So I should have realised as I wrote my last post about doing a PGCE that I wouldn't blog til the next year! I can't believe it, but I finish the course on Friday. It's been an interesting year - people keep asking me if I've enjoyed it, but I'm not sure that you're meant to enjoy the PGCE. I've survived, and there were bits that I didn't hate, so I think that's quite positive!
I've got a job starting in September at a school out by the coast. It's nice to be staying in the North East, but I'm a bit scared about this whole work thing. I like being a student, although this year has been a bit of a transition to adult working life (it's awful when you consider going into uni for 9am a lie-in). So now I have to pay income tax, national insurance, council tax, I have pay for all the things that go along with having a car, I need home contents insurance...the list goes on and on. I never realised how expensive it would be to have a job. Still, it'll be nice to introduce myself as a teacher, rather than as a student.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Teaching
How scary is it that I'm going to be a teacher?!
The PGCE seems to be going well, although I haven't actually done any teaching yet so that might change! It is a lot of work but at the minute it's manageable and I'm enjoying it which always helps. I've been placed in a really nice school, with a great mentor who has helped me loads. I'm nervous about having to get up in front of a class but part of me can't wait to just get that first lesson over and done with! If you're in the habit of talking to God, I would appreciate a bit of prayer for my lesson tomorrow in which I have to do a vocab test with my Year 9s. Not the most awful thing in the world to do but this will be the first time I'm up at the front of their classroom so a bit of prayer wouldn't go amiss. (it's at about 1.20) Next week I have to teach a full lesson to my Year 10 class - it'll be a revision lesson (also at 1.20) so please pray that I'll prepare properly for them ,but that I won't spend every waking moment thinking about it! Not that I'm likely too, but just incase!
The PGCE seems to be going well, although I haven't actually done any teaching yet so that might change! It is a lot of work but at the minute it's manageable and I'm enjoying it which always helps. I've been placed in a really nice school, with a great mentor who has helped me loads. I'm nervous about having to get up in front of a class but part of me can't wait to just get that first lesson over and done with! If you're in the habit of talking to God, I would appreciate a bit of prayer for my lesson tomorrow in which I have to do a vocab test with my Year 9s. Not the most awful thing in the world to do but this will be the first time I'm up at the front of their classroom so a bit of prayer wouldn't go amiss. (it's at about 1.20) Next week I have to teach a full lesson to my Year 10 class - it'll be a revision lesson (also at 1.20) so please pray that I'll prepare properly for them ,but that I won't spend every waking moment thinking about it! Not that I'm likely too, but just incase!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Summer continued
So we arrived home from China, a bit sad, but ready to start our next summer adventure! After sorting out dad's luggage (which didn't make it from China, in fact hadn't even been put on the plane in China!) we headed north to Stirling for the wedding of a friend who lived across the street from us when we were growing up. Suzanne and Mike came back for the wedding so we had some extra time with them which was great.
Next up we went to the lakes for a week. My aunt and uncle have a cottage there which they kindly agreed to let us use. The five of us had a great time and Mike's mum and gran were able to come and join us for a couple of days. We even had nice enough weather to have a BBQ!
After the lakes, Suzanne and Mike went back to Manchester, mum and dad headed home to NI and I made my way across to Newcastle for Liz and Harry's wedding! It was really beautiful, quite traditional, and relaxed.
Then it was home to do nothing for a few days before Rose came to stay (sorry no photos yet - updated when I steal Rose's!), and then Phil and I headed off to Scotland to visit her mum (we went to the rare breeds farm, hence the second photo).
And I think that was it! I'm now back in Newcastle doing my PGCE (Secondary German and French) and I think it's going ok! More about that in a later post. We've had our church weekend away which was physically exhausting but mentally/spiritually refreshing, and I'm due to start playing hockey again this weekend - I can hear my muscles screaming in protest already!
Next up we went to the lakes for a week. My aunt and uncle have a cottage there which they kindly agreed to let us use. The five of us had a great time and Mike's mum and gran were able to come and join us for a couple of days. We even had nice enough weather to have a BBQ!
After the lakes, Suzanne and Mike went back to Manchester, mum and dad headed home to NI and I made my way across to Newcastle for Liz and Harry's wedding! It was really beautiful, quite traditional, and relaxed.
Then it was home to do nothing for a few days before Rose came to stay (sorry no photos yet - updated when I steal Rose's!), and then Phil and I headed off to Scotland to visit her mum (we went to the rare breeds farm, hence the second photo).
