Back to School

After weeks of bashing my head against a brick wall, I had finally discovered the route to eventually become a qualified teacher. My journey begins as a (immature) mature student of Highbury College, Cosham and an Access in Teaching Course, which will get me credits to apply to University.

Early September brings a mobile phone call in the middle of trying to control Becky’s whinging and frantically awaiting a bus that will hopefully get us back to Alverstoke in time to collect Katie from School. So unsurprisingly I was a little taken aback and not fully concentrating on the lady calling to ask if I could attend an interview at Highbury on Monday. After hanging up, catching the bus and just collecting Katie on time did my brain finally process the information that managed to seep through to my memory cells, although this was rather muddled and a return call to the number on my mobile was required. After making a complete arse of myself by firstly getting the name of the lady wrong did I then realize I had no idea were the college is and was forced to call back again! The interview was going to go swimmingly I thought to myself sarcastically!

So Monday arrived and I set off for Highbury via the only bus that covers our area, then catch the ferry across to Portsmouth and finally a train ticket to Cosham (this only being my second time ever on a train so was quite an achievement not to have buggered it up completely – which leads me to believe…train time tables must be simple if monkeys can work them out!)

After a 15-minute walk from the train station, I finally arrived at the college…half an hour early for the interview. So I wasted 15 minutes sitting outside reception on a bench to calm myself and get my breath back (Surprising how unfit you discover you are until you have to power walk a short distance!).

The interview was not at all what I was expecting, although I’m not sure what I was expecting having already made an arse of myself to this lady by phone. Three of us were led up three flights of stairs (not a coincidence I’m sure?) The other two were rather large (I’m being polite!) and beginning to pant by the top, but I held back and forced my unfit body to not follow suit and gasp for breath – more for my peace of mind than anything, although one more flight and I might have started looking a bit flushed! We were herded into a tiny office, handed a timetable and asked what subjects we wanted to do – we would need 4. Ten minutes later I was being led down a corridor and into the middle of a Chemistry class that would become my Chemistry 1 every Monday from now.

Thankfully the teacher was very friendly and took this new intrusion to his class very well. Also lucky for me was they were doing GCSE Chemistry and I somehow remembered most of it from 1997 so it wasn’t too hard to merge into the class.

I am now on my third week at the college and enjoying every day…
Monday Chemistry 1,
Tuesday free,
Wednesday Education and Teaching and English in Teaching followed by s Study Skills lesson,
Thursday free until next term but then it will be Psychology
And Friday Biology 1.
Somehow I have a feeling a Primary teacher with a specialist subject of science is coming, but will see nearer the time?