Alison is a graduate from the PGDE Physical Education (Gaelic Medium) programme at the University of Strathclyde
Tell us a little bit about your background...
Hi, my name is Ali. I’m from Oban but have lived on the outskirts of Glasgow for over five years now. My claim to fame? Oban’s first water baby (well done Mum). Gaelic and Shinty have always been my two passions, being exposed to Gaelic from a young age from my Granny Peggy and the Shinty from my Dad.
Before starting the PGDE in Physical Education (Gaelic Medium) at Strathclyde, I was a Firefighter in the City of Glasgow. I know what you’re thinking, I never knew they made toy Firefighter uniforms…Well yes, yes they did! I grew up in Oban and the majority of my (very big) family still stay there. When I was 18, I moved to Inverness to start a degree in Sport and Fitness, which I did for two years. I then transferred my credits over to Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh to complete my degree in Physical Activity, Health and Wellbeing. From a very young age, I had always aspired to be a PE teacher, so much so my 13 year old self at Oban High School, told my then PE teacher, Mr Hamilton, that I would be a Gaelic PE teacher one day! However, after graduating at the age of 21 I felt too young to be a teacher and I knew I needed life experience to equip me with the optimum skills and knowledge to become the best teacher I could be. After all, the subject we teach is second to being a teacher of young people. We are in a privileged position as teachers to inspire, guide and instil young people with the best experience for life-long learning. Not every path needs to be linear and having a career before this career, gave me a greater perspective in teaching and life. It is a refreshing thing to say, at 27, I feel I am exactly where I belong – in shorts, building relationships, and promoting health and wellbeing (and Shinty) every day.
What drew you towards undertaking the PGDE?
As I said, I had strong ambitions to be a PE teacher one day but the timing wasn’t right and I felt too young after finishing my undergraduate course in Edinburgh. Thanks to the financial support of my Dad, I was able to start the PGDE in August 2022 (while still working as a Firefighter until October). This was a big decision as I had a mortgage to pay for and the fire service was a very secure career. I would have spent the rest of my life wishing I had made the leap and I am glad I took the risk as it has very much paid off. Being from Oban, I don’t know Glasgow well. Five years on and my topography is still atrocious (you can take the girl out of Oban…). However, the course at Strathclyde appealed to me very much and it was a good opportunity for me to meet like-minded people in the heart of the City. The facilities looked excellent and the format of the course was attractive with the right balance of University and placement. The interview process also enticed me as the solo presentation, group discussion and practical assessments seemed like a fantastic way to showcase my passion and determination to be one of the 20 selected students.
Tell us about the format of the programme. What was a typical week like?
From August until the end of October, I was in Strathclyde University (or Stepps playing fields) with the other 19 PE students roughly four days a week. There was a variety of modules to undertake, with some of the modules classroom based where we joined other student teachers. This was a good opportunity to collaborate and share ideas based on our subjects. PE is a unique subject and we received a lot of practical input from Cara Lamb. Cara would often invite specialists in who gave us input and sports content, ranging from Handball to Rugby. I particularly enjoyed it when Judy Murray came in a gave us a 3 hour course in Tennis. This was a real highlight and reliable sources will tell you that she chose me as her doubles partner that day! Joking aside, this input was unmatched and I transferred so much of that content into other activities and lesson plans when I was on placement. The Sports Education block was extremely entertaining and highly competitive (imagine 20 PE teachers being competitive eh). This involved a lot of team work, organisation and originality. It was this part of the course I realised how close we had become as a cohort. We were a very close group, almost like family, and these people are now a permanent part of my life and it is a delight to see them thriving as teachers.
Come the end of October, we went on our first 8 week placement. We were equipped with the knowledge on how to complete our files (PPF) while on placement and Cara came out to observe us between weeks 4 and 6. We then returned to University until the end of January 2023, where we then commenced placement 2 until the middle of March and then after the break in April, returned to placement 3 (same school) until late May. I remember being on a school trip on the 23rd May and that was the day I found out where my probation year would be. Graduation was the 30th of May which was a really special day of celebrations with family and friends. Especially for my Dad, he now knew I could pay him back!
Tell us about your experience on placement...
On my first placement, it took me a while to find my feet. This was all very new (let’s remember none of us had been teachers and were now experiencing a role reversal from when we were last in school as pupils). The pace of a school day is fast, and being organised is what allowed for maximum teaching time and minimum disruption. I learnt very quickly, that if I was organised, the pupils engaged better. Making lesson plans was such a new adjustment but I got into the swing of it come week 2 and the cohort really helped with this. We all supported each other through placement and shared our lesson plans on a One Drive. The PE teachers within the department are there to help and I always felt supported by their experience and guidance. Placement is a great opportunity to gain as much content as possible, soaking up as many teaching styles and preferences as you can. My first observation was nerve wracking but it was a very supportive process and I enjoyed building on the feedback I received. I kept reminding myself that I was learning and it’s important to be gentle with yourself during that journey. No person ever became a master in their profession or passion within 6 weeks. I spent every Friday organising my file and planning for the next week. This way I could switch off at the weekend and enjoy playing sport and relaxing. That was important because it is a very fast and stressful 6 weeks. Acceptance is key. Accept you will have wobbles, accept this is new and accept this is exactly where you once dreamt of being.