And I think that was it! I'm now back in Newcastle doing my PGCE (Secondary German and French) and I think it's going ok! More about that in a later post. We've had our church weekend away which was physically exhausting but mentally/spiritually refreshing, and I'm due to start playing hockey again this weekend - I can hear my muscles screaming in protest already!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Holidays
Wow, it's been a while since I posted anything. Summer was hectic but fun. Here's a snapshot of what I got up to:
1. Graduation 12/7/07
We had a fun day; the ceremony was traditional but relaxed. My Pop (granddad) made it over for the day which was great, and I particularly loved swooping around in my gown!
Being hooded as part of the ceremony
With the folks
With Auntie Sue (who lives in Ncl) and Pop (who is not Ian McKellan, as some others have thought!)
Not much explanation needed really!
The Wall:
Hong Kong and Macau - we went for a week of ultimate relaxing (and even shared a hotel with some premiership football players!):
Hong Kong Conference Centre - our hotel was right behind this so we had a great view :)
Lawrie Sanchez - former Northern Ireland Football Manager, now manager of Fulham - at our pool!
Reading Harry Potter by the pool in Macau - it was tough
Our hotel in Macau - view from my lounger
Visiting the casinos......but only for dinner!
In Tiananmen Square
View down from Suzanne's 31st floor apartment. Bottom right, if you can make it out, that's my parents sitting in the garden swing! 
Church! Beijing International Christian Fellowship to be precise. Foreign Passport Holders only
1. Graduation 12/7/07
We had a fun day; the ceremony was traditional but relaxed. My Pop (granddad) made it over for the day which was great, and I particularly loved swooping around in my gown!
Being hooded as part of the ceremony
With the folks
With Auntie Sue (who lives in Ncl) and Pop (who is not Ian McKellan, as some others have thought!)
Not much explanation needed really!2. Then we went off to China to visit my sister (Suzanne) and her boyfriend (Mike) who live there. We had an amazing time - didn't do a whole lot apart from chill out, catch up and a bit of culture (ha, 3 alliterated points - I should be a minister!)
The Wall:
Hong Kong and Macau - we went for a week of ultimate relaxing (and even shared a hotel with some premiership football players!):
Hong Kong Conference Centre - our hotel was right behind this so we had a great view :)
Lawrie Sanchez - former Northern Ireland Football Manager, now manager of Fulham - at our pool!
Reading Harry Potter by the pool in Macau - it was tough
Our hotel in Macau - view from my lounger
Visiting the casinos......but only for dinner!Random selection:
In Tiananmen Square
View down from Suzanne's 31st floor apartment. Bottom right, if you can make it out, that's my parents sitting in the garden swing!
Church! Beijing International Christian Fellowship to be precise. Foreign Passport Holders onlyOk, that's all for now - will finish the rest of the summer in the next post :)
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Travelling home
I would like to tell you a story of my travelling adventures yesterday:
I left my house in Fenham at 11.45, caught the bus to Central Station and then the metro to the airport, panicking at South Gosforth when it changed drivers and we had to sit and wait for that. But I arrived at the airport with more time to spare than usual and after checking in and dropping my guitar case at outsize luggage, proceeded through security, only to be told that our flight was delayed an hour. That's our Easyjet flight, just to be clear. So I bought some food, and thought that at least it wasn't a five hour delay. Then they told us it would be another half hour. I started to worry. Eventually they called us down to the gate, where we then sat for another half an hour as the flight hadn't actually arrived. Finally, an hour after we should have arrived in Belfast, we were boarding the plane. We finally arrived in Belfast, and I have never been so glad to see rainy Northern Ireland.
However, the saga did not stop there. Up to this point it hadn't really been a big deal, I mean, getting delayed is an inevitable part of having to travel. It was just ironic as the day before I'd been having a flybe/easyjet debate with Mr D from church (for the start of this, see here) who had had some issues with flybe on a recent trip to Southhampton. On arriving in Belfast, I discovered that my guitar hadn't quite made it from Newcastle (thankfully it wasn't my new beautiful guitar). I suppose I should be understanding I mean, Newcastle's such a huge airport...no wait, that's not right. Yes, but I arrived at the airport with only minutes to spare until the plane left...no wait, that's not right either. I hadn't checked on an extra bag when booking my flights...no, I paid £5 extra when booking to make sure I could bring it. I think you know where this is heading.
I.do.not.like.easyjet. OK, granted, it's not really based on the fact that I was delayed or that my bag didn't make it , I just don't like it that they won't assign seat numbers! It's the weirdest system ever! Does it save time? no. Does it save money? no. Is assigning a seat difficult to do? no. Does it mean that if you travel in a group you have to arrive about 5 hours before the plane's due to leave just to make sure you get seats together, but then might still be assigned a lower boarding group and not get seats together because every other group has thought of the same thing? Yes!
