Teacher Training in a time of COVID-19

A day in the life of a school direct trainee…in Business…apparently during a health emergency…not had time to notice… 

5.55am and the alarm has gone off.  Whoa when did I get used to that…20 years in the licensed drinks industry had not prepared me for this hour…

Flick the news on, just for the weather and business news you understand, barely take in the selection issue for Gareth Southgate against Wales.

4 weeks in I’ve got this – shirts already ironed, identity key fob hanging from my coat and packed lunch done…watch the pennies no-one gets rich during training…got my notes, wallet, double check notes and plan…time to dash…out the door…forgot my glasses…try again…

Train for me is a good time to reflect, take some notes, read up on the topic, and scroll through the business news – always one eye out for the next killer case study that will inspire the students to even greater endeavour…

Arrive to a staff room depleted in number but bubbling with activity, the polite but desperate queue for the photocopier, minutes until show time for most, the grind of the guillotine. I must find out why so many teachers use this, I have avoided it so far?  Time for tea and to fire up a PC.  One period clear and then I am on.  Time to tweak my plan, email my mentor and then print off my worksheets.  Have I printed enough, is the content stretching enough? How is my timing…how will they behave?

Need not have worried – supply teacher absolutely delighted that I will be taking the lesson…made somebody’s day at least…

Check the time, double check it is schedule A this week?  Then it is 50 minutes and we are off…Finance to year 10s…they settle quickly and the teaching starts…introduce the topic…is it too dry, revenue and costs?  Need not have worried. Use BMW dealerships as a case study.  Do they get it?  Then ‘Sir, Sir, if I steal the cars rather than buy them from BMW will that bring my total costs down and increase profits?’  Had not planned it but we take a brief detour into business ethics and building sustainable businesses. 

We have engagement - Awesome, then the deputy head borrows a couple of students for a 14 day break – no matter, it’s a sign of the times and we plough on, we still have 20 happy souls to educate…

Result - it is the supply teacher that bursts my bubble and not the class – it is two minutes until the end of the lesson where did the time go…why didn’t they notice?!

Buzzing back to the staff room…reflect…complete my notes and it is prep time for Friday…Operations Management Year 13 Business A level.  I can make a difference already helping this class with missed learning from the lockdown…

It may not be the same, but for me this is normal...

Stuart