Author: helengibsondavies

So back in 1975 I started a three year Certificate of Education course at Notre Dame teacher training college in Liverpool. I think we were the last but one intake for the Cert Ed before it became all degrees. Nowadays students do their main degree and then spend a year learning to teach . I did P.E. as a main for a year, with Drama for three years. All the time with a view to teaching. I did three teaching practices and many school visits for days. I reckon teacher training colleges were better than Universities because they specialised. We spent the majority of our time learning about teaching and educating children.

There were two other colleges that eventually linked with Notre Dame – the history of what eventually became Hope University goes like this:

“175 years ago, our first founding colleges The Church of England’s Warrington Training College (1844) and the Sisters of Notre Dame’s Our Lady’s Training College (1856) were established to provide teacher education for women. A century later, Christ’s College was built opposite S. Katharine’s, where Hope Park is today, admitting its first students in 1964.

By 1980, the colleges had joined to form an ecumenical federation – the Liverpool Institute of Higher Education (LIHE). The late Archbishop Derek Worlock and Bishop David Sheppard wrote of this as being “a sign of hope” (Better Together).

LIHE later became a single, unified College and was given the new name of Liverpool Hope to represent the mission of the college. Liverpool Hope University was born in July 2005, when the Privy Council bestowed the right to use the University title. Research Degree Awarding Powers were granted by the Privy Council in 2009.”

Anyway, to get to the point, as they were celebrating 175 years since the first founding college was founded, the university decided they would award all the teachers who had gained a Cert Ed at one of the colleges, an honorary degree. This in recognition of our years of service in education.

There were 600 of us at the ceremony ranging from 61 years to over 90 year olds. Just imagine how many millions of lives we had all touched. Then 400 more applied to have their degrees posted.

The event was held at the St. Kaths campus – the oldest and most picturesque. Tea on the lawn after was most civilised! Five of us knew each other from 40 years ago and we decided we were all still as mad as we had been, just a little more weathered! As hard as I looked I didn’t recognise anyone else.

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It was a really lovely day. Ive never been one for reunions, thinking too much time has passed anti was another life away but I’ve been proved wrong. There is a line that joins us to all parts of our lives, even though you might think you’ve changed a lot, you will still be basically that same 18 year old at heart.

Thank you Liverpool Hope University.