After weeks(months?) of listening to peers comments about ' my learners did this...' or 'at my placement...' I finally started my own placement. It's quite a surreal feeling after months of being the exception,  witnessing the awkward silences as peers unkowingly asked how things were going, to actually be able to say OK.

I think.

The harsh reality of the 'blackboard jungle' came as quite a shock after the cosy protected world of the virtual teacher. Is it only me that experiences a complete blackout when asked even the simplest question about the English language? I seem to have entered a parallel universe dominated by suffixes, prefixes, irregular verbs and abstract nouns. All of a sudden every aspect of my native tongue needs dissecting and explaining . The things that I've done automatically for xx years now require careful thought and reasoning. Working with level 1 and 2 literacy learners makes me realise just how long it is since I was at school. Unlike most of you I'm talking about pre-whiteboard/flip chart/ worlwide web days. These were the days when a teacher was judged on his ability to strike fear into learners and a sadistic tendency to randomly inflict pain was seen as a legitimate teaching method; it was right up there with Socratic and Didactic.

The positive side to this is that it's had a marked effect on my reading. I now hungrily devour the learned tomes from the library, eager to digest the nourishment contained therein. The actual teaching gives the whole thing some sort of meaning. I can now relate some of the theory to what is actually required in a learning environment. Suffice to say that I now eat eat, sleep and breathe grammar.

Not only am I a placement virgin but I'm also a blog virgin so please be gentle with any comments.