Saturday, Sept 9 - First Week of School
Monday - We arrived at 8:15 in the morning as we were instructed (these were the only instructions we had) and began the day not knowing what to expect. School started with an assembly on the lawn to welcome the new students and also to introduce new teachers, me being one. The students recited school prayers and songs and sang the national anthem, all of which were muttered and inaudible. After the assembly the rest of the volunteers and I retired to the staff room and proceeded to stare at the wall for the rest of the day. We were told that by the end of tomorrow we would know our class schedules and could begin teaching on wednesday.
Tuesday - We started the morning the same way we left off on monday, but at around 9:00 Sir Hedley recruited me because of my vast computer skills to type up some notices for the students. I was surprised to learn that our office has not only a computer but a printer as well. When I returned from my typing assignment I was given my form class, essentially homeroom, which during the regular school schedule I will have for 20 minutes each morning for attendance and other bureaucracies. For today however I was supposed to sit with the class for the remainder of the day and keep them busy. So, with absolutely no preparation I entered the class and met the students for the first time. I introduced myself and then tried to write down all of the students names. Then I asked them to get out their notebooks and write about themselves and what their favorite subjects were. I bought myself a little time and managed to think up enough activities to keep them occupied for the rest of the day. At the end of the day we were told that we would know the schedule by Thursday morning.
Wednesday - I went straight to my form class and began in earnest to try and learn all of my students names. We played math games, and word games, wrote short stories, played pictionary and hangman. The students seemed engaged most of the time and although I was often making everything up as I went the day went quite smoothly. At the end of the day we were told the senior staff was going to meet in the evening to finalize the schedule and that we would know by Thursday what classes we would be teaching. After school Jessie Sue and I went fishing with some of the hostel kids. They showed me how to fish and I caught a little one , but not before I slipped and fell in the river. I had no idea that bank fell off so steeply because I went under like a stone and came up spluttering to the laughter of my students. Good times.
Thursday - The day was very similar to Wednesday, I played new games with my class and attempted to keep them busy for 5 hours. I can remember most of their names now and am starting to see their personalities and get to know these students. It is becoming exhausting trying to think of new activities without being able to prepare any lessons so for Friday Jessie Sue and I are planing on having a sports day between her class and mine. We are told that we may not know the schedule until Monday morning 5 minutes before we have to teach our classes.
Friday - I set my form class a short descriptive paragraph then let them make posters to decorate our class until lunch. Many of them finished early so I made a Boggle game on the board and challenged the students to find more words than me, I won. After lunch we sent the kids outside to play football (soccer) and volleyball. I was in-chrage of a football match between my Form 4 Science/Tech boys and Jessie Sue's Form 4 Business boys. The game was heated and excellent to watch even though my class lost with a final score of 5-3. After the boys finished Jessie Sue and I recruited for a girls game and, surprisingly, managed to get enough to have another good match. Many of the other classes came out to watch because they haven't had teachers all week and the afternoon was very successful.
Saturday - It was an exhausting week and I am very glad that it is the weekend.
Tuesday - We started the morning the same way we left off on monday, but at around 9:00 Sir Hedley recruited me because of my vast computer skills to type up some notices for the students. I was surprised to learn that our office has not only a computer but a printer as well. When I returned from my typing assignment I was given my form class, essentially homeroom, which during the regular school schedule I will have for 20 minutes each morning for attendance and other bureaucracies. For today however I was supposed to sit with the class for the remainder of the day and keep them busy. So, with absolutely no preparation I entered the class and met the students for the first time. I introduced myself and then tried to write down all of the students names. Then I asked them to get out their notebooks and write about themselves and what their favorite subjects were. I bought myself a little time and managed to think up enough activities to keep them occupied for the rest of the day. At the end of the day we were told that we would know the schedule by Thursday morning.
Wednesday - I went straight to my form class and began in earnest to try and learn all of my students names. We played math games, and word games, wrote short stories, played pictionary and hangman. The students seemed engaged most of the time and although I was often making everything up as I went the day went quite smoothly. At the end of the day we were told the senior staff was going to meet in the evening to finalize the schedule and that we would know by Thursday what classes we would be teaching. After school Jessie Sue and I went fishing with some of the hostel kids. They showed me how to fish and I caught a little one , but not before I slipped and fell in the river. I had no idea that bank fell off so steeply because I went under like a stone and came up spluttering to the laughter of my students. Good times.
Thursday - The day was very similar to Wednesday, I played new games with my class and attempted to keep them busy for 5 hours. I can remember most of their names now and am starting to see their personalities and get to know these students. It is becoming exhausting trying to think of new activities without being able to prepare any lessons so for Friday Jessie Sue and I are planing on having a sports day between her class and mine. We are told that we may not know the schedule until Monday morning 5 minutes before we have to teach our classes.
Friday - I set my form class a short descriptive paragraph then let them make posters to decorate our class until lunch. Many of them finished early so I made a Boggle game on the board and challenged the students to find more words than me, I won. After lunch we sent the kids outside to play football (soccer) and volleyball. I was in-chrage of a football match between my Form 4 Science/Tech boys and Jessie Sue's Form 4 Business boys. The game was heated and excellent to watch even though my class lost with a final score of 5-3. After the boys finished Jessie Sue and I recruited for a girls game and, surprisingly, managed to get enough to have another good match. Many of the other classes came out to watch because they haven't had teachers all week and the afternoon was very successful.
Saturday - It was an exhausting week and I am very glad that it is the weekend.
posted by sean at 2:20 p.m.
4 Comments:
it sounds like you're doing well at school...naturally.
your photos are amazing...naturally
i'll email you when i get back to vic (i just quit a job in vernon! no more planting).
oh yea. and your house looks really cute. do an mtv cribs - guyana
Dear Sean: i miss your sexy face 'round the house.
laura - I hear ypu went sky diving! Nice work.
I wish I was fishing with a spear but alas only a spool of line hook, and a worm.
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