Professionalism

I am growing as a professional. Everyday at school is new and I am gradually becoming more aware that teachers are some of the most hardworking professionals. Everyday I am surrounded by teachers who dedicate their lives to children, but also to all of the paperwork, planning, conferencing, mediating, sorting, distributing, collaborating, assessing, and grading. My classroom teacher, Jo, and I have had many brief reflections about the complexity of teaching. It is so complex, and at times really overlooked by the community and other professionals. I like the time that Jo and I have just to discuss about the career field that she has been part of for ten years while I am only just entering it. We have similar opinions about the value of education and the roles that teachers play in it.

Right now I would say that my role in the school would be defined as supporter. I am supporting students who are at a really confusing point in their lives. They are changing physically and mentally (and this is the one that is the most complicated). I try to think back to the time when I was 12 years old and what I was thinking, feeling, and also acting like. It is so hard for me to do, but I must try to understand what is going on in their lives and be a compassionate supporter. I also am the students' support for learning. Learning about life is most critical for students this age, but academic knowledge will also get students very far in life. I have found that I can't teach maths, reading, writing, or any academic subject when students are not feeling supported emotionally. Jo and I are focusing on developing the students to be a whole, well-rounded, respectable individuals because that is what they need right now in their lives.

Today, Jo and I had Circle Time with the students. This is a time for the class to speak their mind in a safe area. Lately, students have been not respectful to others. Bullying and immature actions are the main concern at this time. These actions have been brought into the classroom and and have affected me. The students are not showing their full respect to me as a teacher. In circle time we spoke about how I am a teacher and they must respect me just as much as I respect them as students. It was good to talk with students instead of lecturing to students to problem solve what changes need to be make by them and myself. I am looking forward to the last couple weeks of class so our relationships can develop.

The students are working on descriptive writing. I am figuring out how it is best to have students work in leveled writing groups. I am a firm believer in students working in groups and at their own ability level, however as a new teacher I am still figuring out the best way to facilitate group learning. Everyday I try something new, adapt, and then see how it goes. Jo is really good at letting me learn through trying things out and then letting me reflect on it.

Bre and I are off to Sydney, Australia this weekend! We are really excited to visit an NEW country. I can't wait to see the Australia stamp in my passport.

Sunburn and Tsunami

This past weekend was quite interesting. Bre and I took a journey to the Bay of Plenty with the intent to hang out on the beach and enjoy our time in paradise. Well, we did find paradise at the Bay of Plenty. The beach was magnificent- probably the most beautiful places I've ever been. The New Zealand sun made our time a little more painful than we expected. Bre and I both lathered on the sunscreen, however we fell asleep on the beach and woke up looking like lobsters. We definitely learned that the New Zealand sun is enjoyable, but deadly if you don't protect yourself.

Also, while in the Bay of Plenty, I got to experience a tsunami. It sounds dangerous, but it is not as bad as it sounds. Bre and I woke up Sunday morning to tsunami warnings all along the New Zealand coasts. All the beaches were closed and people in certain areas were notified about the warnings and evacuated. We stayed calm and avoided the beach areas, but it is a little scary knowing that a tsunami may come our way. In the end, Bre and I saw no tsunami action, but did survive the small scare. No one in New Zealand died, however some ignorant surfers did think that it was a good idea to catch some tsunami waves. Not a good choice...

School is moving along. I am teaching about bullying and have taken on most of the subject areas for my students in room 12. Everyday is a new challenge. I am still continuing to learn the best classroom management style for this group of kids. My goal is to always stay positive and build on the personal relationships that I have established with each student. This is a lot of work when I have 31 students crammed in a room, but it can be done.

My students sent their first e-mail to their penpals in Seymour, WI. I am excited to get a response from the kids back in my home state.

RUGBY and DANCING

It is almost the weekend! I am ready for a relaxing day on the beach. Bre and I will be heading out to the Bay of Plenty, which has amazing sand beaches and a relaxing atmosphere. Taking time to stop, relax, take a breath, and reflect is essential for teachers. I am learning this VERY quickly. I am so happy that I am in New Zealand right now because it is such a beautiful and perfect place for teacher rejuvenation time. I hope to share photos of the beautiful ocean once I get back.

Today was an excellent day of learning for the students. We had a special visitor come speak to the class. His name is Norm Hewitt and he played rugby for the New Zealand team, which is called the All Blacks. He is such an inspiration to the students because he was a professional athlete and he is part Maori. He did not come to Green Bay Primary to just share his story about playing rugby with the students, but to also promote the SPCA.

The SPCA is like our Humane Society back home. He told the children that over 18,000 animals go to the SPCA each year for supplies, vet care, or a new home. New Zealand has had to deal with a lot of cases of animal abuse recently and Norm spoke about how animal abuse directly links to other types of violence. The students learned that Norm's dad used to beat his mother and animals were his only comfort while growing up. His message was very serious and "hit home" for some of my students and impacted all of the students. Norm Hewitt was also on New Zealand's first version of Dancing with the Stars and he won the competition. I think that sent a good message to my male students because right now they are trying to identify what's "cool" for men to be doing. The special visitor event taught me that the most essential learning doesn't happen in the classroom, but through real-life interactions and special occasions that students may not get to experience within a normal school day or at home. My students are dealing with "real life" situations and academic skills are probably one of their last priorities. Norm connected with the students and probably impacted them in a way that applies to the major issues many are dealing with at this time in their lives.

