Choosing the Route

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 24 June 2008 06:54:22

Yesterday I kind of looked at how stuff "came together", today I am looking at the choices involved in the map making process.

I chose to fill in an application form for a uni I knew ickle about, despite the fact as a tutor I know this is exactly what you shouldn't do. I chose to do this because of the recommendation I had recieved and the brief phone chat with one of my supervisors. The phone call is relevent because I chose to apply to uni x rather than y primarily because the proposed supervisor at uni x had a less posh accent than the proposed supervisor at uni y (which I had also decided to explore), which all things being equal meant I felt less intimidated.

I have chosen to resign from a good job, with a reasonable salary and possible prospects because I felt "called" into what I'm doing but also because of what FE is becoming. Education, particularly academic education in FE colleges in this country is undergoing a year on year slaughter due to an underlying government agenda of turning them into, almost exclusively, voccational institutions. Across the country the choice of academic subjects is reducing (due to the demands regarding minimum group numbers) and there is further pressure as the LSC is insisting colleges meet success rates above the national benchmarks for subjects. The government is forcing colleges to introduce fees for adult learners which mean the lower middle class students who are just above the level of getting a bursary are being squeezed out. Politicians and accountants who have no understanding of the real value of FE are making decisions which mean in the next decade I foresee many colleges losing aceademic subjects and many students having to choose other providers (schools) or courses. I chose to get out, rather than find myself in 10 years time in a job I didn't want, being too old to really escape or having to watch the demise of something I truly believe in. Without FE I wouldn't have had the second chance at A Levels which began my journey down this route. Yet, because I love teaching I have chosen a direction which will hopefully still allow me to teach young (and not so young) adults.

I chose to turn my cynicism into a chance to pursue a dream. I chose, following the surprise of managing to do slightly more than just scrape my MA, to believe in myself. I chose to believe "the man" could not crush my spirit and to not let money rule my decision making. I chose to risk it all. Now all I have to see is whether my choices have been ill thought out gambles or not. Whatever, I know I am taking responsibility for the choices I have chosen to make.