Don't stop thinking about tomorrow

(image: Pinterest)

Two leaving dos, three last days and countless goodbye hugs later and I've finally left my job. I've spent the last three years in a job I absolutely love, helping teenage cancer patients to stay engaged with education during their treatment.  Although I technically finished my job at the end of August, I was asked to come back last week, challenged with the task of handing over my job and everything that went with it to my replacement. It was so strange to be introducing somebody else to all the families I've spent so long working with and saying "as of next week, this is who you'll need to speak to instead of me", there's a part of me that is itching to phone up the office and check that she's remembered to speak to so and so about what we discussed last week, or to ask her to check with such and such's school about the whatdyamacallit. I've never been in a position where I've left a job I truly cared about before, and it has made me strangely protective of it. 

I'm trying really hard to put my slightly obsessive attitude towards my old job to one side and let the new girl have her new beginning there in peace, whilst in the meantime I focus on my own new start. This week I've got my induction and registration day for my PGCE and in a few weeks I'll be let loose in front of gaggles of secondary school students whilst I try and teach them English. To say I'm scared is an understatement, but I'm also incredibly excited. I've gone from a job where I felt like an expert, and suddenly I'm at the bottom of the ladder again. But actually, that's not a bad thing at all, I'm excited to challenge myself, learn lots of new skills and become an expert in something new.

So here we go. Teaching, I'M READY FOR YA.

(If somebody could remind me of this positivity in a month or so when I'm drowning under piles of lesson plans and marking it'd be very much appreciated...)

Don't Stop- Fleetwood Mac

Funk my life up

You might have seen me mention a few months ago that I've been accepted onto a PGCE course for September. I'm hugely excited as I've wanted to teach (with the exception of a year or two at Uni when I was adamant that I wasn't going to follow the stereotypical view that all English students want to become English teachers...) since I was a small person and used to line up my teddies on the staircase at home and give them a damn fine education. Although, thinking about it, I also used to pretend to be a bus driver with my teddies in much the same formation so I suppose I was always open to other careers!

As excited as I am, I'm dreading the whole living off a student loan lifestyle as after three years of working full time I've become quite accustomed to being able to spend as much as I want on Topshop, burgers and cider (who says I don't lead a fulfilling life?!). To soften the blow slightly, I've been trying to prepare myself now by stocking up on bits and bobs I need for next year so that I'm not running around like a madwoman when I have my last payday trying to buy stationary and a wardrobe full of smart, teacher clothes.

Given that I really struggle with finding smart (but still fun) work clothes that I actually WANT to wear, I decided to do the sensible thing and started out with the far easier task of pimping out my stationary.

ideas notebook: Blott, exercise books: Paperchase, weekly desk pad: Paperchase

I feel like I'm 13 again, when all my pocket money used to go on stationary. Maybe I should buy some scented gel pens too. I'm guessing they still make them, right?! Don't tell me I'm that old...

Scream- Paolo Nutini

My hands are tied, tied to you

Whew, the last few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. I found out about two weeks ago that I'd managed to get two interviews for PGCE placements (through School Direct if you happen to be in the know with all things education these days...) so every spare second I've had has been dedicated to lesson planning, interview prep and shopping for an outfit that was smart but still 'me' enough that I felt comfortable in it. The hard work is finally over, I had my two interviews on consecutive days this week (two full on days of being on show was pretty exhausting!) and thankfully now don't even have to think about going to the interview at my third school in February now as MY FAVOURITE OFFERED ME A PLACE!

 As of September, you can officially call me Miss. I'm hugely excited and absolutely bloomin' terrified all at once.

dress: New Look, jacket: Topshop, socks: Topshop, boots: Topshop

My housemate took these outfit snaps for me a few weekends back now, it feels like a luxury to finally have the time to do something with them! The dress is one of my new faves, partially due to the fact I didn't even have to leave my desk to buy it. One of my colleagues was telling me about how she was having to take a dress back for her daughter on her way home from work, ended up showing me it and somehow 30 seconds later I found myself running into the loos with it to try on and instantly deciding that it needed a place in my wardrobe. The only negative about the whole experience (aside from the fact I appear to have started buying unwanted clothes off a 15 year old...) was then nipping to the cash machine to get the money out to pay for the dress and watching my bank card being eaten by the machine. I think the machine was trying to prove a point that accidentally shopping at work was a bad habit to get into. 

Get Away- Circa Waves