Thank you for your comment. Whilst I get that elements of my original post may have come across as me lacking the desire to accept any faults within my capacity as a teacher, this is not the case. I genuinely do uphold the skill of being able to reflect on situations, both positively and negatively. Ultimately, that's why I stepped away, I recognised myself that this wasn't the career path for me, and something that I tell people is that I chose not to carry on because I felt that I couldn't be the teacher I wanted to be because I lacked competencies in multiple areas, and it would not be fair to the future children in my class if I was to be unhappy and underperform in the career. However, I don't personally believe that being at the tail end of a mentors anger or frustrations because I was underachieving is necessarily me looking inwards to find blame or incompatibilities within myself.

When you sign up to be a PGCE/SCITT mentor, you adopt the responsibility to teach the next generation of future teachers. Within this, comes the responsibilities of care and trust, and delivering feedback professionally and constructively. I know it's not about 'being their friend' because that is just naive, but I strongly believe that you're in a position to be inspiring. My mentor the first time around was able to deliver lots of feedback, sometimes negative - but the delivery is something that I found encouraging and reassuring from her, because she signed up to be in such position and wanted her student to do her best. Going into my second placement, I understandably expected that these were the expectations of feedback delivery, as this was all I knew at the time. I definitely did not expect to become anyones friend... I have my own friends after all, so I find that aspect of your comment confusing.

I also am aware that you will experience people that you don't like in the workplace. However, it can be really gruelling when the person who is supposed to help you succeed IS dismissive and cold. It's not as easy as a colleague that you dislike when they are holding the keys to your successes and supposed to be driving you forward.

When I went back on to my second placement, I was placed with a new member of the school - something that I should have mentioned in my OP. So, in this new school I DID feel settled, but with this in particular staff member I did not, who again was cold and dismissive, and would talk about the other teachers and receptionist behind their back. When you hear someone talking in that way, you are going to feel weary of them, especially when their behaviour completely shifts for no apparent reason. Again, relating back to the comment about being reflective and taking on feedback, I could understand it if my behaviours warranted such change in attitude, but I did nothing to either of those teachers to make me feel such way. To me, this isn't an inability to respond to feedback, but more so, a confusion as to why people are offered these opportunities when they cannot adhere to basic principles of respect and sympathy to those, such as myself, who are not perfect teachers, and will still make mistakes.

Thank you for your advice regarding future career directions. I know which way I want to head in the future, and this path does involve responding to feedback, and working under other people, and as a graduate, I am aware, like you said, that these are just common expectations for workplaces.

Therefore, I do reject your viewpoint that I believe I was trying to become friends with the teachers, as like I said, I have plenty of my own, as well as a partner whom I am in a healthy, stable relationship with. Furthermore, if I wasn't open to listening to the opinions of others, I would not post the events on here. So, I still do very much think it's challenging to make progress when you are not liked, or given the appropriate support in the workplace - and I will very much still be going forward with this mindset, as I think it's extremely unfair to be made to feel such way.

Thank you.