Such a mix of weather so far this month, but that's March for you!
By now the weather had turned back to being cold and wintry.
We had several wild and exciting flurries of snow, but only a sprinkling actually lay.
Earlier this week N and I visited the loch.
More randomness...
The sheet music behind the program in the photo is for our next concert; an extra one accompanying a choir in performing Mozart's Requiem. I've not played it before but have been warned it's hard work, especially as we'll be doing it with a very small orchestra and there'll be only one bass (me!).
While we are around the school it seems apt to mention that I finally got the results of my second interview. Now that I have the decision I am prepared to disclose what it was all about! One of the reasons I have had little blogging time is that since October I have been a parent helper at A's school for two afternoons a week as well as teaching a recorder group at the school. In November I applied to do a primary PGDE. (A PGDE is the Scottish equivalent of the English, Welsh and Northern Irish PGCE. PGDE stands for Professional Graduate Diploma in Education, PGCE stands for PostGraduate Certificate of Education, both are one year university courses which lead to successful students becoming qualified to teach in schools.) I heard earlier this week that I have been successful in obtaining a place; needless to say I am very pleased! So, big changes are ahead, a new chapter begins... I know it will involve lots of work, my spare time will become non-existent and I will be joining those who have to cope with childcare juggling, but I am very much looking forward to it. However, more on this another time, now I have to go and collect N from nursery...
22 comments:
Well done! Having just retired I am always pleased to hear about people going in to teaching, especially those with life experience.
PS Always enjoy your blog as I was brought up nearby in Kilmacolm - many, many years ago!
Congratulations , hope you still find time to blog x
Congratulations, that is fantastic, well done! Gorgeous photos as always.
M xxxx
congratulations! I was a teacher, but I began as a volunteer in my daughter's class, then became a teacher's aide and finally finished by degree work and became a teacher, you're about to begin a remarkable journey.
Great news. With all your many skills and interests you will have a lot to teach the lucky children who end up being in your class. A's picture of you is very accurate. What a talented artist she is.
Congratulations! I loved your photos and the music. Great kitty photo and the skeletal hydrangea is especially beautiful. Happy March!
Well done, it is so hard to get into. I have often thought it would be ideal for me but I don't think I'm cut out for it - unfortunately! Good luck with all the studying. juliex
Gosh, fabulous music; beautiful pictures (especially A's drawing of you)and amazing news, what a post. Well done m'dear!
I am completely JEALOUS of that fantastic gull photo! However did you do it? :)
That hydrangea leaf would make beautiful jewelry if one could cast it.
A's art is as lovely and amazing as ever.
Congratulations on being accepted into the program - and good luck. I hope you'll have time to keep blogging.
Congrats, well done. And sending you a big hug.
Meredith
You can tell you are an genuine artist Anne as you have a real eye for photography. Some amazing photographs and subjects. I like to think I live in a colourful world but yours makes my own look like black and white :)
Good luck with the teaching.
bob.
Congratulations! Beautiful post as always. Love the larger pics so much. Hoping you will find a little bit of time to keep us posted on your new adventure!
Oh how exciting! Good news indeed, I am very pleased for you. Rather a large part of my free time goes into being a "parent helper" at my son's nursery and my daughter's school, and I do enjoy it. I just wish I wanted to teach - it would solve the inevitable holiday childcare dilemma that so many have.
Gililan x
fantastic news!
I was carefully looking through and thinking about your pics, but to be honest it's all gone out of my mind now that I read the last bit....congratulations that's brilliant news! I was an LSA before I had oldest boy, I seriously thought about doing a course offered where you could do part college, part on the job, to work towards becoming a teacher. I loved my job then, working with reception class....so excited for you!
Hugest congratulations! What a fabulous thing to have been keeping secret :D
I wrote a fairly long comment here earlier but it's not there so I'm assuming I messed up and it didn't actually arrive.
I was really surprised to hear we'll be doing similar as I had no idea teaching was something that interested you. Congratulations on getting a place!
Is it as hard in Scotland to get on the courses as it is here? It's at least 10 applicants per place here now.
It will be interesting to compare experiences and such and I hope you'll write about your training on your blog - when you have time!
I want to be quite nosy now and ask about your background and training in Scotland and how it works - will you have to pay large fees or is university funded there? I'm just curious, well nosy I guess!
That's very exciting about going into teaching. I'm a "retired" elementary art teacher and it was a truly wonderful job. Life took me in a new direction and I missed teaching so much that I now teach a class that helps people get a high school equivency diploma. Working with adults is so different than children but the joy is the same when you see the spark in their eye when they understand and learn something new.
Good luck on this new adventure!
Well done you and thanks for the lovely photos on your post! x
Hello again.
All my Teaching blog posts were drafted before posting and then scheduled - I'd forgotten about my GTP/PGCE comment - if I'd thought I would have at least rephrased it when I knew you were doing it.
From my experience, PGCE students generally spend 18 weeks in schools throughout the year (perhaps it's different in Scotland?) whereas GTP/School Direct students are pretty much full time in schools all year so they are more competent in the classroom by the summer term than the PGCE students because they've had much more experience - that is based on my experience working with trainee teachers in my school and our small cluster of local schools.
Of course there is nothing wrong with PGCE/PGDE courses and I'm sure the academic side is very similar with school direct
I agree it does also depend on the persons attitude, commitment etc. - I've have worked with a PGCE student who was really good overall in class and a GTP student who, despite so much classroom time, really struggled with behaviour management but on the whole, the school based route students have been more effective teachers sooner - purely because they've had more teaching time.
I've also worked with two teachers who, despite doing the job for many years, were both really poor at actually teaching effectively so experience isn't everything! Those two teachers have since left school because they couldn't handle the pressure of the job.
Hope I didn't offend you, I didn't intend to, it was a remark based purely on personal observation of the different courses.
Big congratulations on your news. As a former PGCE student, I know how hard it is to get in and also the HUGE amount of work ahead. But it's worth it. Xx
Lovely photos as always. Many congratulations on getting a place to do your PGDE!
Post a Comment