My First Day at School

This is a lie. Obviously, it's not my first day in school as a student- been there, done that, wore the crest-embossed T-shirt nor was it my first day as a Teacher. However, it was my first real day back in Loreto, sitting in the staffroom with the 'real' teaching faculty treating me like one of them. I didn't enter a classroom today- instead I sat back and watched the bustling. Let me give you some insider tips about teachers.
1) They hate being back from the holidays just as much as kids
2) Every one I spoke to, hadn't slept the night before thinking about what today would bring
3) They are disorganised, forget their books and ask stupid questions too
4) They DO talk about students in the staffroom!

What seperates me from the other Dip students is that I am a past pupil of Loreto Bray and milling around me were teachers who had taught me, who I had loved, respected and hated. It was like being the proverbial fly on the wall because none of them recognised me. Except one. One Teacher whom, I had spent many many years forgetting. 'Did I teach you once?' she said, 'you did' I responded, 'I thought so, I recognised you. You still have the same smile!'. I laughed thinking to myself, I wasn't smiling much in your French class. As I sat in the HDip Huddle with the other students, I thought about all the comments, jokes and stories I had over the years about the very people who were now my colleagues. A strange strange experience.

As we sat there, I'm sure looking wide-eyed and fearful, the school chaplin came over and chatted with us, until one of the other girls expressed her surprise at one of her stories by shouting 'Jesus Christ!' in her face. Classic. Then another awesome thing happened. I had my first legit cigarette on the school grounds, no ducking and diving instead, sitting openly with a coffee, texting and smoking a Marlboro. So many rules smashed!

Then as one by one we were called into our subject meetings, we had cake and coffee pots delivered to each room as we discussed the curriculum for our classes. I was surprised that my open was valued and asked for, when we debated novels my suggestion was jotted down and considered valid. It was empowering, though I'll wait and see how empowered I feel next week when I'm wrestling with teenagers. Maybe it will all (first years included) go out the window.

And so the end is nigh.

So, today marks the end of life as a normal person and the beginning of life as a student again as I return to my old stomping ground of Loreto Bray as an English and History Teacher while studyng (again) at UCD. Oof. It feels strange, I tell ya, to be thinking about September again in terms of stocking up on A4 pads and textbooks again.

But, credit where credit is due and I was blessed with fantastic students and classes, I only hope and pray my incoming teenagers are the same. Throughout my past six months back in Ireland, I had some laughs and learnt so much about European culture and definitely learnt somethings about Ireland. I definitely began to appreciate my heritage and culture a bit more but no amount of persuading by my classes will entice me to enjoy a plate of Irish stew!

What a last day it was. Firstly, there was a bit of a singsong and at 9.30am I was explaining the intricacies of the trad music tradition and singing along to The Wild Rover. A new student did an impromtu striptease where he showed off his tattoo for the female members of the class...unexpectedly and unprompted, luckily, my Director of Studies didn't decide to pay a visit to the class at that moment.

In the afternoon, after teaching some Irish slang during the week, a student was eager to show off his mastering of Irish slang by telling me he was 'too hungover' to do his homework and then told me that he practiced with his host family the previous night by marching into the kitchen saying 'I'm Marvin!' in a thick Spanish accent. Hilarious.

I was delighted to recieve 20 fantastic reviews from my outgoing students, a definite vote of confidence going forward. Finally, I feel like I've been doing something right, all the hours of planning have paid off. At least, now I no longer have the constant fear of being asked a question about complex English grammar that I can't answer. I can, with confidence, say my first year class are never going to ask me the ins and outs of the present perfect, the format of conditionals and definitions of phrasal verbs. Yes, English speakers- these things exist! Though, no doubt I will have a whole host of other problems and challenges, and the feelings of apprehension and nervousness are being to creep in.

But I will continue on my crusade to make English and History fun fun fun and do my best. As Macbeth said, 'Come what come may, time and hour runs through the roughest days'.