Never Give Up

By Patricia

‘Quiet Robinson, sit down’ so yelled my form teacher Miss Wear every time she entered my senior school classroom. She hated me and I didn’t care much for her. Most of the other kids were also playing up but I was always singled out. It didn’t really bother me, I had a gang of good mates and we got up to all sorts mischief like smoking and playing truants and we even lost our prefects badges when we got caught. The final week of school I passed all of my exams much to the shock of Miss Wear. The other kids who did well were given praise but none for me, I didn’t care though, I got what I wanted; enough GCEs to enter teacher-training college, this was my dream since I was 5 years old. My father however had different ideas and unknown to me he’d stopped my application; I never heard from the colleges and assumed I wasn’t good enough so accepted a job in the civil service. Ten years went by, I married and had children and with time I lost my identity, I lacked confidence and became withdrawn, my dream was forgotten, I became a boring housewife. But, it was my mum who persuaded me to apply again to the teacher-training college as a mature student; she would help to look after the kids. I was accepted at Newcastle College for a 3-year course, I couldn’t believe what was happening to me. The first day I’ll never forget, I was so excited; my dream was coming true. I sat nervously at my desk, I was shy and unsure of myself, pen and paper at the ready, I waited. The door opened and in walked the tutor, Miss Wear, I nearly had a bowel accident, fortunately she had changed also and 3 years on I fulfilled my dream. My first job was on the isle of white teaching the basic subjects to 12 year olds and I was in charge of the schoolgirl’s p.e. Programme in the afternoons, my dream had come true.