I could try to describe the area where I'm living and teaching, but after reading these letters before sending them on to the states, I thought who better to describe it to you than the children who live here?
Dear Victor,
The beach is cool. There are jelly fish and Blue Bottles. they can sting you and the sting will not go away. It will hurt you 'forevu and evu.' So don't go near the Blue Bottles, okay Victor?
Your Australian pen pal,
Shelby
Dear Melia,
I live here in Macksville. Australia has amazing rainforests. It is really really hot. And we have nice plants in the rain forest. Our rain forest has ticks and leeches. The rain forst has little water falls and interesting plants.
Your friend,
Krysta
Dear Ethan,
We don't have any snow in our rainforest. There are lots of birds in our rainforest. There is a blue tongue lizard under my house. I catch lizards. They are brown and little and they are very hard to catch.
Your friend,
Nicholas
Dear Chase,
You should see the river near my house. And I go fishing there. And I catch little fish there. And I have a rain forest near my house and I get flowers there. And I see lady beetles.
Your friend,
Jess
Dear Colby H.,
The rainforest here is amazing. The waterfalls are so big in Australia. One time dad and I went on top of a big waterfall and the person that was there looked like a ant.
Your friend,
Himayat
Dear Laura,
I live near the beach and forests. I like the beach the most because it has amazing fish, turtles, coral and lots of other things. I don't like Blue Bottles and jelly fish, sharks, and octopus. At the holidays I might be going to a place in Australia called Sydney. It is very sunny in Sydney. That's why I like it so much.
Your Australian pen pal,
Jemma
Dear Aiden,
Did you know that rain forests have heaps of trees and theres snakes there and there is crocodiles? The rain forest has ropes and you can swing on them and they come from the trees. They are up high in the trees and it's beautiful and rain goes there and all the tiny mangos grow.
Your friend,
PJ
Dear Hannah,
I don't think you know that we have a beautiful rain forest here at Macksville. We have beautiful plants and animals in Australia. We have many birds what are called whip birds. They are beautiful colors. There are little puddles with frongs in there. The trees have little holes in there. They might have koalas in there. There are insects in the rain forest. The rain forest is our beauiful place to go.
Your Australian pen pal,
Zahra
Dear Kale,
Do you want to know more about the ocean? In Australia we have sharks and we have Blue Bottles. I and Mum went to the beach and went fishing. And we didn't know we caught a stingray or a shark!
From your fishing pen pal,
Thomas
Dear Coby,
The rain forest has lots and lots of trees and a lot of animals and birds. it is dark and damp. The ocean has a lot of fish and sharks and dolfins and coral.
Your friend,
Ryan
Dear Noah,
Do you like Penny Lizards and Goannas? We have heaps of Blue tongue Lizards in our school. We call them Blue Tongue cause their tonges are blue.
Your friend,
Keith
Out of the choices to describe in our area, ocean, river, rain forest, beach, or public pool, interestingly enough only one child chose to describe the pool. It is a great complex for such a small town, and I go there to exercise after school when I can. Read the description below and imagine the smell of "hot chips," or french fries, while one is trying to burn calories!
Dear Riley,
I want to tell you about the Macksville Pool. It has three lovely pools to swim in. One pool is really big. There are two pools inside the house to have a little swim in. The pools even have candy to buy there. They have hot chips to buy as well with some hot sauce on it to eat as well. They even have a big water slide to ride and it leads to a little pool and it is very fun at the pool.
Your friend,
Lucy
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
A First For Me
Today I took my entire class, public school don't forget, across the street to attend a church service for Kinder - 2. That's a first.
Celebrating Easter here is a very big deal. It is bathed in tradition for the school, which is delightful to see. Generations come to watch the children's Easter Hat Parade, in which the whole K - 2 parade downtown (2 blocks away)wearing Easter Hats they have made. I get to wear one, too! Luckily I have found a gold glitter sparkly hat in my exchange partner's cupboards with Easter grass glued to the top. With a few plastic chicks added I should be good to go!
The children have an at-home project due tomorrow where they design a contraption to keep an egg from breaking after it's dropped from a ladder. I can't wait to witness my first Egg Drop.
Oh, and we have Good Friday off for holiday.
Celebrating Easter here is a very big deal. It is bathed in tradition for the school, which is delightful to see. Generations come to watch the children's Easter Hat Parade, in which the whole K - 2 parade downtown (2 blocks away)wearing Easter Hats they have made. I get to wear one, too! Luckily I have found a gold glitter sparkly hat in my exchange partner's cupboards with Easter grass glued to the top. With a few plastic chicks added I should be good to go!
