Charlotte O’Toole, a Science PGCE trainee last year, writes about her experience of the PGCE
Everyone takes a unique journey into teaching – and this is true for the training year itself. As trainees, we each bring a distinct perspective on the classroom which aids in shaping our pedagogy even before we have set foot into placement. However, for most, accessibility is something which is taught during EDI training, rather than a personal necessity. This was not the case for me. Entering the PGCE as someone with a chronic illness and mobility issues was nerve-wracking and presented many questions, most of which centred on the area of placement. Would I even be able to practically teach? The answer to this question is, of course, yes. But not without reasonable adjustments in place.
When asking for adjustments and accommodations, one can feel internal resistance and even shame, that old foe of ‘I should be able to do it the way that everyone else does’ chimes in our ear and can even cause delays in reaching out to mentors. However, one thing remains true: as educators, we make numerous and varied adjustments to get the best out of our students every day, and to be able to do so, that attitude must be extended to ourselves. After all, I found that there was always open communication with my tutors and mentors, and in particular my university tutors made themselves a safe space when it came to accessibility, always keen to find a way through and ever open to learning how they could help get the best out of me!
Of course, this all sounds easy in theory, but in practice when greeted with broken lifts, back-to-back lessons on opposing sides of the school, and even no lifts whatsoever, at no fault of the individual schools, it can sometimes feel tricky to ask for work-arounds, especially when it means rerouting classes of 30+ students. This is where communication is key between all three parties (yourself, your placement mentor, and university tutor), as each time collaborative solutions were made, taking into account not only my needs, but the needs of my students. (As any person with a chronic illness knows, management of the illness comes lot of extra admin, and this is no different!).
As Science trainees at the University of Manchester, we were spoilt to be able to attend workshops by Jeffrey Boakye at least 6 times throughout the year. Each workshop was a masterclass in not only acceptance, but a celebration of our individuality and the possibilities of bringing this into our teaching personas. Jeffrey taught me that I could bring this inner conflict about asking for the necessities into my craft and aim to hone myself into a safe space for accessibility for my own students, just as the university and my placements had done for me. I found myself having some truly wonderful conversations with students about their own accessibility needs. Some of these were initiated by me, but during my second and third placements, I found that students would approach me more often and freely.
Ultimately, for my own plans to work for me, they needed to feel like a collaboration, like a choice, rather than an imposition or requirement. So that is what I strived to give my students. We can never get this perfect 100% of the time – no one can. It is the effort put in from all parties that goes a long way to levelling the playing field!
Charlotte O’Toole, graduate, PGCE with QTS, 2024.