Who said patience is a virtue?

What does it mean to have patience? I always thought I was very patient with kids and that I was a fun, energetic, and cool teacher but my Year 3's got me thinking yesterday.

So far, although I have loved teaching these amazingly cute and individual children, they are giving me the most run for my money that I've had since I started student teaching. I am not complaining though, because it really makes me take a good look at the things I need to improve on as a teacher.

Yesterday was a really bad day and I was going to title my blog post "Totally Discouraged" but I have such an awesome support system at Paparoa, that after ten minutes, I was feeling confident and like myself again.

With this class, I have been having a few management problems. Although I am firm, I feel like they have not been taking me seriously and after having tried all the routines Tanya uses, I was feeling hopeless.

I told them about the Marble Jar that we will be using starting Monday and how if they work well, listen well, follow school rules, and show respect, they will get to choose something that they can do as a class for the week. It seems to be the only thing I have right now, at least that's how I felt yesterday. Today was so much better though.... thank goodness

After yesterday, I just came home and thought about what I really need to do. I realized that although I was trying as hard as I could to be fun and do things that they like, I was spending so much time shouting over them that nothing was getting done. These two boys in particular, are really difficult and just require so much of my attention that I lose the rest of the class.

So, I came home last night and I thought about what I need to do to show them that I don't want to have to wait for them to quit socializing, I don't want to waste 10 minutes to give instructions because nobody listens to me. So, I used thinking fitness time today to go through synonyms of our school rules (not saying like that) and we learned the words 'benevolent' and 'venerate.' I added "continue practising to show respect' to our weekly goals and the day went ten times better! I didn''t freak out when they started talking nor did I feel like that meant I was losing control. Its just that there are some really chatty boys and where most times using silence would make a class listen, it only makes it worse for these guys. Failed tactic number sixty six.

Now, I have been trying to make them do things again if they can't do it right the first time and it seems to help.

But at the end of the day, I need to realize that losing a few seconds here and there, to remind them of rules instead of rushing to get something finished, is okay. At the end of the day, they only just children, little people who laugh over 400 times per day!, as Lindsay Forrest would say. They are just little kids who need more of my patience and less of my frustration. There are a few days that have been particulary hard and I was getting discouraged. And although there have been more good days than bad, I tend to remember the bad ones. I get lost in the potential for a teachable moment and I feel like I am spinning into the world of lost control. Dramatic I know, but basically true nonetheless.

So, despite my efforts to fight past the "student teacher" title with the kids, I am coming out more ahead than behind. Positive yes, but still a long way to go. I worked on patience and listening today and I feel it went a lot better. I want to keep working on management and understadning each one of them as nothing less than individuals.

Today, I felt a little more level-headed. I felt the sun was shining a little brighter, thought the leaves looked a little greener, and I felt that with just a little extra effort, I can have these kids seeing me for the real teacher that I am.

New news: Co-coaching senior girls cricket!

Teaching French to the Gifted and Talented group

And teaching 10 or so kids how to line dance to Cadillac Ranch by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for Cultural Day!!

New Insights into a New Culture

While some may argue that New Zealand is not all that different from Canada, I can now say that I beg to differ.

Before I came to New Zealand, I did a presentation on the education system and since this has held my interest since arriving, I would like to talk about it for a minute. First, the school system here is dramatically different in so far as I have noticed, two ways. First, there are parent-run boards that essentially run the schools. The budget is decided on by the "finance people" but the board gets to decide where the funds are going. The position is elected and volunter. Basically, the principal runs the school and the board oversees all of the major decisions. But the principle is much more independent here then at home and has much more say in what goes on in the school. For example, since New Zealand does not have a national assessment program like we do with PAT's, they create their own system of evaluating students skill levels and work from that as to how they can improve their students' learning. Although test scores are compared with other schools like at home, it is not the worry of the province to ensure that these scores are going up. As a country, there is only one national test done every four years where students are selected at random. Very interesting...

paparoa Street is a 10 out of 10 on the DCILE scale. This means, that through census, the community that surrounds the school is surveyed to see the level of education of parents and their income. We have a very affluent community and therefore, receive a 10 out of 10 which means much less funding is given to us than other schools. Parents are expected to pay more fees and funraise many of their own events if they wish to buy extras for the school. Unlike in Canada, money is determined by how many students attend the school, which is much different than here.

