This episode’s vocabulary
State primary school
noun — a government-funded school for young children. → I went to a state primary school called Grange.
Up the road
phrase — located nearby. → The café is just up the road from my office.
Anxiety
noun — a feeling of worry or fear. → I felt a horrible sense of anxiety on my first day.
Separation anxiety
noun — distress caused by being apart from familiar people or places. → Many children feel separation anxiety on their first day of school.
In hindsight
phrase — thinking about a situation after it has happened. → In hindsight, I realise the problem was just a misunderstanding.
Personality clash
noun — when two people’s characters don’t get along. → We had a personality clash and struggled to work together.
Stressful
adjective — causing worry or tension. → It was a stressful time for me.
Positive start
phrase — a good beginning of an activity or period. → The project had a positive start thanks to careful planning.
Tray
noun — a flat container for holding or carrying items. → I picked the wrong tray for my books.
Labelled
adjective — marked with a name or description. → All the boxes were clearly labelled.
Embarrassing
adjective — making you feel shy or ashamed. → It was embarrassing to make such a mistake.
Blur
noun — something unclear or hard to remember. → That day is just a blur in my memory.
Familiar
adjective — well-known or easily recognised. → I was familiar with some parts of the building.
Confusion
noun — a state of not understanding something. → The directions caused a lot of confusion.
In hindsight
phrase — looking back and understanding something differently. → In hindsight, I could have handled it better.
Curriculum
noun — the subjects studied in a school or course. → The curriculum includes maths, science, and history.
Classroom
noun — a room where students are taught. → The classroom was decorated with colourful posters.
Classmate
noun — someone who is in the same class as you. → I made friends with my new classmates.
Break time
noun — a short period of rest during the school day. → We always played football during break time.
Homework
noun — schoolwork done outside class. → I had a lot of homework on my first day.
Questions and answers
You should say where the school was, how you went there, what happened that day, and how you felt on that day.
Oh god, well, this must have been about 28 years ago or something now. I went to a state primary school called Grange, at least initially. It was just up the road from where I grew up, so it was easy enough to get to on foot or by car. I think that particular day I got dropped off by car and went in with my mum. To be honest, I don't remember the fine details very well, just this horrible sense of anxiety. In fact, that might have been the separation of anxiety from being away from my parents and my home for the first time ever. Unfortunately, I didn't really like my first primary school teacher and we didn't get along very well. In hindsight, I wouldn't say she was a bad person; it was just like a, I don't know, personality clash in a stressful situation. So it wasn't a very positive time in my life. However, I got through it in the end. I don't think, well, I don't remember it, but my mother says I picked the wrong tray to keep all my books and everything in when I entered the classroom. I'm not sure how I managed that, since everything was labelled, but it must have been a bit embarrassing. For me, it all went by in a bit of a blur, like meeting new people, attempting to make new friends, and learn about the school and finding my way around. I'd been to the nursery there, so I was at least familiar with some parts of the building, but not the bit that was the primary school, which might have added to the confusion. If I could go back and do everything all over again, I think I'd have tried to have a more grown-up attitude about the whole thing, but of course, that's easy to say in hindsight, isn't it? Obviously, when you're, what, five or six years old, then it's not the easiest thing to do. So, I shouldn't be so harsh on myself.