First Day Back At (Adult) School

I’m hoping to start my own business but it’s easier said than done. When you first grow a business, you have to do lots of research and be willing to humble yourself; potentially attending classes in order to learn new skills or acknowledge areas of weaknesses in order to grow. This is what led me to sign up to a new class (won’t specify which course or school) and though I was excited, I was mainly apprehensive. 

Walking through the school’s entrance, I had butterflies in my stomach as if it were the first day back at school. I wasn't expecting to make friends but at the same time, I was hoping I wouldn’t have too many knobs in my class. This is an adult course so of course, there is a level of maturity here and no-one is going to tease you about a wonky nose or not wearing the “right clothes” (at least not to your face!) like they would if they were uncensored teenagers. Mean Girls style. 

The first day is as expected with lots of awkwardness and other than the really eager students (imagine Monica from Friends), no-one really wants to answer any questions for fear of appearing stupid. The tutor is lovely, and trying very hard considering he has a class full of mainly unresponsive people (myself included) - sometimes I have to check my own pulse to make sure I’m still alive and “present” (it really is a skill to sit as still as a mannequin). 

But bless him, he is really enthusiastic and encourages us to get involved, chanting about “dynamic learning”. He says he doesn’t want to be the only one talking in a class and it should be interactive, like all good teachers say. I want to say, mate, I’m here to learn and listen but I ain’t talking. Not today, so get on with it. He’s a talker and you know what that means… learning to control my skilled (often spontaneous) eye rolling reflexes. That’ll be a hard one. 

The best and worst part of new courses? The bloody ice-breakers and “getting to know one another”. Does anyone really care? In this class, he wanted to know what your name is, what you’d like to be called and what you’d like to get from the session. Of course I gave the obligatory and socially acceptable response but, I wanted to respond with “my name is Deborah but my friends call me Debo even though it sounds ugly. I want none of this BS, and would like you to get on with it because Sarah’s 5 years of working for a poncey company is not going to help my own business. Thank you for listening”. If only…

In a class there will always be show-off Sallys and Simons - the “I know this” and “I’ve done that” mandem. I’ve done a lot and experienced a lot too but don’t like to share because (a) I’m not an attention seeker (b) I don’t like sharing everything about myself to complete strangers and (c) I don’t think anyone really gives a shit. We are here to learn and get something out of this course and not to make friends, bake bread or sing ‘Kumbaya’.

We’ve paid for this course and it suddenly makes you feel all grown up when you realise as an adult, you’re paying for something that as a child, you absolutely detested. Learning and studying equals growth. That’s the beauty of education in this country, you have access to so many different courses for different levels and backgrounds. It doesn’t matter what prior experience you have. In London, it also brings you across many different types of people from different industries, ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. 

I know I’ve been sounding like Ebenezer Scrooge but I am looking forward to this course and hopefully with my 10th cup of coffee, I’ll manage to drum up more enthusiasm and maybe even... - shock, horror - a smile! That was day one, let’s see what the following sessions bring. Until next time! Xo