The children have an at-home project due tomorrow where they design a contraption to keep an egg from breaking after it's dropped from a ladder. I can't wait to witness my first Egg Drop.
Oh, and we have Good Friday off for holiday.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Our Day
9:10 After arriving by car, foot, or bus, the children play until the big brass bell is rung by the teacher on duty. At that time they line up in lines, boys and girls, by class. They sit in their lines while we have a morning assembly right there on the patio. It is a sight as they sit with their sun hats on and blue polos all matching.
There are morning announcements and birthday recognitions. We then take our classes down the way to our rooms. I shake hands as they enter the room, just like I always have, and the children begin book choosing. They read from their books until I begin a guided reading lesson. Parents come to exchange the Home Readers that the children have borrowed for the night. Some stay to help with small groups. Hooray!
10:00 Fruit Break. All children get their fresh fruit from their backpacks to enjoy at their desk while we hear News from each child (Sharing, Communication, Show and Tell).
10:15 Maths. Yes, maths. This includes numeracy, patterns, measure, space, shapes, and mentals. We would say number sense, algebra, measurement, geometry, and skill practice, along with the other familiar fractions and problem solving. First graders are introduced to multiplication and Second graders are expected to begin memorizing facts. Space includes learning specific directions; under, over, through, etc. Otherwise, it looks very much like Oregon. Small groups, whole class lessons, parent volunteers, dice, stations, math workbooks.
11:10 Recess. This looks very different from the states. Here the childen go out on to the large patio with their backpacks and eat a snack. Really they can eat as much from their bag as they want, and many eat a full lunch. Lunch proper doesn't come till 1:20, so they are clever to fuel up now! This lasts for 25 minutes with no play, just a break for chatting, using the restroom and getting a drink ("Use the toilets and get a drink from the bubbler"). I wish there was a play component to it for them to get out their wiggles, but I try to do that in other ways.
11:35 This next chunk of time until lunch at 1:20 is used for writing and science or social studies. Some days include Scripture or Language, art or sport.
Yes, Scripture. A group of ladies from the local church come in for 25 minutes and teach a lesson to the children that includes songs, stories, writing and coloring activities. Language is taught by a local Gumbayngiir tribe member. He teaches them the language of the local Aboriginal tribe, including numbers and phrases. They play word games, and he tells them stories. By local, I mean the actual town. Not very far away is the next tribe with a separate language. I'm learning right with the children!
I am the Art Teacher. And the P.E. Teacher. And the Music Teacher. Every week. Whew.
Yes, I do get a prep time, or RFF (Release From Face to Face). This occurs two hours together one morning when the children go to the Computer Lab and then the Library. Each is staffed by a certified teacher who teaches a full hour of lesson and practice or book choosing.
We get the wiggles out by breaking for a Morning Jog before the 11:10 Recess. We also earn Free Time which means a bag of jump ropes, hand balls, and assorted items are taken out to the patio for playtime.
1:20 Lunch. Again, the chilren go out to the patio and sit on the ground in groups with their friends, all Kinders, 1's and 2's. They eat whatever might be left and wait to play at 1:40 "down at the bottom."
Children who have ordered lunch have it delivered to the classroom in packages much like fast food might look, individual wrapped sandwiches, wraps, fruits, jellos (jellies), fruit drinks, milks, etc.
The school is built on a hillside, so the children descend the stairs to play in the open field for playtime. There is a shed with some equipment, mostly Cricket equipment and some frisbees. There is a climbing structure and maybe two other pieces of equipment like monkey bars or climbing ropes.
No hat, no play. If a child forgets a hat, they are to stay in the shade under the tree. The kids know this very well and take it seriously. The sun is taken very seriously here. All the teachers wear a hat when we're on duty.
We collect again with the big brass bell and mount the stairs for drinks and toilets. The kids line up in their lines again, sitting to wait until their teacher collects them for class.
2:10 We walk back to class, usually very very hot and tired by now. We spend the next hour in a variety of ways. Mondays is a school assembly for awards, songs, and the pledge to the Australian flag and the national anthem (played from a CD that features a didgereedoo intro and students playing rhythm sticks). Incidentally, the assembly, or any teacher training, is begun with an acknowledgement of the indigeonous peoples and the "elders present and who came before us." I blink back tears when the children are singing the anthem.
