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!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
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 :(
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 :(
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, September 3, 2012
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.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
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
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
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