Finally, one last thing that has not only peaked my interest but has made me think more ciritcally about our schiool system and culture, is the treatment of the Maori language, people, and culture. There is so much effort being put into the preservation of this culture, that it is appalling to think of how our native culture is treated at home. Here, there is not the racism, there are not isloated reserves, there is not only one school for every hundred miles that teaches First nations culture. Here, students are exposed daily to Maori culture and language. They all know words and phrases in the language. They see the celebraton of the culture at every assembly, sporting event, and festival. It is everywhere, it is a part of the coomunity and the country. It is not separate, it is not saved for one day of the year; a day we call Cultural Day. It is not known by only people of that culture, it is known by all.

Teachers are required by law to report to the government on how their Maori students are doing. They do not fall through the cracks here like our First Nations do at home. There is a nation-wide effort being put into bringing the culture back to life, to spread its roots to more than just its own people. The library carries an iffinite number of Maori literature; authors legends, fables, and fairy tales all line the shelves. It is an mazing way to get the younger generations interested in something different, something other than their own culture. Shop stores have their name in both English and Maori. No such things exists with the Blackfoot or Iroquois language at home. It is truly unbelievable to think how we are letting such an amazing, unique, and essential part of our history, fade away. Although there are many who are trying to save the langauge and its culture, I do not think that there are not enough people to do the job; not when I see how many people are contributing here compared to the number who are doing so at home. Being here, has made me realize the reality of losing a culture and part of our history and makes me want to do somethig about it. What? I do not yet know. But we need more people at home like we have here in New Zealand; people who do not turn a blind eye to the loss of a culture.

What makes home home?

As a kid with divorced parents, I have always had more than one home. I have always had two different beds, two dinner tables, and two different places to eat my bedtime snack. As I got older and began moving around, I have always wondered what really makes home your home. And can you only have one true home? The answer, I think, is no.

I was born and raised in Fort McMurray, AB and my step-mom and dad still live in the house that we moved into when I was in grade 3. Whenever I go for a visit, I feel like I am going home. And I never get tired of the feeling when I roll into Fort Mac and come down the Beacon Hill road, and see the whole city from the top of that hill. I absolutely love the view.

Then I moved with my mother, and after two relatively quick moves, we settled into Drumheller. I graduated here and made many new friends upon entering into high school. This too, I call home. When I go visit my step-dad and mom from university, I am going home.

Then there's university, a place I felt very uncomfortable calling home when I first started school there. I would always say I was just "going back to Lethbridge." But as I got more and more settled, and well into school, I started to feel like Lethbridge was really becoming a part of me, growing on me with each and every day. My friends were there, school, and work, all made it start to feel like I had started and sustained my own life there. I moved around many times, too, in university, but always only needed a few days to adjust to the minor change before I was back into the groove and the rountine of living in Lethbridge.

Now, I am in New Zealand, and although it often amazes me that I am this far from 'home,' I can honestly say that this is now starting to feel like home. I love my house, the thought of coming home to it and after a long day at school and twenty nine 7 and 8 year olds demanding all of me at once, puts a little grin on my face. I feel comfortable here, I feel settled, I feel safe, I feel busy, I feel occupied, I feel content. I feel like the next 4 months will be the fastest 4 months of my life. And in a way, it is too bad because I know now already, just how quickly it will go.

It is funny to think of home and speak of it to other people, as if it is so far away; of the snow, the cold, country music, baseball, football, provincial achievement tests, 'garbage cans,' 'sidewalks,' 'renting,' and an ozone layer.. Yet, I feel like it is so close to me at the same time, so embedded within me and my thoughts and my values and my beliefs, that it really is not that far away. It does not feel 16,000 km away, but merely a delayed phone call or 'yesterday's' e-mail away.

So what makes a home? Is it the people who surround you? The luxury of having your own space or sharing it with 6 other people? Is it that the place is just great and everything just seems to be going your way? Or is it what you make of it, always trying to see the best in everything that happens?

All I know, is that home is where the heart is, and home is where my car is.

I am really not that far away because although I may be gone from home, home is nowhere nearly gone from me.

In Room 24, we....

Room 24, so far, has brought so many good ideas to my teacher bank. Here are a few that I would like to share:
Every morning, Tanya puts the daily menu on the board that tells the students what they can expect for the day. I love the structure and they never ask what they are doing next because all they have to do is look on the board.

Each week, students are given different responsibilities that they need to do for that week. Gives them ownership of things done and accomplished in the classroom. There is also the "start of the week" which I think is great for making each child feel special in the classroom.

