school days

I’ve been here for 5 weeks now! The time has flown by.

I feel so comfortable in my classroom. I start teaching full-time this week, though I’ve been nearly full-time teaching already. I took up responsibility pretty quickly in my classroom because that’s just what felt natural. Some days are overwhelming, but most are amazing! I really feel like I’m in the best profession ever.

To give you a better image of the day: Kids start each day with an hour of play. Twice a week during that play time I go to what is called “bush school,” where we walk a small group of kids to a forest and just let them run around, explore, and build. After morning tea, we have an hour of literacy, which is taught in small groups while other students do independent work, such as a big book activity, work on handwriting, or reading with a buddy. Then, we have math groups, which follows a similar model. In the last hour of the day, we teach the arts or fitness. My school follows a model called “play, eat, learn.” And students do, in that order. There are three sessions of play, three eating sessions, and three learning blocks each day. Kids are really responsive to it. And I feel like I’ve seen children more in their natural habitat here. Kids walk around the classroom and school grounds barefoot. Kids are creative.

Meanwhile, I’ve been making slow progress on my portfolio. After commentary and lesson plans, my portfolio is going to be about 40 pages long, single spaced. Thankfully, I’m about half-way through it, but finding time for it is difficult. Even though the school day is only from 9am-3pm, teachers get no prep time during the school day. So my typical day is more like 8am-4:30pm. Plus, there are extra commitments that are compulsory for teachers, like working an evening dance for the kids, parent-teacher conferences, volunteering at a community triathlon for kids, or going to evening board meetings. I’m very tired by the end of the day, but also very happy.

I’ve been working hard, but I’ve been working in paradise. This past weekend my host mother was going to Napier so I hitched a ride with her for the town’s art deco festival. I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time, went to an ocean spa to relax in some hot baths while meeting some new people, visited an art museum, went shopping, ate some amazing food, and watched a bunch of different street performances. Travel can be so cheap because hostels are so prevalent in the country. My hostel in Napier was just $30US for the night, with free breakfast. Plus, I met and shared a dorm with people from California, Auckland, and Wellington. I’m staying home this weekend, but planning another trip to Wellington for next weekend. And, in just two more weekends, my parents will be leaving North America for the first time to come visit for a week.

That’s all for now, better get back to work!