Page 17 - Herioter 2021

Here’s to

Volunteers

The class of 2021 have approached this, their
final school year, with a great deal of uncertainty,
not knowing how many of the sixth year
traditions we would get to enjoy. One of the
greatest disappointments is that there would
be no external options in the S6 volunteering
programme, at least, not for the start of the year.
These options have been replaced with in-school
volunteering, which in previous years has included
things like helping with the nursery or primary
classes, but this year stems much further. Almost
every department has welcomed S6 volunteers
in a collective effort to provide roles for 170-odd
pupils.
Along with the citizenship MVP programme, I
also chose to volunteer with a P6 drama class and
an S4 English class. Other roles cover everything
from National 5 science, Junior School playground
duty, PE, Volunteer Language Ambassadors, and
so many more. Within the first few days of term
we had all received our child protection training was wonderful to see how children that age have say you have an English or a Maths brain!) But the
from the Guidance team and were ready to start so much energy and enthusiasm, and put their more I considered it, the more I realised that my
volunteering. all into every task they’re asked to do. They were help, any help from any S6 volunteer, could be the
Except – I wasn’t. I had chosen my roles especially amazed to find out I had some periods difference between an A and a B. It could hugely
because they linked closely with what I’ll be when I helped them, some when I helped others, impact every individual we work with.
studying at university (English with Theatre and that I also had periods when I didn’t have Sixth year at Heriot’s is about reflecting on the
Studies), and paired well with my Advanced to sit in lessons at all. I think it made them very memories we have made as we’ve moved through
Highers, but I had never worked with young excited to be in S6. the school and prepare to go out into the world.
children before, and was sceptical that I could S4 English was a very different experience, with Through the volunteering programme, it’s also
command any respect from pupils only two years a much less active lesson and working with pupils about giving back. This year more than ever, we
younger than me. I was anxious that they (both much closer to my own age. Whilst there was little have an opportunity to give back directly to the
the P6s and S4s) wouldn’t like me, that they for me to do in that first lesson, I knew my role in place where most of us grew up, where some of
would think I was weird, that I wouldn’t know how the future would involve some working one-on- us have spent fourteen years of our lives.
to talk to them. I felt I was too young to be their one with pupils on things like close reading and I can’t think of a better way to reflect on our
teacher, but too old to be their friend. essay writing. memories than to be transported back to P6
The reality of the situation hit me first in P6 Despite taking Advanced Higher maths, I have drama, or even S4 English. To go back to the
drama with Ms Grindall, who introduced me always understood the struggle people have with classrooms that seemed ginormous, where now
as ‘this lady’. Thus, one of my questions was the subject. It doesn’t always make sense to me we can’t fit our legs under the desks.
answered to children this age: I’m an adult; and it takes me a lot of extra work and practice We are adults now, and while we enjoy looking
I’m a teacher. It was difficult at first to know to fully understand it. I have never had this back on our childhood and remembering that
how to interact with them, but after a game of issue with English. It comes naturally to me, so we too used to spin our arms around us when
grandmother’s footsteps and some circle time much so that I often forget there are pupils who asked to find a space or get the giggles when the
to get to know each other, I remembered that struggle with it the way I sometimes struggle with teacher mispronounced a name on the register,
children have such little capacity for judgement, maths. Since I forget that not everyone shares we can be proud of the fact that we’re also
and such huge capacity for curiosity. They wanted my affinity with English, I was worried that if I making a difference in people’s lives, however
to know everything about me, and the constant had to help a struggling student, I myself would small.
firing of questions made my job surprisingly struggle, because our brains most likely worked
easier. Being passionate about drama myself, it and understood things differently. (They always Sofia Macchi Watts (S6)

15