Well that is it, after 9 months I have completed my PGCE. This is not an easy route yes you only need to reach a teaching time target of 50% but it also includes four subject knowledge assignments of eight thousand words (total), three pieces of reflective writing worth 4000 words in total and a piece of Action Research worth 4000 words. So I have covered 16000 words in addition to completing umpteen lesson plans, power points (death by power point!), resources, research and reflections on every lesson plan! Many of these being finished in the wee small hours on the next day.
I can proudly exclaim that I never missed a deadline in spite of a major nervous breakdown in the family (not my own although at times it came close) that had an acute phase lasting 6 weeks in a mental health hospital. Its at times like this you don't realise the strength and persistence of will an individual has until its finalised. I still live with the possibility of something disastrous happening and probably will for some years to come.
I finished with a good outcome, for me anyway. I have created a VLE (virtual learning environment) of my own work and I have learnt so much about my subject and its pedagogy. Being Computer Science it is an ever changing landscape. I organised a trip for some of the class at my placement, we all learnt to solder and they learnt to program LED lights, play with electric stand on carts and meet a robot up close. I have learnt that kids are complex, what works one week falls apart the next.
Lecturers and mentors are also very different creatures and its their opinion of you that matters! It can make or break you and affect your career chances. As for my career, I have one potentially now, gained two thirds of the way through the course. My next step is to start my NQT year, in both anticipation and trepidation. This will be what I refer to as un-tethered teaching, with no safety net!
Still onwards and upwards and yes I would do it again, I am really glad I stuck with it, the pressure got to some of the class causing them to leave part way through. This was a momentous decision in my life, to give up a low paying TA job and risk it all by attempting the PGCE with no guarantee that I would succeed or find a job at the end of it. The financial rewards are better than the previous job but best of all is that nurturing side of my personality that wants to ensure children can learn to succeed for themselves in a safe managed way while exploring what they excel at and those areas of school life that they find challenging.