Tuesday - Friday we might use the time for spelling practice, my sterling music lessons, more science or social science or Social Skills (playing games, dances and individual projects).
We finish the day with a read aloud. I brought My Father's Dragon with me which is always a winner for the beginning of the year. Now I'm reading Bottersnikes and Gumbles. This is marvelous! I asked the librarian to feed me any Australian literature that he loves since a) I would like to read it and b) I couldn't find many of my American standbys. This book is great fun with nasty, lazy, selfish Bottersnikes with red-hot horns cuz they're always mad and who live in rubbish heaps, and giggly, helpful Gumbles who just love a paddle in the river. Unfortunately the Bottersnikes like to capture the Gumbles to do their work for them. The story goes on and in and out. The moral to the story is don't throw your rubbish into the bush!
3:10 The children head out the door to meet folks or their buses. I, of course, fall in a heap! Thanks to all the teacher and admin. support throughout the day and the jolly teachers on either side of my room who share hilarious stories and frustrations which usually include peels of giddy laughter by then, I actually get up off the floor and come back the next day!
There are morning announcements and birthday recognitions. We then take our classes down the way to our rooms. I shake hands as they enter the room, just like I always have, and the children begin book choosing. They read from their books until I begin a guided reading lesson. Parents come to exchange the Home Readers that the children have borrowed for the night. Some stay to help with small groups. Hooray!
10:00 Fruit Break. All children get their fresh fruit from their backpacks to enjoy at their desk while we hear News from each child (Sharing, Communication, Show and Tell).
10:15 Maths. Yes, maths. This includes numeracy, patterns, measure, space, shapes, and mentals. We would say number sense, algebra, measurement, geometry, and skill practice, along with the other familiar fractions and problem solving. First graders are introduced to multiplication and Second graders are expected to begin memorizing facts. Space includes learning specific directions; under, over, through, etc. Otherwise, it looks very much like Oregon. Small groups, whole class lessons, parent volunteers, dice, stations, math workbooks.
11:10 Recess. This looks very different from the states. Here the childen go out on to the large patio with their backpacks and eat a snack. Really they can eat as much from their bag as they want, and many eat a full lunch. Lunch proper doesn't come till 1:20, so they are clever to fuel up now! This lasts for 25 minutes with no play, just a break for chatting, using the restroom and getting a drink ("Use the toilets and get a drink from the bubbler"). I wish there was a play component to it for them to get out their wiggles, but I try to do that in other ways.
11:35 This next chunk of time until lunch at 1:20 is used for writing and science or social studies. Some days include Scripture or Language, art or sport.
Yes, Scripture. A group of ladies from the local church come in for 25 minutes and teach a lesson to the children that includes songs, stories, writing and coloring activities. Language is taught by a local Gumbayngiir tribe member. He teaches them the language of the local Aboriginal tribe, including numbers and phrases. They play word games, and he tells them stories. By local, I mean the actual town. Not very far away is the next tribe with a separate language. I'm learning right with the children!
I am the Art Teacher. And the P.E. Teacher. And the Music Teacher. Every week. Whew.
Yes, I do get a prep time, or RFF (Release From Face to Face). This occurs two hours together one morning when the children go to the Computer Lab and then the Library. Each is staffed by a certified teacher who teaches a full hour of lesson and practice or book choosing.
We get the wiggles out by breaking for a Morning Jog before the 11:10 Recess. We also earn Free Time which means a bag of jump ropes, hand balls, and assorted items are taken out to the patio for playtime.
1:20 Lunch. Again, the chilren go out to the patio and sit on the ground in groups with their friends, all Kinders, 1's and 2's. They eat whatever might be left and wait to play at 1:40 "down at the bottom."
Children who have ordered lunch have it delivered to the classroom in packages much like fast food might look, individual wrapped sandwiches, wraps, fruits, jellos (jellies), fruit drinks, milks, etc.
The school is built on a hillside, so the children descend the stairs to play in the open field for playtime. There is a shed with some equipment, mostly Cricket equipment and some frisbees. There is a climbing structure and maybe two other pieces of equipment like monkey bars or climbing ropes.
No hat, no play. If a child forgets a hat, they are to stay in the shade under the tree. The kids know this very well and take it seriously. The sun is taken very seriously here. All the teachers wear a hat when we're on duty.
We collect again with the big brass bell and mount the stairs for drinks and toilets. The kids line up in their lines again, sitting to wait until their teacher collects them for class.
