Thankful for Teaching

Hello everyone!

So I know it has been a long time since my last post but as with everyone else back in the states I have been celebrating Thanksgiving and as everyone knows during the holidays time seems to fly by faster than usual.  But here is what has been happening in the wonderful land of New Zealand...

Like I said before Thanksgiving has been the topic of focus for the past week, not only on my mind as I think about my family and not being with them on the holiday, but it has also been the topic of a couple days of lesson plans in my classroom.  Trying to explain Thanksgiving to a group of students who have not grown up with the idea of a formalized day to set aside time to think about what you are thankful for was an interesting challenge to explain.  (Also if anyone can come up with a easy way to explain what a cornucopia is and why it's a symbol for Thanksgiving let me know because all I was able to come with was that it is a thing filled with all the fruits and vegetables from harvest to show everything we are thankful for and people use them as a center piece.  Anyways...) As I was saying I spent some time this week explaing the customs and traditions of my family in relation to Thanksgiving and then challenged the students to take some time to think about what they are thankful for.  Although this took the form of a simple art project where students were asked to color, cut and assemble a paper turkey with each feather displaying one thing they are thankful for, the answers they came up with were far from simple and quite moving.

Of course many students put down the traditional "home," "family," "friends," and "pets" that have so often become the cliché responses to the timeless question of "what are you thankful for," there were a few students' responses that not only surprised me but made be begin to think that perhaps these students even at their young age may be more mindful and thoughtful than many of us are at twice there age.  The responses that surprised me the most were from those students who all too often in class seem to be the ones who cause the most trouble, speak out of turn, are too rough with their classmates, or challenge the teacher to explore and experiment with a wide variety of classroom management techniques and as a result, sadly often become the students who are seen if not at the bottom of the class surly towards the lower regions on the class expectation ladder.  However, it is preciously these students who through their thoughtful responses that reminded me that every student is a complex personality and in order to best reach those "challenging" students you must continue to hold high expectations for them.  Although I would love to display the work of all my students I have chosed a few of the more poignant ones to showcase.  As you read them keep in mind that these are not from college students, professors, or even adults but from 9, 10, and 11 year olds who were simply asked to think about what they were thankful for this year....

I am thankful for...

• "that I have such a cool culture" 
• "that my mom cooks me dinner every night"
• "that I am alive"
• "that my mom is alive"
• "that my dad is alive"
• "that God made me"
• "that I have not lost anyone I love"  (I later found out that this student experienced the death of a parent the year before)

So in the hustle and bustle that usually consumes this pre-Christmas season, may we all take time to stop, think, and really appreciate even the smallest things in our lives because as said by the students we should all be thankful that at least "I am alive."  

Once again, as has happen so often in this experience I started out teaching a lesson thinking that I would be the one imparting knowledge onto my students and it turns out that they were the ones really teaching me.  Teaching me what it truly means to be thankful.  It's not the giant dinner, the football games, the parades, and the sales that fill the stores the days surrounding Thanksgiving.  It is simply what the holiday is called "thanksgiving," taking time to simply give thanks.  No matter what form that may take, we all have so much (me especially) to be thankful for and simply taking the time amid the crazy commotion that fills the holiday season, the greatest lesson we could all learn.  

So to once again continue with the WALT (we are learning to) of the week:

Short and simple...

WALT give thanks.


May God bless you and all those you love in this holiday season and may we all be truly thankful for the many blessings in our lives.

Pictures of Geocaching

Hello,

So I forgot to include the link to the class blog that has been updated with pictures from our geocaching experience.  This website was created by the class last term and a couple of students are in charge of writing new blog posts.  Check out the pictures!

http://swansonroom10.weebly.com/room-10--swansons-blog.html

Geocaching!!

So this was a VERY busy week at school.  I have started teaching my communication lessons, writing paragraphs, and the best part of the week I taught my students how to geocache!!

