Why it's ok to dream big

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Do you sometimes question why you have ambitions and goals? I know I do. The idea that wanting to be proud of having a good job and stable income is something that is seen as a taboo subject - it's not moral, it's materialistic.

We are often told that money doesn't buy happiness, something that I completely agree with. Health, family, education and memories are the most important things to me and I wouldn't swap any of those for all of the money in the world.

But why can't I aim to have more? I'm aiming high and working seriously hard in order to get the grades I need to follow the career that I've always dreamed of. I see nothing wrong with that. I have a clear idea of where I want to be in 2, 5 and 10 years and for me, that's how I motivate myself. I would like to buy a house, travel to countries I've never been to, become a primary school teacher and be able to treat myself every so often.

There's just one problem - I don't like to talk about it because people think I'm being materialistic.

If you know me, you'll know that I'm the first person in my family to go to university and I've worked since I was 16, saving every bit of disposable income I have to be able to support myself through university and hopefully, in the future. The stigma of materialism needs to change. I don't buy designer pieces, get money from my parents or waste money on extravagant purchases and I enjoy saving for my future, something I am very lucky to be able to do.

"Working hard is the key."

Having goals is what motivates me to work hard, have a good career plan and save money. Money is the motivator - there, I said it. Older generations seem to believe that we are handed things on a plate; jobs, university places, houses, money, but it's really not the case.

Ambitions and realistic goals are positive and allow you to be able to pace yourself, in order to reach where you want to be with organisation and dedication. Working hard is the key and if that means sleepness nights, 4am alarms and closing myself away from the world for a little while, that's what it's going to be. If I didn't have plans for the future, I may treat money a little differently but at the moment, the future is my priority.

"It is what it is."

Delve into your ambitions, believe in yourself and as Anthony Joshua said in his recent victory speech: "I'm a little bit emotional, because I know I've got doubters that think that I can't do this and do that, but I dig deep. It is what it is."

‪It Was All A Dream #TBT ‬

A post shared by Anthony Joshua (@anthony_joshua) on May 4, 2017 at 9:03am PDT

The future of education

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As technological advances have adapted over the last few years and more ways of learning are constantly being developed, I've been reflecting on the progression of education and what the future of education may look like. As a soon-to-be teacher in training, the discussion about the future of teaching and education is something that interests me and is important to my future studies, due to it affecting how my teaching will adapt and change with any development.

Thank you. Children are 27% of the world's people but 100% of the future. We need them to make sense of the world. https://t.co/5cvGziYZgX

— Nicky Cox MBE (@FirstNewsEditor) January 17, 2017

TECHNOLOGY

Technology advances are consistently changing and adapting to the needs of the user, something which is reflected in classrooms worldwide. Studies from Open Colleges AU showed that 81% of U.S teachers think tablets can enrich classroom learning and I believe the future of classrooms will see the introduction of iPads, tablets or computerised devices as a basic classroom stimulus in all schools.

Using technology in the classroom. Image from Flickr.

Virtual reality, apps and interactive screens are platforms that will aim to create learning experiences for children both in their home and school environments, something that is unavoidable and will enhance the learning experience for students. Another technological advance is the idea of accessing classrooms on home computers, a change that will help all schools and pupil's, especially with homework, assignments and if a pupil were to miss a day at school. I hope to see technology making its way into schools, in a way that is fully beneficial for pupil's and look forward to analysing the benefits of technology within the classroom.

EXPERIENCE

There has been much speculation recently surrounding the opinion of un-paid internships and whether working for free should be considered as appropriate. I personally believe that the idea of work experience and internships is great and allows students to practice their skills while learning more about the industry and meeting professionals.

"Get them involved with new experiences, ideas and surroundings"

Although internships and work experience are opportunities for students once they get to secondary school and higher education, I believe that experience should be taught from a young age. 'Take your children to work day" is a fun technique that some schools use to get their students interested in the work place and for younger students, spending time outside, on school trips and at forest schools allows their thoughts to flow and get them involved with new experiences, ideas and surroundings. Experience is something that I believe schools will encourage and will help their students to develop key skills.

PERSONALISED LEARNING

As teaching styles change and adapt to emerging technology and new curriculum, the way in which students learn will also begin to change. Personalised learning and individual learning plans are concepts that have always been considered within the classroom; above average students challenged with harder tasks and students who experience difficultly within a subject receiving one-on-one learning. Although this approach is something that has always been used, modern technology such as interactive games and virtual reality classrooms will result in positive, personalised experiences for students and ensure more understanding to the teacher of their students needs.

