You know, professional experience should be handled in a very "professional" manner. Much more so at a tertiary level. You would expect universities be able to handle this, and assist students in negotiating the timing of the practs to succeed, not to fail. Am I not right?
Yet at this point of time, we as students do not have much information to go by. Yes, the staff has apologized to the students (if they felt marginalized by the delay in preparing us for the pract). The fact which has occured is yes, we do feel marginalized as a group. They cant throw us out as students to pract (and further more this is our first Primary school level pract) where everything else is different from childcare or Prep level.
Yes, it will be our first pract at primary school. How can we go for any more pract meetings if we have to go for pract during the school holidays? The meeting for "presenting your professional experience folder" is ir-relevant if we have already gone for pract, without attending the relevent pre-professional experience meetings.
Further more to add to the insult, we also have other assessment components which requires a compulsory attendance to pass all aspects of the course. This is very frustrating for us students who have to negotiate with the pract. mentor, who may or may not understand our situation. Which looking at the circumstances, at default, is already putting us students at a huge dis-advantage.
I am really dis-satisfied with the way the university has handled this aspect of our practical experience on their part. It has left a very bitter taste in my mouth.