There is a W.A.L.T. scrapbook that Tanya uses to write global learning intentions for the week. It stands for 'we are learning to..." and every morning, it is posted on the board where students are reminded to practise school rules, to keep getting to know each other,etc (3-4 small goals)

Her "everything else" scrapbook is developed as needed and contains things like a Y chart, used to discuss what a good listener sounds like, looks like, and feels like.

My favorite thing about Tanya's class and teaching though, is that she has students create the physical environement of the classroom. Right from day one, she called the class "the thinking and learning classroom" and created thinking and learning teams where students can get together and work and brainstorm ideas and projects as a team. The first few days are spent creating personal artwork that will decorate the room (self-portrait) and posters that define what kind of classroom students want to create (To feel safe here we...., to show repsect here...., to learn well here we....) For this, each student was given 3 post-it notes and asked to write two ideas for each on the things they feel they need to do personally to create this type of classroom. I loved this because it really put ownership on the students and again, helps them to be a part of creating the type of environment the classroom has.

Max, a stuffed orangutan and the class mascot, is used as a way to encourage inquiry and discovery learning. She tells them things about Max and then they are encouraged to go home and find out more. Or, she asks them questions about him, and for those who are curious, they can go home and find out the answers on their own. Great way to develop research skills and a desie to learn more in their own time.

I also love that our class has "the mat" because it is a place where Tanya has really created a community. We have community time every morning and if there are any issues or topics that need to be discussed, it is all done together as a group. Also, classroom rules and values are consistently being emphasized in terms of expected behaviour on the mat.

Thinking Fitness time is also done every morning and students are given a word to ponder its meaning, a picture to say what they think it could mean, etc. All this is done in pairs so that they can brainstorm and students are expected to use some "silly thinking" to help them look outside of the box.

Finally, there is SQUIRT time and Skyte time. SQUIRT is silent uninterrupted reading time, which students do every day for 10 minutes and skyte time is done every Monday for about 10 minutes. For this, students get into their thinking and learning teams and are allowed to talk about themselves and their weekend while they have the talking card. When they are done, they pass it on. Tanya gives them this time because she wants them to talk about something other than just themselves for the rest of the day, once they have had the chance to talk about their own thing.

So far, I have learned so much but am still acting as a sponge and trying to soak everything up. I have never started in my practicum at the beginning of the school year, so I am really trying to take notes on how to build the classroom environment.

Who would I be if I hadn't met you?

Lately, I find that being away from home makes me reflect so much more about who I am and how I got here. After more than 2 weeks, I still have moments where I have to stop, look around, and tell myself that I am in New Zealand, half way across the world from home. It makes me wonder how I ever got here.

I suppose I could go back to the days of my childhood and piece together all of the moments, decisions, and other things that got me to where I am today, but right now, I want to think more about the people who made me the person I am today; this person who would be brave enough to move and teach in a country so far away from home, friends, family, comfort, and familiarity.

As I've gotten older, I have always tried to see reasons for why certain people are put in my life. Some, I'm sure I have let pass by without a second thought, while others seem to linger on in my mind. Family, of course, has made me more of who I am than anything else. Friends, have given me feelings of love, laughter, joy, sadness, and have donated a million different experiences into my life. But there are three people in particular that I htink have greatly contributed to the deep self-reflection of who I am today.

One has made me more perceptive, able to see the things in myself that I do not like in others. Has made me realize what it is I do and do not want for myself. I have realized that I was taught more about loving everyone around me, not to judge others by anything other than who they are. I was taught to not be so caught up in the moment, not to take my anger and frustration out on something other than what caused it. This person taught me to communicate, to see the other's side of the story, to want true happiness for someone despite what you want from them.

Another has made me look at how I want to be different and how I choose to be viewed by other people. I learned that above all, it is important to get to know a person and that even when you think you know someone, you may not truly know them at all. I learned how to be so content with my life that nothing could destroy it, how to live and cherish little moments, how to be more for myself than I wanted to be before. I learned to be selfless and cooperative, how to make compromises and sacrifices. I learned to be more for someone else than always for myself. I learned to expect someone to put in exaclty or more of what I am putting in.

From the last, I learned about not being scared to say what you are thinking. I learned to talk about things instead of holding it in and pretending it will go away. I learned to be more carefree and I learned that I deserve exactly what it is that I want and nothing less. I learned how to sit around a campfire and sing. I learned how to talk about death, that it is not an awkward thing to discuss, but a beautiful life to remember. I learned to love different music, and to let that music take me into a world full of seemingly meaningless memories.

I learned to make little memories into big ones that help me to look back and see how I wouldn't be me if I hadn't met you.