It was SO much fun.  For those of you who don't know, geocaching is like treasure hunting with a GPS unit.  There are "caches" hidden all over the world and you enter their coordinates into the GPS.  Then you set off to find them.  I taught my students how to use the GPS and then sent them on a 6 cache mission that I had set up around the school.  At each cache they found a slip of paper with a word on it.  When they were all compete the words spelt out "How does geocaching relate to communication?"  Not only were they SUPER motivated and excited to do the geocaching they also had a lot of great reflections on how it relates to communication, including pointing out a lot of team working strategies and skills they used.  It was one of the those great, what I like to call, "teacher moments" (a time when you think to yourself "yep this is why I want to be a teacher.)  I finished up the geocaching fun by finding five geocaches today with my host family.  At the first one I placed our class trackable who will hopefully be making his way to Paris cache by cache.

With everything going on it's hard to believe that we've reached the half way point in our experience here.  Part of me feels like I just got here and part of me feels like I have been here forever.  It has already been a challenging experience.  Some days have been harder than others but they have all been beneficial in one way or another.  The coming weeks are sure to prove to be even more challenging but hopefully just as rewarding.  

Busy, busy, busy...

Hello All!

So I haven't written on here in awhile but that is because there has been SO much happening.  I'm beginning to do almost full control in the classroom this week.  So that means I have been putting a lot of time into preparing and creating lessons.  I'm really excited for the inquiry subject I will begin teaching this week on communication.  It will run throughout the rest of my time here.  As part of this unit I will be teaching the students about geocaching and actually setting up a geocaching route around the school.  I hope this all goes well and I know the students are really going to enjoy getting out and using some new technology.

I am also about to start teaching how to write paragraphs.    To do this I have decided to incorporate the subject of communication by organizing a monster exchange with the kindergarten class back at Sunnyside that I was teaching before coming here.  A monster exchange is when one class (my New Zealand one) draws a monster and then uses words to describe that monster (hence how I'm going to use it to teach how to write a paragraph).  Then you send the words describing the monster to another school/class (the Sunnyside kindergarten class).  That class then redraws the monster using only the clues they get from the words and then sends the redrawn monster back to the original class to compare.   I haven't attempted it yet but I am going to introduce the concept tomorrow.

So that's school, I'm settling in, loving my kids and learning a lot.  But with a lot of hard work during the week comes the chance to have some fun on the weekend and that's what I did this weekend.

This weekend all three of us girls went to Rotorua.  There we explored the Redwoods forest, did some shopping and my favorite had a cultural experience night to learn more about the Maori culture.  It was wonderful.  We got a great meal, learned about their customs, clothing, weapons, dances and how they keep their culture, language, and heritage in the ever changing "modern" world.  But wait the weekend doesn't end there because I left out the first thing we did on our Rotorua weekend...

BUNGY JUMP!! That's right, I paid someone to strap a giant rubber band to my feet and then jumped off a perfectly good platform 47 meters over a river.  To say it was a rush and a trill would be an understatement but I'm not really quite sure how else to describe it.  Well that's it for now I need to get back to planing lessons for the next couple of weeks...

Beth becomes the student when her computer decides to die...

Hello,

So first of all I'm sorry it has been so long since my last post but I promise there is a good reason.  Well, not really a "good" reason but a reason non the less.  hmmm.... where to start?

How about this my computer decided that New Zealand would be a good place to call it's final resting place, well my hard drive to be exact.  Perhaps it had a bucket list with "visit New Zealand" as it's final goal that I didn't know about or perhaps it just fell so in love with the beauty of nature here that it decided to stay, or maybe it just wanted to see how stressed out it could make me.  Whatever the reason about 4 days ago the hard drive in my computer decided it had had enough and died on me.  Now to say that I was devastated, stressed, freaking out would all be good descriptions of my thoughts an actions for the past few days.  I know it seems over dramatic now but it felt as though a dear friend of mine had surprisingly died.  Okay maybe not that dramatic when you consider that my computer had all my pictures, music, lesson plans, programs, pretty much my entire last four years of life stored on it and in a blink of an eye it was suddenly gone.  So yes losing Nitro (or Mike) as I affectionally call my computer was like losing a friend.

