No Shoes, No Problems

               A major difference between here and the States is that the students are always barefoot. In my classroom, students are not allowed to enter with their shoes on, but in most classrooms they have an option to wear them or not. (My classroom is being renovated so they are in a common area, which is why I think there is a stricter policy. - but most children chose not to wear them anyway) The students run from classroom to classroom, eat lunch, sit in their desks, etc. all without shoes on. This was originally very strange to me!, as I am used to a "no shoes, no service" policy. (My cooperating teacher said he was surprised I had shoes on – so I am slowly trying to become more comfortable without my “teaching shoes!”)

Overall, I have become accustomed to people being barefoot, whether playing outside or grocery shopping.. I have realized the people are not concerned with getting their feet dirty or even smelly, even though they both occur! 

At The Terrace School, the students wear uniforms every day. The uniforms are similar to what a private school in the States might have, (shorts/skorts, pants, polos, and jerseys),  but they are also accompanied with a sun hat that must be worn outside at all times. This is because the sun is so strong here that it is not uncommon to easily burn! (I even got my own hat to sport during the day J)

P.S. Notice how all of the students aren't wearing shoes? They're playing in mulch too, OUCH! 

Weekend 2!

Another exciting weekend has concluded! (Although we don’t have school today (Monday, March 20, 2017) in observance of Otago Anniversary. After school on Friday, the student teachers and I met up with our teachers at one of their houses for drinks and appetizers. We got to see a whole new part of New Zealand, and it was absolutely amazing! The views from the houses were incredible, and the houses were all SO nice. One difference that I have noticed here is that most of the houses are one story. I am assuming this is because of earthquakes, but I guess I am not exactly sure. The students in my class looked up my house on Google Earth, and they were amazed at how different our houses look. (Fun fact: My friend’s cooperating teacher was in the Olympics on the New Zealand field hockey team, and this is the lady’s house we visited.) We enjoyed some sausages, cheese platters, pimm, etc. and then headed home for our travels the next day.

We headed for Dunedin the next morning, about a two and a half hour drive away. Before leaving, we stopped for Subway and gas. Gas (petro) is so expensive here! It costs $8 per gallon, so it’s around $100 to fill the van!) Luckily, American dollars are still a bit less, so it’s about $60 U.S. We then headed towards Dunedin! Thankfully, most of the roadways have great signage, because we cannot access Siri or Google maps while driving. (We do have an old school map, but we have gotten lucky with finding the route ourselves.) We first stopped along the Otago Peninsula and then headed into town for some information on where our campsite was located. We got to see the City Centre a bit, checked out a few stores, and then headed to our campsite. It turns out that we should have booked something in advance, because there were no cabins available. Therefore, our options were to sleep in our tent and van or find a new place. (The boys were more down to camp than the girls, and we got our way with finding a new spot!) We were all a bit bummed, though, as this campsite was on the beach and recommended by many people. We noticed that the campsite was located close to a castle we had wanted to see, so we stopped there on our way out. The castle was not as large as I was expecting, but the grounds were beautiful. The view from one of the areas was absolutely breathtaking! There was also a Chinese wedding going on in the center, and that was cool to watch too. It was getting a bit cold, so we decided to head out and find a new place to stay. We ended up stopping at this hotel and two people ran in to check out pricing. They said they could give us a twin room for $85, which ended up only costing us $17 a piece. We had a bunk bed and then a twin bed, so two people had to sleep on the floor. Once we got freshened up, we walked to town for dinner. We had a lot of trouble finding somewhere to eat, because many of the places were restaurants and bars. They would not accept our U.S. license, and only one of us had our passport. (Note to self: Bring passport everywhere!) Once we finally found someone who would bend the rules for us, we got dinner! We knew we wouldn’t be able to get into anywhere else, so we walked around a bit and then headed back to the hotel. We settled in to sleep as best we could in preparation for our final day in Dunedin.

