No students but plenty of work

We are coming to the end of our first of two weeks without students from the full-time college. The Bryanston campus of British International College (BIC) has been quiet without the buzz of students and lecturers running around. That said, we have been very busy with "spring cleaning" the campus (although it is definitely autumn), and doing all the tasks we don't have the opportunity to get to when we are looking after students.

Next week, we will be welcoming students from the British International Distance College (BIDC) for their exam tutorials. It is always exciting for tutors to meet the students behind the assignments, as I'm sure it is nice for the students to meet the people behind the red pens. It is a nerve wracking time for students as they prepare to write their Cambridge exams in May and June. Hopefully, the tutorial will give the last bit of preparation, encouragement and motivation to see them through successfully.

We are very proud of our top achievers. The news came from Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) - we have 17 (!) recipients of Brilliance Awards. They come from all three campuses, and include students who are in the top ten for their subjects in the world, as well as top in South Africa. We will be hosting an award ceremony for them on 22 April (don't worry, I will post pictures).

I have been enjoying my time without students to catch up on preparations at the Distance College, making work programmes for next year. I am also really looking forward to the Brilliance Award ceremony as one of my distance students achieved 8th in the world for IGCSE English Literature, which was the highest mark in South Africa. I am very proud of all her hard work - she certainly deserved this award. Plus, of course, it will be nice to have lunch with all the top achievers and their families; it is thrilling as a tutor, lecturer and PR-Officer to have this opportunity.

On that note, I will end this first blog post, but fear not! There shall be many more posts to come.