SCHOOL PLACEMENT: SECONDARY SCHOOL

The secondary that I had to go to for the placement was in Dumfries a three hour train journey from Edinburgh. The school was Dumfries Academy, a well know school in Dumfries the town where Robert Burns was buried.

Because of the distance I could not travel daily so I had to spend two nights in Dumfries. I left on Wednesday morning by taking two train journeys; Edinburgh to Glasgow and from Glasgow to Dumfries. Upon reaching, the first thing was to look for accommodation; a B & B was most convenient. Together with Bala, a colleague, we wandered from one lodging to another. As we had not made any prior reservation, we had great difficulty finding one. Finally with the kind and friendly owner of a hotel, we managed to locate a room in a B & B; the name was Galowa’ View which overlooked the Dumfries River.

Dumfries River

Dumfries River

Mrs Cameron, the owner was really kind and helpful indeed. After checking in, we dressed and reported at the academy. It was a ten-minute walk from the B & B. we met the assistant head teacher Mr. Douglas and he directed us to Mr Howard Kelly, the head of the English department. We were given the time table for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. After the day was over, we returned to the B&B, changed and wandered around the town, looking at the various shops and to decide the place for dinner. We decided to have a Chinese meal for the first night and an Indian dinner for the second and final night in Dumfries.

The visit to Dumfries Academy was a hectic one as two days were not enough to gather so much information that was required of the module or assignment. I collected a lot of handouts, asked around for facts and information, took plenty of photographs, and observed classes; English and modern languages like French and German. It was a wonderful experience and if I had the opportunity I would definitely spend more time here.

The Town Centre

Friday finally arrived and we left Dumfries after a lunch paid for by Mr. Kelly. We boarded the 3.30 pm train at Dumfries and reached Edinburgh at 6.30 pm.

The Bridge over Dumfries River to Robert Burns Centre

Just for information, the Robert Burns Centre is located in Dumfries. Robert Burns was a famous Scottish writer who penned many patriotic poems and stories about the struggles of the Scottish then. This was where he spent his last few years and he was buried at the mausoleum not far away. At the centre one can see artifacts and a fine display of his famous works like poems, and short stories.

The only disappointment was the rather bad weather; not the snow but the rain and sleet that made our tour of the town rather uncomfortable. Life in Dumfries ended around 6.30 pm and we had to retire to bed early after watching some TV programmes in the room.

On the other hand breakfast provided by Mrs Cameron was sumptuous and delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality. There was tea and coffee in the room itself so I had plenty of refreshment.