July 19th

I love having the first session off on Thursday because it’s a really good group of teachers who have off. We joke around a lot of talk about random things while doing some work. I look forward to these mornings because I know ill start off in a good mood.

Second session we finished the movie Honey that we started last week since we still cant use the ovals and all the inside areas are filled up during this session.

During our morning tea break Cameron had playground duty, which just means he has to go around making sure there are no fights and that kids are picking up their rubbish. Some of the kids make a huge mess and because they are just sitting on the concrete pathways and on stairs, there is trash everywhere. Times like these though Cameron and I get to talk about a bunch of different things and we get to know each other a lot more.

Session three I had my binge drinking class but for prac, not lecture. We took them to the empty parking lot, which they call a car park. Cameron told me that he is going to experiment teaching European Handball and I told him I used to play it during my P.E. classes, so he pretty much told me to teach it. I wasn’t prepared with anything but I was pretty confident that I could whip something up on the spot, especially with this class. I started off with a keep away drill playing 3v3  in coned off areas. We started off with just not moving while having the ball. To add a challenge I told them they can’t pass it back to the person they received from and then to make it harder we kept score with 10 consecutive passes equals one point. They had a pretty hard time with this but I was very happy about how much these 12^th graders were running around and really into the game. They’ve been begging to play speedball so I didn’t know how well this would go. After this exercise we pretty but did the same thing but split up into 2 teams and 4 quadrants. This time they can pass to a teammate in another quadrant but still couldn’t leave their own or move with the ball. Cameron jumped in on the game and I was the referee. I had my whistle and used it a lot because the boys like playing with contact, they are used to rugby but this is certainly not rugby. After this exercise we actually played full court games and I taught them about the 3-step rule and the shooting rules. We had 3 teams and each team played each other. I was very happy with everything we did and we actually ended up loosing track of time because the students were enjoying themselves so much and got really into the game. I was also the ref for all the games and it made me have more power in the class and be an authority figure. They 100% completely respected all my calls and I am used to being a ref since I did it at home for soccer. This session made me feel great about teaching and really gave me a glimpse into my future!

Lucky for me, we did the same thing for our next session! Not the exact same thing because this time we combined with another class and had about 40 students. We separated the lot into 3 sections and did the same exercise as the first one but these students just weren’t into it as much. They were year 8 and 9 and there were a lot more girls who didn’t have shorts and aren’t into getting sweaty. Instead of a real game at the end, we kept the 3 sections and played a modified version. Each team had their goalie sitting on the opposing teams curb and they would have to get 4 passes and then pass to their goalie to get a point. It worked well considering the space and amount of students. I split the teaching with Cameron and explained the first exercise while he explained the second because he just read about it. It was a little hard to get a few of them into the game but it worked out.

Today was the first day I started teaching outside and it was amazing! I was in my element and I knew exactly how to handle the class and what to say through out the session.

July 18th

This rain is getting a little out of control and causing a lot of crowded situations in the gymnasium for P.E. teachers. The first session we had four classes, about 70 students all in one area. All the teachers decided to set up fitness tests including sit-ups, sit and reach, push ups, agility, sprint, broad jump and the pacer test. It got everyone moving for majority of the time, which is the biggest concern when dealing with that many students in a small space.

I taught basketball the next class to Beka’s host teacher’s class and another class. I started with the 3 man weave just as a warm up because they are 12^th graders and I was told they would want to get into a game as soon as possible. They learned it pretty quick and I changed up the style of pass from bounce to chest. Once another class came in to use the other side of the gymnasium, I used the 3 hoops for 3 stations. I started with a big game of knock out and then if they got out, they moved to the station where you dribble and try to knock another persons ball out and once you’re out there, you move to a shooting exercise. The students didn’t know what knock out was so I had to teach them. It was easier once they started to play because knock out is actually a bit difficult to explain. After the stations we played mini games of basketball. I soon realized that these students really don’t know the basics of basketball and that I need to focus on skills next class. I went into the class assuming that 12^th graders would know the basics but I shouldn’t have made those assumptions. There were students double dribbling, traveling, and dribbling with both hands. I was very happy with the way I managed the class and got their attention through out everything. I used a lot of checking for understanding techniques and made sure the students didn’t have equipment in their hands to distract them. I know exactly what I will be doing next class based on what I saw today but it’s a shame that we are only doing each team sport for a week, which is only two classes.

During my free third session, Cameron and I talked about the rest of the week and some of next week. We decided that because this morning’s class will start doing dance with the 2 other classes, Beka and I are going to teach dance together to start. I also planned a skill-focused lesson for Friday’s basketball session.

It wasn’t raining out fourth session but we still couldn’t use the ovals so our rugby class and another teacher’s rugby class went to the empty parking lot and played a version of cricket. It was a bit confusing at first but after a little while I got the hang of it, but still think it is just as boring as baseball.

July 17th

July 17^th

Today was the first morning Beka and I took our bikes to school. We cut the time basically in half and get to wake up later! Woohoo! On day two I take first session off because Cameron has a lecture class with 6 rugby boys that don’t do much and I didn’t enjoy it the first time. I use this period to plan out any lessons ill be doing during the week, so today I finalized my lesson on binge drinking.

