Merry Christmas

Survived the first half of the placement.

Having a lovely Christmas break. We finished on 21st December, and I was well and truly ready for a break.

I've done no work since then.

Tomorrow work on the essay and the lesson planning begins.

My first formal observation by my mentor from the University is on the first Tuesday back.

Normal service shall resume on this blog once the essay is finished and submitted (also the first Tuesday back).

I've switched off my alarm for the holidays and I'm finding it terribly easy to stay in bed for ages.

Only five weeks left in this placement school. Mixed feelings about that. I feel as though I'm learning, and I get along well with the department, but I'm also really looking forward to seeing how a different school works.

I shan't think on that for now. It is the Christmas break.

Merry Christmas all.

Pants and more Pants

This has been a bad week in terms of professional relationships.


Obviously I won't go into too much detail on this public blog. In brief: a misunderstanding between Person X and myself has been blown out of proportion and now I feel incredibly awkward in the department.

Thank goodness I have a mentor and an ITT co-ordinator in school to reassure me that I haven't done anything wrong.

Still, I feel rubbish and unwanted by Person X - who has acted unprofessionally towards me, and who believes I'm at fault, but refuses to discuss things.

Seriously questioning my placement, which is a shame because I love the other members of staff.

At least this week's teaching hasn't been a complete disaster.


Hopefully next week will be better- although part of me is dreading going into school, which makes me even more sad.

Top Tips:

1. Use your mentor for support, if you can. That's what s/he is there for.
2. Regardless of the situation, remain professional and civil. That way you've done everything you can.

Back to School

I've completed one full week in school and now it's December and freezing! Where did November go?

It's been a mixed week.


Good points: Delivered some starters which weren't complete disasters. I have things to evaluate and have begun identifying (and working on) my biggest weaknesses. I planned a 'sketch' (it's slightly more detailed than a medium-term plan, but not to the extent of actual lesson plans) of what I want to do with y7 when I take them. Their host teacher seems impressed with my ideas. I feel more like a part of the department now- being there everyday helps.


Grumbles: Haven't begun my next essay, which is due early January. I only have a couple of lessons that I'm teaching with Y9 before xmas. I hope I'm not going to be at a loss for when I move to the second placement. Hopefully I'll get more after xmas. The y9 host teacher is lovely so I don't feel awkward approaching her to request stuff.


Still quite surprised by how little time we have on-placement.

My first 'profile review' is in two weeks- eek!

Pretty much finished my xmas shopping this weekend! WOW! So prepared.

And now to plan starters on paragraphs and apostrophes...

Busy Week/Next Phase

Last weekend I went to London for the London Festival of Education. I was fantastic. A great chance to catch up with an old friend; and to listen to interesting ideas about education and different approaches and what should happen in the future.

I was a little late, so I missed most of what Michael Gove was saying. Although I saw some of his interview that was being broadcast to a small TV. He looked every bit the politician.

I went to talk from the head of Swiss Cottage school. The approach there intrigues me. If I lived in London, I'd try so hard to spend some time there. Then I caught the end of a talk called 'Should we use the curriculum to impart values?' while I was waiting for the talk between John Hattie and Pasi Sahlberg on 'What makes great teaching- the global view'. Initially John Hattie was the reason I went to the entire Festival; however I found Sahlberg to be far engaging and on topic. I don't think some glitches with Hattie's mic helped matters.

I listened to Andrew Adonis and Christine Gilbert talk about the value of Academies. However, Gilbert barely got a word in edgeways.

And finally- Michael Rosen and Anthony Horowitz "How can we stop killing the love of reading". Absolutely fantastic. By far the best talk of the day. Rosen issued a call to arms basically, and Horowitz was on topic, understandable, clear and full of great ideas with possible ways to implement them, rather than just spouting unrealistic ideals. This talk was also absolutely hilarious in places- especially Horowitz laying-in to Dan Brown's writing.

Very pleased I went.

Aside from that, this week saw the end of University until February- eek!

I start full-time in TP1 on Monday. Thankfully, my mentor has reassured me that I won't be thrown in at the deep end with all full-time lessons and planning straight away; but that they'd be doing me a disservice if I didn't get anything to do. So I'm getting a y7 class, I have two weeks to crack on with the planning for their module. I'll have a Y8 class, which is the same class I used for my assignment lessons. I'm really getting to know this class. They're a tricky bunch, but lovely really. And I'll have a y9 class. We're doing Macbeth! I'm sitting down with their current teacher on Monday to plan; but I'm not sure when I'll be taking them full-time.

