Our fourth day in Birmingham was great! The day started off with a bus ride to Joseph Chamberlain College (JCC). In the UK, a college is not the same as what it is in the United States. For those in the UK, it is typically filled with students ages 16-18. They primarily attend after taking the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSEs). Then, they will typically go to University, which is college for us. At JCC, there is a mix of students aged 16-18 and there are also adult students.
When we arrived at JCC, we were quickly welcomed by their amazing staff. After getting signed into the building, we broke into a few groups and had the opportunity to sit and observe a couple different classes. First, I sat in on a lesson about being a teaching assistant, which was primarily filled with adult students. Everyone had their own booklet filled with a multitude of lessons. Today, they were working on lesson 1.1 where they were instructed to describe duties and responsibilities of their own work role. The goal of this lesson was to have a complete understanding on what is required for competence in work roles as a teaching assistant. What stood out to me was how interactive the lesson felt. The students were more than willing to raise their hands and share their own experiences they have had so far as teaching assistants in training when their teacher asked them questions. When I went into another classroom where there was a review session going on, there was, again, lots of engagement from the students. I was surprised by this because I have gotten used to much less classroom participation back at home. With this being said, it was inspiring to see the students’ enthusiasm and willingness to share their opinions in class as it shows true care and dedication to their work.
After visiting the classrooms, we learned more about JCC as a school. At the college, the students aging 16-18 are there for a sixth form college (SFC) offer, which focuses on progression to higher education. The adults at JCC aim to improve their English in order to obtain a job. It was incredible to hear some of the stories of students who have attended the college. For example, Ebtesam came to the UK from Somalia in 2011 and could not speak any English. She progressed in her skills and classes at JCC while also balancing a life at home with children. Now, she is at BCU for nursing. Like Ebtesam, many other women had children at home. Because of this, JCC makes sure to accommodate mothers in this position by offering courses from 9:15-3:00 to work around child care. Additionally, they fund the payment required for these mothers to bring their children to nursing places.
Following JCC, we grabbed a quick lunch at BCU and then went to our lecture on learning disability nursing. Although this field of nursing is not as well known, it deserves just as much credit as the rest. Those with learning disabilities often face greater health needs, poorer care, and barriers in accessing health services, which puts these people at a disadvantage compared to those without a learning disability. This is where this field of nurses can come into place. They work hard to get people the care they need and advocate for those with learning disabilities.
Once we finished up our work at BCU for the day, we headed to the botanical garden down the street and got to explore on our own. There were some of the prettiest and most colorful flowers I have ever seen. Some of the flower trees were over 100 years old, which I found impressive. The whole garden was beautiful and I enjoyed walking around while the sun was out for a bit! Right as we finished walking through the gardens outside, a sudden hail started coming down and we had to run back inside. While a tad painful, it added some thrill to our flower walk.
To sum up our day, we headed to a restaurant called La Bellezza. It was quite possibly the best-decorated restaurant I have ever been to. I had some of a truffle burrata appetizer with bread and then a pizza for dinner that had prosciutto, parmesan, mozzarella, and arugula on top- it was amazing! This dinner was a great way to end the day and I look forward to seeing what cuisine we will try in Birmingham next- so far, none have let me down.
