So strange being here during the “winter” and that the sun has been down for two hours now when at home, it’s summer and the sun wouldn’t be down yet. Crazy!
Today was a very exciting day. I had the great fortune of being able to come into the school that Matt student teaches at! The school isn’t too far by car, but Matt gets there either by bike or by walking. We set off for our walk today at about seven, stopped at a café, then got to his school around eight or so.
I wasn’t totally sure of what I would be in store for today, but I did expect some things that Matt already informed me about. The school that I went to is for children in prep (kindergarten) through year seven. There are a few classes for each grade and the school year as I mentioned earlier, begins in January as opposed to September. Instead of one or two central buildings, this school, like all schools in Australia has many different buildings that are connected by walkways that are only covered on top. There is a main office as well as a nurse’s office and staff room that are also separate. They also have a “tuck shop” which is where they go to order lunch. It felt like just another morning in a U.S. school as we walked into the main office to sign in. Those typical feelings changed when I saw students in uniforms and bucket hats running around outside. It was so exciting! Matt’s year six classroom is in a building that contains a few other year six classrooms and a computer lab/staff area. The classroom was very similar to a classroom you would find in the U.S., with tables of desks, reward charts, as well as a job chart and colorful posters displayed around the room. Exotic birds chirped nearby and beautiful trees swayed outside the windows. Matt and his teacher let me browse through their curriculum guide as well as their learning standards. Some of this reminded me of what we use at home, but it was a lot more direct. Also, there were many great resources and strategies made available in the curriculum guide. As a bell rang throughout the school grounds, the students lined up outside and Matt brought them inside. The teacher conducted a share session about the students’ weekends that was very laid back, humorous, welcoming, and enjoyable. There is another classroom right next to Matt’s that can be shared if they open the slide doors. There is a strong sense of community that I felt in this classroom as well as between the other classrooms. The students then did a great exercise called “Quickmaths” with Matt, then spent some time with “LOTE” (Language Other Than English) in which a specialist came in and taught them Japanese. The students have LOTE a few times a week. At around ten, the students had “morning tea” which consists of a snack and a short recess. I attended a staff meeting in which we were served fresh fruit and pastries. Before going off to “big lunch”, the students worked on math, reading/writing, and spelling activities. This is a little after one o’clock, so after “big lunch”, the rest of the day really flies by. The teacher read aloud a comical story from a collection of short stories for the children, the students did a little more schoolwork, and then they had “assembly”. One class from each grade sat in a semi-indoor auditorium in which students gave important announcements and were presented with special awards. The children also sang the Australian national anthem and sang “Happy Birthday” to a student. I loved this time of the day because many parents came in to watch and it was a great way to end the school day.
Overall, I had a great day at the school. I was able to walk around the classroom while the students worked to help them out. I was surprised at how there is still somewhat of a language barrier even though we speak the same language. There are many different words and expressions used in Australia that I am still not familiar with. There are also many words and expressions we use that the students do not know. However, kids are so similar all over the globe, which I realized when I looked around the room and noticed that the majority of girls had “I <3 JB” (Justin Beiber) written on their pencil holders. It made me really happy to hear the students say my name as I walked in the door today and to hear them say “good afternoon Miss Dixon” as they left. I wish I could spend a lot more time with them!
I am looking forward to returning to the school at the end of this week for “Sports Day” in which the students participate in events such as track and field, tug of war, and many other activities. I do not look forward to having to leave this place in a week, but this has been such an incredible experience and I am treasuring every second of it!!!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Good day from down under!
It is my third day here in Mooloolaba, Australia. Mooloolaba is in the state of Queensland. It is located on the Sunshine Coast. My boyfriend, Matt, is living in a three bedroom apartment at Newport Apartments. It is a beautiful city located right on the coast.
I will be using much of this blog for educational purposes. I am keeping a personal journal of my experiences here in Australia. I will be discussing my experience with a year six classroom.