Placement 2 and 3 were much easier to adjust to as I knew what to expect and how to manage my workload better. I got my Gaelic observation from Fiona Rice in February, here I delivered an entire Gymnastics lesson in Gaelic. This assessment was for Gaelic purposes while Cara was observing my PE teaching, coming out again in April for my final observation. It can sometimes be difficult to feel like a, “real teacher” when you are on placement and that’s probably the biggest difference I felt between student year and probation. I immersed myself in as much as I could on all of my placements and this can help build relationships with pupils and staff.
Tell us a little bit about how the Gaelic Medium works...
The Gaelic aspect of the course was very unique. On a Thursday, I was separated from the PE cohort to receive Gaelic input from Fiona Rice. This involved guidance with lesson planning and subject specific language. I was joined by two other Gaelic primary students and it was a really supportive environment which improved my Gaelic. On placement 2, Fiona Rice came to observe my Gymnastics lesson in Gaelic and this was a great opportunity to showcase PE and Gaelic combined. Fiona really enjoyed the ethos of the lesson and I remember this being a real sense of achievement when Fiona gave me feedback.
What was the academic support at Strathclyde like?
At no point did I ever feel unsupported. Cara Lamb is an incredibly supportive person and I felt very lucky to have been tutored by her. If I had any queries on any assignment (PE or non PE related), I always received support and the University were excellent at taking into consideration individual circumstances.
Where are you working now? What are your hopes for the future?
I am now a PE teacher at the Glasgow Gaelic Secondary School. I am part of an extremely dedicated, driven and supportive PE department, with a really inspiring Headteacher – Gillian Campbell-Thow. This school feels like family to me now and the unique sense of community this school offers is outstanding. We are the only school in the world where subjects are taught through the medium of Gaelic and it is a privilege to be part of this school. The young people inspire me every day and within my first year at this school, I have already achieved what I never imagined I would within five years, let alone one. I now have 45 girls playing shinty at the Gaelic school which is now the most attended school shinty club in Scotland. From this, history has now been made with the first ever U14s Glasgow Mid Argyll girls team too. These young people have my heart and I am invested in each and every one of them. The greatest gift we can ever offer in this life is our impact and it is an honour to be in a career that allows me to share this gift every day.
My hopes for the future? To be the best PE teacher I possibly can be for young people and inspire them to lead a healthy and happy lifestyle, beyond their school years. Also, to refine my practice by adopting a variety of teaching styles and constantly seek ways to upskill and build on any feedback I receive. Yes my passion is PE and sport, but my real hopes are for young people to know and feel that I care about them and I value their voice. Resilience is vital for adulthood, and if I can expose, instil and develop this in young people through my subject and the wider life of school, then I can be satisfied that I am making a difference. Setbacks often happen in life and I want to help young people see these setbacks as an opportunity to set new goals, and more importantly, bounce back from them. The comeback is always stronger than the setback!
What advice would you give to someone considering applying for a teaching degree?
Be prepared for it to be bumpy and accept that. As soon as you accept that it’s going to be tough, it is easier to cope with the work load, learning and adjusting.
Be okay with making mistakes. It’s often during the moments you’re struggling where the real learning points occur. Reflection is one of the most important tasks as a teacher (and probably as a person). We want to be better than we were yesterday, for our young people and ourselves.
Be organised. Lesson plans can be laborious but they’re setting a foundation for you and will help you on the course. They will also help other people.
Accept your life may change when you’re on placement, time disappears during the week. Make sure you switch off at the weekend as it can become mentally exhausting if you don’t.
Have fun! I met some of the best people ever on this course and they’ve become a huge part of my life. Enjoy this chapter, I often look back on it fondly.
Immerse yourself in your school community as much as possible. You get back what you put in.
Ask questions. Ask them all the time, to the point you think you’re annoying people! It’s your journey and learning process, absorb as much as you can.
Don’t isolate yourself. A lot of student teachers will be feeling the same. A problem shared… Lots of students have experienced different careers and knowledge so use them to your advantage too and share ideas.
When the going gets tough, remind yourself why you applied for the course and why you wanted to be a teacher. We can all lose sight of rationale during moments of stress. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that you’re learning too. It is a luxury to be a role model to young people every day, you really can be the change for them and play a life changing part in their present and future. Be the teacher you needed when you were in school.
And if it isn’t for you, that’s also okay. I know a handful of people who completed their student and/or placement year and it wasn’t for them. This course will teach you so much and it will also teach you whether this career is for you. And if it isn’t, you are destined for a different journey. The world is just steering you towards something where you belong.
If you give 100% to everything you do in this life, I believe it will work out in the end.