First Day of Placement

Hey everyone,

I had my first day of placement today at a high school in Hamilton. After searching online for the travel times, I deemed it to take me an hour to get there. My residence, also thought it would be a great idea to stage a fire drill sometime between 6-8am this morning! After much complaining from the PGDE students about disrupting our time to get ready for placement, it was narrowed down to sometime between 6:30-7:30am. I got ready early and managed to be nearly ready by the time it went off! Anyways, I survived the drill and skipped off on my way to the train station. Boy, do I wish I had worn different shoes today!

I made it to the high school without incident, only to find that I hadn't needed to come in until later on in the day! I actually didn't mind being there the whole day though, as I had more time to get to know the science department teachers and sit in on a few classes. To my great relief, I was able to understand the students for the most part. Most were interested in me (the new person at the back of the class), and kept stealing glances. I was mostly in general science classes all day, and walked around helping students with assignments and tasks. I was asked if I was from America, a lot!

In short, I had a great first day! The teachers were amazing and so helpful and friendly to me. They really made me feel welcome, and all of them offered help if I ever needed it. The students were for the most part, similar to Canadian students! Some were lazy and disinterested, while others actively participated in class. I picked up a few tips on classroom management. I'm feeling pretty good about the next two weeks, and I even get a 4 day weekend! That definitely is going to help me get through these 6am wakeups!

Anyways, I miss Canada a bit, and definitely my family, friends and Western! I keep getting updates and events on fb sent to me about Western, and it makes me a little sad that I'm missing out. But, i'm having an amazing time here in Scotland and am pumped for when I actually get to teach!

Peace out,

Nush