I left you in my last blog in the process of completing my dissertation and final year assignments amongst the chaos and uncertainty of Covid-19. Since then, a lot has changed, including receiving my final marks and feedback for the last assignments of this degree, while sadly the uncertainty of the global pandemic still remains.
My semester two assignments, my dissertation, and research, which made up the final hurdles of my third year seem a world away now. My first module and assignment was ‘Participation and Rights in Early Childhood’. This was made up of two parts: creating a poster and writing a literature review covering early childhood spaces, and discussing the political and social aspect of these places. I was so happy (and surprised!) to find out I achieved 72% in the module as this was probably one of the hardest assignments I had done on my whole degree course. It required a lot of critical thinking, discussion and difficult concepts to understand and examine. Thankfully, all of the brain ache paid off.
My second module, ‘Childhood in a Global Context’ also required a two-part assignment; an essay and portfolio. The essay was a critical review of international comparisons of different countries’ early years practice and approaches. The portfolio involved choosing four countries to discuss in the context of early childhood, education, policies and a chosen area of discussion, for which I chose ‘play’. I really enjoyed this assignment, the research into the different countries was fascinating and very eye opening; making comparisons between countries highlighted many benefits and drawbacks to the range of approaches, but it also made me sad as it made me really want to travel. However, I think my enthusiasm showed, as I achieved 82% in the module, it was my best mark so far in my degree.
That leads me to my dissertation and the research which I completed over the two semesters and final year of my degree. This was the very last of my assignments to be submitted and the last one I received the marks for. After a year of research and many hours of writing and reading, it was so worth it when I got my mark back – I achieved 85% - my highest mark ever! I was ecstatic when I found out and rang my whole family to tell them the good news. I was especially excited to tell my mum who I owe a lot to - she has spent many long hours proofreading my work and providing me with such helpful feedback for my dissertation (as well other assignments over the past three years). I couldn’t have done it without her.
In July I received my degree classification. I am happy to say I achieved 79.2% in my degree which is a first class honours degree in Early Childhood Studies. It was a whirlwind of emotions and at some points I really struggled to keep going, but if can give any advice, it would be to carry on. It will be worth it in the end when you get that feeling of satisfaction knowing you did all of that work and got a degree. Ensuring you take breaks is crucial to keeping you sane. Whether that’s a walk, watching a bit of Netflix or a nap (I can certainly say I did all three of those things). Making sure you talk to others about your struggles is essential too; that could be your uni tutors, friends, course mates or family – I believe a good rant always helps. I just hope this year is a better year for all the final year students. Like I said in my last blog, final year is stressful enough without all the additional factors this unique year has brought. Despite all the trials and challenges I believe this has left us stronger and more resilient as students and people.
Time to unwind
After receiving my results in the summer, I haven’t really been up to much, only because we all couldn’t do much. I found out my graduation, which was due to take place this November, has been postponed and moved to next May which is a bit disappointing, but I am happy it is going to be a proper face-to-face graduation and won’t be virtual (hopefully). As summers go, it was a very quiet one. I spent the time trying to relax and at one point when coronavirus cases were at their lowest, I finally made it home for a couple of weeks to see my family which was definitely the best part about the summer. In my last blog, I explained I needed to get 2:2 or above in my degree to get onto the PGCE in Early Years and Primary (3-7) at Sheffield Hallam (which is also where I’ve been doing my degree), so after receiving my first class honours I got offered an unconditional place in preparation for starting in September.
Now the time for relaxing feels like a distant memory. Covid-19 has meant there have been many changes to the PGCE course. All teaching has been online - mostly pre-recordings with some live sessions. It has been an intense six weeks of university work so far, providing students with information needed to teach and complete the 5,000 word assignment, and now, it will only intensify more with the first of my two placements beginning.
More placements
My first placement is within early years in a reception class. I will be with them until February next year. Being in a school is also very different from the last time I was based in one. Due to the pandemic there are a large number of restrictions for both children and staff, including strict social distancing and whole class isolation. I’m hoping when I will start my second placement in February, (which will be in Key Stage 1) restrictions may have eased, but we can only wait and see. I will stay at my second placement until the end of May and will finish my course in June in preparation for starting my first year as a Newly Qualified Teacher, eeek! All of this in addition to two graduations in one year, so hopefully there will be lots to celebrate. But for now, the juggling of a 5-day a week placement, lesson planning, a 5,000 word assignment and everything outside of uni, begins. I’ve certainly got my work cut out, but if I can get through this year, I can get through anything.
That leads me to the end of my last ever blog for Nursery World magazine. Thank you so much for following my blog and my university journey over these past three years of my Early Childhood Studies degree course. Also, a big thank you to Nursery World for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I hope this is has given a useful (and hopefully interesting) insight and read into the diary of an Early Childhood Studies student.