I have now come to the end of my PGCE placement and wanted to document what life has been like since leaving school on the 14th June. I will be posting something more generic about advice for trainee teachers, do's and don'ts, etc. but for now just wanted to treat this space as a diary so I can reflect upon my experiences. I have a few recommendations in here so read on, especially if you're thinking about having a night away in Lincoln or hosting a tea party! (You might be...)
A TRIP TO LINCOLN
So on Monday 17th June, I hopped on an early morning train and travelled into Lincoln to attend a series of university workshops on behaviour management. Just because placement is finally over, it sadly doesn't mean my time at uni is, and I still have a couple more lectures/workshops to attend in the coming week (24th - 30th).
I had high hopes for our workshops on Monday, but was left feeling a little let down. I was interested in nailing some great techniques to manage low level disruption/challenging behaviour, but instead was confronted with the reality that this is a trial and error process that as a professional you will be constantly implementing. I have generally been praised for my behaviour management and don't find that bad behaviour is as much of an issue as I expected it to be, but I still wish there was a magic wand you could wave to get everybody on board with the concept of a lesson, and to help kids see that what you're doing is very much for their benefit, not your own. Unfortunately, this just isn't going to happen. While it was interesting to discuss some of the reasons for poor behaviour within the classroom, I feel that we didn't delve quite deep enough, and that all of the techniques discussed to prevent this were very self explanatory - set high expectations, model good behaviour etc. - rather than really getting specific and looking at the real cause and fix of behaviour problems. I guess I wanted something that's unachievable, but because of this, I found myself displaying poor behaviour - zoning out and doodling! If I learnt anything, it's that teacher talk really is draining, so I'll be careful to avoid doing too much of that come September.
After university I walked across to the Tower Hotel on the Bailgate and checked myself in there for the evening. I decided to stay over in Lincoln mainly to avoid doing too much travelling in one day, but also to give me the opportunity to meet up with friends in the city!
I had never stayed at the hotel before and it was a little daunting, being somewhere new on my own! Luckily check-in was quick and easy and I was very pleased with my bedroom.
How nice is this wallpaper?
Having stayed at Premier Inn so much, I'm so accustomed to their decor - which is fine, but a little generic and plain. This room had much more individuality, which was nice, and in terms of facilities, I was really impressed. I got a Sky box with my TV, a heater, one large wardrobe and lots of drawer space, as well as a gorgeous bathroom!
This photo definitely doesn't do it justice, and excuse the sanitary tab across the toilet, I snapped this picture as soon as I arrived (before I cluttered the bathroom with all of my toiletries).
I stayed in the room for a little while and got on with some work (I had a LOT to get done to complete my PGCE) but then at half past four I met Maisie at Revolution. She hadn't been at university in the day and I hadn't seen her since our trip to London in April, so our catch up was well overdue! We had a couple of gins before enjoying our tea, she went for the Smoke King burger and I opted for the Chicken Caeser Salad – and as tasty as it was, this was a bad move on my part because I hadn’t eaten much else all day and it definitely didn’t line my stomach!
As far as salads go, this one was damn good though. As were the gins - I was trying to avoid completely over indulging and ending up feeling bloated and uncomfortable, but upon reflection, the calories would've done me good. It wasn't long before I was feeling the effects of the booze... I'm just not the woman I used to be!
After a little while Jack, our favourite PGCE dropout, joined us, along with his partner Matt. I’m not sure exactly how many cocktails we sampled, but I do know that Matt drank after abstaining from alcohol for a good few months (sorry Matt), we were writing TripAdvisor reviews bragging off the waiter (shout out to Mitch) in exchange for free shots, and once I hit the air, I regretted that choice of the salad!
I know I always promote Revs but I feel so nostalgic and comfortable in there, and the food and drinks might not be Michelin star but they have improved over the years and really do hit the spot! We were virtually the only people in the restaurant but for some reason you just don’t feel awkward or unwelcome, so if you haven’t ever checked Revs out, give it a try one afternoon when you fancy a bite to eat and a bit of a day sesh. It’s particularly great for students because there are so many offers and deals going on.
(I don't know why we bring Jack)
So after a couple of hours, we walked over to the local Wetherspoons where we joined Maisie’s boyfriend, Daniel, and our friend Brad, and all had a couple of drinks in here. Unfortunately, I had left my ID in Yorkshire, and we were asked to leave after about an hour – situations like this are frustrating when you’re twenty-two, but it was my own stupid fault for leaving my ID at home! It didn’t dampen our spirits anyway, we headed up the hill and settled in the Cardinals Hat (where they don’t demand ID from you) and I started on the waters in the hope of seeing things a little more clearly…
We ended the night back at Brad’s house with pizza, cheesy chips and a Tango for me, and then Maisie, Daniel and I got a taxi back to the top of the hill and I settled back into my hotel for the evening. To get into the hotel I had to go to a gate round the side and buzz for the night porter, who was very vigilant and seemed almost reluctant to let me in at first! He also didn’t give me much of a chance to say goodbye to Maisie and Daniel, hurrying me inside so he could get locked up and probably back to sleep. He did remind me that breakfast was served from 7am to 9am though, and with that, I clambered into my room and set an alarm.
I slept quite well but the walls were very thin and the bed quite creaky, so whenever the guests in the rooms beside mine woke up, so did I. Luckily I got back to sleep very quickly and it wasn’t as if I had a really important day lined up, I could afford to have a little disturbance, so I won’t complain too much.