The next morning we all awoke sore and tired, so we found a Starbucks for breakfast! As we were leaving the hotel to check out, we got yelled at for sleeping 5 in the room, because technically we only paid for 2! (OOPS!) After Starbucks, we headed to the Cadbury factory for a tour. This was so cool! I got to learn how chocolate (shoo-ko-lah) is made and they provided SOOO many samples. I literally left with a full bag of chocolate! My favorite part was the “tasting room” where they had like soft serve chocolate to mix with different toppings. It was so rich, creamy, and yummy! After the tour, we walked back downtown to check out some stores. Glassons was a store recommended to check out, and we found a nice mall too. After shopping, we hit the road again for the Tunnel Beach. This ended up being more of a hike that originally intended, but the views were well worth it! We had to walk down this long road (it was really steep) to reach rocks in the ocean. I was not as brave as the rest of them, so I just got my picture looking over the cliff instead of sitting on it!) The waves were huge and I loved the sound of them crashing against the shore. The hike back up wiped us out! Then, we headed home to Alex. (We were laughing at how excited we were to be “home” because we’re still in New Zealand on the adventure of a lifetime!)

Today, we are going to try the bike ride to Clyde again for Nom-Nom Gelato! I am adding a bunch of pictures from this weekend to Facebook, so check those out too!

Weekend 1!

This weekend was definitely one that got my heart racing and blood pumping! My roommates and I began the weekend by meeting up with some of the other teachers Friday night at a local pub. (The pub serves free food, so we definitely wanted to check it out!) Then, we had an early night in preparation for Saturday’s festivities.

We hit the road to Queenstown around 10:30 a.m. for our first adventure: bungy jumping! Queenstown is only an hour away, but the roads to get there are through the mountains and very windy. It is often times challenging to see, as there are many blind corners. Keep in mind that driving is on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side of the car! Therefore, just getting there was an adventure in itself. Then, upon reaching downtown, the A.J. Hackett bunjy was spotted. We quickly pulled over, and my stomach immediately went into my throat. I spent some time watching others take the jump, and then headed in to register myself. Of course, I had a lot of questions, such as, “what happens if I don’t jump” and “have there ever been any injuries?” The workers eased my mind, took my money, and assured me I would love it! We had thirty minutes to wait, so I headed back outside to watch some more, hoping that would make me feel better. When the time was up, I headed back inside to tell them I was ready and then headed on top of the bridge. There were four of us jumping, and the two boys went first, then me, and then Emma. (The other girl is waiting for her boyfriend to arrive so that they can jump together, but I figured I would spare Bill J) Then, I got all suited up. They put a harness around my waist as a back up, and tied my legs together. It seemed like two towels held together by a strap that was wrapped many, many times. (I told them to make it as tight as they could, because I did not want to fall out!) The waist strap connected to the feet, and that was all. I inched my way to the ledge, holding desperately onto the workers. They told me to smile at a few cameras, and then counted down from three. At that moment, I fell forward off the bridge! (One of the worker’s best piece of advice was to jump as soon as the countdown ended, and this was exactly what I did.) It was such a weird feeling free falling from above, but I noticed a lot of pressure on my head and ears. I truly think my eyes were closed almost the whole time, because I cannot remember seeing anything. After I felt the rope catch me, I bounced up a few more times, praying it would be over soon. I hung there for awhile, yelling for the workers to help me down quickly. When they did, I tried to catch my bearings and settle down. Then, I climbed out of the boat and headed back to flat ground!

Overall, I don’t know if I loved it, but it was definitely an experience I am glad I had! Besides, how many people can say they bunjy jumped in New Zealand?!

            After the bunjy jump, we continued driving towards the downtown area of Queenstown. We stopped along the way to eat our packed lunch, and we ended up watching a bit of a rugby game. Then, we headed to our next adventures, the gondola and luge. I opted to just do the gondola, as the luge was very similar to go-carts and I was a bit queasy, but the views from the top of the mountain were amazing! I am going to try and upload them tomorrow after school, with the picture from Fergburger, a local favorite! After all the adrenaline was wearing off, the group explored Queenstown some more, stopping to try some fudge and gelato, and then headed back home to Alex.