Week 4

It is week four at school already! Where did the time go? Some of my big projects are starting to take off and I am learning more and more about the students everyday. My students have a large range of abilities and talents and I am now finding how important it is to differentiate in the classroom. Small groups are a great way to differentiate and Green Bay Primary focuses on placing students in groups for most subjects. I believe that this is best for the students and I am learning how to best organize small group activities.

This past weekend Bre and I stayed in Auckland. The highlight of our time off was on Friday night when Bre and I made dinner for her host family. We struggled with the idea of making a "typical American meal" because we never really had to define what food is "American" before now. We decided to make BBQ beef sandwiches, potatoes, salad, and apple crisp. It turned out to be a huge hit! During the weekend we also toured downtown Auckland and went to a food and wine festival. One food that I ate was called a Whitebait Fritter. The base was a pancake-like batter with then whole little fish all stuck within them. I was fine biting into the little fishies, until Bre's host dad pointed out the little fish eyes that were looking at me inside the fritter. Whitebait Fritters seem to be a local delicacy, however I don't think I'll be trying one again soon.

I am still searching for the best classroom management style. It has only been 3 weeks at Green Bay Primary and at times I wish that the answer to best classroom management would suddenly just click in my brain. However, I doubt that it will ever be this easy. I spoke with my cooperating teacher about my small frustration in the struggle to figure out classroom management. Her response was the classroom management is probably the one thing that most educators struggle with and that she is still figuring it out and adapting it to each class. I know that my classroom management style will continue to change and I will take advantage of all opportunities that lead to classroom managements that is the best fit for me.

I am at the point of my time abroad that I suddenly forget that I am in a different country than the United States. I think that this is a good because I am feeling comfortable and am gradually becoming part of the New Zealand culture. I continue to learn new Kiwi and Maori phrases and my goal is to incorporate them into my daily language.

Today we tested our students in writing through an asTTle assessment. I am curious to see where each students stands on their writing abilities. I am going to begin the writing unit on descriptive language, but it is important for me to first assess student progress and build from there. Students will be organized into writing groups based on their writing levels. I have found that maths, reading, writing, and even physical education have students broken into groups in order for students to work at their ability level. I need to adapt my teaching to each student's need, which I believe is best for the children and also a challenge for myself.

Bre and I will be staying in Auckland for the weekend. We plan to do various activities with Bre's host family and I will be sure to update you on the adventures we experience on our time off of school.

Officially Welcomed

I am starting a new week at Green Bay Primary and I am starting to really settle into the school. Last Thursday I was officially welcomed into the school through a Maori ritual called a Pōwhiri. The entire school assembled in the hall and all new students, teachers, and student teachers made a procession into the hall. There were speeches from Maori members of the school to welcome us and the Maori club called Kapa Haka, which includes students and teachers, performed songs. Then, a new teacher gave a speech on behalf of all the new people of the school and then we sang a song for everyone in the assembly. It is also a tradition to do a Hongi, which is the the pressing of noses between those who are welcoming the new people and the new people. The Hongi signifies the joining together of two groups of people. After I pressed my nose against various members of the school then I got a take part in a small feast, which is a great way to end a welcoming ceremony.

I am beginning to organize a large unit for the students with the big idea of bullying. There is a program called Kia Kaha that has the foundation of creating a bully-free and unified environment. I am going to expand on this idea. The summative assessment will include students making anti-bullying campaigns that will be captured on video. Students will then use Movie Maker to create their final anti-bullying movie. This will be a large project and I am really excited to see where it leads.

This weekend was very exciting. I went with my host parents to the Bay of Islands, which is north of Auckland. It is so beautiful, as you can see from the pictures I posted. My favorite part of the trip was the Dolphin Encounter that Bre and I went on Sunday morning. We went on a boat early in the morning with other dolphin-passionate tourists. We saw many dolphins near and far from the boat, which was totally magical. The dolphins were swimming, jumping, and playing and it was quite a site. Bre and I even attempted to swim with the dolphins, but they were pretty fast and it was hard to keep up to their speed. I still can't believe how blessed I am to be part of such an amazing adventure!!!

Learning Everyday

It is almost the weekend and I know that I need some time to take a step back away from school and reflect. Teaching intermediate level students is such a skill. Today my teacher was not at school due to a funeral that she had to attend. My teacher let me take a lot of control over the classroom while the reliever (substitute teacher) was there. I felt confident and was ready to run through the day as if my teacher was present. There were many obstacles and bullying has seemed to already be a huge issue within the classroom and syndicate. I am upset that bullying is occurring and the classroom teacher and I will teach the students what intolerable behavior looks and sounds like. However, the reliever was so talented at sorting out the bullying behavior and organizing her expectations for appropriate behavior that I learned a lot today about managing a middle school classroom. The reliever and I sat after school and I learned about her management techniques as a teacher and how I can integrate them into my teaching style. The lesson that I am most taking away from her is that students will need to talk through conflicts with the teacher, but inevitably the students need to make a choice to do the good behavior. The teacher can tell the student that they have a couple choices to pick from and after the teacher presents the choices it is the role of the student to decide what they think is best and then take action. I plan to work on conversing and problem solving skills as the term rolls on.

This weekend my host parents are taking Bre and me to the Bay of Islands. I have heard that it is such a wonderful and beautiful area in the North Island. The activity I am most excited about is the Dolphin Encounter where we will go out in a boat and potentially swim with the dolphins. We'll see what other adventures we get to take part in....