2:10 We walk back to class, usually very very hot and tired by now. We spend the next hour in a variety of ways. Mondays is a school assembly for awards, songs, and the pledge to the Australian flag and the national anthem (played from a CD that features a didgereedoo intro and students playing rhythm sticks). Incidentally, the assembly, or any teacher training, is begun with an acknowledgement of the indigeonous peoples and the "elders present and who came before us." I blink back tears when the children are singing the anthem.
Tuesday - Friday we might use the time for spelling practice, my sterling music lessons, more science or social science or Social Skills (playing games, dances and individual projects).
We finish the day with a read aloud. I brought My Father's Dragon with me which is always a winner for the beginning of the year. Now I'm reading Bottersnikes and Gumbles. This is marvelous! I asked the librarian to feed me any Australian literature that he loves since a) I would like to read it and b) I couldn't find many of my American standbys. This book is great fun with nasty, lazy, selfish Bottersnikes with red-hot horns cuz they're always mad and who live in rubbish heaps, and giggly, helpful Gumbles who just love a paddle in the river. Unfortunately the Bottersnikes like to capture the Gumbles to do their work for them. The story goes on and in and out. The moral to the story is don't throw your rubbish into the bush!
3:10 The children head out the door to meet folks or their buses. I, of course, fall in a heap! Thanks to all the teacher and admin. support throughout the day and the jolly teachers on either side of my room who share hilarious stories and frustrations which usually include peels of giddy laughter by then, I actually get up off the floor and come back the next day!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Feeding pigeons? How 'bout Blue Tongue Lizards?
Today on lunch duty, the children were gathered around feeding the resident Blue Tongue Lizard, all of 16 inches long, I'm sure, their Vegemite sandwich crusts.
Do I tell them not to? Is it bad for them? What is bad for a Blue Tongue Lizard? Is a Blue Tongue Lizard bad for a second grader? We feed pigeons. We feed squirrels.
Now, what would you have said?
Do I tell them not to? Is it bad for them? What is bad for a Blue Tongue Lizard? Is a Blue Tongue Lizard bad for a second grader? We feed pigeons. We feed squirrels.
Now, what would you have said?
The Wild Wild West - Or - What's a Nice Teacher Like You Doing In a Place Like This?
NOW I get it! It's taken me awhile to figure this out, but I'll try to explain it as I understand it.
When one graduates from Uni (university) with a teaching certificate (which takes the usual 5 years or more), one tries to get a job, right? Well, here in Australia it ain't that easy.
One seems to earn points for the teaching positions one has. One is hired based on the number of points. You get a lot of points for teaching out west or in the middle of nowhere. You really have to "do your time" (and they seem to call it just that) in No Man's Land before you're eligible to teach in paradise where I am, or anywhere on the eastern coast, at least.
What does that look like, as we teachers like to say? In the west it looks like young, vivacious, excited, naive, energetic and enthusiastic people working hard and preparing, creating, stenciling, laminating, and making everything for their wonderful new students. In No Man's Land.
It looks like teachers who are settling for substitute work, for literally years, to earn smaller increments of points in more desireable areas, like the eastern coastal regions.
It looks like older teachers finally landing a real-live classroom they can call their very own in the town of their (and their family's!) choice. It also looks like a lot of older teachers working in schools in the desireable regions, which as we all know, as it's pros and cons.
What about an older person who decides to go into teaching for the first time? Perhaps a mom whose children are finally school age and she's gone back to earn her degree? Does she leave her (by now) tweens at home with Dad (if he's there) to go west to "do time?" Yup. Hey, it's only for 18 months or 2 years. !!
I remember seeing huge banners at the job fairs in Oregon and California advertising big salaries to come teach in Palm Springs, San Jose, Arizona, and some others. Why? The turnover was huge. It was difficult to keep good teachers at the troubled schools. What if we had to "do time" at an inner city L.A. school in order to come to beautiful Liberty?
Food for thought.
When one graduates from Uni (university) with a teaching certificate (which takes the usual 5 years or more), one tries to get a job, right? Well, here in Australia it ain't that easy.
One seems to earn points for the teaching positions one has. One is hired based on the number of points. You get a lot of points for teaching out west or in the middle of nowhere. You really have to "do your time" (and they seem to call it just that) in No Man's Land before you're eligible to teach in paradise where I am, or anywhere on the eastern coast, at least.
What does that look like, as we teachers like to say? In the west it looks like young, vivacious, excited, naive, energetic and enthusiastic people working hard and preparing, creating, stenciling, laminating, and making everything for their wonderful new students. In No Man's Land.
