Warning future teachers: physical fitness is a must
In sixth year, the most grueling year of one's life in terms of study, decision-making, or in relation to the first, lack of decision-making, the CAO people forgot to tell us aspiring teachers one very important thing. In order to survive as an educator, you need to have the strength of an inter-county football team to simply get by each day. FACT.
For the last week I have been on teaching practice, and I don't know what it is but mother of sweet divine the legs, feet and back do be quite shagged after 6 hours of it. Maybe it's the constant hurdling over bags, art supplies and children themselves. Maybe it's the endless trips to the photocopying machine, and the painful standing session that endures upon arrival. Or maybe it's the out-dated student teacher dress code that prevents us from wearing shoes that actually give us some much-needed arch support for the task of dealing with snotty noses, the flinging of random objects or continuous streams of chatter about the hip and happening things in the lives of 8-year-olds.
That's before we even get to the lugging of books and supplies here, there and everywhere. There's a reason why I avoid the teaching of Science (lol jk but not really lol) (jk) (lol) (right shut up). Science the last day for me meant transporting two heavy bags of liquids, including glass bottles, as well as my folders, food and other teachery items, about a total distance of 3 miles. HELL. ON. EARTH. It would take more than the Irish rugby team physio to sort out the shoulder and back problems I'll probably be battling for the rest of my life due to this traumatic occurrence. Honestly. Where was the heads-up in Leaving Cert informing me that in order to successfully complete teaching practice in the years to come I'd need to be doing some serious back and leg gym sessions in between?? Sound, second-level education system. No, seriously, sound.
And of course, there's that one malady that all teachers are familiar with. And the kids' faces light up like the Travelling Community at a wedding of two cousins when this woeful illness is inflicted upon their teacher, and that is... THE SORE THROAT. Fear it, but accept it! You will be extremely prone to this as an educator, so tough! Strepsils would want to be within arm's reach on a daily basis for the amount of roaring you'll be doing trying to call for attention, scold children and belt out the dánta and rannta at a volume loud enough to scare the pupils into actually learning them for you.
So yeah. For any doctors, physios or funeral directors out there, God knows you'll never be short of work when us weary, worn down teachers are literally jumping through hoops day in day out. And the government are on about cutting pay. Mm. Because I'm sure handing your buddies brown envelopes behind the scenes and warming seats in the Dáil exerts quite a strain on a person's physique alright.
Pull the other one.
But not that one, it's sore.
For the last week I have been on teaching practice, and I don't know what it is but mother of sweet divine the legs, feet and back do be quite shagged after 6 hours of it. Maybe it's the constant hurdling over bags, art supplies and children themselves. Maybe it's the endless trips to the photocopying machine, and the painful standing session that endures upon arrival. Or maybe it's the out-dated student teacher dress code that prevents us from wearing shoes that actually give us some much-needed arch support for the task of dealing with snotty noses, the flinging of random objects or continuous streams of chatter about the hip and happening things in the lives of 8-year-olds.
That's before we even get to the lugging of books and supplies here, there and everywhere. There's a reason why I avoid the teaching of Science (lol jk but not really lol) (jk) (lol) (right shut up). Science the last day for me meant transporting two heavy bags of liquids, including glass bottles, as well as my folders, food and other teachery items, about a total distance of 3 miles. HELL. ON. EARTH. It would take more than the Irish rugby team physio to sort out the shoulder and back problems I'll probably be battling for the rest of my life due to this traumatic occurrence. Honestly. Where was the heads-up in Leaving Cert informing me that in order to successfully complete teaching practice in the years to come I'd need to be doing some serious back and leg gym sessions in between?? Sound, second-level education system. No, seriously, sound.
And of course, there's that one malady that all teachers are familiar with. And the kids' faces light up like the Travelling Community at a wedding of two cousins when this woeful illness is inflicted upon their teacher, and that is... THE SORE THROAT. Fear it, but accept it! You will be extremely prone to this as an educator, so tough! Strepsils would want to be within arm's reach on a daily basis for the amount of roaring you'll be doing trying to call for attention, scold children and belt out the dánta and rannta at a volume loud enough to scare the pupils into actually learning them for you.
So yeah. For any doctors, physios or funeral directors out there, God knows you'll never be short of work when us weary, worn down teachers are literally jumping through hoops day in day out. And the government are on about cutting pay. Mm. Because I'm sure handing your buddies brown envelopes behind the scenes and warming seats in the Dáil exerts quite a strain on a person's physique alright.
Pull the other one.
But not that one, it's sore.
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