It really isn't long that I get there. Only 4 weeks until Christmas, and only 5 weeks there after Christmas. Quite a lot to learn in not a lot of time.

The first assignment was due in yesterday. I submitted it, but titled it wrong, and as a .docx instead of .doc GAH! I've emailed to explain to my mistake and offer my apologies and sent a correct copy; but I've not heard back from anyone. Will just have to wait and see.

The lessons I taught for it though weren't too bad. The first was better than the second- surprisingly. Still, I took loads of things from it; what worked, what didn't, and ways to avoid the same kind of scenarios.

So now it's time to crack on with the planning - not today, obviously. Tomorrow. Today, I tidy the general post-essay debris, and then pop to the shops for much-needed food.

Week 8

I feel as though I've actually made some progress this week.

In uni we've been looking at exam boards. We had to give presentations on WJEC and a local teacher visited to talk about AQA. Apparently they're the main exam boards for this area.  My school's chosen OCR.

We also looked at many many ways of teaching Cormier's Heroes. We had a play at some of the activities ourselves- it's nice to feel like you're in school again. University's been great this week.

For some reason I was dreading going to school this week. I still don't fully know why. I'm thinking it was a combination of not having been in school for so long because of half term, and of not really knowing what I'll be doing when I'm there full time, which is only about 2 weeks away- eek!

Thursday in school is my busy day. I have four lessons (just observations at the moment). Being busy really helped dispel the dread. I was also invited to attend parents' evening on Thursday night. This made for a very long day, and a very tired Lotte; however, parents' evening was a fantastic experience. I am very pleased that I've seen one.

Friday was the weekly meeting with my mentor. I used this opportunity to ask my mentor to check over my lesson plans, for the lessons I'll be teaching next Thursday and Friday. These lessons make up part of my first assignment, so I'm desperate to get them vaguely on track. Her feedback was positive. She said it was clear that I'd thought carefully about the activities and levelled them well for the ability of the group. BOOM! Massive confidence boost. I am well chuffed with that. It's nice to have some kind of reassurance that I'm  not completely missing the mark. I'm nervous about teaching them, but I have spent quite a bit of time with the class, so I know which characters to watch out for, which are shy, cheeky or general boundary pushers. Just got to get my resources ready.

I used the meeting to ask the questions which had been worrying me. Can't believe I worried and worried when it was just so simple to ask. Sometimes I think I try to do too much myself- and I have to tell myself that I'm not expected to be able to do everything right now. I've been training for less than two months. Anyway, now I'm far more relaxed about things, and have some idea as to which direction I'm going. I'm really looking forward to starting full time.

This week's top tip is:
  Do not be afraid to ask questions. If you're nervous about asking in front of everyone (for fear of looking stupid or something) just take someone to one side to ask, or wait until your mentor meeting.


And now, back to the assignment.

Week 7

This week has been half term but only for school.


Monday was an incredibly long lecture about bringing technology into the classroom. It was interesting and I've definitely taken away some ideas, but, we were stuck in a lecture theatre for 3hours, mostly listening. It wasn't particularly interactive and I know I shut-off at points. Some people from the course had a 3-hour round trip for this. I agree with them when they say a lot of this could've been done online. For all its faults though, I am genuinely more interested in the potential of technology in the classroom. I'm certainly going to talk to the ICT guy in school to see what opportunities I can take into my lessons.


Then I went home. Monday evening to Wednesday afternoon was my half term break. I couldn't completely switch off from the PGCE because I was very aware of what I still needed to do, but it was nice to be away.

I've quite enjoyed the train journeys of the past week though. I've used them to catch up with some reading. On the journey home I read Robert Cormier's Heroes. We need to read this for our English sessions next week. I'll probably discuss this in more detail in a later post. On the journey back I started Robert Swindells' Stone Cold, which I intend to finish today, and then crack on with Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting. These are both books that the kids at school are studying. I'm halfway through Stone Cold and it's not as bad as the first page suggested.

Once the above have been read I'll start Sophie Coulombeau's Rites. I won a copy of this book over at Jen Campbell's blog where Coulombeau was guest blogging, and I'm so eager to start reading it. I was excited by the potential this book has in the classroom, especially with regards to narrators. There will definitely be a review blog.

