A few weeks ago, I was ‘tagged’ by Stuart Meldrum. I only discovered this recently and was so busy trying to find a solution to the Edublogs’ ads crisis, that I never got around to responding to the meme challenge.
So this is going to be my last task on this Edublogs blog, before I move on to bigger and better things 
This is my first meme …. so here goes!
Seven Things You Didn’t (or might not!) Know About Me
1. I went straight from school to Teacher Training College (Notre Dame, in Glasgow). It was a three year course back then – but I only lasted a year. It was always expected that all four girls in the family would go into teaching, so I followed in my older sisters’ footsteps. I was just not ready for it, though, and couldn’t wait to leave and be part of the ‘real world’. My eldest sister declared recently that if I’d gone into teaching way back then, I’d probably be ‘burnt out’ by now
2. I worked in Insurance for a while, and the in the Civil Service. When number 1 son was just three months old, Jack was offered a job in Sun Chemicals in Cincinnati, Ohio. We lived there for 5 years. Number 2 son was born there …. and number 3 son was conceived there, but born in Glasgow soon after our return. Just this weekend, we found a magnificent view of our house there at 1461 Hoffner Street in Google Streetmaps …. awesome! Click on the link below to take you there
3. We returned to Glasgow in the early 1980’s, and found it a very different place to the one we had left 5 years earlier. There were no jobs to be had, and Jack was unemployed for 23 months. Pretty bleak times, but the three wee yins kept us very busy – and at least they had a full time mum and dad for round the clock attention. Thank goodness for ICI in Grangemouth! Jack was offered a post of a research chemist and we all relocated to Falkirk.
5. I’d been regretting not having completed my Teacher training course, and enrolled in the local High School so that I could obtain the necessary third higher and the o’level maths (I only had arithmetic and statistics – remember them??) required for ‘mature student’ entry in to Moray House. It was at the time when schools were encouraging adult learners to come along and join in day to day lessons with the pupils. It took a wee bit of persuasion, but eventually I was allowed to join in the Higher Geography and Standard grade maths classes (my two least favourite subjects at school – must have been trying to prove something to myself!). There were one or two other adults attending the school, but I think I was the only one who chose courses leading to an academic qualification. I passed the maths – can’t remember my grade, and managed to get an A in Higher Goegraphy. I worked very, very hard to get that level
6. I was really grateful for the second chance at Teacher Training. I was the typical mature student – never missed a class and strived to get top marks for every assignment. I was gutted when I graduated 4 years later (1994) and discovered there were no jobs (I know how today’s graduates feel!). I managed to get 2 ‘year long’ supply positions before landing a permanent job at Carronshore P.S. I was ecstatic when I got the phone call to say I’d got the job – so much so, that I woke up the next day and was afraid to mention it to anyone in case I’d dreamt it.
7. I loved every minute of my first few years of teaching. Gradually, though, I started to become a bit disillusioned with the need for all the rigid planning. I started to ‘cheat’! What I wrote in my weekly forward plan sheet usually never happened because I’d entered my ‘middle of the night rambling’ phase. I used to keep scraps of paper beside the bed at night so that I could jot down ideas for the next day’s lessons. When I got to school, I’d gather the children round and tell them what I had planned for the day, and asked them what they thought. I think they looked forward to it all, because they ended up saying to me, ‘Well, what were your ‘middle of the night ramblings’ last night, Mrs V?” I even received a beautiful notebook as a Christmas present from Anna – loved the inscription:-)
I haven’t ‘tagged’ anyone else because I’m not sure how to find out who has/hasn’t been tagged. Please leave a comment with a suggested list of suitable candidates 
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