SurvivingFE

Hello to anyone who has stumbled upon this corner of the internet. 

You're very welcome, whether you’re here out of curiosity, desperation, or just procrastinating from marking (we’ve all been there). I’m a teacher and middle manager at a further education college in the UK. I’ve been in FE for nearly 20 years, which sounds like a very long stretch – possibly even a life sentence – but somehow, I still feel young. That’s entirely down to my students. You must keep up with them; otherwise, you risk becoming obsolete, like an overhead projector lurking in a forgotten cupboard.

I’m not a writer. English isn’t my first language. I’m what they call neurodivergent—a lovely modern term. Back in the day, I’d have just said I’m dyslexic with ADD. Add a side of Hashimoto’s disease to the mix, and you get fatigue, brain fog, and a daily battle with words. Writing stresses me out—spelling, structuring my thoughts—it’s a struggle.

Maths, though? That’s my language. Numbers make sense to me, even if I occasionally switch them around. But that’s what students (and modern technology) are for, right? I’m living the dream… well, the tech dream, at least.

Have you ever been told by your students that you use too much technology and that they’d rather have paper? Yeah, that’s me. Have you ever sent your students a talking avatar of yourself because they never read instructions for their homework, and you got fed up repeating yourself? Also me—fully animated, created in my spare time, just to haunt them.

Welcome to my world.

I won’t bore you with names and locations – none of that really matters, but let me call myself Miss Penelope (not to be mistaken with Penelope Featherington) Newton because Whistledown was already taken. I love that show!

The truth is, FE is a glorious, unpredictable mess no matter where you go. Sometimes, it’s an organised mess, and other times… well, let’s say it resembles a classroom five minutes after you’ve handed out glue sticks. I’ve worked in both types of places – the structured ones where meetings are scheduled within an inch of their lives and the chaotic ones where timetables seem to have been designed by a particularly mischievous AI. Either way, it’s a ride, and I’m here to share my experiences, observations, and survival strategies (mainly involving caffeine and humour). So, grab a coffee, take a deep breath, and let’s navigate the wonderful world of Further Education together.

P.S. Do you have a ridiculous student story or a teaching survival tip? Please drop it in the comments—I could use the laugh!