Thursday was a day working on our Method project. Researching and creating a thirty minute presentation on an exam board. We're presenting on Tuesday.

The first PGCE assignment is due in twenty days- eek.
The assignment is to plan six lessons, write a rationale and analysis of the six lessons and teach at least two of the lesson, then write an evaluation of the taught lessons. Easier said than done when, currently, we're only in school two days a week.


I created a medium-term plan and my lessons have been sitting there for a little while. Yesterday I sat down and applied some structure to them, using the University's lesson planning forms (which I'm not overly keen on). They're the first full lessons that I've actually planned, and it took me about 6 hours. An hour/lesson. Not bad for the first time, I think. It did feel slightly redundant as I know that, due to the dynamics of the class, I'll only have the opportunity to teach the two classes that are needed for my assessment. I only hope that I can leave my ideas with the school for future use/adaptation.


Tomorrow I'll be sitting down and writing a rationale; and attempting to link it to theory.




As I do all this, I have one eye on Ofqual saying teachers are cheats- way to boost morale- and the other eye on my department in school, who are jittery because Ofsted are overdue. I hope they show up soon so everyone can calm down.

I feel I've earnt my day off today, even if it is to catch up with the odd jobs that need doing around here. I'll enjoy reading though.

I'm still on the lookout for Teenage Fiction, so please keep your suggestions coming.

Week 6

So, I'm cheating this week. Officially it's half term, but with uni commitments, I'm not really getting a half term. The university's dropped our seminars and tutorials, but replaced them with a 3 hour lecture on Monday (eurgh) and some project work; and the preparation for the first assignment. Due to all of this, I'm working through my Saturday and Sunday, then popping home for a few days.

So this week's been interesting. A slight schism feels as though it's developing in our group, which is a shame. I really hope that we can work through it as a group, rather than letting it become a big issue, especially as it seems to be one person isolating themselves.

We did our starters on Wednesday. The rest of the group had to pretend to be KS3 students, while we delivered starters on a given aspect of grammar. My partner and I were given 'Conjunctions'. Oh dear, oh dear. The group enjoyed our activities, but we were slightly sidetracked by a couple of people just not understanding how one word could be a subordinating, but not a co-ordinating conjunction. We did get through it, but I felt as though we'd done a really awful job. The feedback, however, was very constructive. I hope the feedback is similar when I'm observed in a real class.

School was great. A lack of sleep on Wednesday night meant that Thursday was a tough day, but I kind of had that 'running on empty' energy. The whole department was anticipating half-term though. Friday was a training day, based around safeguarding children. I'm very pleased I attended.

The rest of the group are bonding well. We're rallying together to share resources and help each other when someone's struggling with ideas. It's great to know that we're all there for each other.

So half term! Whoop! Today I'm gathering information for an assignment and tomorrow I'll be planning lessons that I'll actually get to teach in November. I'm very excited for that. Hopefully after half term I'll get to do some plenaries or starters too. I enjoy being a teaching assistant, but I think it's now time to get stuck in to the teaching. I think it'll help build my confidence and cement my role in the school, both in my own head; and in the eyes of the students.

Now to get my head around some more theory. Every conversation I've had with teachers in my school implies that, really, I only need the theory for this year- they never really use it again. I suspect that actually they are using it, but it's become embedded in their thought process that they don't realise it.

Enjoy the break!

Week 5

Sorry blogosphere, I've been very quiet this week. I've caught a cold that's turned into a chesty cough, so I'm spending most of my 'free' time sleeping in the hope that I'll be cured soon.

I have a routine. I am fairly over-organised. I find it helps me deal with things when they go wrong, so having routine...and a plan...settles my mind and me.

I'm really happy in our PGCE group. We've gelled really well. We had a group night out last week (on a school night!- big mistake, but a fantastic night out). We're all sharing ideas and asking each other for help; and there are no major cliques forming. It's a comfortable group to be in and around.

My placement's going well. I was only in one day last week due to the school closing on Friday - not illness. I refuse to let sniffles keep me away from placement. And there will be only one teaching day this week because of half term. I'm quite looking forward to going on my first ever Inset day though. I've no idea what to expect.

I'm getting to know the department, and the dynamics of the classes I'll be taking. I'm also beginning to get the chances to apply my university learning to the practice I see in school. It adds so much clarity.

