M55, Modern Studies, Dunfermline High School

Whilst this won't be the best photograph I ever take (wasn't even the best I took today), it has huge sentimental appeal for me. In a few months time the demolition crews will move into my old secondary school, Dunfermline High, and start pulling the place down - a new school has been built on the playing fields and everyone will be moving over to there.

Today, the school held and open day for former pupils, teachers and parents to go and take a look around one last time. Spoke to a few of my former teachers, always worrying when they remember your name all these years later. They all seem really excited about the new facility but clearly sad to see the back of the old building - which if you are being perfectly honest, doesn't look like its changed much since I left and has definitely seen better days.

This classroom is M55, Modern Studies - the Scottish subject equivalent of politics and sociology. This was more than a classroom to me. Our teacher, the late Ken Mottram, gave us an opportunity to find our voice, to debate and to engage with each other, rather than simply sit and be talked at. This subject and this teacher have had a big influence on my life.

The room layout was different to ours, but I sat just behind where the green folders are that are sitting on the tables. The man at the door is Mr Hutchison (I still don't use the first names even 16 years on!) and he was in the department when I was there. We talked about Mr Mottram and his contribution to the department and how much I had to thank him for.

Bumped into a few former classmates as we walked around all the corridors and classrooms. Was great to show my wee girl all the places and share the memories, including the one class where her mum and dad got to know each other and her dad used to pretend to forget a pen so that he could go across and chat up her mum! Hey, it worked! She took a picture of us in our old seats in the class, a nice memory of a place I will be sorry to see disappear.