The following morning, I was up with the lark and down for breakfast at half-past seven, donning last night’s make-up and outfit (not my finest moment). At first, I felt a little bit tender, but after four glasses of orange juice, some ibuprofen, a sugary coffee, yummy eggs benedict and a glass of water, I was feeling much better. The breakfast staff were very keen, I was well taken care of – especially because I was the only person in the restaurant – and I really enjoyed my meal. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to stomach it, but I managed just fine (no surprise there) and found it all to be cooked to perfection! The waitress was telling me that to make the perfect poached eggs you need to steam them for forty-five minutes… that sounds like a lot of work but it was definitely worth it because mine were delightfully runny!
I really liked having the option of eggs benedict at breakfast actually, it was nice to order from a menu and have a few different choices, rather than a generic Full English buffet. Not that I dislike a good breakfast buffet, don't get me wrong, but eggs benedict is my ultimate breakfast choice and it was just what I fancied!
After breakfast I had a long soak in the bath, which was so relaxing and helped me fully recover from my sore head and achy joints! Then I had a steady start to the day, cleaning my face, washing my hair, putting make up on and packing my case ready to return home. I checked out at about quarter to eleven and walked down the hill, collecting a couple of birthday presents for my mum en route, before hopping onto the train and travelling to Doncaster. The train journey home was a pleasant one, I sat and typed up some of this post, and during my one hour and fifteen change at Donny, I sat in Starbucks with some lunch and completed some of my PGCE work.
I arrived home at around midday and was very much exhausted by the time I got back. So much so, that I had to treat myself to a little pamper evening!
While waiting for my second train, I bought the new limited edition bath bomb from Lush, which reminded me very much of Twilight (my absolute fave) and despite having already had one bath that day, I knew I had to have another just to use it! It made the water so soft and a gorgeous shade of pink, just what you need when you're feeling a bit sorry for yourself after returning home from a lovely night away. Another thing that made me feel a little better about being back in sleepy Rawcliffe was the fact that my mum had put my new bedding on for me, how cute is it!? I bought it from a shop at Junction 32 for just £8.00. It doesn't particularly go with my bedroom but it very much goes with my newfound love of cacti, so it's a keeper! While lounging about on my new bedding I also wore my tissue mask, which left my skin feeling SO silky smooth - though I did look a little scary in it!! I'm a big advocate of Soap & Glory, and have been since I was a teenager and first discovered some of their scents! Since then I've used their moisturisers,
shower gels, sugar scrubs and more recently, I've tried and tested their make up and skincare range. Their liquid eyeliner is a staple of mine, as are their masks! I think their products are so underrated and I would urge you all to try them, especially because they're usually on a 3for2 offer in Boots - all the more reason to indulge! Just make sure you pre-warn whoever you live with before putting the mask on, it can be a bit of a shock if you just wander out of the bathroom looking like an Egyptian mummy...
LOTS OF LAZY DAYS
Wednesday and Thursday were very laid back for me. I lounged about and got on with my eRPD work (Electronic Record of Personal Development), binged Netflix, snacked way too much, and didn't bother getting dressed. I don't like days like these. At the time, I never mind, I'm comfortable and happy enough, but at the end of the day I always feel like such a slob who hasn't achieved anything. Even though I was getting work done, I didn't feel good about it, and despite being super lazy, mentally, I was drained. I don't like being on my own and this is a concern for the summertime, because both of my parents work, and my brother spends most of the morning asleep and most of the afternoon on his Xbox - he does also have a part time job, I should add. I definitely need to organise activities to keep myself occupied, but when you can't drive and don't have many friends left at home, that can be tough. I should be grateful to have so much free time because I have spent the year being constantly busy, but I can't help but feel so lonely and isolated when I reflect on what I've done each day. Luckily, not every day is like this, and I am training myself to focus on the positives rather than the negatives!
BACK TO LINCOLN
On Friday the 21st I was back in Lincoln once again and sat through a day of enrichment. It was really interesting, we looked at transgender issues in the classroom, flexi-schooling for autistic students, and listened to two key-note speeches from past practitioners who are now leads in the field of education. When working in a school it becomes so easy to just focus on exam results, attainment, attendance, targets and schemes of work, when really my role as educator is so much more than all of that. It was a long but productive day that felt really valuable, so I didn't mind not getting home until nearly nine in the evening!
PARTY PREPARATION
Saturday was spent preparing for Mum's Birthday party! We had a day of baking and tidying, and made homemade sausage rolls, scones, trifle, brownies and macaroons.
I love preparation days with my mum, she's very organised so makes sure there's time for everything without rushing through. It's all very methodical, which some of you already know I'm all about, and it helps you to look forward tot he event that's coming up!
MUM'S BIRTHDAY
On the 23rd June my lovely mum celebrated her birthday, and she and my dad celebrated their wedding anniversary too, all in the same day! We had a small family party in the evening, which we very much enjoyed! Our baked goods were well received!
You can see above that Mum was spoiled this year, and those were just the gifts from the three of us!
It took us so long to cut all the crusts off those sandwiches, but it was well worth it to create the perfect afternoon tea. We do our scones the Cornish way!
We played Mr & Mrs, watched the Women's World Cup, indulged in our food and drinks, and enjoyed our little family party very much!
All in all, it was a very pleasant first week post-placement, with a few things going on and my mum's birthday to look forward to. I now await the new week which brings me my last ever day at university, another night away in Lincoln, a trip to Hull to visit my new school, and hopefully so much more!
Thank you for reading.