September 7th

Beka and I rounded up all our presents and got to the school for our last day :(

Cameron has been jokingly giving me crap about not making him coffee so I guess it was a good thing I bought him a Cortland mug because he finally got some coffee on the last day! Everyone laughed about it but hey, better late then never!

When we went to go sign in at Denise's desk, she surprised us and gave us each flowers. It was so lovely and unexpected, we almost cried.

Then I got to my first class and received probably the best present ever. One of the rugby boys happens to be in Mr. Finley's basketball class and had gotten a maroon rugby dry fit shirt and had all the footy boys sign it. I knew I gave them the idea but  I didnt really expect them to do it. AND it was wrapped up. Other than presents though, the class itself was very interesting because we had the girls basketball team come in to play against my students. Some of them were very motivated and loved the challenge, while others didn't. We played a few other rounds of half court games after the team left. At the end of class I gave a thank you to everyone, we took a class picture for my own memories and gave a few hugs as well. It was a bit sad, they truly were a great class.

During morning tea there was a faculty meeting with yummy food and boring announcements. The principal also called us up for a thank you and Donna gave us each a little present. We were decked out in Mountain Creek clothes and Cameron and Kim were decked out in Cortland. It was a good laugh and thankfully didnt get emotional. 

Year 12 class was NOT as good as yesterday. They of course just wanted to play dodgeball but it wasn't an option seeing as another class already took the foam balls. They were really bad at basketball today as well and only about half of them played. We ended early because they are just flat out lazy and said our goodbyes. Although ive had some really bad lessons with them, there were some great ones as well and I probably learned the most from trying to get a handle on these kids. Donna even made a comment during her morning tea speech to us about me getting a handle on the year 12 rec kids because no one can. I guess it made me realize that it really isnt just me and she observed my lesson with them and was impressed so ive been doing something right!

Last class of the last day, really relaxed because the students are teaching each other their games. They are fully in charge of what is going on while we just supervise so Cameron and I got to talk a bit more about keeping in touch and such.

Finally it was lunch time and Stratty was hosting a lunch for Bribie..more free food. Didnt even have to bring food on my last day!

And the bitter sweet goodbyes that were a lot more emotional then I expected. We were joking around the other day about how I would be taking care of Beka because shell be crying but Ill admit, I cried at the last second. We said goodbye to Kim and Cameron in the sub school and quickly felt the need to get out because we were both crying. I know we will keep in touch but I couldn't have asked for a better host teacher and sub school. Everyone was amazing and I would do it all over again, maybe in a few years if im unemployed! I saw a lot of kids walking towards the buses and they all were just screaming "bye miss have a safe flight" or "bye miss thank you for teaching." It really makes me reflect on everything and excited to be a teacher. Those comments just give you that reminder of why your a teacher and they make you smile. Wouldn't change the last 3 month for anything!

September 6th

Second to last day of teaching and it is starting to hit me a little bit.

Thursday mornings are usually laid back with a spare and a class that combines with two other classes. One of the other teachers during that session is a female that i've gotten close with and it was sad to talk about the last classes and when i'm flying out.

The afternoon went really well with my 12th graders and sex ed class. I decided that honestly, i wasnt going to pull teeth the last week im here with my 12 year class. I gave them a choice day and because it is starting to get really hot, they wanted to play basketball inside. I was actually astonished by how much effort they put into the games. We played half court 3-4 on each teach and rotated after every point with the winner staying on. They did this non stop fr a solid 40 minutes. They also wanted to play dodgeball and were begging to, so after their drink break we switched. It ended up being Australians vs. Italians/Germans/ Americans. Everyone was really into and although I was really concerned about the teams, no one really cared or did it on purpose. They just surrounded themselves with the friends they are most comfortable with. They sweated more during basketball and dodgeball then ever before.

Last session we played football. I had three teams and rotated after about 6-8 minutes. These students didn't fully understand the game as much as the 12 years did but they still played and tried.

After school I walked over to the primary school because I was invited into a year 6 classroom. One of my other colleagues, Tyler, does an art project each week with his students and this week it had to do with the Jewish religion. He came to me asking if I would want to come in and talk about my family traditions, chanukah and specifically what we used a dreidel for because that was what the students were making. It was so different being in a class like this but it was also a lot of fun to talk about my life and the students asked a bunch of questions.

