Sink or Swim

This week has been one of the most challenging of my career.  Suddenly I found myself in a school, in a foreign country, with a new system of standards, and completely on my own.  My cooperating teacher is in Japan because of a family emergency, indefinitely.  I realized on Monday that Emily was like a life-raft for me last week.  Without her guidance and support I felt completely overwhelmed by the two classes I agreed to take for the week.  To give you some perspective I was in week 3 of my 11 week program, and supposed to be taking on lessons here and there.

Monday was a mess of relievers (subs) and trying to get myself ready for my teaching on Wednesday.  I couldn't even talk about school without stressed out tears exploding from my face.  I felt way in over my head, and completely alone.  Tuesday was athletics day, so I spent the day in the sun helping direct kids through shot-put throws.  The entire school dresses up in house-colors and participates in events for the entire day.  It was wonderful to see my students acting like kids.  Something about the school culture makes them into mini-adults all the time.  On Wednesday we had an official school opening, and the prime minister came to speak.  We held an assembly outside for most of the day.  Between Thursday and Friday I taught 6 of the 7 lessons on our schedule.  Most days I got up at 6:30 and was either at school or planning for school until around 11pm every night.  I was a mess, dreaming about lessons, completely breaking down via skype, and just in way over my head.  But I made it through.

I ended the week exhausted, but incredibly proud of myself.  I learned a lot about myself as a teacher through the week and the things I need to improve.  In the sink or swim scenario I wouldn't say I was swimming, but at least my head was above water.  Once I started asking for help from the other teachers in my department things got much easier.  By the end of the week I felt more like a beginning teacher than a student teacher.  I also had the opportunity to teach two classes I hadn't gotten to instruct yet, and establish myself as their teacher.

To celebrate making it to Friday I went to the pub with most of the English department and had my first Kiwi beer.  Later on I followed that up with two more in Petone with Nikki.  It was so wonderful to talk to someone who understood all of the challenges I had faced during the week, I feel very lucky to have her around.  We ate greasy food and enjoyed hearing American accents.  I think we have both realized that traveling to another country and teaching in another country are two very different things.

Yesterday I got up and took an hour long bus ride to Evans Bay.  SAILING!  I helped out with a beginning sailing class and got out on the water for the first time.  We sailed Fivas, which are these Laser like things that really like to flip over.  I was a volunteer teacher and crewed most of the day, so I went swimming of course, four times.  But I could care less, just being out on the water in the breeze and the salt felt incredible. It reminded me that I am in a beautiful and new place, and I am so lucky to be here.

And here I am again on Sunday, with a weeks worth of lessons to plan, and papers to grade.  Challenge accepted!!!

Kiwi-isms

I am going to keep adding to this while I am here because I know I will want to remember these later.

college - high school
university - college
get it sussed - get things sorted out
tea - lunch or dinner
spell - class period
spunky - sexy (I definitely called a student this in the English Department office, I am really glad that particular misunderstanding did not occur around students)
full stop - period (like at the end of a sentence - unfortunately that one did happen during class)
sultana - raisins
muesli bars - granola bars
mates - friends (and yes they really say mates)
jandals - flip-flops
boots - shoes, like soccer boots are cleats.....ah except they are football boots :), and boots are just shoes
trainers - tennis shoes
I couldn't be bothered - When I ask kids about their homework, or skipping class they say this.  It's like the Kiwi version of "I don't care" or "I'm lazy" but for some reason they way they say it drives me CRAZY.
wagging - skipping class
Ice Blocks - Popsicle
flash - cool or awesome, and they really say this....often
heaps - lots
Miss - My students call me this, and I actually really love it
plaster - band-aid (if you say band-aid they really will not get it)
Adidas - So not a Kiwi term, but here it is pronounced adi-dez
shattered - really really tired
pissed - really really drunk, they do not really use this for angry

Two Weeks In

I cannot believe I have already been in New Zealand for two weeks.  I have hardly seen a speck of this beautiful country and I know I have a lot of exploring to do.  I want to have grand adventures and explore, but I also really need to keep in mind that teaching is the grand adventure while I am here.  I knew adjusting to a new culture and taking on teaching full time would bring challenges, but I had no idea how far it would push me.  I am spending most of my time teaching, reading papers, researching education, planning, or stressing about any or all of these things.  I think it is pretty normal to feel a bit overwhelmed at the start of student teaching, but I also think doing it abroad might up the scales a bit.  Every day I encounter language differences, cultural clashes, and a million misunderstandings.  Two weeks in I am feeling incredibly challenged, and exhausted.

