Unit 5 success for scholarship recipient

Niall Bootland (Glasgow Branch and Youth Branch) writes about his experience of receiving an RSCDS scholarship which enabled him to attend Summer School 2024 and complete his Unit 5 teaching certificate. 

The anticipation of Summer School 2024 was one of excitement but also trepidation for me, not only from the rigours of attending the two-week Unit 5 course to complete my teaching certificate, but also because an injury to my knee meant I wouldn’t be able to join in with most of the dancing. Attending Summer School without being able to dance… surely I was crazy?!

But with teaching the focus of my Summer School experience this year, and with a fantastic bunch of fellow Unit 5 candidates to ride the journey with, I soon settled in and forgot my worries. The Unit 5 course turned out to be a joy, with Andrew Nolan, the tutor for my half of the cohort, keeping things supportive and relaxed from the beginning before easing us gently into the full lessons we’d have to teach for the exam. The shared group dynamic amongst the class was wonderful to be a part of, as we all learnt from each other and through our shared mistakes, and it was tremendous to watch us all grow together as teachers alongside the rich soundtrack of Judith Muir’s music and humour, once she’d returned from Australia just for us!

Summer School also gives the opportunity to contribute in other ways. Having just finished compiling and publishing a book of 24 dances, ‘The Oxford Collection’, in support of Oxford University Scottish Dance Society (OUSDS), I was encouraged to showcase some new dances (as there had been no Younger Hall displays this year) at the Week 2 ceilidh and who better to do this than my fellow Unit 5 candidates and a few friends. I selected two dances with a theme of ‘following’, as we’d been following in the footsteps of our brilliant tutors during the course. With some lovely music from Niols Jeannerod and just two short practices, a fun display was born to let our hair down after a long day of exams before we enjoyed the eclectic mix that the rest of the ceilidh had to offer, providing yet another wonderful memory to treasure.

This fantastic Summer School experience was all made possible due to kind support from the Derek and Maureen Haynes Memorial Fund, administered by the RSCDS, which covered expenses for one of the two weeks along with further generous contributions from RSCDS Glasgow Branch, with whom I undertook the first part of my teaching certificate, and OUSDS, whose beginners’ class I now teach after first learning to dance in the very same class less than ten years ago.

I was ecstatic to receive my exam result while waiting on the platform at Leuchars for the journey home with old and new friends alike, not only had I passed but the examiners had generously awarded me top marks across the board! A testament to Andrew’s guidance and careful refinement of our skills to ready us for our continued teaching journey ahead. Here’s to discovering where teaching and dancing will lead us all next!