Yesterday, I was given the wonderful opportunity to meet Matt’s class and teacher. These year six students are from a school about twenty minutes from his apartment. Unlike the U.S., these students begin the school year in January. They go to school all year long and have various vacations. It is currently the winter here in Australia. The students have just come back from their holiday. This week, the students spent three days and two nights at a campground nearby. The students stay with a few other year six classes at the camp site. There are cabins that the students sleep in as well as other buildings and outdoor activities such as high and mid ropes courses, an obstacle course, a “human yoyo”, a radio activity, archery, orienteering, and a talent show called “red faces”. I absolutely love that this school does this for their students. From what I observed yesterday, they had the best time.
When I arrived at the camp with Matt, we met his host teacher and his students. All the students are required to wear wide brimmed hats and apply sunscreen multiple times due to the intensity of the sun. I felt so lucky to be able to meet these children. The activities that I did with the students included a radio activity, the obstacle course, the high ropes, archery, and orienteering. For the radio activity, the students were split into groups of four. Each group received a walkie-talkie radio as well as a map and a handout. The groups gave themselves a name based on the phonetic alphabet. For example, the teacher was “Alpa 1” and my group was “X-Ray”. The students were taught how to properly use the radio. For example, when calling the teacher, the student would say: “Alpha 1, Alpha 1, this is X-Ray, X-Ray, over.” The groups split up to find various numbered landmarks throughout the campsite. There were little squares found on trees and other areas around the camp that had a letter, a number, and a name. Each landmark was worth a certain amount of points. Each time a group found a landmark, they called the teacher and answered a particular question to gain the points for that landmark. For example, for one landmark the students had to figure out what thirteen multiplied by three was. For another site, they had to tell the teacher what animals are on a particular Australian coin. It was so much fun and I had a blast doing this! Orienteering was an activity that familiarized students with how to use a compass and a map. These are just some of the activities that I did with the students.
What I like about the school day in Australia is how they break it up. At around ten o’clock, the students have “morning tea”, similar to our snack time. Then, the students attend a late lunch around one. Midday, the students have “afternoon tea”. Also, since they spent two nights at camp the students were given breakfast, dinner, and supper. Supper included dessert foods.
After spending a day at camp with these loving and delightful students, I look forward to spending a day in their classroom next week!
Today, I took a walk on the beach and visited various shops located just outside the apartments. I cannot believe what a beautiful country Australia is. The people here are so friendly! I already talked to a few people in the last few hours about my visit here. The woman at a souvenir shop I was just at was so excited when I told her I was from New York. She said that she dreams of visiting New York one day. Another shop owner I spoke to went to New York in the 1960's when he was in the navy and he also spent some time there in 2001. I had a wrap and an iced coffee at a place called Emjay's Coffee and I dipped my feet in the cool, blue water. Now I am waiting for Matt to come home and this weekend, we will be visiting Noosa.
I will be using much of this blog for educational purposes. I am keeping a personal journal of my experiences here in Australia. I will be discussing my experience with a year six classroom.
Yesterday, I was given the wonderful opportunity to meet Matt’s class and teacher. These year six students are from a school about twenty minutes from his apartment. Unlike the U.S., these students begin the school year in January. They go to school all year long and have various vacations. It is currently the winter here in Australia. The students have just come back from their holiday. This week, the students spent three days and two nights at a campground nearby. The students stay with a few other year six classes at the camp site. There are cabins that the students sleep in as well as other buildings and outdoor activities such as high and mid ropes courses, an obstacle course, a “human yoyo”, a radio activity, archery, orienteering, and a talent show called “red faces”. I absolutely love that this school does this for their students. From what I observed yesterday, they had the best time.
