I am NOT 17 years old!!!!

I have been doing quite a bit of work experience in Secondary Schools recently because I am going to apply to a teacher training course. I have quite enjoyed my experience, but there is something bothering me about it all. I know that I look younger than I really am and normally that doesn't bother me, I take it as a compliment because when I am 40 I might look 30 so it's a good thing.

However, every single day that I went to visit one particular school, both staff and students commented on my age. I am 23 years old (24 in 2 months) and have done a degree and had several jobs since finishing that degree. For some frustrating reason, none of the teachers bothered to find out who I was or to get some background information on me. Every hour I moved classrooms to see a different teacher and a different year group. So, naturally I met a lot of teachers and these were the worst offenders with making assumptions about my age because they should have asked who I was or asked sensible questions if they were going to try and guess my age. They never gave me the chance to explain who I was and frankly, since I could have been anyone, they should have asked me who I was!

The first embarrassing age incident was when one of the teachers came to have a friendly chat with me about why I was doing the work experience. I felt quite sorry for him because he was just being polite and making conversation. I could see that and respect that because some teachers didn't feel a need to say anything at all to me. He said something along the lines of ''so are you studying religious studies at A-Level at the moment? '' This would make me about 17 or 18 years old. So I politely said ''no'' and expained that I had done a degree in Art and had since decided to look at doing a PGCE in either R.E or Art. So then he asked ''so you're about 20?'' So again I very awkwardly said ''no I'm 23.'' The poor guy was then so embarrassed he practically ran into the classroom store cupboard to hide!! I tried to tell him my age in a way that wouldn't make him look stupid but he shouldn't have assumed I was really young even if I look it!

Another teacher said ''are you just visiting this school to observe lessons to see if you might like to be a teacher when you finish school?'' Arghhhh! How awkward did I feel? It's so humiliating trying to explain that you're about 7 years older than they think you are! Why do they have to make silly guesses at my age??

My absolute favourite comment was from an Art teacher who was excellent at his job and really had the students paying attention and respecting him. At the end of one of my observation days he came over to talk to me about teaching art and he gave me some really useful tips. However, he then made an ill thought out joke after I asked ''How long have you been teaching?'' He said ''I've been teaching at this school since 1989. So that's longer than you've been alive.'' He chuckled to himself and gave me a look that was saying he was an adult showing off his superior knowledge of life to a small child. So I said ''Hehe, no I've been around a bit longer than that'' He looked a little shocked but then said ''Well I started my teaching career in 1984....'' The way he said it was meant to show that if he hadn't been teaching at that school for longer than I'd been alive then at least he'd been teaching as a career for longer than I'd been alive. Nope! He'd assumed totally wrong again so I interrupted him and smiled and said ''Oh yes that's the year I was born'.' Well, he shouldn't have assumed should he! After that he stopped speaking to me like a child but he didn't seem too embarrassed, but then I had tried to say my age politely because he is a good teacher and was just trying to help so I didn't want to be rude.

I do wish the receptionist who had organised my work experience had sent an email to all the teachers who I was going to spend time with explaining my age and background information. I also wish that some of the teachers weren't so rude because none of them introduced me to the students and I was just asked to sit at the back of the classroom. So, inevitably, the students asked me silly questions but I can't blame them because they weren't introduced to me and I am aware that I look young. I had so many of them say ''Miss, are you a Sixth Former?'' ''Miss, do you go to this school?'' I was pleased when some students asked ''Miss, are you a teacher?'' ''Miss, are you an inspector?'' I had made the effort to look smart and dress formally every day, but there's nothing you can do when you have a young face, you just can't change it! Ah well, it was all quite funny really but also a little insulting!