Well, hello there! Yes, we've made it through 'back to school' week and I think it deserves a celebration. Perhaps we'll crack open that bottle of champagne that Helen left in the fridge. Wouldn't want it to go to waste now!That, my dear readers, was certainly a journey! Reminded me a little of the white water rapids trip we went on once. Slightly scary at first, then suddenly you are in big, damn raging rapids with little chance of surviving, and then pull into shore with the old expression of 'Let's do it again!' The whole range of human emotions been touched upon this week.
Let me start by saying that the girls have adjusted swimmingly. Maybe we could call it 'kid resilience' or some divine intervention--I think my mom has something to do with this. But, Emma and Bonnie went into the unknown and came out the other side with smiles on their faces!
Emma is certainly enjoying her beginnings at St. Katerines. She came home excitedly to tell me about all of the levels given for good behavior and also bad. One can almost attain sainthood if they achieve enough 'P's' and on the contrary, one can achieve a sorry state of exclusion if you follow the steps down the list of consequences, known as 'C's'. Of course, I'm allowed to be a bragging mom and proudly state that Emma has gathered 3 P's during the week!
Then, Bonnie, has joined me in Dundry Primary. I'm trying not to see her as my daughter whilst (an English word) I'm teaching, but every so often I look at her and think 'Thank God she's here to give me strength!' Here's a picture of her in front of the school on Day 1.
So, first impressions. Well, the students seem much more intense than Canadian kids. They need to learn fast and hard. I think they are used to a much more structured delivery of curriculum than I am used to. When I taught them how to do Chinese box origami, they seemed to find it distressing. And, the Canadian dodgeball game that I attempted to do in 'the pen' became a bit too competitive for my comfort zone, so I ended the game and a few eager young boys said, 'But Miss, we's only trying to play the game!' The faces and voices of these sweeties are going to be engrained in my brain for a long time to come! Much like those kids from a teacher's first year--you remember everyone because they made the first impression on you.
Yes, I think I must tone down my exuberance. I'm used to being a bit more free in my teaching, but I think that the big difference here is the structured lesson format. It will certainly teach me how to behave myself!
Last night I went to London for a conference of all Canadian teachers on exchange in England and Wales. In fact, it was actually strange hearing all of those Canadian accents! There were people from Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and BC. Now the surprising thing is that I even met a teacher from Richmond, BC. that teaches in the same school as my sweet neice!! What a coincidence.
We had a great day comparing notes about our new lives. We all had things we needed to share, both bad and good, but after the day was said and done, I realized that I am very fortunate in this exchange! A very supportive school, great people around and I CAN DRIVE!!
Then, Bonnie, has joined me in Dundry Primary. I'm trying not to see her as my daughter whilst (an English word) I'm teaching, but every so often I look at her and think 'Thank God she's here to give me strength!' Here's a picture of her in front of the school on Day 1.
So, first impressions. Well, the students seem much more intense than Canadian kids. They need to learn fast and hard. I think they are used to a much more structured delivery of curriculum than I am used to. When I taught them how to do Chinese box origami, they seemed to find it distressing. And, the Canadian dodgeball game that I attempted to do in 'the pen' became a bit too competitive for my comfort zone, so I ended the game and a few eager young boys said, 'But Miss, we's only trying to play the game!' The faces and voices of these sweeties are going to be engrained in my brain for a long time to come! Much like those kids from a teacher's first year--you remember everyone because they made the first impression on you.
Yes, I think I must tone down my exuberance. I'm used to being a bit more free in my teaching, but I think that the big difference here is the structured lesson format. It will certainly teach me how to behave myself!
Last night I went to London for a conference of all Canadian teachers on exchange in England and Wales. In fact, it was actually strange hearing all of those Canadian accents! There were people from Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and BC. Now the surprising thing is that I even met a teacher from Richmond, BC. that teaches in the same school as my sweet neice!! What a coincidence.
We had a great day comparing notes about our new lives. We all had things we needed to share, both bad and good, but after the day was said and done, I realized that I am very fortunate in this exchange! A very supportive school, great people around and I CAN DRIVE!!
Thought you might enjoy this lovely picture of the scary staircase in the hotel in London. Top floor, 4 flights and this was the last one!
I love these little kids around here. Sammy, a little sweet redhead who comes around on her bike is like a story book character. She was going to walk us to see some horses and then said that if we're lucky, no one would catch us climbing the fence. I guess sometimes though, they get caught and yelled at. But, she said, 'It's worth it because you can smooth them! (the horses, of course!)' That's definitely the first time I've heard that expression! Now, Emma, Bonnie and I walk the paths to find animals to smooth.
Also, there is a farm in our estate. Yes, a full fledged chicken, duck, goat, horse and African Grey Parrot farm! We've been bringing Lady the horse some carrots and apples daily--but have learned the hard way to wear socks. Stinging nettle is NOT something to be messed with. We decided that you could play some pretty nasty April's Fools day tricks with that stuff.
Then, Myrtle the goat, the chickens, and the ducks all just graze around behind this big stone wall. The parrot though was quite the surprise! While we were 'smoothing' Myrtle, we heard the phone ring. Well, it was the bird of course. He has quite the reperatoire of songs, and interesting noises, especially living with all of those farm animals!
So, we're off to the zoo today. Thought we'd burn through all of the sites here in Bristol before attempting to go further. We'll post some zoo pictures later!
Cheers!
P. S. Sadly, there were no correct answers for the mystery item. It is a little pin that you use in the cricket game! All of your creative answers were impressive though! Maybe I will use it as a foot massager because I'm sure I will never play cricket!
Here's a new question that could win you a postcard or a can of mushy peas! What are cat's eyes?
And, of course, what would be a blog without a lovely picture of Mousse!
1 comment:
Well, cat's eye could be flower or weed. I think it is also an inexpensive gem stone that is brown and yellow. I will write a short letter to your email address.
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