Why this is my favourite time of the year in the classroom

By Beatrice Dallas

Teaching Assistant

With October well under way, temperatures dropping and evenings closing in, I’m sure everyone is feeling the gentle culmination of the seasonal year. But at Art History Link-Up (AHLU) the academic year has only just begun, and classrooms - in-person and online alike - are filled with excitement and the energy of new beginnings. This is my second year on the teaching team of AHLU's Art History for Everyone A-Level course, and I thought I would take this opportunity to warmly welcome our new cohort of students and reflect on why this time of year is my favourite.

At the end of September, our online and in-person classrooms were filled once again with the anticipatory buzz of a new cohort. There is always a palpable sense of excitement in these first few weeks, as students from across the nation come together to embark on something new. New classrooms, new teachers, new friends and an entirely new subject. It takes courage to enter into something so unfamiliar, and all of this is voluntarily undertaken alongside the busy demands of school! I am always so impressed by our new students, by their commitment and curiosity, and by the seedling of a belief that art history can be joyful, important and fulfilling.

The unique nature of AHLU’s teaching style means that our first years are joined by our returning second years, who bounce back into breakout-groups and gallery-time with great enthusiasm. It was a genuine joy last Saturday to witness the remarkable development of these second year students, the same students who, not so long ago, arrived tentatively for their own first day. Seeing familiar faces pop up in our online classrooms, watching students present their EPQ research with such insightful clarity, and seeing them move confidently through the Courtauld galleries sharing observations about artworks felt particularly enlivening. The coming together of first and second years, sharing ideas and inspiration, forming new friendships, and fuelling each other's passion for the subject, makes AHLU, especially at this time of year, an inspiring place to be.

So, while the outside world begins to dull, the online and in-person classrooms at AHLU are buzzing with vibrancy, and it can’t help but be my favourite time of year. To our returning second years, welcome back! Your diligence, enthusiasm and comprehension of the subject is inspiring. And to our first years - we welcome you so warmly. Already you have displayed an astonishing commitment to this important and exciting subject and to yourselves, simply by showing up on your weekends.

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