I never appreciated how dependent I was on technology until it was suddenly taken from me.  My mind went into extreme overload as losing a computer is hard enough but to add on top of it that I am thousands of miles away from all my backups and installation disks.  So yes the good news is that I backed everything up before I left and I am hoping to be able to just pull it off once I get back home and put it on my new hard drive.  But the bad part is that I will not only not have access to any of my files but I am also now running pretty limited software as I cannot load iLife, Microsoft Office, or my Adobe programs without the disks that are safely sitting in my safe back at school.  However, every situation that presents itself also presents lessons to learn from it and this one is no other (although I think there most likely is another way to learn these lessons without the trauma of losing a hard drive.)  So in keeping with what I started last week with incorporating an education practice that I have picked up here in New Zealand this week was filled with WALTs (We Are Learning To...)

WALTs of the Week

(1) WALT cope with a stressful situation miles away from all you know while also continuing to teach.

My hard drive officially crashed on Thursday night so of course I had to go to school on Friday with the uncertainty that I may not have a computer while I was here.  Although I felt like crying and I initially didn't want to go to school and I just wanted to figure out my next step I knew that was not an option.  When I graduate St. Norbert and become a teacher with a class of my own there are bond to be days that something comes up, I'm stressed about something, or I actually do have a traumatic event happen yet as a professional I know that I cannot simply pack in everything and give up.  This experience has allowed me to practice the delicate balance of recognizing that I may not be 100% and things may be happening but also that I need to focus on what the task is at hand, fulfill my responsibilities, and not let my personal struggles affect how I am able to teach my students.


(2) WALT recognize and appreciate the great people that are around you.

All too often it is easy to take for granted those people who are in your lives who are truly amazing and it isn't until you need help and they step up above and beyond what you expect that you truly realize how lucky you are.  This experience has made me realize that with the number of people who have come to my aide that I am truly blessed.  My mom and dad were there willing to help when I called them at about  midnight or 1am there time when I realized what had happened.  Katie and Kristin my fellow new Kiwi's allowed me to borrow and use there computers and charge my iPod.  My host mom for allowing me to use her computer and drive me to pick up my newly fixed computer made the few days I was going through Mac withdrawal easier.  My fellow TA Ben Skifton was thankfully online at a ridiculous hour and provided a lot of technical support, computer advice, and general reassurance when I really needed it.  And of course as with everything technical that happens with the education department Krissy Lukens was the savior of the day with all her advice, running around helping me find Apple support, and words of encouragement. And finally my amazing boyfriend Brent, was not only there to listen to me vent and worry but also was always ready with wonderful words of encouragement and technical help to get me up and running again.  Wow that kind of sounded like a Oscars acceptance speech but I guess what I'm really trying to say is THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!! I am so truly blessed!!!

and finally....


(3) WALT find the good in the bad.
This whole thing has made me realize that not everything is going to turn out all happy and perfect.  Life presents challenges, some are big some a small, some seem big at the time but then turn our small later, or seem small at the time and turn out big but in general if you allow them any challenge can just make you a stronger person.  Looking back I have a feeling that this is going to be one of those challenges that at the time seems really big but as I get more removed from the situation it won't seem as bad.  However, I have already learned so much.  Like the fact that I was so devastated about  the loss of an object is not good.  Life isn't about stuff it's about the people around you, the moments you share, and the difference you can make in the lives of others.  There are so many people who have never even touched a computer much less have one of there own that they can bring with them.  I should be more mindful of what I do have and not get so caught up in the material possessions I may or may not have.  Additionally, in our rapid, fast paced, instant, on demand world, being forced to remove yourself form not constantly having what you need at your finger tips makes you really stop and consider what your priorities are.  I was forced to stop and really think... "okay do I really need to be on facebook that much?" "do I really need to do that on a computer or is there another maybe even better way of doing it?"  or "how do I best/most efficiently convey a message to someone when they are not a simple text, email, or call away?"  This experience has allowed me to see that faster isn't always better, more connected doesn't always improve relationships, and there are other things to do with your time then watching youtube videos (there's this thing called are you ready for this?.... a book!)