I'm growing.

First Day of School

The first day of classes went really well.  I am mainly listening and giving my little, "I'm Miss Vincent from....." speech at the proper moment.  Today we started with form time (like US advisory class) and then we went off to an all school welcome assembly.  After that the school broke out into house meetings.  They divide the school into four groups across grade levels.  The house meeting was led by a year 13 girl with pretty much no teacher interference.  It was really cool to see the students teaching each other cheers, and to watch student leadership take on that role the first day of school.  After the house meetings we had two classes for the day.  I got to meet the Yr 12 class (equivalent to our Juniors) who are on a track toward University.  Then we met the Yr 10 class, who are also my group from form class.  We pretty much just went over the courses and talked a bit about the works we will read in each class.

It is really nice to start the year out with a class and get to be a part of the culture of the classroom from day one.  

After school my supervisor from Educators Abroad came up to chat with Emily and I about my time here.  I should be taking over classes fully by week 6, but I hope to start teaching here and there before then.  Between EA and the TPA (Teacher Performance Assessment, if you don't know what it is consider yourself lucky) I will have a lot on my plate in addition to teaching.  I know that later on time will start passing very quickly and there will be things I wish I had time to do, but right now while I have the time I don't have a clue about what those things might be.  That being said I really like Emily and Bunnie and I think they will challenge me and help me become a better teacher.  

I also got to meet Nikki, another American placed with EA in Lower Hutt, after school today.  We chatted for a while at her school and it was so nice to be able to talk with someone my own age for a bit.  It's also nice to know I'm not the only one facing challenges with language and making sense of a whole new education system.  Talking with her I also realized some of the things that are different that I hadn't really thought about yet.  There are lots of misconceptions about the US education system here, and vice-versa.  One of my favorite professors at Western mentioned to me before I left that it was a shame I had chosen New Zealand because they have a very teacher-centered approach to education.  What's funny is my supervisor said almost the same thing about the American system today.  I think it has much more to do with the school climate and teachers on a classroom level.  So far Emily's class is exactly the kind of place I want to be.

So that is how my first day was.  In the evenings I am finding myself completely exhausted from the amount of new information I am trying to fit in. 

Waitangi Day and Wandering Wellington

Yesterday I had the day off from class so I went into Wellington for the first time to have a look around.  The jet-lag finally got a bit stronger than the new country excitement, so I slept in and took the train into the city around 12.  I walked along the waterfront from the railway station to check out the Waitangi Day celebrations in the park.  Waitangi Day is a national holiday on the anniversary of the treaty between Maori people and the British.  There are some cultural nuances involved with the day and the relationship between Maori, Europeans, and the government that I still haven't quite gotten a grip on, so I think that's the only comment about it I'll make.  Anyway I got there in time to see a Wellington group perform the haka which was fantastic.  I really want to learn more about Maori culture while I am here.  I also wandered a bit around the city (and by a bit I mean I walked around for 5 hours).  I am definitely still adjusting to it being summer here, and then start of the school year.  I put in a few pictures of Wellington below.

These three are of the water area near the park.  The building in the bottom picture is a place you can rent boats for an afternoon.  

Over the bridge from the lagoon area.

Where I had lunch a chicken pot pie and a "short black coffee" which for your information is three sips of really strong espresso.  Whoopsie....American moment I guess.     

Outdoor shopping area.  

Te Papa the national museum.  It is AMAZING!  There are tons of exhibits about New Zealand history and culture, and lots of other things to check out as well.  I will definitely be going back.   

Straight ahead is an old bank building that is renovated into a fancy shopping mall.

Powhiri

Yesterday I went up to the school for the first time to meet my cooperating teacher and some of the other staff.  Since I've gotten here it finally hit me that this is teacher time.  While I am incredibly excited to explore and get to know another place, I also have the challenge of teaching for the first time in a system that I had better get familiar with quick.  So I've been doing a lot of research and talking to people and trying to fit a massive amount of information into my brain.  I think it is going to be really interesting to see the differences and similarities between the two systems.

