TS 8: Fulfilling wider responsibilities
– Make a positive contribution to the wider life and ethos of the school
Having established myself as a teacher at my block placement school, and as I am a Schools Direct student, I was required to develop and implement an enrichment activity. Seeing these student with endless energy as well as a keenness for taking pride in their appearance, I decided to utilise my fitness background and introduce a girls only fitness club.
Having started to form good relationships with some of the year 10 girls, I thought I may at least have a few attendees and the rest would follow! That was my aim!
I had quite a pleasant surprise during the last of my Get Fit with Miss sessions before my short departure. There was an atmosphere of sadness, and students were adamant they would come as soon as I returned.
Embedding an enrichment activity strengthened the relationships I built with students throughout the school year, through understanding them as individuals outside of the classroom and recognising their strengths which I could hone in on during lessons too. I used my club as a means of demonstrating a change in student engagement as I completed an essay for professional studies addressing disengagement. I asked students to complete a questionnaire about the club and how it made them feel.
Get fit with Miss Feedback-12j90jp
My club raised some great questions around health and fitness. More importantly, it gave students a safe place to come and learn more about their body and their own capabilities. Students would often talk about ‘Body Image’ and how they felt uncomfortable in their own skin. By using this time and space as a way to vent these anxieties, I found that students responded well in lessons as they grew in confidence, recognising that they should not ‘give up’ so easily. I realise the value of a wider range of enrichment clubs as I spoke with other members of staff who took students swimming, for CCF and in debate clubs.
‘Get fit with Miss’ really was a great way to establish myself in school and I am really looking forward to an opportunity to implement an enrichment activity during my NQT year.