Almost There!!!!

What a week! I spent all week trying to write down things that I needed to blog! Hopefully this blog doesn't get too long. I spent my week doing my in school placement at Ultimo Public School. So this blog will be all about my comparing this school to schools I have worked in back home. So, if that does not interest you maybe stop while you are ahead. haha.

First I want to say that I had a wonderful week. The teachers were all soo lovely to me. The class I was in are crazy kids but it was fun! Most of the kids in the school are from China and they actually have a Chinese Language Class. The teacher that I worked with was also the Assistant Principal of the school. That works to an advantage later on. Let me tell you some things about the school. If you have any other questions about schooling here feel free to ask.

Math does not seem to be as important here as it is back home. Different reading/writing programs take up most of the time and then they get about as much math as they do language and Fitness. Their days are also split up a little differently. Their day starts at 9:00 and lunch time starts at 11:15 with recess beginning at 11:30 and finishing at 12:20. They then have a second recess at 1:30 and that goes until 2. After recess they have one hour of class and then its home time at 3:00. Teachers all take turns doing Recess duties and they do not get paid for it. But teachers also get paid a lot better here than they do back home.

One thing I noticed on the schedule that caught my eye was scripture and non-scripture on thursdays right before lunch time. A few churches in the area come to the school and teach scripture for half an hour to students whose parents want them in scripture. The rest of the students go to the hall (an equivelent to a small gym) and sing folk songs. I found this very interesting as we are not even allowed to have Christmas Concerts anymore. Jim, the teacher I was with for the week, told me that the churches in the community offer to go to the schools once a week and they are allowed in the school if the community wants it. Students are also not allowed to skip scripture time for band practice and other stuff like that. In other schools they will have scripture reading for different religions too. This one was just Catholic and Anglican. But the Jewish communities will have Jewish Scripture and usually Christian.

My first day we got together and planned out what I would be teaching.....and what do I usually get stuck teaching when doing some kind of placement in schools.....MATH! One of the lessons I had to teach was on the Seasons. As you know, they have opposite seasons as us. So I had to remember that when adding the months in. To me its summer and spring all year round here. haha. I got some pictures of kids playing in the snow back home and put it into a powerpoint for them to see. They loved it. I was actually shocked at how much they had already known about Canada. Some of the parents told me that their child had come home saying they wanted to go to Canada to see snow they day after I had shown them the pictures. haha.

All went well and I passed the placement. The staff all go out for drinks after work on Friday. I was invited so I decided it would be a good idea for getting my foot in the door. Oh, I should mention, 3 of the teachers there got their jobs after doing the same program as I did...at that school. So the teachers of the school cannot wait for me to get my interview over and done with next wednesday so that they can start calling me up. Anyways, last night I went out for drinks and supper with them and got to know them all pretty well. They are a wonderful bunch. They all left saying to me see you in a week or so. Ah, schools here all have their own casuals. So when looking for jobs you apply to the schools. So, I have a school that will be calling me in for casual work whenever I can. The school is also a k-6 school. So I can teach for all of the teachers. There was a casual teacher who was working all week in the school while I was there. She sounds like a regular there.

Some more things I found interesting....Homework is actually apart of the curriculum. Teachers don't assign homework from different classes. Students have workbooks and are given worksheets at the beginning of the week to have done for the end of the week. This is something that parents in New South Wales want....to have a visual of how their students are doing. This is even in kindergarten. Also, they have a Child Protection and safety unit. I think it is sometimes seen like health is seen back home....a class that can be skipped to catch up in math or english...but a teacher mentioned at the staff meeting..." a student won't die if they dont have enough math but they could die from not having health and safety." So after I heard that comment we had a Child Protection and safety class. I was SHOCKED at what was learned in this class....We watched a video about a boy being raped by his uncle. You didn't seen inappropriate things but you knew what was going on and the dialogue in the video...It was mainly to teach students how to get out of a situation if it ever happens to them. I could not believe they were teaching this in a year 2 class. I asked Jim about that and he said it used to be optional and parents could pull their kids from the class but its now a manditory class. I guess some students go through that kind of stuff as young as that. Just crazy how young students have to hear that kind of dialogue if they are sheltered from it.

That is all the main stuff that I can think of at the moment. I have never felt so welcomed in a school before. Even when I was at my internship, the teachers were all very nice and friendly but it was nothing like here. On my second last day I had a teacher come up to me, that I had only said hi to all week, and started asking me about my time in Australia and told me not to get too carried up in teaching because I should enjoy my time in Australia. She then told me if I ever needed any advice teaching or not that I could email her. I thought that was so sweet but it was a common thing that was told to me by all the teachers in the school.


Okay...pretty long! I will also put up some pictures for everyone from City to Surf as well as the school!