...Who are you again?

Hi! You might remember me, I'm Colette and I used to blog here...

First off, I'm so sorry for not keeping up with this blog as I intended to. As per usual, life got in the way. I finished my placement and thus my second year of university. Since then I got caught up in the whirlwind of packing/unpacking and working pretty much full time for a solid three months.

However, I return to York in just over a week to start my final year as an undergrad (terrifying!) something which also means preparing for my future after I graduate i.e. PGCE applications. There have been some slight developments and progress since June so I'll quickly fill you in.

I completed my YSIS placement which was very rewarding and something which I really enjoyed. Last week I went back to my old secondary school and completed a week shadowing teachers in the history department and helping out in the classroom. To be completely honest, I was considering taking a year out/deferring my PGCE application before I went back to school, I've been feeling a bit run down and exhausted lately and wasn't sure I could hack the whirlwind that is a PGCE course straight out of uni. Last week changed all that. It cemented everything I had ever thought I loved about teaching. I felt at home in the classroom, much more confident than I ever thought I would be. Perhaps most importantly, I felt inspired. As cheesy as it sounds, I got excited about sharing my passion for history with the wide range of students I worked with, from the new Year 7s, all the way up to those beginning their A2 courses. Now I'm itching to complete my degree and get into the classroom full time.

Of course, before that comes the very daunting application process, especially as History PGCE courses are ridiculously competitive, something like 8-10 applicants per place. Luckily, I spoke to one of my old teachers who reassured me and calmed all my worries. This week, my goal is to complete my personal statement, or at least a draft of it, so I've got the hardest part complete before applications open in early October. Scary stuff.

Wish me luck!