i wish it was the teaching bit that i find hard. I had a review meeting with my in school mentor and the short of it is I can do the teaching bit and that is improving nicely lesson by lesson but if i dont sort my paperwork out I will fail it is a bit of a nightmare really. I dont get the qt standards requirement bit and i teach on the fly so the lesson plans are plus i failed the first assignmnet. thankfully it wasnt assessed and i have been given guidance about what i need to do for the next one but still... it will be intersting and need to submit a plan by the end of the weekend really. So this weekend i shall juggle the ironing and laundry, doing something with ds, the weekly review, anything that i have forgotten paperwork wise and this essay plan which requires reading and thinking about. tis a nightmare really. Do we have a communal stash of pro plus we can raid as needed? shall i start one and we use as needed. Caffine on drip also available.

Mama - On our course they have really emphasised the fact that you learn much more from a bad lesson than you do a good one. They said that they would worry if we just got it right from the off.

I would feel exactly the same as you (and I would cry too!) but try to take the positives from it if you can. You'll be a much better teacher for it I'm sure. If you're having a wobble maybe have a look on the TES site forums at the student section, as there are lots of people feeling similar, and lots of positive replies and suggestions.

saadia - I am also in denial about having to teach, glad it's not just me!

o mamaloves..., I'm sure we'll all have days like that. I question my decision every day to start this course. I think we just have to develop a very thick skin and focus on the things that go well. It is very tough.

hi all! its been a long time since i popped in. think we're all so busy we've no time for mnetting.

well, i had my second supervised visit today and it didn't go well. i knew, while teaching, that the class was not going that well. i was finding it hard to get my point across and was lecturing rather than getting the class involved.

anyway, my tutor and i went to a room to discuss her comments afterwards. i suggested to her that it had gone badly and she said that we had a lot of areas to look at. i was so tired and disappointed that i started crying like an idiot . i'm finding this much harder than i thought i would. its so frustrating, my first visit was ok. feel like i'm going backwards. i can't get a handle on the teaching...i'm not sure if i have the ability...plus i'm cold and can't really afford to put on the heating.

well, rant over . sorry all... i'm just so scared that i've put money and time into this course and that i will not get a good mark. hope everybody here is having a better week than me .

Really interesting to hear how your placements are going. I started mine yesterday, so far so good, just observing at the moment. I find that there is so much information to note down and am just thinking about how to organise my file - have lots of specific observations to complete too so will have to make notes during the lesson. Am in complete denial about every having to teach though .

I am on placement and absolutely knackered! Have been teaching parts of lessons and enjoying it but have a particularly noisy Yr7 science class who are stressing me out - how to get them to quieten down? I've just finished making a starter for tomorrow so am going to bed now. Glad to hear everyone's still on board

Yep tis normal. i nearly quit a few weeks back and very grateful to a fellow student who kick some sense into me. I have a bombsite and and laundry monster to tame over half term, combined with assignments and lesson planning and key skills portfolio. Didnt even get breakfast this morning. But that is how it is. Will probably hate every moment of the group that are a little less then angels, but never know they might surprise me...

I am barely managing to fit in eating and sleeping at the moment, and I'm not even in school yet!

I am enjoying the course work, but it feels like such a lot of information and I am wondering how it will all fit together.

My first placement if after half term and I am partly excited and mostly terrified!

My house is a mess, my ironing pile is gigantic, I am beginning to look forward to housework as it means I get a break from studying (very worrying!) and I have moments of feeling great and then moments of feeling completely overwhelmed...tell me this is normal?!

Well done on your lesson today DEM, it's good that you're looking forward to the next one!

How is everyone doing? Or are you all too snowed under with planning, assignments and key skills requirements to come post anymore?

Is anyone else finding the further they get into the course the more they are enjoying it? I taught my first lesson in my block A placement school today. Whilst I didnt think it went that well i got really positive feedback, which was nice. There is still a lot of work to be done to get to qualified level of in lesson calm from the kids but they are lovely. Looking forward to teaching the next lesson after half term. What and how is everyone else doing?

As far as i am aware, they wont consider your application if you dont have the grade. some unis offer an equivalency exam but it depends on what you want to do and which uni as some are stricter then others. Which subject is your degree in and what are you thinking about doing as that might have some relevance. eg i think they are stricter in primary about the maths then secondary <dont quote this as i might be making it up as dont really know about the primary requirements.