Last week's focus was on communication. Thankfully, I was able to witness a fantastic lesson which left me with a million and one ideas about communicating with pupils, classroom management, lesson structure...the list goes on.

I'm getting quite excited about being able to teach some of the classes myself. I think I'll be given the opportunity to do some starters or plenaries after half term. In the meantime I've got one eye on my assignments and the other on the here and now. But I'm actually not panicking. Good sign.

Next post should be slightly more exciting because I should be slightly more healthy and, therefore, engaging.

Week 4

This post is an amalgamation of the last two weeks really.

I’ve completed my observation week. It was nice to see so many different subjects and teaching styles, to meet different members of school, and learn how the different departments function. I doubt I’ll see much of the other departments now as each has its own staffroom. Shame.

 

From now until the end of November I’m only in two days a week, which feels a bit weird, but I’m also grateful for the university time. I like the other members on the course and Uni is the only time that we really get to see other.

My first day this week did leave me feeling like a spare part (which I suppose, in a way, I am). Things improved on Friday though. I have been assigned a new mentor, who is lovely, and I have a provisional timetable for observations and for the classes I’ll be teaching when I’m there full time. I was flicking through the calendar yesterday and I really do not have a lot of time before I’ll be teaching classes. Exciting and terrifying.

Had a bit of a moment on Thursday when I sat there and stared at the pile of paperwork and assignments and planning that’s going to be required. Foolishly, I let it completely overwhelm me. Panic! Since then, I’ve broken it down. A lot of my initial planning will be to meet my first deadline (as the assignment involves planning, teaching and evaluating some lessons), so that’s manageable. At the moment, I quite like planning. Well, I like the ideas; I just need to refine them in accordance with specific foci, objectives and abilities.

While I say I don’t have a lot of time before I’m taking classes, the school I’m in also seems to be understanding enough to let me take things at my own pace. They’re not going to force me to take a class if we don’t think I’m ready. I think I’ll be ready though. Plus, this week has made me realise that, really, I don’t need (and am not expected) to be able to do everything at the moment.

Otherwise, I quite like the school (I was undecided at the end of last week). The kids are brilliant. I’m still a bit of a novelty to them, so they’re fairly well behaved around me. I intend to drag that out as much as possible. They are really funny though, and the department I’m in is full of friendly- and incredibly helpful- people.

Top Tip for this week: Don’t run before you can walk. Everything will come in good time. Just take it step by step.

And now it’s pouring with rain, which is a grim end to a blog, so instead I’ll leave you with this: it is, quite literally, a cup cake!

Novel Box

Apologies for not posting last weekend- I had a leaving party to attend, which involved quite a lot of travelling in a short space of time.

Anyway, as promised...here is the Novel Box post.

So the idea is that you introduce this box to the class prior to introducing the text they'll be studying. The Novel Box should be filled with things relating to the text in order to garner interest in the text. Where you go next with it is entirely up to you.

Here is my Novel Box:

It contains

• 3 letters, all addressed to Mrs Saville, England.
• A map featuring locations such as, Geneva, Mont Blanc and The North Pole
• Some test tubes
• A locket
• A copy of Paradise Lost

Can you guess the text?

Thanks!

Wonderful readers, today this blog reached 1,000 views. Wow!

Thank you so much for reading, and commenting, and offering advice.

 

Week Two

It may only be the end of week two but it feels as though I've been on this course for three months already. I think this is down to the vast amount of information and tasks we've been given.

So, what have I done this week? Monday we delivered our lesson plans. Ours went quite well (no thanks to the internet disappearing, thus ruining the effects my lovely links would've had). Then we were given our first assignment task. It involves planning a bunch of lessons, delivering two of them and then writing an assignment about them. However, it has to be in conjunction with our placement school - based on what classes they let me teach, and what the pupils already know. So, while I have ideas floating around, I can't put pen to paper until I've been in school.

School is on Monday! Eek. A lot of this week has been preparing for that. Yet I still feel completely unprepared. We've been given a list of important things to find out, such as the name and contact details of our school mentor; a stack of things to ensure the school gets; and about 4 million things to observe; whilst maintaining a reflective journal and our Standards checklist. Of course, it's only an observation week. I'm quite pleased that the pressure isn't on me to do any teaching. I feel there's so much I don't know. But, I don't want to be sitting at the back of the class either- I think I'd be more of a distraction if I did. So, my plan is, get the administrative stuff sorted, and then relax and just enjoy the week.

