Student parent support thread - New for Sept. 2010

[MiaWallace]

Starting a new thread for a new academic year.

Previous thread here

If you are currently studying a course or about to start one (at any level) please come and join us. We offer each other support, tips and encouragement, plus we use the thread as a means of procrastination

We started off the previous thread with a short introduction so here's mine -

I'm 30 years old. Recently married with a 5 year old dd. I completed my degree in Education studies in July and I'm about to start my primary PGCE in September.

sounds perfect i need all the help i can get!

evening all, I don't get on here much since uni started properly, I seem to spend all my time either in lectures/ driving/ asleep!

Start my first placement next week so excited and scared all at once. My first teaching I have to do is numeracy not my fav subject but hey ho!

Noftime great about the extension

must go and wash up before I go to hosp and visit my nan, then home to do lesson plans!

that's fab news dylsmum - what age group have you got for your first placement? i had yummy 5/6 yos in a fab school. the second tp was an inner city number where english was about the fourth language - i couldn't read any of the signs on the doors

at that point i changed my course... no idea if that was the right thing to do or not - on sunday someone else asked me if i was a teacher so i must exude teachery vibes somehow.

i'm excited for you though!

what's up with nan? hopefully not too serious? (sorry, hit 'send' instead of 'space'...)

I have yr 2's for my placement this time. They are a lovely bunch and can't wait to get back in the classroom. We have lots of different languages in our class, but they have all learnt english now. Although teacher was telling me one or two of them couldn't speak english at all last year. Its amazing how quick they learn!
My nan had a severe reaction to the medication she was given to treat a bloodclot. My aunt has just phoned to say nan is at home now they have let her out hosp. While she was there they found cancer but won't know how they are going to treat it until after her biopsy next week. She is home so that must be a good sign

oh bless her - almost a good thing she had to go in, at least they may be able to help. glad she's at home.

yr 2s will be lovely! still little enough to listen ; ;-)

Evening all. Not been on MN for ages, am a bit overwhelmed with the reading/planning/researching stuff after a full day and then I just collapse into tv zombie mode before dragging myself off to bed.
I am off back to my placement next week, got an essay due in next week as well, unluckily for me I have Year 9's on monday will swap for year 2's!

I tell you what thoughm the house is a tip, none of us is eating sensibly, I am exhausted and DD2 has gone from full time mummy to full time nursery, but she is loving it, and so am I! It's so much fun to be able to talk/discuss/debate real life grown up things with people who know me as me, and not DD's mummy.

Ilythia- I'll stick with my yr 2's thanks my ds is in yr 7 and one of him is more than enough . I know what you mean about being me when i am with the grown ups I am loving uni even if I do spend lots of time dreaming of being wrapped up in my duvet

Nickoftime yes that is very true hadn't thought of it like that

urgh, yr 9's. TAing they were the worst! at least by yr 10 they've worked out they might have to do some work to get a gcse or two. what subject are you ilythia?

sorry, I haven't been on here for ages.

I've been snowed under since starting the PGCE but I'm having such a good time.

Start placements week after next. I'm also in with Year 2 Dylsmum.

Maths!

TBF I love my year 9's, they are so happy when they get something as it is hard for their group, much more satisfying than a yr 11 top group anyway. Apart from the Lynx stench that is. Although Yr 11 are pretty bad for that too, bleurgh.

I have a study day today, so packed hirls off to nursery, went to costa (no internet access, so no MNing, genius) and managed to finish half my essay, sorted a carload of stuff for the tip and charity shop, and then nursery rang to tell me that DD1 was 39 degrees and had fallen asleep on the floor. So that's my day off tomorrow fecked as well. humph.

Mis hope your yr 2's are as lovely as my class.

Ilythia poor dd and poor you. I have my first day off in weeks tomorrow, and my last for ages after! I have loads of lesson plans etc to do and my dc are back home, can't wait to see them

all you teacher-types! we should re-name the thread

T214 finished today
B628 starts tomorrow

Yipee

well, i now have all my shiny new (right-size) files to re-organise the academic explosion that has occurred in the basement.

i've got a week to sort it all out now, and then the first write-up will be the group-project-that-wasn't. (one of the 'group' was hospitalised at an early stage, one transferred to replace a student that died in another group , and the only other remaining group member needed valium and vodka to cope with the stress of contemplating speaking at a conference. that left me to do the project, write it all up, and then drag x to the conference and hand him the paper with the bits he had to read highlighted) on the bright side, everyone loved the project and the presentation, but i was so exhausted by the whole experience i didn't ever hand the file in for a grade.

oh, tis Nick. i've changed back to celebrate my new returned to study status.

have you got your results, Katy?

research-based or taught?

i always feel like an imposter, so i have to do these things when i'm particularly fired up. read a really good bit of research that sets your imagination alight and fills you with the need to do this, and then have a go.

are you moving uni? if it's at the same place they should have a reasonable grasp of who you are by now? new setting then give them a call and have an informal chat and see what they are after?

which one are you going for in the end?
(did you ever apply for that birkbeck course?)

Results will be the end of Dec (about the same time the next TMA is due)

i don't think it will be a problem - it's such a specific area that i suspect your existing knowledge and interest will suffice - unless it is heavily oversubscribed? (i might be asking that...)

i knew sweet fa about social research before i started my msc . the one problem i did have was knowing what format was expected for the different assignments - i was a straight essay/ dissertation girl, so the idea of producing something called a 'report' or a 'proposal' was meaningless. once i relaxed a bit it was fine, only natural to be a bit tentative.

good luck katy - i hate waiting for results, especially when it's the first one of the year!

Right, I'm sorry I've not been about, been super busy.

I need some help with a research report. Does anyone know of any papers or books relating to disability in comedy? Preferably TV comedy but can link to stand up if there's the research there.

HELP!

google says elliott and byrd 1984 study, and a 2006 book called 'crip theory', which i now desperately need to buy.

i would get yourself on jstor or whatever access you have and use your keywords, i bet there's loads. am having some ishoos with my athens password - i appear to have been erased from the uni records ...

it sounds very interesting - i often youtube comedians with cp so that i can show them to dd2 when she's old enough.

can you feed in the backlash against some comedians use of diability? thinking frankie whatsisname recent furore etc?

have lots of stuff on disability, but nothing comedy related...

Hello everyone :). I'm hoping for some opinions/thoughts/advice about the OU and thought this may be a good place to start! Have looked at the course DD1 wants to do, undergrad 60 pts, doesn't look to hard, but how did you all find it? Is there enough support for new learners? How does the financial support work? Would prefer DD not to have any student debt just yet! :) thank you, all!