Session two is in the gym and like ive mentioned in past posts, im really just a supervisor in there. I did tend to more students today who were struggling with the machines and techniques. The students feel more comfortable asking me questions and unfortunately complaining to me. The girls wear really short shorts and don’t like to do squats or any exercise that might cause their shorts to ride up. A few of the girls complained but I told them it’s their own fault because we warned them not to wear those. I even know a couple of the girl’s names now because of how much they complained.

During morning tea I went to help Cameron and Madonna with the final discus throws from the rained out carnival. A few boys showed up and after measuring a few throws, we picked one that would go onto the all schools competition. Same type of carnival but against other schools in the area.

Another dodgeball game today. Usually this is Cameron’s rugby class that I don’t do much in because all the boys play on the team and they know “heaps” more than me. Since the ovals were closed today, we went into the gym and had year 10 vs. year 11 games. It did get a bit rough in my opinion and these boys are old enough to be able to really hurt someone with a throw. At one point a kid kicked the ball and it slammed into one kids stomach and knocked the wind out of him. From all the other P.E. teachers’ reactions, it seemed okay, but this would never fly in New York. At the end of this session a rugby player actually came up to the 2 teachers and I and said his shoulder dislocated. After talking to him, I found out that this is the 7^th or 8^th time it’s happened this year and that he is looking to get surgery on it but he’s not supposed to be playing anything. The procedures for an injury in school here is a bit different than at home. There is no school nurse to report to so the students just go to the main office and if its something that they can’t help, they call an ambulance. In the states I think most school nurses would call an ambulance for something they can’t do much for also but they generally help most students. There is no one certified here to help the students so if they feel sick or hurt themselves, they go to the main office to call their parents.

After checking up on that student at the office, it was time for my binge-drinking lesson. This class all of sudden had about 6 new international students so it happened to work out really well that I was reviewing a lot of what we learned already. Also, since I know many students didn’t take notes at all, today they had to take notes especially if they want to pass the final exam. I think my lesson actually went very well for my first ever lecture. I feel very comfortable in front of this group of students though and I know they will discuss the topic and actually ask good questions. I was surprised I wasn’t nervous and was ready to go. It was a bit of a dry lesson because it was really just review and note taking but next lesson I think I will plan an activity or game. Cameron did chime in a few times during the lesson just because he had something to add and I am not used to teaching this stuff. It’s a pretty casual atmosphere in the classroom also so whenever we both have something to add, we do. There are a few different terms used in this subject of drinking so I am learning as I research as well.

Yesterday afternoon I attended my first school rugby game. Apparently it was not such a good game and was very slow paced but I learned a lot and saw a few good tackles. At one point the kangaroos were on the field where they were playing which was very funny to me. A lot of the rugby boys thought my reaction was funny and continued to hold it against me as a joke. I was talking to a few of the players when they were on the bench and got o know them a little bit. I figure I should gain their respect and be able to converse with them since they are in my classes. It was really cold out by the middle of the game but it was a good time.

And the last comment for tonight even though this post is pretty long already, we had a staff meeting from 4-6:15 that was pretty fun actually. It was a professional development session that gave us more ways to teach and a lot of it we had already learned at Cortland but it’s new to the staff here. It was about checking for understanding and asking questions! Go figure! A few different activities to get the students involved more and we got to experience these. This wasn’t only a time to learn about teaching but to learn about my colleagues and to interact with them. Once again I felt like an equal and that I have been there for a while. They truly are the most welcoming group of teachers ive worked with so far.

July 16th

Really cold this morning but it turned into some beautiful sunny weather finally!

The first class in the weight room was a lot more active today than the last time we met. The guy Josh who owns the gym though usually runs this session but its pretty basic. A lot of rotating on machines with partners and trying out all the exercises they were taught last class. We all noticed that during the warm up though that the students really don’t know how to do squats, so josh had to re teach them. Josh had the clock running to beep when the students should switch partners and stations. I saw a few students struggling with machines and I would help them. I think that is my position during this session, to supervise and help.

We went to the health heroes’ exhibition during the second and third session at Maroochydore High School. Mine and Beka’s roommate Nate is placed there but we didn’t get to see him. There were about 15 booths set up with different health occupations with in hospitals, schools, or private practices. I took home a ton of brochures with loads of information for my sex ed and binge drinking classes.

Once we got back it was time for session 4, which is my sex ed class. We discussed the topic of teen pregnancy today and looked at a lot of stats comparing different countries. This class is one of those classes that you need to re-focus every so often. They get very talkative and giggly about certain topics but when I am stern with them, they get quiet. I know who the leaders of the group are, so I will be proactive before I teach instead of waiting for them to act out.

First week is over...

Friday! Fridays are always fun but a little more difficult because kids are just as ready for the weekend as the teachers are. It rained again so not everything went as planned…again.