Don't get me wrong I LOVE technology, using it, teaching it, incorporating it into lessons, and I'm REALLY glad that I have a computer back but this experience has taught me so much more than just how to cope with being "offline."  It has opened my eyes to just how truly, in SO many ways, I am blessed beyond belief.  So yes I understand I am only able to say this now that I have my computer back but still, in the grand scheme of things this might just be one of those experiences that challenged me enough that I could learn a lot.

So yep... that's my LONG story and some of you are probably thinking "wow someone is a drama queen it's just a computer" but you know what... You are right.  I realize that now... it was just a computer but the lessons I learned from it were SO much more!

Greetings from New Zealand!

My first couple of days here in New Zealand have been very busy to say the least.  After arriving at the airport and meeting my wonderful host family, we rushed off to a rugby game.  It was quite an interesting experience.  After that we came back home and then were off again to go visit Kristin and Katie at their home, happily just down the street from mine.  While there, there host mom took me to have a tour of the school, Swanson Primary, that I will be teaching at for the next 8 weeks.  After that it was finally time to settle in and unpack my suitcase.  So all in all it was a very busy first day. 

My first day at school was a short day because the teachers had a union meeting so it was a nice easy way to transition.  However, despite the shortened day I am still feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything, although I have a feeling the jet lag might be adding to that feeling.  I am confident that everything will get better once I settle into a routine.  My class contains 29 students ages 9-11 about.  It is there year 5/6 which is about our grades 4 and 5.  They are all very independent workers and most of the instruction is done in small groups.  There are groups for reading, math, and spelling just to name a few and within these groups the material is adjusted to fit the needs of the students.  This is a very beneficial system for the students because it is able to meet the needs of each individual student however, it is going to take some getting used to and some time to figure out and keep everything straight.  Today I was also introduced to a “WALT”  this stands for “We Are Learning To.”  For every lesson the teacher writes the “WALT” on the board so that the students know what to expect from the lesson.

As the week has gone on I have settled more and more into the routine and the structure of the classroom.  I have learned all the names of the students and I have already taken over doing the morning role call.  I’m still a little nervous but I have an amazing teacher to work with who is SO supportive, helpful, encouraging and patient.  I have really lucked out with both my US placement and NZ placement to be parried up with two extremely wonderful people.  All the kids are nice, and like to ask about the United States.  I wish I could have answered “yes” to the question of have I ever met any famous Americans but oh well.  All the other teachers are really supportive and friendly also.  Although I still have some nerves I can’t wait to see what comes out of this experience I know I will learn A LOT!

 So in the spirit of learning I have decided to write a WALT (We are learning to) for each week.  So here is the WALT for this week:

WALT understand New Zealand lingo.  (We are learning to understand New Zealand lingo.)

            Tomato Sauce= Catsup

            Star Jump= Jumping Jack

Why I want to go to New Zealand...

Prior to starting out on an adventure such as this so many ideas, thoughts, and feelings run through your mind.  But in order to gain the most from this experience it is important to actually think about why I'm going to New Zealand for two months.  First of all with the influence of the internet and other advances in technology the world is growing into a ever closer global community as each day passes.  No longer is it easy or even relevant to posses a "us and them" attitude as we are all ever more increasingly interdependent on one another.  Being able to not only visit a country but also live and work there for an extended period of time will provide me with an amazing opportunity to not only experience new things but continue to learn from cultures other than my own and in so doing so give me the tools and knowledge to come back and share that newly gained knowledge with others, in my own small way adding to the global community through bridging divides using knowledge.  Additionally, as a pre-service teacher my goal is to equip myself with the best possible tools and information so as to better serve my future students.  Given New Zealand's explicable track record in the area of education I feel as though I have a lot I can learn from them about best practices within the classroom.  Furthermore, on a more personal level I embark on this experience to challenge myself, no matter what form that takes.  Whether that is trying new foods, new sports, new ways of thinking, stepping out of my comfort zone or through this experience taking time to examine who I am both as a person and as a future teacher, I firmly believe when you push yourself to do something new or different than you are used to great lessons can be learned and gained.  I look forward to the growth and of course fun that I am sure will come out of this grand experience.