It looks like teachers who are settling for substitute work, for literally years, to earn smaller increments of points in more desireable areas, like the eastern coastal regions.
It looks like older teachers finally landing a real-live classroom they can call their very own in the town of their (and their family's!) choice. It also looks like a lot of older teachers working in schools in the desireable regions, which as we all know, as it's pros and cons.
What about an older person who decides to go into teaching for the first time? Perhaps a mom whose children are finally school age and she's gone back to earn her degree? Does she leave her (by now) tweens at home with Dad (if he's there) to go west to "do time?" Yup. Hey, it's only for 18 months or 2 years. !!
I remember seeing huge banners at the job fairs in Oregon and California advertising big salaries to come teach in Palm Springs, San Jose, Arizona, and some others. Why? The turnover was huge. It was difficult to keep good teachers at the troubled schools. What if we had to "do time" at an inner city L.A. school in order to come to beautiful Liberty?
Food for thought.
What a Deal!
I recently learned about some of the perks that come with this job, that is, if you're an Aussie teacher. We Exchangees, we just get the amazing scenery, friendly people, beautiful children with gorgeous accents, and fun-filled weekends as our perks.
Teachers here have Long Service Leave. After ten years teaching, one earns three weeks of paid vacation to take whenever one would like. Each year after, one earns an additional week. Some folks save them up and retire much earlier than expected, using their LSL as paid leave before the retirement checks come in. Others use it to take extended road trips visiting this country, or long house swaps, perhaps to other parts of the world.
Another option for teachers here is called something catchy, but basically it is 4 years on, one year off. One claims this at the start, and then one is paid for 4 years over a 5 year period. Every 5th year they take the year off.
What does this end up looking like in the classroom? Substitutes, called Casuals, are given long placements, or temporaries are hired for the year. Teachers are traveling, working on projects, or helping elder parents at different times throughout the year. It seems as though it would be disruptive for the children or the flow of the curriculum. But hey. I did it! Who am I to talk??
Teachers here have Long Service Leave. After ten years teaching, one earns three weeks of paid vacation to take whenever one would like. Each year after, one earns an additional week. Some folks save them up and retire much earlier than expected, using their LSL as paid leave before the retirement checks come in. Others use it to take extended road trips visiting this country, or long house swaps, perhaps to other parts of the world.
Another option for teachers here is called something catchy, but basically it is 4 years on, one year off. One claims this at the start, and then one is paid for 4 years over a 5 year period. Every 5th year they take the year off.
What does this end up looking like in the classroom? Substitutes, called Casuals, are given long placements, or temporaries are hired for the year. Teachers are traveling, working on projects, or helping elder parents at different times throughout the year. It seems as though it would be disruptive for the children or the flow of the curriculum. But hey. I did it! Who am I to talk??
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
No, they talk funny!
Each day we get a quick note about happenings for the day. District Rugby League Trials in Bowraville, Kinder teachers holding parent/teacher interviews around Best Start results, etc.
Today's: "Does anyone have any huckerback in their classroom? Need some to start Mother's Day craft activity."
I love it here!
Today's: "Does anyone have any huckerback in their classroom? Need some to start Mother's Day craft activity."
I love it here!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
I Must Talk Funny!
This was funny to me today! I sent a note to the office with my late little student today that read, "Please give Keith a tardy slip and maybe have him wash up from his fishing day? :)"
The secretary came all the way down the hill to my classroom (the school is built on a terraced hillside, so it's no quick walk to get there and there is no phone/intercom system). With a smile she said, "Diantha, I'm not sure what your note means. What exactly is a 'tardy slip?' And what do you mean by, 'wash up?'" We just laughed together, and I told her, "Welcome to my world!" Apparently the term would be "late note" and "clean your hands and face in the toilet (bathroom)." Okay!
Do you suppose the girls giggle whenever I come into the office and ask for phone numbers, office supplies and photo copying paper??!
The secretary came all the way down the hill to my classroom (the school is built on a terraced hillside, so it's no quick walk to get there and there is no phone/intercom system). With a smile she said, "Diantha, I'm not sure what your note means. What exactly is a 'tardy slip?' And what do you mean by, 'wash up?'" We just laughed together, and I told her, "Welcome to my world!" Apparently the term would be "late note" and "clean your hands and face in the toilet (bathroom)." Okay!
Do you suppose the girls giggle whenever I come into the office and ask for phone numbers, office supplies and photo copying paper??!
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