Yesterday we met the people from other subjects going to our school. There are four of us, I'm the only one with the English department. I also bought a bike yesterday. Apparently there are a lot of roadworks around the school so I think a bike is the best option. Plus, I'll get fit and it's cheaper than the bus. I think I'll do a practice ride this afternoon.

We've also been asked to create a Novel Box. The idea is you fill a box with objects relevant to the text that will be the class reader, without actually revealing the text. This box will be the students' first introduction to the class reader. The plan is to get them interested in the text before they start reading it. It's quite exciting. We're presenting to our fellow PGCE-ers, so I can't reveal it yet in case any of them are reading this. But, there will be a blog about the Novel Box (with pictures).

Anyway, I'm going to enjoy my day-off, probably by planning what to do tomorrow. Maybe I'll go shopping too. Get some school & bike suitable clothing.

Politics

The general advice we've been given with regards to politics in schools/within education is to be aware of the issues, but to not get involved.


I see the reasoning behind this: we're at the very bottom of the ladder; we're just training, we should remember that we still have our whole careers ahead of us and to focus on that, during this year. We can make our political statements/allegiances known once we've secured a job.

Now, I imagine it's fairly easy to avoid getting embroiled in staff room politics. A nice smile and polite comment about not wishing to get involved. However, being aware of the broader issues (and hearing snide comments about Michael Gove -almost daily- from the faculty in University) makes it very difficult not to form an opinion/ keep that opinion to myself; especially when I see articles such as this from the Independent   and the regular "brainwaves" of Mr. Gove.

While I'll try to keep my mouth shut, politically, in the staff room; I'm interested to see what will happen when the subject of Gove/ the coalition's handling of education comes up.

Week One

I have survived the first week!

My fears of the university’s expectations vs. my expectations were allayed within 30 seconds of the first lecture. The course director started the class by stating that the university has high standards and expectations of all of us, and expects us to have high expectations of ourselves. This was music to my ears.

This has been less of an ‘introductory week’ and more of a ‘chuck you in head first’ week. It’s brilliant though. Our Professional Development lectures instruct us on the legal ins and outs of the profession; the value and purpose of teachers’ unions; the M level aspect of the course, among other things. The main tutor for these is a technology whizz kid; and also highly entertaining. He manages to convey the messages – at times serious- without scaring/boring/patronising the room. (Saying that, I’ve already noticed the numbers falling: there are fewer and fewer people each lecture).

We’ve also had a fair few subject classes too. The individual workload began from day one, and I think we’re all learning that leaving it, even one night, is going to be such a stupid idea. We’ve got a chunk of reading to do (handouts and online documents ranging from 10-243 pages!); we’ve had small individual tasks and larger group tasks to complete.

On Monday we’ll be delivering (in groups) our first KS3 lesson; although it is to our class pretending to be y9s. I’m quite proud of our lesson plan: I think it’s flexible enough not to fall to pieces in the event of a hiccup.

Quite a bit of this week has been reflective/evaluative work. We’ve all been discussing where we think our strengths and weaknesses are, what we think makes a good teacher, what kind of teacher we want to be, and trying to bond as a group. We’ve also been hearing about the necessary outlook for a teacher: cynicism = bad; sense of humour and bit of sarcasm = good.

There are some lovely people on the course (of course, I don’t know all of them yet). Within English, there are 13 trainees of a range of ages and backgrounds; and taking different routes into teaching. Some, like me, are doing a PGCE, others are doing Schools Direct. There’s not a lot of socialising as a group outside of class (admittedly, there’s not a lot of time outside of class), although it is quite difficult as the majority of the group commute into the city. It’s only the end of week one though.

We’ve already been told our first placement school. Mine’s about a 40 minute walk from my house. I’ve been researching the bus routes. Might have a practice run before I start there: I don’t want to be late on my first day. From its website, the school looks fantastic (of course that is the purpose of a website); however, it has been supported by word of mouth from mature students on the course. I’m really looking forward to starting there. I have an induction/observation week there in October.

