10 things I wish I knew about before going on prac
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1. Prac is seriously exhausting
From the back-to-back early starts and long days to sacrificing sleep just to make sure you’re prepared for class the next day - prac is seriously exhausting. Yep, your circadian rhythm will probably get out of whack, but make sure you use the most of your time during the day and avoid taking work home with you. Allocate time to staying back after the last bell, smashing out lesson plans, reflections and any assessments. Save home time for ‘me’ time to prevent yourself from burning out.
2. Treat every prac like a job interview
Look the part, act the part. Everyone will have eyes on you and will be analysing your potential as a future casual teacher at the school. Organise yourself with a late-night Kmart run for excessive amounts of stationery, including folders with dividers. Also, dress to impress by ensuring you have professional business attire (or PDHPE appropriate sportswear).
3. Students (and staff) stalk your social media
Facebook; Instagram; Tinder; tumblr; you name it- it’s not safe. By the time you’ve read this, someone is probably deep into stalking your siblings or your long-lost cousin's private life. Students often look for anything to put on you, and staff will use social media to sus out whether you’re fit for the job. While on prac, change your social media surname and make everything private. Maybe it’s time to delete those embarrassing 2008 selfies…
4. Lesson plans take 3x longer to plan than they do to actually teach
Factoring research time, finding resources and creating those pesky PowerPoint presentations, you’ve just clocked 4 hours on making 1 lesson. Save time (and mountains of effort) by checking out EdSoc’s Shared Resource Drive that hosts HEAPS of tested and tried lesson plans with linked resources. Find it by joining your year group’s Facebook page run by EdSoc for the link.
5. Lessons rarely go to plan
Planned a 40-minute lesson? You’ll probably rush through content due to sheer nervousness in just 20 minutes. Allocated 5 minutes to take the roll? Boom, it’s actually taken 15 minutes because no one will quieten down. The point is, stay calm and be prepared to wing it or go with the flow if your plan isn’t well received by the class. Impress your prac teacher by showing them you react well to unexpected changes and can manage your time effectively. Do this by mastering the content and being in touch with your students’ needs, in order to ultimately meet your learning goals in any way possible.
6. Your supervising teacher will become your new best friend (or at least they should)
At the end of the day, they’re getting paid to have you on board and it’s their duty to ensure you make the most of these short experiences. Most prac teachers will be super friendly and able to answer questions, share their resources and help out wherever possible. Your prac teacher should prepare you for professional life and cement that you are on the right path. If you’re having a bad time, speak to the UTS Professional Experience office and they’ll be able to help you out.
7. Students need to feel like they trust you before they follow your instruction
Sometimes, simply starting off the class by saying "I’m just a prac student... standing in front of a class... asking you to bear with me.." is going to break down the HUGE assumption and barrier that you’re a random authority figure looking to boss some kids around. It's also important to establish agreed behavioural and learning expectations at the start of your lesson. Appropriately opening up and admitting you might make some mistakes will also help make you that cool, unforgettable, come-back-again-soon prac teacher that every student remembers.
8. Office gossip is real
Students; students’ parents; fellow teachers; admin staff; past prac students; no one is off limits to staffroom gossip. WARNING: stay out of it! It’s terribly unprofessional, and sometimes staff might do this to catch you out. Simply take it in one ear and out the other. Unless it concerns the learning of a student in the class you are observing/teaching, it is not your area of concern (i.e. don’t assume or delve into the home life of the student). If you have a concern, pass it onto your supervising teacher and let the professionals take care of the issue.
9. Not every supervising teacher will be great
Some teachers can become so complacent and virtually part of the furniture of the school that they can get away with anything. You might experience lacklustre care and concern for students, passive teaching efforts and half-bothered supervision. As a prac student, this can be upsetting, especially when they’re supposed to be your role model. A tip is to use them as living proof of what NOT to be like. If your allocated supervising teacher is an absolute slacker and not helping you at all, flag them with the UTS Professional Office ASAP. They’ll reconsider allocating future prac students to them.
10. There are scholarships out there for you to claim!
Are you Indigenous, majoring in Science/Technology/English/Maths (STEM) or looking to teach rurally? Teach.NSW have hundreds of incentives available for future teachers, including $5,000 per year of your degree and a guaranteed permanent job once you graduate! Visit Teach.NSW to explore their wide range of scholarship, cadetship and internship programs.
This article was written by Stephanie Schilling on behalf of the EdSoc (UTS Education) Society. You can follow the society on Facebook and Instagram!
The UTS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Education.