Can you count from zero to ten in Maori?

I can!
Kero, Tahi, Rua, Toru, Whaa, Rima, Ona, Whitu, Waru, Iwa, Tekau

Not bad for my first day eh?

The Kiwi way of Doing Things

Today was a great day! I learned so many ideas about how to set up a classroom: name games, reinforcing school rules, constantly reinforcing responsibility, trust, honesty, kindness, and teamwork through positive reinforcement. I learned how to create an environment where kids are encouraged to do "silly thinking," a place where they can feel safe thinking outside of the box, and not constantly forced to say what everyone thinks they should. I learned how to make all kids feel special with the Star of the Week, and how to reinforce that we are all different, yet all the same.

I have already started to notice some differences between countries. First, students seem much better behaved here. They are quieter and walk to assembly with hands behind their backs. They are much more disciplined!

Assembly was another thing I was really impressed with because they did not badger the kids with school rules and guidelines, but instead, sang a whole lot of songs! It was great! But I did learn the main school rules: Be Safe, Be Fair, Be Kind, Be Cooperative, Be team Player with Attitude.

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Well, just like my other three fellow teacher friends, today was my first day of school. I feel in love with absolutely every single one of those kids, with their cute little accents and adorable uniforms. Thinking of them right now brings a smile to my face. I can honestly say that I cannot wait to get to know every single one of those kids.

It is funny, being away from teaching for awhile. You almost forget how much you love being surrounded by kids; their honesty, humor, smiles, laughter, questions, talking, whispering, how they create the most amazing things. Once you've been away from teaching, you get caught up in class and homework and your own assignments. You forget how amazing it is to teach little minds new things, to have some effect in shaping who they are, to make them think in other ways than they are used to. I forgot how much I love learning new things about teaching, how I can make a classroom my own and different ways that I can try and connect with a student. I forgot about the excitement in their eyes on the first day of school, forgot about the embarassed look they get on their faces when their parents try to kiss them goodbye. I forgot what it means to get up early every morning and know that you are going somewhere where you are responsible for the well-being, safety, attitudes, and learning of 29 other little people.

But now, I remember the sound of the bell. I remember the sounds of backpacks rustling, of kids asking a thousand different questions before you've given any instructions, of the silence they make while you read them a story. I remember how good it feels to read to children and to see their minds working to create a whole world full of new ideas. I remember that I love school spirit, team work, and comraderie. I remember curiosity, as they all sat and stared at me today and wondered who I was. I remember being shy and I remember being confident. I remember how to be a teacher.

Waitangi Days

A few updates from Christchurch, New Zealand....

So far, i am loving where I live! It is so great being surrounded by many other foreigners who sure like to party and have a good time. Also, our house is only a five minute walk from downtown. In the downtown square, which is one of Christchurch's main attractions, there is a beautiful cathedral, a huge memorial chalice, and a giant game of chess that people play throughout the day. And it is so great cause there is always stuff going on there like singers and performers.

This weekend was Waitangi days, which is their national holiday like Canada is for us. Last night we went to Spark in the park which we thought would be a little concert in the park but there were like 20,000 people there. It was huge! We also thought that since there were a lot of young people there, that they would have a rock singer or something, but oh no, there was a symphony and an opera singer. Are you kidding me Christchurch? This is how you entertain your youth? Oh, and then at the beginning there was this random group of teenagers who sang a song about recycling and were apparently trying to indoctrinate us into recycling throughout the night. With whistles and choreography and everything! Um ok?

But the beginning of the show was sweet because I witnessed my first 'haka'. This is a traditional Maori dance that is done at festivals and all that but also at the beginning of all their rugby games as it is meant to intimidate the opponent. It was very cool, lots of yelling and dancing and such. So after the opera and symphony, this older guy sang for a bit but he played pretty good music so that was good. Then at the end, came probably the best firework show I've ever seen! With the orchestra and haka going on in the background, it was fabulous!

Larissa has made a weekly rule that we all have dinner together which is excellent and gives us time to brainstorm and talk about new teaching ideas!

Alright, new words I have learned/have started incporporating into my own vocabulary:Mozzie's - Mosquitos, rubbish, Muesli - my new favorite breakfast which is oats and yogurt. Probably had this at home but never knew about it.

Oh, and I have never seen so many traffic circles in all my life. I can't figure these out when I am in a car, let alone when I am on a bike. And running a yellow light? I don't think so. I tried at and got honked at profusely.
Oh my favorite souvenir so far: I found a sweater with kiwi birds and sheep on it! Talk about New Zealand in a nutshell.