         Today, my roommates and I were planning on bike riding to Clyde, but it ended up raining all day. (We all found this somewhat strange as we were assured that it never rains this time of year!) Instead, we treated ourselves to a “super-thick shake” from a local café. After yesterday, I decided I deserved it J

Bunjy Jumping! (Part 2)

Check out the video of my bunjy jumping by clicking below! This was definitely a once in a lifetime experience!

Bunjy Jumping! (Part 1)

First Day of School!

March 6, 2017, was my first official day of student teaching in Alexandra, New Zealand! I reported to the Terrace School around 7:45 A.M. and met my cooperating teacher in the classroom around 8:00. (The other student teachers and I like to spend additional time at the school using the free WIFI, as it seems to be one of the only places we can access the outside world!). I had 27 students in my 5^th/6^th grade class today, and there are four sections of this level. (They call grade levels "years," so I am technically with year 5 and 6 students.) I am working with Mr. Murphy in the school auditorium/gym area, as several classrooms are under renovation. There are three classrooms in my area, all separated by a thin divider). Yes, this is interesting, as there is a basketball hoop, stage, pingpong table, couches, etc. all in the learning environment. Surprisingly, it does not seem to bother the students. I will attempt to get pictures for upcoming posts!

Below, I will outline my first day.

8:30 A.M. – Students report to the classroom and/or playground for morning play

8:50 A.M. – Morning bell sounds and students report to the classroom for roll call

9:00 A.M. – Students engaged in standardized testing (this was a listening test taken by listening to a CD recording

·      Students filled in their answers on a scantron answer key, yet the teachers have to grade each answer key by hand

·      No student really receives additional testing support, at least the two students in my class did not. This seemed much different than what I am used to, as there is no special education department or program here. Instead, students are fully integrated with occasional aides.

10:00 A.M. – Brain food break (this is when every class goes outside for some exercise. My teacher’s philosophy is to just get the kiddos running as much as possible, since we have a rather rambunctious crew)

·      This is similar to gym class in the states, but it is led by the classroom teacher.

·      Students get to eat snacks that they brought, and there is always fresh fruit set out.

10:20 A.M. – Students worked on their handwriting. This was the teacher stating sentences that the students had to copy down in their handwriting journals.

·      Example: I didn’t bring my pencil

o   They were working on contractions

o   I noticed spelling was difficult for many of the 5^th/6^th grade students.

10:40 A.M. – Students wrote a three paragraph weekend report. This included explaining three things they did during their weekend. The teacher checked these over when finished.

·      During the above two times, I worked specifically with one student.

11:00 A.M. – Play time (this is recess for the students and teatime for the teachers. Everyone gathers in the teacher’s lounge while a few teachers are on jersey – this means duty here!)

11:20 A..M. – Whole class read-aloud/Getting to know me!

·      There were so many fun questions about life in American and our school system.

·      One student was trying to ask me if maths were hard in America, and I had a bunch of trouble understanding him! (I thought he was saying “Is math hot?” or something.)

o    I am still getting used to the students’ names and Maori words!

11:40 A.M. – Reading independently at desks, small group reading (This is highly differentiated, as my teacher meets with several small groups of 1-3 students)

12:30 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. – Lunch and Recess

·      Students all eat on the sidewalk/grassy area in the courtyard of the school. There is no cafeteria.

1:30 P.M. -2:55 P.M. – Kiwiana lesson with 7^th/8^th grade teacher (Discussion over what makes Kiwis special for their upcoming Gala)

·      The teacher explained to me that teachers often have to relieve other teachers, and that this saves the school money by not having to hire additional professionals. Therefore, each teacher is allowed two full days of planning per term (or semester). It is somewhat unusual how this works out, but something I definitely want to understand better!

2:55 P.M. – School day ends

At the end of the school day, my teacher has bus duty because he is never on jersey during lunch or recess. This is very different from the States, as each bus gathers under a tree and signs themselves in using a clipboard..

**Note: The principal here has a brilliant philosophy for pairing students and teachers together, and it is something that i think could easily be adapted in the States. Mr. Anderson pairs teachers and students together based on personality and teaching style, with the hopes of giving each student the best chance for success. Therefore, you will notice some calmer classes and more energetic classes. I'm pretty sure I got one of the most energetic bunches!