Sam Ross shares her reflections on studying the FdA Early Years and her journey from dog trainer to FdA Early Years graduate to studying the Top up in Primary Education.
I have been a successful self-employed dog trainer for over 20 years and when covid hit I had two young children. My business abruptly halted. My eldest was just starting his reception year. Like many other families I was left to home school, assisted by the school as best they could. Unlike most of my friends I really enjoyed it. It brought structure to our days and allowed me to become an integral part of his early learning experience.
As soon as the school re-opened, I applied to volunteer and was soon enrolling on a level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification at a college. I was employed by the school the following January as a Teaching Assistant and I ran my business alongside my job at the school. The Head teacher suggested that I look in to becoming a teacher as she felt I had a natural ability, and I had become very passionate about early reading.
I enrolled on the Early Years Foundation degree starting in September with a friend and colleague from my school. This course allowed me to not only to work at the school but to continue my business and still have some time for my family. I’m not saying it was easy by any stretch of the imagination. It was very tough and there were times I felt I wouldn’t be able to continue. I had so much help from the Course Leader and the lecturing team as well as the friends I had before and the friends I made on the course.
I had to become extremely efficient with my time management, learn to be kind to myself and allow myself to fail at times in order to succeed later. As a mature student I was concerned that I would be “too far out of touch” to learn. This was absolutely not the case. In fact, I feel being a mature student afforded me a different perspective and a strong will to do well. I gained the knowledge to back up my opinions, and although I am a fairly confident person anyway, it helped me to look at multi-faceted points of view within my professional role.
I have now enrolled on to a Top up teaching degree that will qualify me as a primary school teacher. I have come a million miles in two short years and still have my wonderful business and support from my family too. I would literally not have been able to achieve what I have in any other way, and I am so thankful I was admitted on to the flexible and distributed learning course of the FdA Early Years at the University of Worcester. I would encourage everyone who wants to return to Higher Education at any age to do so. It is never too late to learn and grow. It is possible to have it all, but it takes discipline, understanding and determination. There is support if, and when you ask for it and the outcome is simply amazing!
If you’re interested in finding out more about the FdA Early Years (0-8 years) (HTQ), contact Course Leader, Samantha Sutton-Tsang: s.sutton-tsang@worc.ac.uk