Today was my first day at school... as a teacher. When I told some of my colleagues and students, they all thought that I was referring to this day being the first day of the calendar year, and that too after the Christmas holidays. Only a couple of them actually got the point that it was my first day ever at teaching in a school!
All in all, it was great. Though I did not teach any of the groups I'll be handling directly, I got to see them. Of the four groups, all knew that their previous teacher had left the job, but only to one group was I introduced as the new full time RE teacher. The other groups were told that there would be someone coming in shortly. Not even the substitute teacher knew that I was the one, sitting at the back, who would be the one - at least not till the end of the class did they know.
Met some students whom I'd met in November when I went in for two days. They recognised me and came over to talk. They remembered that it was my first day - so they came around to give me company during the break.
The best part of the day: As always, outside the classroom. I joined one boy sitting alone and having his lunch. I asked him if I could join him and initially he told me that he prefers to be alone. But just as I was lingering around, he told me, he'd be happy if I sat with him. And then began the conversation. Honestly I hardly heard or understood anything he said - most of it due to the fact that it was in the playground and secondly because he himself was not very clear in his speech. Nonetheless, I gathered that he is new to the school (since September) and that he is yet to really feel at home here. The climax of our interaction was when he volunteered to show me around the school - since I told him that this was my first day at school. He is one of the three people today who understood in my first mention that I was totally new. And when I agreed, his face lit up and he did show me the whole campus. Well, all that he was familiar with: lockers, toilets, classrooms, "some sort of playground"... and then the learning centre - where "no learning happens!" (those were his exact words!). Couldn't have asked for a better start!
Look forward to the following days, especially next week, when I'll be flying solo!
All in all, it was great. Though I did not teach any of the groups I'll be handling directly, I got to see them. Of the four groups, all knew that their previous teacher had left the job, but only to one group was I introduced as the new full time RE teacher. The other groups were told that there would be someone coming in shortly. Not even the substitute teacher knew that I was the one, sitting at the back, who would be the one - at least not till the end of the class did they know.
Met some students whom I'd met in November when I went in for two days. They recognised me and came over to talk. They remembered that it was my first day - so they came around to give me company during the break.
The best part of the day: As always, outside the classroom. I joined one boy sitting alone and having his lunch. I asked him if I could join him and initially he told me that he prefers to be alone. But just as I was lingering around, he told me, he'd be happy if I sat with him. And then began the conversation. Honestly I hardly heard or understood anything he said - most of it due to the fact that it was in the playground and secondly because he himself was not very clear in his speech. Nonetheless, I gathered that he is new to the school (since September) and that he is yet to really feel at home here. The climax of our interaction was when he volunteered to show me around the school - since I told him that this was my first day at school. He is one of the three people today who understood in my first mention that I was totally new. And when I agreed, his face lit up and he did show me the whole campus. Well, all that he was familiar with: lockers, toilets, classrooms, "some sort of playground"... and then the learning centre - where "no learning happens!" (those were his exact words!). Couldn't have asked for a better start!
Look forward to the following days, especially next week, when I'll be flying solo!
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