March 20, 2013, by Sarah

NEWSFLASH: Lecturers are People

In primary school, teachers are like robots. They can be kind of fun, help you learn – but your mind compartmentalises them into the “school” folder, in the way that cars are filed in “roads” and “garages” and flowers in “plants,” “gardens” and “vases” etc.  Tell me I’m not the only one who thinks in files? Right? Never mind.

So if one day you saw flowers, instead of growing in your garden, growing out of your light switch it would be confusing. You wouldn’t understand it – why would that be happening? For me it was the same for school, if I ever saw a teacher in the supermarket or anywhere not school I would be a bit freaked out.  Secondary school I was a bit more lenient and in sixth form teachers became a bit less formal – you might chat with them a bit more, but even so – they were “teachers” not just like any other person.

 flower

University turns this on its head. Lecturers make jokes, chat to you about their weekend and are very much people, not just academics. Especially on my course, with smaller classroom sizes you do really get to know your lecturers. Of course this is all in a professional context – you don’t go out partying with them (academicLADS on tour – if you’ve got more than one degree put your hands up!), but I suppose at Uni you’re technically an “adult” and so are lecturers, so there’s not the same hierarchy like in primary school. This took a lot of getting used to. When lecturers know your name and you don’t expect them to…that can be a shock!

 teacher

I suppose, although I’m 21, I don’t view myself as an adult and I still see Uni as school. A lot of people don’t though, which is one of the lures of Uni. Unlike school, if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to. It’s all up to you, for better or worse, although marrying your degree is not a good idea. This has been on my mind this week – it hit me that I call my lecturers by their first name and sort of know them. Sadly , one of our lecturers is leaving this week and will be very missed as Dietetics is a close group. Maybe this wouldn’t have mattered as much in school, but Uni isn’t school – I’m still learning this, as well as types of liver disease.

learning

Anyway, meandering over – I possibly had one of the most stressful days of my Uni life on Monday. We had a 4 hour (9-1) lab practical in the morning with an accompanying write-up in for 1:30, after not having done lab work since first year. So that was intense, handed in the coursework at 1:26 and handing it in was like a scrum. Then I had a 30min assessed teaching presentation to deliver in the afternoon without powerpoint. So double adrenaline. I am looking forward now to going home – work takes its toll!

 stress

I also made a cake this week as friends came round today and are coming tomorrow, plus my housemate left some eggs and butter to use up. I decided I wanted to make up a cake recipe because I had an idea (I’m not mental, I’ve done food tech and have enough experience to know quantities and consistencies) and so made a cake with a spiced date puree and this hotel chocolat gingerbread hot chocolate I was given as my Mum didn’t like it, then made a fudgy buttercream filling and spiced chocolate buttercream icing. It tastes good. But I have no recipe and no idea what I did! This has happened before – I should really learn….

dates cake

Anyway – I’m off to Cornwall next week as my family moved our Summer holiday to Easter because I have placement all Summer and I can’t wait! This term just needs rounding off…

Have a lovely week and Easter!

Posted in Sarah