Week Two: Professional

Outside one of the buildings on campus

This week I saw an entirely different Ole Miss as students from all over appeared for the beginning of classes.  All of a sudden the sleepy town of Oxford came alive with the buzz of university students.  Campus was crowded, and there were plenty of people about to make sure we didn’t get too lost during our first week of classes.  

This week I have only attended three out of the four classes which I will be taking, as the fourth one is yet to be confirmed, yet already I have a ridiculous amount of work to be doing!  The three tutor’s whom I have met so far are incredibly friendly, organised and helpful.  They spent the first class going over our schedule for this semester, pointing out exactly what we would be learning each week, which readings we had to do and when each of our assignments were due.  I found this really helpful, as being in a class in a foreign country can be extremely daunting, whereas I now feel like I know exactly what I should be doing and when.

The content of our classes, seems pretty similar to what we would be learning at home, and I feel pretty confident that both myself and Sarah will be able to cope with the workload. Our week of alternative placement in a Special school back home will also be an asset as we are taking a class on Special Education, and the majority of students in it have had no experience at all.  I believe that Stranmillis has us well prepared for the classes we will take this semester, and that we actually know a lot more about teaching than we give ourselves credit for!

Basketball game

One main difference between here and Stranmillis is that we have to do exactly three hours of each class a week.  In some cases these three hours are split into three one hour classes, but unfortunately for us we have a three hour class from 4-7 instead.  These long late classes shocked me, but were actually a lot more bearable than I thought, as they are very interactive, and we are given the chance to both teach and learn from the American students and other International students.  I really believe that this semester I will learn a lot about teaching and about becoming a better teacher myself.

On a more personal level, I attended my first Basketball game this week, which despite my normal dislike for sports, I actually really enjoyed!  It felt great to become part of the Ole Miss community and join in with the Hotty Toddy cheer as we almost won the game.  Everyday Ole Miss becomes more and more like home, and I am thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to experience all aspects of American life.

Myself, Sarah and Kathryn at the game