March 12- March 16, 2012
Unfortunately other than starting my first week at my new school this week things have been pretty tame here in Australia. I titled this blog twilight zone because sometimes Stacey and I joke around about how different things are here... Hopefully through my postings, you can see why... I won't run through the days because they basically are quite the same. Just going to give you guys a quick run down of how everything went!
My new school, "Smith Street Primary" is absolutely wonderful. The school is designed for children with high needs which can be quite intimidating. The staff are all so laid back and have a strong desire to truly help their students as much as possible. I was able to teach the little "cherubs" a couple of lessons this week just to get my feet wet before teaching full time! We had a wonderful art lesson where the kids made leprechaun picture frames with their faces planted in the middle (pictures soon to come).
I am loving finally getting back to working with the younger students, my class ranges from ages 5-7. One thing I found quite funny during my teaching was one of the students with autism mimicking my southern accent. Apparently she tends to pick up on things like that fairly quickly. I didn't notice until I read the word "apple" and she repeated "aaaaaaaappppppllllllleeee." The teacher and aides got a good laugh out of it. Speaking of the staff, I couldn't ask for nicer people. My teacher is only in her fourth year of teaching but is wise beyond her years. It has only been one week and I feel like I have learned so many valuable lessons from her already and received "heaps" of resources to bring back to my classroom.
Other than going to school everyday, Stacey and I began training for a 10K! We downloaded an awesome app to ease our way into it. I have been pretty consistent with it so hopefully the hard work will pay off. The weather has cooled down significantly here. Picture a perfect fall day, just a tad bit warmer, and that's what it's like. I'm finding it hard to come inside after running, which is really hard to believe...
Taking the bus to school everyday hasn't been ideal, but I am learning to deal with it. Getting up earlier and beginning my day means I have more time to enjoy here. Hey, at least I am trying to stay positive about my hour commute every morning...
Tomorrow, Stacey and I are heading to Mandurah to a Crab Festival. Apparently, it's a big deal with fireworks, food, bands, and everything in between. Looking forward to an adventure away! Will arrives Sunday morning, I am beyond excited to see a familiar face. Hopefully he won't be too jet lagged to enjoy my one day off with him.
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