Penketh Primary School

Pros

Small school.

Cons

Going into this school as a trainee student my mentor/class teacher told me that I should consider being a teaching assistant. To summarise somewhat bluntly was that if you want to be a teacher you need to give up any chance of having a family life (whether you already have children or are thinking of having children)/work life balance UNLESS you have a partner or someone in your life that can cover everything for you. So if you’re lucky you may get to kiss your children good night. The impression she gave was if you’re not either modelling me or doing more than me then you’re not fit to be a teacher. It is fair to say that this particular placement left me quite traumatised and I didn’t quite realise how much so, as I constantly questioned whether I was the problem as I felt I was never good enough. I felt like a third wheel as the teacher and TA were very tight knit and I was never made to feel that I could come for help without feeling like I was accepting a defeat. Until I spoke to another student who had had the same teacher and a very similar experience. Out of respect and confidentiality I will not give details on her experience but what her experience told me was that, I was not the problem. The problem was a particular breed of teachers (with some exceptions of course) who love you say ‘I’ve been teaching for 20 years/25ysars’ that have no sympathy, empathy, consideration for someone coming into teaching. Teachers are not forced to take on trainee teachers. They actually get paid to have one in their class to mentor. In hindsight I wish I had made a formal complaint as I was trying to the best of my ability with no guidance and then being told I’m not good enough. The people around me could see the impact this was having on me physically and mentally. I know this reads as a rant and I guess it is one because when I tried to communicate my experience at this school I might as well have been talking to a brick wall. Teaching I fear innately changes a person, some for the better and some for the worse.