It has always seemed a little strange to me that September brings with it the new influx of students, just as Autumn starts and the nights start drawing in. I always have this overwhelming urge to hibernate, and have insisted that if there is an afterlife, I come back as a creature who hibernates throughout the winter. I do not see the point of winter in the UK. It is just grey, gloomy and wet! Last year was a prime example. As it happens it is one of the busiest times of the year for me, with lots of new students arriving, and I have to admit that the campus seems to come alive with chatter and bustle just as all of the trees, flowers, shrubs and greenery are starting to die back. May be it is that contradiction which I find so perplexing.

I do know that September being the start of the new academic year is historical, coinciding with the end of the harvest when children had to work on the land. (There are some more detailed answers here if you are really interested-Academia Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for academics and those enrolled in higher education. Anyone can join in and submit a question or answer, the best answer is voted to the top!) How relevant is that now though? I hear many of my colleagues who have children bemoaning the long summer holidays, and many children seem to be bored after the first 2 weeks-although this year apparently there was the launch of Pokemon Go! to keep several millions of them amused, if you believe the hype. I would like the new school year to start in April, the month of optimism and hope. I would actually like the whole academic year to be completely overhauled with 4 block terms of 10 weeks, with a 2 week break inbetween each block. (I will write a future post outlining my more radical thoughts regarding the total overhaul of the education system later in the year.)

It has been lovely though standing up in front of all of the new keen eager students over the past week and welcoming them to Marjon. They have all been either PGCE students or Schools Direct. I wish them all well with their studies, and can assure them that there is no job in the world which is as rewarding, frustrating, or tiring in equsl measures as teaching!

Have you found this week’s song title hidden in  the post above? If you have then email hheywood@marjon.ac.uk  to collect your prize!