven’t ventured into using one of them. It does seem easier to plan things onto computers plug them in and off you go which means that the power of the internet (safe search on, of course) can be harnessed as well as lots of interactive games and activities that enhance learning. As well as this overhead projectors with slightly fuzzy handwritten hymn words have become visualisers that focus automatically and have become a powerful tool for modelling good work and praising children. Yes I am beginning to sound like a teacher again, apparently I still have ‘the look.’ That isn’t to say it has all been plain sailing, Hpops has been a little up and down about the whole thing, for a while she was convinced that I must like other children better than her and wanted me to help out in her class, I had to point out to her that this wouldn’t necessarily be a good idea!
From just a few weeks in the class again I have realised that I have missed teaching, especially as my own children have neared the age I used to teach and I am enjoying helping out with the children, getting to see the light bulb, I get it moments that makes teaching a special thing and not having to deal with the hassle factor of marking, planning and so on. However I do want to return to the profession, the problem will be to find the right job as I need to fit it around the kids if possible but for the moment I am really content just helping out a bit and biding my time, who knows I may feel differently once the children start working out how to wind their teachers up and things more routine.
In other news the kids have settled in really well into their new classes, we have parent’s evening approaching and I am hoping that the reports will be good, writing is now happening on a regular basis thanks to the children being back at school, and I am still considering what to do regarding studying as something is going to have to give I think. Still it just goes to show that teaching is still rewarding for me and I hope to continue to enjoy it.