Well, my guitar arrived today, so no major damage done. Just thought I'd give you all a laugh, you especially Mr D :)
I left my house in Fenham at 11.45, caught the bus to Central Station and then the metro to the airport, panicking at South Gosforth when it changed drivers and we had to sit and wait for that. But I arrived at the airport with more time to spare than usual and after checking in and dropping my guitar case at outsize luggage, proceeded through security, only to be told that our flight was delayed an hour. That's our Easyjet flight, just to be clear. So I bought some food, and thought that at least it wasn't a five hour delay. Then they told us it would be another half hour. I started to worry. Eventually they called us down to the gate, where we then sat for another half an hour as the flight hadn't actually arrived. Finally, an hour after we should have arrived in Belfast, we were boarding the plane. We finally arrived in Belfast, and I have never been so glad to see rainy Northern Ireland.
However, the saga did not stop there. Up to this point it hadn't really been a big deal, I mean, getting delayed is an inevitable part of having to travel. It was just ironic as the day before I'd been having a flybe/easyjet debate with Mr D from church (for the start of this, see here) who had had some issues with flybe on a recent trip to Southhampton. On arriving in Belfast, I discovered that my guitar hadn't quite made it from Newcastle (thankfully it wasn't my new beautiful guitar). I suppose I should be understanding I mean, Newcastle's such a huge airport...no wait, that's not right. Yes, but I arrived at the airport with only minutes to spare until the plane left...no wait, that's not right either. I hadn't checked on an extra bag when booking my flights...no, I paid £5 extra when booking to make sure I could bring it. I think you know where this is heading.
I.do.not.like.easyjet. OK, granted, it's not really based on the fact that I was delayed or that my bag didn't make it , I just don't like it that they won't assign seat numbers! It's the weirdest system ever! Does it save time? no. Does it save money? no. Is assigning a seat difficult to do? no. Does it mean that if you travel in a group you have to arrive about 5 hours before the plane's due to leave just to make sure you get seats together, but then might still be assigned a lower boarding group and not get seats together because every other group has thought of the same thing? Yes!
Well, my guitar arrived today, so no major damage done. Just thought I'd give you all a laugh, you especially Mr D :)
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Finished
It's over! I did my last exam today and it feels....weird! It's bizarre that I don't have anything to do, no theorems to remember, no lists of vocab to learn. I'm exhausted - it feels a bit like suffering from jet lag. I keep wanting to go to sleep and I keep having to make myself stay awake until later tonight!
I've got a great night of celebration planned. First, ER at 9, then Big Brother with Becky at 10, then all-new Grey's at 11 - nice :) Then tomorrow it's out to do some exercise because it feels like all I've done for the past 4 weeks is sit at a desk and eat chocolate biscuits.
On sadder note, Sim left today and so The Plan is no more. Although, technically, I say it's not over until he gets married at the end of June, but it's still sad that we're all going our separate ways. This has been a good year - good housemates, good church, good classes (mostly), good plan for my life...:)
I've got a great night of celebration planned. First, ER at 9, then Big Brother with Becky at 10, then all-new Grey's at 11 - nice :) Then tomorrow it's out to do some exercise because it feels like all I've done for the past 4 weeks is sit at a desk and eat chocolate biscuits.
On sadder note, Sim left today and so The Plan is no more. Although, technically, I say it's not over until he gets married at the end of June, but it's still sad that we're all going our separate ways. This has been a good year - good housemates, good church, good classes (mostly), good plan for my life...:)
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Music Practice
So, following a number of house groups (particularly the sessions on the book "If you want to walk on water you've got to get out of the boat" and 40 days of community) where I felt that my lack of confidence shouldn't be stopping me serving, I plucked up the courage to volunteer to play in the music group at church for the Sunday services. I went along last night to the practice, just to see what it was like and start to learn how to play with other people, and somehow it finished with me agreeing to play on Sunday! Not quite sure how that happened!
I was really nervous before going and pretty much the whole way through, but it was so fun playing with everyone! There were some things I was a bit unsure of but there are other guitars too so I can just hide behind them a bit if I'm not sure!
Just for fun, here's a pic of my beautiful guitar which I fell in love with the moment Sim pointed it out in the shop:
I was really nervous before going and pretty much the whole way through, but it was so fun playing with everyone! There were some things I was a bit unsure of but there are other guitars too so I can just hide behind them a bit if I'm not sure!
Just for fun, here's a pic of my beautiful guitar which I fell in love with the moment Sim pointed it out in the shop:
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