NQTS NQTS
Taking the next step
Keep building
your confidence
ike aLL professions starting off
L
can be the hardest part and as an
NQT it is all about building your
confidence both in and out of the
classroom.
You will have had a year or
so to make new friends, come to
terms with new learning methods, and generally
learn how to design, prepare and plan your classes
while also being observed.
it is at this stage of your career that you can feel
both inspired and daunted as you watch the more
experienced teachers around you skilfully navigate
their way through the year.
The best way to develop your skills is to focus
on what you are good at and play to your strengths,
which requires three things: confidence, learning
from your mistakes, and increasing your self-
awareness.
Building your self confidence
Confidence is a fragile thing, here today, gone
tomorrow! There are so many things that can
destroy your confidence, like listening to the wrong
people, being overly sensitive to feedback, feeling
totally overwhelmed, and too much self-analysis.
Confidence is like a garden where you need to
seed, weed and feed it regularly and like teaching,
at different times of the year it requires different
jobs to be done.
Seeding
Seeding a garden involves starting out with an idea
about what you want to achieve. What do you want • Resist judging – shift to a place of trying
your garden to look like? How will it feel as you sit to understand. Judging holds criticism which
in it? and what will it sound and smell like? will prevent you from seeing the goodness.
You may want to ask yourself the following: • Prioritise activities – breaking things down into
• What do you think a good teacher is like? achievable tasks and recognising both bumps
• How would you describe their attitude and and achievements.
behaviour? • Forgive yourself – adopt an “if i don’t succeed,
• What makes them good at what they do? try, try and try again” mindset and tell yourself
Write this down in a diary or somewhere where you each mistake is one step closer.
can see it often. Writing this down is like planting • keep an open mind – make the decision not
the seeds and allowing them to grow and mature in to demand that others do things perfectly and
your particular design. your mind will discover that the world does not
end when they do not; it learns to be more
Weeding flexible.
This is an essential task for any good gardener. • Be kind – change the way you talk to yourself.
Weeds can suck out the goodness from young instead of saying “you failed”, say “i missed that
seedlings and take over if left unattended. Weeds are one, never mind”.
like the things which undermine your confidence.
are you surrounding yourself with people who
Finding your own style of teaching
are negative, always moaning, and sapping your it can often feel easier to copy another teacher’s
energy? Like weeding in a garden, it requires style of teaching than adopt your own, but you soon
patience and time. Make friends with people who realise that you have to be comfortable in your own
will boost your confidence and focus on the positive shoes and find your own way.
things that are happening in the school. Understanding your personality can dramatically
affect the way you teach because it helps you to
Feeding understand the impact your preferences can have
This encourages growth and results and can make on others.
the difference between success and failure. Feeding extrovert teachers may like to use stories as a
is about indulging your senses – doing the things way of communicating a topic and introverts might
There are people who are experts in the use of iCT. 22) roles, and roles that give you the opportunity to that you enjoy, acknowledging your achievements, like to get the students to reflect on the subject to find
There are experts in employer engagement. Do you work with the community outside of school. and celebrating successes as you go along. it is their own meaning. Both are relevant but may have
want to join them? This type of experience will help you to build a also about taking risks, stretching yourself, and different results.
Have you identified an area of school life where you broad understanding of education and how schools asking for feedback from colleagues who have your We absorb information in different ways. Some
believe that, in time, you will have a specialist, or an work. Headteachers need this knowledge, and you interests at heart. NQTs focus on the facts, details and practicalities,
expert, contribution to make? could be laying the foundations for your future success while others rely on gut, intuition and imagination.
even if you have only an inkling of an idea about by looking for leadership experience now.
Avoiding perfectionism
There are no right or wrong ways, but recognise that
where you want to develop your expertise, it is Teachers often feel like they have to be “perfect” different classes or subjects require different things.
worth talking to people who already hold the type of
Would you prefer to avoid planning?
and yet this is impossible to achieve. Perfection only Some NQTs like to have their classes mapped
roles and responsibilities that interest you about their Do not worry if you think you are not yet ready to exists where fault does not! and it is this mindset out to finest detail, while others prefer a more
work. consider far-reaching decisions about your career. that keeps us trapped and in search of our faults. spontaneous style allowing for discussion and being
Learn what these experts do on a day-to-day basis. You are still less than a year into your teaching NQTs are particularly susceptible to wanting to side-tracked. The key is to remember that there
Find out about their career paths. Find out which posts career, and you are still going through your induction be perfect because they want to get it right and show are two agendas, theirs and yours, and you have to
they have held as they worked towards achieving into the teaching profession. You have got quite a few what they are capable of. Review the following decide which gets the priority.
their expert status. ask them what training they have years in teaching ahead of you, so you can afford to statements. Do you teach from head or the heart? if it is the
completed, and if they have needed to gain additional put off any long-term decisions about your career for • after completing a piece of work i feel anxious head, you will be quite analytical, will see things
qualifications along the way. the moment. until i hear back that it is okay. in black and white, and focus on the pros and cons
Talk to your school’s CPD co-ordinator about how as long as you are content with the course you • i have difficulty making decisions and hold out of every situation. if you teach from the heart, you
you, too, might map out a path leading to expert status. are steering, you can give yourself permission to take to the last minute. will be driven by your values and concerned with
Talk to him or her about the steps along the way and at least another year before you formalise your career • i do not delegate and find it difficult to ask for creating harmony in your classroom.
how you can start to fulfil your aspirations. management plans. help. By understanding the needs, wants and learning
However, set yourself some targets. Nominate a • i deliver work late or miss deadlines because i styles of your students and having an awareness of
Do you want to be a head?
time when you will start planning your career. Do not am still checking things are right. your personality, you can choose the right approach
Perhaps you are surprised by the question. allow yourself to drift forever. • i sometimes avoid risky things that would for the right occasion.
You might think it is very early in your career Thinking about your future will help you to be stretch me because i am afraid of failing. as you develop your skills as a teacher, you will
to be considering headship, but it is worth asking clear about your strengths, your achievements, and • i make a major deal out of other people making quickly realise that when you are playing from your
yourself whether or not you see yourself as a your aspirations. it is never too early to develop your mistakes or not being competent. own personal strengths and focusing on developing
headteacher, in the future, when you are a more understanding of these issues. if you answered yes to any of these then you your own unique style of teaching, you will be
experienced teacher. even though you are still an NQT, asking what comes are showing signs of a being a perfectionist and the at your best because you will only be comparing
if you do, you need to start steering your work next in your career is a useful exercise, so work on your following might help you change the pattern before yourself to you.
towards leadership roles as soon as possible. This answers to the question before the summer arrives. it becomes a life-long habit.
means you must be alert to the opportunities to lead • Like yourself – always look for the good in • Dot Struthers runs CPD workshops and group
teams and projects whenever they arise. • Margaret Adams is the author of How To Take Charge yourself and remember you are not perfect at coaching sessions which encourage people to learn
You will also need to look out for cross-school, Of Your Teaching Career (Continuum International anything, but you are good at many things. from each other. Visit www.merechats.co.uk
cross-curricular, and even extra-curricular (see page Publishing, 2008).
SecEd • June 25 2009 21
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