First session I went with Beka’s host teacher Kim because they are doing team sports this term and Cameron is doing Aerobics. This switch is only on Friday’s but it works out well because Beka is already doing Aerobics with two of her other classes and she really enjoys that aspect of Physed. I much rather do different team sports and we will be doing a bunch of American sports this term. Since it was raining though, we played a form of dodgeball with another class that has P.E. also. The other teacher called it medics and it had all regular dodgeball rules, but when someone gets hit, they go to centerline and lay down on their stomach facing their team. There are designated medics that need to go and “save” them by picking them up to their feet. Medics also have a coned off safe zone. It is a good way to keep everyone active instead of students sitting out. When all 3 medics get hit, the game is over. This form of dodgeball has a lot of tactics in it and team planning because they need to protect the medics. Medics can’t touch any ball, throwing or catching, so their teammates need to help them get to the middle and back with out getting hit. I saw one team gain all 5 balls and then the medics had the freedom to save all the players who got out at once with out rushing and running away.

Second session today was free so Cameron gave me all the files on the computer for out lecture classes to put on my usb flash drive. I reviewed all the different work sheets and powerpoints they already have. The P.E. department has almost all their lectures planned out on their system and tells you what to teach each week. I will be going through those and planning some group work because I need to have it last 70 minutes. Right now that is my biggest concern, even though teaching sex ed to immature 14 year olds is pretty nerve racking, im more nervous about only having it last half the time. I will have to get used to this as I go along and Cameron said he is going to help the first few times.

We did another movie in class for third session but it was actually very educational. It’s a series developed by ABC called “Whatever” and each episode is about something else. We watched one on binge drinking and one on adolescent risky behavior. Each one followed 3 students and how they were an adrenaline junkie or alcoholic. It was very real and updated unlike the old boring things I used to watch in middle or high school.

Last session we played a regular game of jailbreak dodgeball, another round of the game Cortland professors hate. When you got out, you went behind the opposing team and had to catch a ball your teammate threw to you. Even though this class was 8^th graders, I noticed that their catching was very poor. I joked around to Cameron that we may have to do a unit on catching.

Beka and I ate lunch with everyone today in Bribie and even though we always do, I feel that today we were both talking a lot more and having regular conversation with a lot of the other teachers. Ive started to joke around with a few of them making fun of either sitting in the same chair all day or making gourmet meals for lunch. I don’t feel like a student teacher at all, It just seems as if I am one of them and it’s a great feeling.

One week down, eight more to go. Weird and a bit sad!    

Day 4- July 12th

First session was a prep session for Cameron and I. Since its been raining, we needed back up plans for inside classes. The library had a few movies related to binge drinking and other health related stuff. The librarian was super nice and welcomed me here mentioning if I ever need to take anything out that I can.

Being inside for physed is pretty bad here because there is only one gym. My class is combined with two other classes during today’s session two, so in total there are 50 students. We watched the movie Honey, not physed or health related. This movie also probably wouldn’t be appropriate in the states to watch during a class period.

Although my 3^rd class was supposed to be outside and starting team sports, we stayed in a continued talking about binge drinking. We did a little true/false quiz that the students were actually surprised by some answers. Got them thinking though about all the myths and false information.

Session four was also inside and the oh so mature sex ed class. Spoke more about relationships and I really feel that the students noticed me more today and were asking me a lot of questions. They do a lot of partner work in the class and ill walk around helping whoever needs help.

After tomorrow I will have met all my classes and students because I actually do have a class that only meets on Fridays. Tomorrow ill also be teaching touch rugby with Beka’s teacher.

I am also feeling a lot more open around the faculty in the sub school. I start off shy but after meeting everyone at the carnival, I feel more comfortable talking to them.

July 11th- Athletic Carnival

Today was the Athletic Carnival, just a massive track meet with all the students’ year 8 to year 12. They had the same events as we would have in New York such as triple jump, long jump, shot put, discus, and a bunch of dashes and relay races. One thing I never saw before was this little turbo javelin. I will try and find a picture and post one below. The carnival took place at the university nearby so Beka’s host teacher picked us up this morning to go. We all were praying for no rain on the ride over. Even though the field was really wet and muddy from the day before, it was a nice morning for the events. We got hit by bad weather trying to finish the senior events but ended up just cancelling and sending them home. The weather was on and off for a while so we tried to get the juniors in a few events. By 12:30 they cancelled everything and sent everyone back to the school. Lucky for Beka and I, we are only in school till 12:55 every day and didn’t have to go back to the school. I was a pretty cold and rainy day but I met and talked to so many people. Mostly everyone knows there are two American students at the school now till September. I also saw a lot of my students and had a few small talks with them. Although the women in charge, Madonna, told Beka and I that we would be helping…there were a lot of teachers there and a bunch of us didn’t have much to do. I helped with a few little things like handing out morning tea and handing out the ribbons to those who came in 1st to 3^rd.

It was a good experience to have with the school because I did become more comfortable around everyone. Tomorrow I think I am jumping in on the teaching and hopefully it will all go okay.

Javelin that was used during the event. I am sure we have these in the states but I have always seen the really long sharp ones.