Things I Wish Were On My PGCE But Weren't: Number 4 How your performance will be managed

I had no idea I would be regularly graded on my lessons, like passing an exam once a term. Grades are specifically left out of observations when you are a student, and I just had no idea of what constituted a good or outstanding lesson. Never mind how to get them into my lessons, and never mind how to make them obvious during observations.

I also wasn’t prepared for the amount of scrutiny your personal life will get. I have had things like my posture and my accent mentioned in feedback meetings. I had not been informed of the ‘work face’ and the ‘home face’ that needed to be developed, and so it just hadn’t been developed full stop. It was forced into being by criticism during NQT assessments.

I just find it unreasonable to be told off for doing something, when I was not told it wasn’t to be done. Wouldn’t it be better to be told not to do it to begin with, and then be praised for doing a good job? It’s just plain logic really. I had no idea of the expectations.


Read the full series