When I arrived at the camp with Matt, we met his host teacher and his students. All the students are required to wear wide brimmed hats and apply sunscreen multiple times due to the intensity of the sun. I felt so lucky to be able to meet these children. The activities that I did with the students included a radio activity, the obstacle course, the high ropes, archery, and orienteering. For the radio activity, the students were split into groups of four. Each group received a walkie-talkie radio as well as a map and a handout. The groups gave themselves a name based on the phonetic alphabet. For example, the teacher was “Alpa 1” and my group was “X-Ray”. The students were taught how to properly use the radio. For example, when calling the teacher, the student would say: “Alpha 1, Alpha 1, this is X-Ray, X-Ray, over.” The groups split up to find various numbered landmarks throughout the campsite. There were little squares found on trees and other areas around the camp that had a letter, a number, and a name. Each landmark was worth a certain amount of points. Each time a group found a landmark, they called the teacher and answered a particular question to gain the points for that landmark. For example, for one landmark the students had to figure out what thirteen multiplied by three was. For another site, they had to tell the teacher what animals are on a particular Australian coin. It was so much fun and I had a blast doing this! Orienteering was an activity that familiarized students with how to use a compass and a map. These are just some of the activities that I did with the students.
What I like about the school day in Australia is how they break it up. At around ten o’clock, the students have “morning tea”, similar to our snack time. Then, the students attend a late lunch around one. Midday, the students have “afternoon tea”. Also, since they spent two nights at camp the students were given breakfast, dinner, and supper. Supper included dessert foods.
After spending a day at camp with these loving and delightful students, I look forward to spending a day in their classroom next week!
Today, I took a walk on the beach and visited various shops located just outside the apartments. I cannot believe what a beautiful country Australia is. The people here are so friendly! I already talked to a few people in the last few hours about my visit here. The woman at a souvenir shop I was just at was so excited when I told her I was from New York. She said that she dreams of visiting New York one day. Another shop owner I spoke to went to New York in the 1960's when he was in the navy and he also spent some time there in 2001. I had a wrap and an iced coffee at a place called Emjay's Coffee and I dipped my feet in the cool, blue water. Now I am waiting for Matt to come home and this weekend, we will be visiting Noosa.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Tabula Rasa
And so begins my new blog, a blank white page waiting to be written on. For as long as I can remember, writing has been an important outlet for me. I had always been an avid journal-keeper and blogger throughout my childhood and teenage years, until I slowed down throughout college. The four years I spent at SUNY Cortland were busy and beneficial in many ways, mainly involving academics and relationships. As I approach my full time student teaching in the Brentwood School District, I hope to keep a better record of my life on paper (or should I say screen).
In less than a week, I will be taking off on my very first international trip. I will be visiting my boyfriend, Matt, in Australia while he completes part of his full time student teaching which is also through SUNY Cortland. I have been fortunate enough to be invited into his sixth grade classroom by his host teacher and principal. I am beyond excited! In this blog, I hope to keep a record of my experiences down under. I know that the Australian education system differs from our own and I am interested in seeing how they compare and contrast. I hope to learn about many different strategies that I can bring back over to the U.S. I also look forward to hearing about these teaching strategies through my boyfriend.
If I had to explain my emotions at this exact point in time, I'd have a lot to say. I am feeling a lot of excitement, some nervousness, curiosity, and some melancholy as well. Although walking at graduation and locking up the door of my beloved house in Cortland that I shared with an amazing group of friends was tearful, traveling home to Long Island was the start of a new journey. I can't wait to see what life has in store for me and what I can offer.
And so it begins...
In less than a week, I will be taking off on my very first international trip. I will be visiting my boyfriend, Matt, in Australia while he completes part of his full time student teaching which is also through SUNY Cortland. I have been fortunate enough to be invited into his sixth grade classroom by his host teacher and principal. I am beyond excited! In this blog, I hope to keep a record of my experiences down under. I know that the Australian education system differs from our own and I am interested in seeing how they compare and contrast. I hope to learn about many different strategies that I can bring back over to the U.S. I also look forward to hearing about these teaching strategies through my boyfriend.
If I had to explain my emotions at this exact point in time, I'd have a lot to say. I am feeling a lot of excitement, some nervousness, curiosity, and some melancholy as well. Although walking at graduation and locking up the door of my beloved house in Cortland that I shared with an amazing group of friends was tearful, traveling home to Long Island was the start of a new journey. I can't wait to see what life has in store for me and what I can offer.
And so it begins...
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