Day 5 work experience..

Friday was  my last day of work experience and I really didn't want to leave. I made a promise myself to enjoy every minute of my last day so I did.  The day started off by me going down in the equestrian centre again there I helped clean out the horses and I watched a riding lesson. Then we had lunch. After I had to supervise some on the service users as there was a big pottery order that needed to get out. They all had a great time they had a mini disco and were dancing to shakira and loads of other songs. Then at there afternoon break I gave out the sweets I brought in for everyone. They all really appreciated it.
I really hated leaving stewarts but im really glad with what I've learned while on work experience.

I think work experience is a really good opportunity to learn about the working world but also to help you choose what career path you would like to take in the future. From work experience I've learnt that I would be very interested in working with people with disabilities in the future, whereas before work experience I wouldn't have been very interested in this area.

I hope you enjoyed reading my work experience blog till next time....

Day 4 of work experience..

The week has flown by so fast I don't it to end at stewarts.. Today I was great day I spent the whole day in the equestrian centre I had such a good time. I didn't think I would be able to do anything with the horses just in case something happened, but I got to do loads I started of brushing  a horse called Karl he was gorgeous. Then I watched a riding lesson. Then I got to hold the horses as they were getting wash and I led one back into its stable. Then after lunch we mucked out all the stables and swept up.
I'm getting to know every one really well and a man called  Barry who goes to the centre insisted I sat with him at lunch (I worked with him yesterday in the kitchen ). Also i brought in my flute and played a couple of songs for everyone I didn't know that they would enjoy it that much and after I got a couple of songs sang to me some included fields of athenry and some Christmas songs.

I will blog again tomorrow and tell you about my last day .. :'(

Day 3 of work experience.

Completely settled in today got to know loads more people. Today I spent the day in the kitchen cleaning and helping the workers. It wasn't my favorite area to work in but I thought it was a good experience to see what its like to work in a busy kitchen and boy was it busy at times!! I got to meet loads more people today and there all so nice such an inspiration. I know now that I would be very interested in working with people with disabilities when I leave school. Today I got to meet my supervisor who was out on a course the last couple of days he is really nice. He told me that tomorrow I will be in the textiles room where they do sewing and colouring and then in the afternoon I might be in the be in equestrian centre.

I will blog again tomorrow.. Laura.

Day 2..

Day two down the week is going so quick, I really don't want it to end im getting quite attached to all the people at the centre there real characters.
Today I was still in the pottery room I was working more with the pottery today getting them ready to go into the   kiln. I put Dub 2011 onto mugs!. I got to know some more of the people that go to the centre today.

Today I was less nervous and I felt more confident and comfortable. I will blog again tomorrow and let you know what I got up to.

Day one down four to go.

First day of work experience finished :) !. Today went really well I spent the day in the pottery section of Stewarts day centre. I was really nervous going in today. When I got there I was shown around and brought to the pottery section. there I was shown all the rooms like the glazing room and the mold room. Then I started paint with some of the people that go to the centre everyday who have intellectual disablities. after lunch i cut out some paper stencils that will be used to put writing on mugs. All the people who go to the centre are so nice and really funny always messing and joking. The workers are really helpful and kind. I don't know which section I will be in tomorrow yet.

I really enjoyed my first day and looking forward to tomorrow. Ill blog again tomorrow and tell you how im getting on.

Work experience tomorrow.

Okay so tomorrow is the first day ever of work experience. I have to say im pretty nervous but I suppose everyone is going to be nervous. Im also pretty excited though I think its going to be really different because im used to school. Im am going to a day center for people with disabilities they do loads of different activities like horse riding, pottery and  other things.

Im really looking forward for tomorrow. I will keep you posted and ill blog tomorrow.

The lowdown over the past couple of weeks.

Okay I haven't been blogging in a while so here what I've been up to for the last couple of weeks. 

This week is our first week after midterm. I had a lovely break from school the only bad part was I spent most of it doing projects :(  aw well it had to be done...

Before we finished up for midterm we had a guest speaker a retired principal in from a local primary school, who has just written a book on the history of Celbridge. We all found it really interesting to learn about Celbridge. Also on the last day before we finished was our Halloween themed dress up day all T.Y's got the theme of 'The Addams Family'. I dressed up as Wednesday. All T.Y's got really involved and at break time there was a parade in the hall for the best dressed. It was a really nice way to finish up the first term.

Currently the school is working really hard on the up and coming musical ' The sound of music'. There are rehearsals everyday after school, there was even rehearsals during midterm !!. It looks like its going to be a brilliant production. 

Next week all T.Y's are going on work experience. Its going to be a great opportunity for us all to see what the working world is like. I think work experience is going to help me consider what job or courses I might like to do when I leave school. 

That's all for now till next time...

My personal review on Juno and the paycock.

On October 19^th all transition year students went to see the production of Juno and the paycock following the study of the text in class. Juno and the paycock, was written by Sean O’ Casey and it tells a story about the Boyle family living in a tenement house.

The production started when the house lights fading and Irish music began to play. Then the curtains opened and revelled on old tenement room with worn out furniture and little props.  The first thing that struck me when the curtains opened was how realistic the set looked, I think for people who maybe didn’t read the play it was very obvious for them to see what time in Irish history this play was set in. The layout of the stage was very simple yet realistic of you felt it was actually a real tenement room not a set. There were only a few  chairs,table a stove and a bed.

  

In the second act the props had changed slightly as the Boyle family found out in act one that they had inherited money now the tenement room had more expensive furniture the home looked less poor.   

The director used lighting to portray the time of day weather and also the mood. If it was a time of sadness the lighting tended to be dim an example would be when Mrs Tancred entered the family home before her son’s funeral, whereas if there was a happy or joyful scene the lighting tended to be bright.  

I think the casting for the play was brilliant most of the characters were how I pictured them when I was reading the play in class. The only thing was Mrs. Madigan in the production was a young woman in the play, I think she came across as an older woman around the same age as Juno. But I think she was the best actress in the play. In the play my favourite characters were Jack Boyle played by Ciaran Hinds and Joxer Daly who was played by Risteárd Cooper. I think they were my favourite because they added a humour side to the play. In the play Juno is a matriarch figure and tries to keep the family together during times of conflict.

This production gave me a greater insight of what 1920’s Ireland and tenement life was like. I like the way the director Howard Davies kept the production the same as Sean O’ Casey had written it keeping the Dublin accents and slang as it helped set the scene also.

I think Sean O’ Casey’s outlook on 1920 Ireland was an outlook of hardship and suffering as he brings up themes of family conflict and cultural conflict he showed cultural conflict through Johnny’s character who in the play has only one arm and a damaged hip. I think O’ Casey put the humour of Jack and Joxer into his play to show that tenement life wasn’t all suffering that there was good times to be had with family and friends.

 I really enjoyed the production of Juno and the paycock and I would recommend people to read and see the play. I would recommend it to the next transition year classes as it is a nice, short play to read.