PLS Teacher Blog 15 – Megan

The Final Countdown

My mum passed away four days before my teacher training interview, going to and preparing myself for that interview was one of the most difficult things I had to. I was told by so many of my friends and family that I should have rescheduled, however, I’ve always been the type of person who pushes through whatever they are feeling to get things done and so was my mum (I must have got it from her). Honestly, I appreciated the distraction.

The last year has been an interesting year to say the least, I’m sure most will agree with that. It’s been a year of reflection, a year of growth and a year of instability. Despite all of this, I strangely had some of the best times of my life this year. I discovered who I was, I grew into the person I wanted to be, and I learnt what kind of teacher I wanted to be. My training year has pushed me to my limits, but it has also given me some of the best memories. I built amazing relationships with my peers, my colleagues and most importantly – my pupils. I always thought teachers were being overly soppy when they went on and on about how they “do it for the kids” and how rewarding it could be. Writing this, I’m starting to realise that I have now become one of those soppy teachers and how much I am going to miss each one of those students once I finish my placement.

Don’t get me wrong, I am beyond excited to finish my training year. The thought of never again having to create an evidence bundle or write up a focused lesson observation fills me with so much joy. But there are so many aspects I will miss, and I am partly afraid of becoming a fully responsible qualified teacher.

We made it, despite the numerous lockdowns, the uncertainty of our training year and school closures, the placement cancellations and the enormous changes in everyone’s lives. We made it.

It’s been a year now since my mum passed, and my interview and nothing has been the same since. My life has completely changed since last year, I’m a different person, a better person (I hope). As I reach these final weeks of my training year and start to reflect on the journey it has been, I am so incredibly proud of myself for making it through. I’d like to think that my mum is too.