One more day to go :(

September 5th

Day two of the QCS test and another day of doing...nothing. Cameron got placed to do supervision on the test during 2nd and 3rd session. We had our first session class doing dance and practicing with their groups.

Second session I go with Mr.Finley but since the student center is being used, we went into the classroom. They have a project to do but towards the end of the class we all started to just chat about New York and different things like the money and 24/7 open shops.

Last session I brought in the tub of Fluff that I still had for the rugby boys. They enjoyed and devoured the entire thing. It got a little messy but as long as the mess was on themselves and not in the shed of on anyone else, it was fine.

Did the final evaluation with Donna and Cameron today after school. It went well and I couldn't have asked for a better placement. We reflected a lot on the different lessons and classes I instructed and I now know how I am as a teacher better than Ive ever known before.

September 4th

Today was the first day of QCS testing. This is similar to the SAT test but is extended over two days and a lot of students won’t take it. Since they are taking it in the student center, none of the P.E. classes were able to use the space.

During the QCS, teachers are scheduled to supervise in the student center and other teachers who have spares or year 12 classes, will cover those classes. It is a really strange way of doing things in my mind but I got two spares out of it.

Second session was the only class that we had, since rugby I don’t do anything. This class is awesome though and tries so hard in the gym. Josh had them doing the “dirty 30” where that had to do 30 of each exercise. The students did box jumps, sit ups, push-ups, kettle swings and a few other ones. They got timed but each student went at their own pace. Once they were done, they recorded their time. They also did this training for 20 seconds and rest for 5. Eight rounds of this and doing squats tired the students out, but they earned a long break.

Three more days of teaching but hopefully one of my classes will teach ME rugby for our last lesson.

September 3rd

Last Monday at Mountain Creek State High School and it was just like every other Monday!

First session was the same as always except this time because they really weren't doing anything or putting effort in, Josh kicked them out. We waited outside until the bell rang.

The sociology class is done with the assignment so they went to the dance room to practice their routines and did...Nothing. Did not use the extra time wisely and i know they need practice.

The rest of the day was just as entertaining as the morning.

At least I can always count on my sub school to keep me entertained and laughing. Morning tea and lunch are always a high light of my Mondays and Tuesdays

August 31st

Today was a great day! My friend Jess came to observe me for her swap day and she instantly noticed a huge difference. Once we got to the sub school, she said that the environment was totally different, very welcoming and friendly and chatty. She was a bit jealous of what I was spoiled with. Ill agree, I was very spoiled with this placement and the great people in our sub school. Everyone talks to each other and today we had a morning tea meeting, so there was great food too.

First session was basketball but since Mr. Finley was still relating things back to psychology, Jess and I got involved with the games. He did a meditation/relaxation lesson today to see how the students played after basically falling asleep to calm music. He also did the “don’t give a crap” lesson where he was just hanging around until a student finally said something.

Second session was a spare but we went to go watch Beka’s class do their dress rehearsal for aerobics. They were really good and definitely stepped up their game to get those A’s on their report cards.

Third session I was so stressed out about and nervous for because Donna was coming to observe and these kids have been giving me a very hard time. But…they were awesome! We just played half field games of flag football with 3 times, one sitting out and rotating. They understood my modified version of the game and were asking a lot of questions of how it compared to NFL.  They played for a full 60 minutes and with 15 minutes left we went to a full game of just two teams so that everyone can get on the field. It was just great and I don’t know if was my “threat” before class or because they were playing a game. I told them before class that if anyone acts up and I have to ask them to be quiet, well go straight to the classroom. I was so happy with how well this went and I feel like I am actually on good terms again with the students even though I enforced strict rules. I had to sit one student out for a while for goofing off. Keeping my fingers crossed that next week goes just as well!

August 30th

Today I went to the Currimundi Special school and was involved in the pool program all day. It was a great experience! I was with Sarah and Christin, who were both super nice and got me involved right away. The students were very welcoming and open to working with me in the pool. The teachers that came in were also very welcoming and loved that they didn’t have to get in the pool today since I was there.

I met and interacted with students of all different disabilities and level of pool skills. Many of them did more of a rehab program with walking and steps. They use weights on their ankles to make their legs straighten out more or just to make it harder. Many kids were also learning strokes and swimming laps. A group of boys with autism were all working on strokes and diving but are all on different levels so we split up into groups.

Although I was VERY pruny from the 35 degree celcius water, I had a great time!