From the start, I’ve designated Saturday as my day off from the course. Today is the first Saturday since the course started proper, and I’m finding it difficult not to do some reading, or a knowledge audit. However, at the same time, I know if I don’t take the day off, by the middle of the week I’ll regret it.  I know the workload’s set to increase. The family visited today (including the small child). The child has wrecked my room! There are cups and scraps of paper everywhere now. How a small thing can cause so much mess is beyond me. At least tidying up will take up some time.

After seeing a vague, semi-complete timetable; I did begin to worry – a lot –about my time management. But I’m pleased to say that I have begun to establish some kind of routine, especially in the evenings.

Tips:

My two tips for week one are:

1.       Establish a routine as soon as possible.

It’s helping me to stay on task, instead of drifting off to watch something, or tidy, or indulge in general procrastination. And,

2.       Smile.

A nice smile and a hello has helped me loads this week. It’s helped me meet people on the course (studying a range of subjects); it’s helped to break the ice in general; it’s helped me relax. I think being open (which a smile suggests) really helps to break the barrier when you’re in a new situation.

Next stop: week two. It’s going to be fun!

Farewell, life as I know it.

On Friday I registered. From the letter I’d received I was expecting to register in the morning and then spend the afternoon getting an introduction to the PGCE course. Instead it was just a lot of paperwork, and all over by 12.

It wasn’t a complete let down though. I did meet some people on the PGCE course. I’ve met two other students training in PGCE English, and one in Maths. Unfortunately, the English trainees are commuting to university/placements. I do hope to find someone on the English branch of the course that lives in the city. Still it’s nice to finally meet other people on the course. I'm looking forward to getting to know them.

I’ve signed up to all three Unions (thank you responders to the last blog post. Your info put my mind at ease). I now have more free wall calendars and student planners than you can shake a stick at.

I also received a timetable for the next three weeks. In a word: busy.

We’re getting the introduction to the course on Monday morning and after that it’s Go! Go! Go! Almost every day is 9-5 and a mix of subject specific learning and general methods/teaching practice/ theory. They call it “Foundation in Professional Studies” or ‘FiPS’. That’s for the next fortnight. The third week is on placement. Just observing, I think. I cannot wait to get started. I’ve got my lunch boxes ready. I’ve sussed the bus timetables/routes. I’ve registered with Specsavers (a doctor’s surgery will be during this week), and I’m planning anything and everything for Saturdays (the non-PGCE day). I’m excited and nervous at the same time.

I’m trying not to let my experiences with the university’s administration department to date affect my attitude towards the course. I am hoping for a well-organised, highly professional course that will live up to the standards I place on myself. And by that I mean, I always ask the very best of myself – especially during this course- I’d be a fool to waste the opportunity that I’ve worked hard to gain- and I put pressure on myself to do well. I want the PGCE to have that same expectation. I am not/have no intentions of walking into a school with this attitude (although, I hope the mentor I’m assigned is thorough): I understand that I’ll be an alien to the pupils at my placements, but I do want the best from my university. I don’t think I’m asking too much really, although a part of me is preparing myself for disappointment.

Anyway, that’s thinking ahead. I guess I’ll have to review that aspect of the course when I’ve finished. Monday it all begins, and I cannot wait! I am so excited to be learning again, to be busy again, and to be able to go in to schools and observe and then teach. This year is going to be a rollercoaster. I am ready.

This blog shall also revert to its original purpose of documenting the PGCE (and beyond) process. I hope to post at least once a week, on a Saturday. Keep an eye open.

Query Blog: Unions

Friday is registration day. The day when I’ll finally get to meet other people on the course and my tutors. There will also be Trade Union representatives present on Friday. Now, this has got me wondering about Teachers’ Unions.

I’m the first to admit that I’m absolutely hopeless when it comes to jargon, especially regarding legal or financial issues. This is obviously something that I need to work on. With this in mind, the more I think about joining a union, the more I become confused and intimidated by my lack of knowledge.

Currently I’m trying to understand a teaching union in the same terms as a Student Union. My SU defended the rights of the student, offered incentives to the students, offered advice to the student. This is what I’m hoping for from a Teachers’ Union.

However, my knowledge of the market is shamefully thin. I’ve heard of NUT and NASUWT. Comparing the two from their websites, I have a favourite.  I guess the point of this post is to fish for a bit of advice. Aside from the two mentioned, are there other Unions of merit? What should I expect from being a member of a Union?  Should I even join a Union?

These are kinds of questions buzzing around my head this weekend. What would you suggest?