We don't need no thought control

In my previous incarnation, I was a teacher.

A good teacher. Imparting information was something I was good at.

I still remember my first day on Teaching Practice. I was petrified. Our lecturer started off our education by telling us how to protect ourselves in the classroom. Where to position our desks, how to choose a teacher's pet - who may or may not be our saviour.

I seriously thought I was walking in to a war zone.

As I stepped through the door of that classroom, I looked at the faces all sitting looking expectantly at me, and thought, "Flipping hairies... they are only kids".

There were bad days and there were evil children, but then there were children whose faces suddenly lit with the realisation of knowledge and the evilness and bad days were wiped clean.

On my first Class Critical Appraisal, I was physically sick in the morning. I was in the classroom by 8 am. I was pacing the floor for an hour before it started. It started, it ended, and I won confidence.

This, here... is my best crit. I sailed through this placement. The next placement; not so good. But I live in the knowledge that I did this,I did it well, and I survived.