Primary school classroom display. Image from Flickr.

MENTORING

Peer mentoring and schemes such as Thrive have developed in schools over the last few years, acknowledging that individual support can be given to students and ensuring they are able to access their learning, as well as helping with emotional gaps in their development.

"Mentoring is an effective method for encouraging positivity, role-modelling and confidence"

I believe that in the future, all schools will introduce the approach of mentoring as an option for those students that need it. Encouraging positivity, role-modelling and confidence from a young age is something that is important to many schools and reflects in students' work, enthusiasm and throughout their relationships with other children and adults. Mentoring is just one method that can be used, but I believe, it is one of the most effective.

Who run the world? GIRLS.

I love reading other blogs and finding my favourites when it comes to travel, beauty, lifestyle and fashion. I typically follow UK bloggers as I prefer their style of writing and can relate myself to the places they visit, restaurants they eat at and the brands they wear! Reading other blogger's posts and watching their vlogs definitely motivates my style of writing and gives me ideas for posts myself, however, I do really just enjoy looking at their work and finding out how they got where they are now.

Here's my 5 favourite female bloggers:

1. Carrie at wishwishwish.net

Carrie's blog is full of wedding ideas at the moment; calligraphy, honeymooning, decor and dresses. But hunt through her posts and you'll find fun travel features, from Disneyland to European city breaks, with serious style throughout.

2. Victoria at inthefrow.com

You'll find everything from holiday styles, destinations and top tips to reflection posts about bullying and anxiety on Victoria's blog. She writes something for everyone and her latest trip to LA is already giving me serious holiday envy!

3. Lydia at lydiaelisemillen.com

Lydia's style is impeccable and her clothing haul vlogs are brilliant to watch. From fitness tips to holiday's, her engagement video to London shopping trips... she's definitely one to add on snapchat too for a great insight into what she does.

4. Suzie at hello-october.com

City breaks, high-street fashion and beautiful interiors own Suzie's blog and Instagram. Her eye for design is obviously something that she entwines through all of her work... even the clothes she wears! Her nude and black wardrobe is seriously amazing.

5. Claire at chouquette.co.uk

As well as her incredible Chanel bag collection, Claire's blog is full of beautiful clothing, shoes, makeup and lifestyle tips. Her wardrobe tour vlog is enough to make anyone jealous, but there's no doubt she's a down-to-earth girl who works hard for her style!

A fresh start

I've been spending a lot of time reflecting recently and although I'm not one to usually regret anything or want to change anything about myself, there's been some situations and set-backs that have really got me thinking about what it is I want.

I want to be happy.

Although I believe that I am a positive person and try not to dwell on things too much, my anxiety occasionally comes to haunt me and leaves me overthinking, worrying and just generally creating thoughts that have no reason to even be there. I want to live in the moment and worry less about everything, so I've made some pretty big decisions. Here goes...

I've quit my job. It actually gives me so much pleasure in saying this as it's something that's dragged me down for quite a long time now. I started uni with a 25 hour job and it just piled on the pressure. Even after cutting my hours, with the workload I had to compete with at uni, I was worrying more and more about pleasing both my manager and my lecturers, forgetting about what actually matters. Me.

The pressure to do so much more overtime, get coursework and revision done and have a social life was something that I just about dealt with for the majority of time at uni. Now, heading into my third year with a 2:1, I want to make sure I keep my grades up and concentrate on my work, and now I get a lie in on the weekend!

I've also decided to apply for a postgraduate PGCE. This decision, if you know me, isn't that much of a shocker. I started my summer this year by volunteering in a primary school for two months, and it's made me realise what I really want. Yes, I love media and journalism has been the perfect degree for me to study. If a job comes up in the media industry or I want to do more work experience in newspapers, magazines or PR, then I might! But after being part of a primary school the final term of the year, it's really opened my eyes into what it is I want to do and made me think about what's best for me.

So, as my final year of uni approaches, I've made some big decisions that I'm hoping will reflect positively on my work and grades. I've also made smaller, everyday decisions; to be more organised, to take every chance I'm given and to think of the positive in every situation. Hopefully, this time next year, I'll be able to look back and realise that I chose the right path.

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