Primrose Kitten
Surviving Your ECT Years
Many go into the teaching profession eager and idealistic but can sometimes be crushed by the overwhelmingly busy, stressful and high-pressure first two years as an ECT. The truth is that your first couple of years don’t have to be as difficult as you imagine, nor as terrifying. Follow our eight tips below to take some pressure off yourself and not only survive, but downright thrive and flourish.
It’s a daunting time in your first year, with so much happening every day that can confuse you and leave you stumped. Whenever you’re in doubt, you must ask your mentor, department head or other colleagues in the know. No questions are daft when you are an ECT, and you should feel bold enough to enquire when you need.
If you let every mistake get you down, then you’re going to have a very difficult time in your first couple of years. Be mentally ready for your inevitable mistakes and missteps. If you are braced for them, then you’ll be able to look at them more positively and constructively instead of letting them get you bogged down.
One way of dealing with stress and pressure is to treat every difficult task as a learning opportunity. This works especially well combined with Tip 3 about being mentally prepared for mistakes. Reflect on every task you get, and think about what went right and what you could do better in the future.
When you’re new and keen to start your teaching career with a bang, you can come in with dozens of hot ideas fresh from your previous night’s reading or networking.