Deliver Me from Maths!

I worked at my first secondary school today. At first, I didn't want to take the job on as I didn't feel I was equipped for that level, but my agency assured me they had teaching assistants in that school and I will be fine.

Before I left, I thanked God for His Grace and for showing me the way.

The school has this system where they send teaching assistants to support pupils with learning difficulties for an hour and a half and then move them to another class. I find it can be draining working one to one with the same pupil all day, so I thought this was a good system.

My first class was with a  pupil in a science class who wasn't particularly motivated, but I managed to get her to do some work before she went back to her drawing. She even drew a picture of me.

The next pupil I was sent to  support was in the English class.  She didn't want to work so I worked with other pupils in the class instead.

After lunch, I was sent to support a pupil in this maths class. I was told she was very weak in maths. When I entered the classroom, it felt like I had walked into the Twilight Zone where pupils are being taught in gibberish, but they all understand that language. After about 10 minutes, I walked out and told the manager that I had no idea what the maths teacher was going on about. I wouldn't even know how to support another.  I was sent to support a pupil at a science class. When I told the teacher it was my first secondary school, he told me to just relax.  I did end up having fun with the kids while we were being taught about atoms, electrons and protons.

Would I go back to a secondary school? Only if I didn't have to do maths. God has a plan for me, and it's certainly not teaching maths. 😀

This selfie was taken 3 years ago.