The pressures of Education

 

I guess this post is following on from my last post, in a way, except more focussed on university than my overall education. From a young age it was drummed into my head that it was so important to attend university. When I was completing my GCSEs, it felt like all anyone ever talked about was how important exams were, how you had to do well, how they would affect your whole life... The list could literally go on forever. The pressure is immense and it seemed like no one wanted to discuss options outside of further study and so I chose to do A-Levels. During A-Level it was a similar mountain of pressure; however this time it was all towards pushing everyone towards the path to university. At my school it was almost a taboo to not attend university. On results day there were teachers everywhere begging those unlucky enough to have got shit grades to somehow manage to still attend university by pushing them through the clearing process.

I applied to university for a number of reasons; 

1. Fear of the Unknown (e.g the real world)

2. Studying was all I knew at that point

3. Pressure from friends, family, school

4. Future career prospects

I was so sucked into the school system I felt that it was something I wanted to continue studying and I thought that university was the way to go. As you grow older the dreaded question becomes 'what do you want to do when you're older?' Actually for me, this was a fairly simple solution. I wanted to teach art and so university seemed like the obvious choice to do so. In fact I was so sure that I would teach that I had already mapped out how I assume my life would be. Basically the plan was, do an art foundation year, complete an art degree and then complete a PGCE and then be a teacher. In reality, life is never easy and rarely goes in the direction that we expect.

I really struggled with mental health during my time at university and got little help other than 'just deal with it' from the majority of people, which really wasn't the most helpful form of input given to me. As a result of this, my grades did suffer and during my interviews for PGCE I panicked and probably came across as a massive trainwreck (which I probably was, looking back). However now, I'm actually relieved that my life didn't go plan; I learnt that the cliché 'everything happens for a reason' is a definite truth. I've realised that I don't have a passion to teach and I also doubt that I have the confidence or the mental strength to do so. However I do still want to engage with learning and I'd love to work in a museum or gallery.

I would say that the massive flaw within our schooling system in the UK at the moment is that many schools are desperate to hit their targets in terms of results and number of pupils being accepted into university that many students are missing out on information on other options. If I could go back and change my plans, I definitely would have looked into options outside of university, or at least taken some time out to fully decide what I wanted to study and learn more about myself before jumping in at the deep end. The immense pressure to succeed and consistently deliver is definitely something which many students at any learning level struggle with. Although I was always average, the pressure still existed; ultimately I've learnt as I've got older, average is me and that's ok. I just wish that the schooling system had encouraged me to accept that years ago.

Exploring England

 

Roughly a week ago my mama and I travelled to The Cotswolds to visit Birdland Park and Gardens in Bourton-On-The-Water. The village itself is between Oxford, Gloucester and Cirencester, however we stayed in a hotel in Cheltenham and travelled to the village as we know Gloucestershire well from many years of holidays there during my teenage years. My mama has a slightly bizarre obsession with penguins, therefore for her birthday we wanted to do something she would enjoy and so Birdland was an obvious choice to combine two ideas; fun and animals.

Possibly the strangest thing about Birdland is that there is no glass like is in London Zoo; you can practically touch the Penguins, and indeed many of the other animals. For example, chickens just seem to roam free around the park. Its surroundings are incredibly rural, next to a river canal and even inside the park itself there are many wide growths and almost forest-like areas, allowing the birds to feel more at home in a natural habitat. We watched the Penguins being feed alongside a speech from one of the keepers. He explained and answered questions about how the Penguins deal with such hot weather and also more in depth about the different kinds of Penguins they have.

It's fascinating to watch the animal being fed, as the most enjoyable part of the feeding process is the talks given to audience alongside the feeding. You can watch flamingos and Pelicans being fed, as well as the Penguins. However the largest crowd was at the penguin feeding. 'Meet a Keeper' is another interesting activity to do whilst you're there,many the fact that all of these activities are free is pretty incredible, especially considering the low cost of the ticket price to enter the park. During the meet a keeper session you can ask questions and even hold some animals, such as the tortoises; children seemed to love getting to be close to the animals.

We also made our way around the park, seeing flamingos, pelicans, some reptiles and many others. The park is more conversation than a zoo and is constantly breeding new animals, including baby Penguins. There are so many different birds, some in aviaries and some flying free. Aside from seeing animals, as a nature reserve it's also a beautiful place to sit and enjoy company and simply watch the world go by, which I did whilst eating ice cream from the café; it's nice to enjoy your surroundings without any hassle or masses of people around. Even in the middle of the summer holidays it was fairly stress-free and chilled out. Having now visited Birdland twice, (the first time in December) I can guarantee that it's definitely worth the trip and different every time. A great alternative day out :)

Finding Tranquility

 

One the things that I truly love to do is go for a walk along the riverside. Part of me wishes that I lived by the sea, as there is something so calming about hearing the waves crashing along the seafront and feeling sand pressed underneath your feet. However, back to reality; I live within 5 minutes of a river, so it's the closest to the sea I will get whilst living in London!

I enjoy walking my puppy along the river, hearing the water crash and fall against the barriers and watch her tony self love life, running along and investigating anything she sees. I also like to walk alone sometimes as well, stumbling alone and reassessing my life. I always worry that I forget to think about myself, or take the time to simply evaluate what's going on in my life. I guess we all have a tendency to forgot about ourselves and concentrate on other people. I've realised that I'm constantly tired and so I need to make an effort to take some time out for myself, and spend more time with friends. Walking along the river puts me in an incredibly positive mood and makes me have more energy.

The definition of tranquility is the quality or state of being calm, and is synonymous with other word such as peaceful, restful and serenity. Walking around and seeing a mix of natural and man made sights is relaxing and definitely brings me to the tranquil state I crave. Sometimes I find that putting in headphones and listening to gentle music helps me to relax more and feel more at peace with myself, especially if I have a lot of decisions to make as decisions are never easy. Sorry for a slightly random post; I suppose what I was trying to say was always ensure you give some love to yourself in order to find some happiness as the journey to happiness is almost always a complicated one. Until next time :)

Re-evaluating life

 

Every so often it's good to take time out to just sit and think about yourself, if that involves your life, your job or your health... Whatever you need to evaluate will be important to you and only you, but will also affect you in a big way. Ultimately, everyone's aim in life is to be truly happy; however it can be a struggle to define what actually makes us happy as people. Happiness is definitely something that only the indivudual can decide on, for example my idea of happiness may not be for you.

I'm trying out a new idea which is every month, to sit down and take the time to slow down and think more often. Even if thinking sometimes feels stressful, I've learnt that ignoring a problem isn't a solution and that sometimes you have to face your fears and take action. The hardest part of this process is not even the decision making for me, it's the taking action that is hard. Ultimately the most important thing to do is give yourself time only for yourself and simply unwind and do as little as humanely possible.

The only person who has the power to change your life you, and if something is making you unhappy then the solution is to change it. I know as much as anyone that is easier said than done, but as life disappears in a flash as it is, then why spend it unhappy? If you focus on the positives and plough through the negatives to create more positives then fingers crossed the journey to happiness will be complete.

Recently I've been evaluating and re-evaluating my life across many aspects; its almost theraputic, even if it's not the most pleasant of processes however necessary it is. I've realised that the quest for perfection is high, and that I definitely have a tendency to overthink many things but everyday is a learning curve and tackling problems rather than avoiding them is a step in the right direction. I'm learning to be grateful for what I have in life. :)