It is my second week of teaching this week and I have had a great time in the classroom so far, but I will begin by first giving a recap of the weekend. I used Friday night as a time to relax and unwind from the weeks festivities. I was ready to watch a movie and do nothing, which is exactly what I did. I woke up refreshed Saturday morning and was ready to explore the town of Listowel some more. I took a beautiful walk by a local park which took me next to the Feale River. This river winds around Listowel and has some beautiful small rapids. Before the river I walked to a popular garden spot called The Garden of Europe. Here is where I took some more pictures and enjoyed the scenery. This garden did not really have any blossoms but had some interesting statues and dedications. I eventually made my way into downtown and took my time walking around and window shopping. Sadly the weather turned quite cold and I decided to head back to the house. Saturday night I went to a movie with my host family at their church. This was very fun and provided a lot of amusement for the evening. Sunday was also a nice and lazy day as it was spent going to church and catching up with friends. All in all it was a nice weekend and a good way to get even more acquainted with the town and the local people.
This week started off in the similar routine as last week. The art project I made with the junior infant class turned out wonderfully!! Everyone made butterflies out of coffee filters and washable markers. When I came in Monday there were nice and dry and ready to assemble. The girls were excited to pick out a pipe cleaner for the body and watch their butterflies come to life. I am currently working on hanging them from the ceiling! I couldn't be happier with how they turned out and I will post a picture as soon as the display is finished. I finished the duck display for the senior infant group and am now working on another display for a story whose main character is called "Elmer". I will also post a picture of this display as well. They are turning out great. I am in the process of taking pictures for the first class group for their "All About Me" books. They have each written a paragraph to introduce themselves and the pictures I have taken will go on top of their paragraph. They are turning out nicely!! I have noticed it is a little harder to keep the attention of the infant classes as some still haven't gotten over my accent and continue to laugh. I am working on that and may possibly come up with a lesson we can do together to celebrate how people are different. We'll see if that works out.
Continuing on to the older ages I am working with, in fourth class I am helping out with a class research project on "Games Around the World". I am working closely with the groups who have chosen to do America as their main focus. It is great to help them and teach them everything I know about games in America and more specifically what I have grown up playing. This is a great way to bond with these girls and learn more about each other. I am really enjoying it! We are in the beginning phases and everyone is doing great. I think this is a great project for the girls to do and it teaches them about many other cultures.
The teachers not only in my school but all over Ireland and the world are dealing with budget cuts and more importantly pay cuts. I learned a lot listening to the teachers and finding out how serious this matter really is and how it affects everyone. The most important I have learned from hearing about this serious dilemma is to learn as much as I can about important issues surrounding my job as a teacher. Just listening to some of the issues these teachers have fought for and against has showed me how rallying together and taking a stand can really make a difference. You first have to learn the facts. This is a lesson I will take with me and bring back to my teaching experiences in the U.S.
So far I have really enjoyed myself at the school. I will continue to help the teachers with their lessons for the remainder of the week. I believe some teachers have mentioned my teaching some lessons next week. Until next time... Slan!! (Pronounced sloan and means goodbye in Irish!!)
No comments:
Post a Comment