Paparoa Street School & Urban Sunshine

Alright, well here are the two residences where I will be spending the majority of my time: One of the classrooms at Paparoa Street School and Urban Sunshine, my new home.

This past Thursday and Friday, I went to two teacher only days at the school and met a lot of the staff and tried to familiarize myself with all of the buildings and all that fun stuff. I found out that the school has about 600 students and the school is rated a 10 out of 10 for affluence within the community. Depending on how much income most families make in the surrounding community, will determine how much money then government gives the school. If parents can afford to pay for most things, then the government gives them less money. That is how I understood it anyway. It is funny too, because the school is separated into little corridors or buildings, having to run from one building to another to get pages from the printer, go to bathrooms, and make a phonecall. Its very different from schools at home but I like it. I also found out that instead of 'recess,' the school has morning tea for twenty minutes which I thought was really cute too!

My TA is Tanya and we are in Room 24. There are 29 kids in the class with 20 boys and 9 girls I believe. I am really looking forward to seeing a new way of teaching, as I've heard that New Zealand is at the top in terms of classroom strategies and assessment. It has been a little different trying to get all of the new terminology and al that though. So far I have learned that jandals are flip flops, jovies are pencil crayons, and Twink is white-out. Who knew! But everyone is very friendly and now I am just looking forward to meeting the kids and maybe learning how to play cricket!

Now, to update on Urban Sunshine. I am living in a 4 bedrrom house, with two additional people who live in "The Nook" attached to the house. So there are 7 people sharing one bathroom, kitchen, and washing machine. So far so good though, no complaints. So I live with three Americans, a guy from Chile, a girl from Australia, and soon, a girl from France. Our house backs into two other urban rooms houses so there are also people from Germany, Holland, Ireland, Taiwan, and of course, the other three Canadians from Lethbridge. It has been so great to get to know different people from around the world! I am truly so lucky to be here!

Last night was our first night out together on the town and we all had a lot of fun together! We went to Shooters and danced the night away!

Life on my new bicycle has also been interesting. My legs hurt all the time now and getting groceries is the most interesting thing yet! I love hanging out in the square downtown, it is so busy and there are always people around. I still hope to try surfing this weekend.

Here are a list of things that screw me up in New Zealand: Driving on the wrong side of the road, cheddar cheese tastes like parmesan cheese, no central heating in any of the houses, no dryers so you can only hang your clothes to dry, meat is ordered in kilo's so when I saw that ham was $22.95 per kilo, I thought would be paying $30 for sadwich meat. But luckily, I figured it out sooner than later and my ham was only $1.50. Apparently, there is no ozone layer here. What's up with that? But I must give them props for their milk and yogurt! Completetly and utterly delectable. A lot of the food is different yet the same but there is a lot of stuff from home that you can't find here (ichiban). Its all good though.

So....As I go through this unbelievable experience, I try to constantly reflect on how it is changing me and I have realized, that if anything, it has made me appreciate home, friends, and family much more. I realize I eat too much when I am bored, and that i am so hooked on country music that I can't dance ot anything at the pub because I don't know any of it! I also realize that 4 months seems like a long time to be away but that it is not nearly enough time to learn all of the NZ vocabulary I want to learn! I am a little proud of myself for getting a bike and transitioning relativley smoothly into NZ culture :) Now all I have to do is start eating a lot of lamb.

First days

As of now, I am still surviving in Christchurch and getting lost less and less with each day. I am also getting along better on my bike and remembering to stay on the left side of the road which is a good thing. I have met lots of foreigners which has been great and I am hoping to try surfing this weekend.

I visisted my school for the first time yesterday and all went very well. I met a lot of the staff and saw my new classroom and everything! It is all a little overwhelming though, just with some of the different terminology and assessment strategies. But I have been asking lots of questions and I'm sure I will slowly but surely figure it all out!

Today, I attended a workshop with all of the staff called "Creating the Thinking Classroom" and it was absolutely fabulous! I learned lots of new student-orientated strategies to use that all integrate and differentiate as well. I am very excited to use some of these in my own lessons. The speaker, Eric, was so thorough that I was really able to grasp the concepts and how to really apply them in the classroom. I have often tried to use student-centered learning but it is hard to do alone so I am hoping to really get a grasp of it here because New Zealand teachers seem to already be very geared towards it.

I start on Wednesday and am looking very forward to meeting the students and starting to get to know them a little. Other than that, I am just ready to dive in and get back into the teaching routine.