Student to Teacher

It was really lovely to come back to Mayfield for a few days, but it was a very different place walking around as a teacher! I have just completed my Primary PGCE and part of which entails completing two days in a secondary school, and I thought there would be nowhere better to go for my two days than Mayfield. I spent time in the music department, and despite Dr Ward playing my GCSE compositions to the year 10 class (which weren’t quite as good as I thought they were at 15!) I had an amazing experience and felt very happy to be able to help the students in their classes with different things. Whether it was helping the Year 10s with their own GCSE compositions, teaching a Year 9 to play the ukulele or singing Taylor Swift with Year 7, it was amazing to see how much creativity and determination all the girls had. I also got to judge the “Mayfield ‘Raw’ Talent Show” and now can see why it took so long for judges to decide who won inter house competitions; something I couldn’t get my head around while in Year 9! There was something a little odd about being allowed in the staff room and sitting with my old teachers for lunch, but it was so lovely to come back, see so many familiar faces and realise that Mayfield hasn’t really changed in the last 4 years and still feels like home even when I came as a teacher not a student. 

OC Olivia Ryan, Class of 2021