My first day started off with a Powhiri (pronounced pofori), a Maori welcome ceremony.  Each year the school puts on Powhiri for new staff and students, and invites local Maori leadership to come and speak.  It was really really awesome to get to be a part of it, and I am glad I arrived early enough to do it.  The ceremony started with a haka performed my Maori students at the school.  If you have time you should take a look at some youtube videos of what a haka is.  I was really impressed that the students were willing to put themselves forward like that.  They were incredibly expressive and did a fantastic job.  I do not know many teenagers in the states that would do it.  Then two Maori elders got up and spoke to welcome us into the school.  I couldn't understand a bit of what was been said, but I really enjoyed listening to the new language.  I sat with the international students (behind the boys because they were forming a "protective cloak" around the women) and with other new staff.  Our principal also spoke at the ceremony as well, mostly in English, but a bit in Maori too.  Apparently learning Maori is an important component of teacher education programs in New Zealand.  At the end of the ceremony there is a Hongi.  A Hongi is a line of people that you grasp hands with and then touch noses and foreheads together.  On my first day of school I touched noses with my principal and most of the male staff, very different.

After the Powhiri I went to the English wing with Emily, my cooperating teacher.  The school is amazing, but I think I will save that for another post when I have time and pictures.  I spent most of the day trying to get my head around the NZ education system and get myself ready for Thursday.  We will have five different classes, one at each grade level actually.  I will also do a form class, which I think is similar to advisory that we do in the states.  So far it seems like all of the things Woodring teaches us to strive for in the states are already happening here.  It is going to be wonderful to work in a school where teachers are making an effort to create cooperative learning opportunities, and really make education work for students.

After school Emily and I went to discus, shot-put, and javelin throwing practice.  There is a sports day coming up at the school and she usually judges the discus.  We thought they were going to tell us the rules and how to measure out throws, and they did, but we also spent two hours learning to throw properly.  It was actually really really fun.  I've never done any of that before, and I feel like I learned a lot.  Our coach was a Samoan Olympian in 2000 who now runs a program to teach kids.  Pretty crazy right!  It was mostly us and the PE department, but it was pretty fun and I am glad I went.

I caught the train back home without any issues.  On the train I thought about how comfortable I felt traveling on my own now.  I am a very different girl now than the one that could hardly ride the subway in 2008.

Today is Waitangi Day and tomorrow is the first day of school.

First Impressions

I arrived yesterday around 3:45 and met Bunnie (my supervisor and coordinator here) at the airport.  She drove me through Wellington and around the bay to Lower Hutt, and to my new home.  On the way she gave me some tips and expectations for my living situation here.  Considering I had been in transit for around 28 hours when I got into the city I think I did a good job trying to catch most of what she said.  Apparently food is included in the $200 NZ a week I am paying for rent!  It was super windy, and of course my eyes drifted toward the sailboats flying across the bay.  It is beautiful here.  I think around 75 yesterday with a bit of summer breeze.  It feels like the tropics though, super humid today and I can smell the rain.

I met my host Barb at her home in Lower Hutt.  As she and Bunnie were chatting I realized how different the language is.  It is still English, but I guess I should have taken those silly "Speaking Kiwi" books more seriously.  I wonder how this will change communication with my students.  The house is lovely, very open and bright and my room is a nice gentle green color.  She also has a great little yard and deck, complete with a close-line (apparently Kiwis do not have dryers).  And my absolute favorite part....JAZZ, a four year old goldie.  She is very friendly and sweet, and I know having a dog around if I ever get homesick will be a blessing.

Today I am off to find a bank and figure out the NZ dollar, and then I am off to the train station to get a pass for the month.

Plane #3

Almost there!  On the plan from Brisbane to Wellington I finally succumbed to boredom enough to actually write something.  This has been an epic journey of waiting and getting on planes and sitting and then getting off of them.  Everything has been going well so far.  The flight from LA was fantastic.  Having never flown internationally I didn’t know what to expect, but it was pretty awesome.  From my own little media screen I could watch movies and make playlists of music.  I was also seated next to a friendly and reasonably sized mother daughter duo from Georgia.  I slept most of the trip and watched movies the rest of it.  So much for “Othello” on the plane.  So far everyone has been nice and helpful and I haven’t really had any problems to speak of.  It was crazy to watch the little plane info-graphic on my screen move an ocean away from everything and everyone I’ve ever known.  I tried to push back the fear and all of it at first, but then I just let it happen.  Truth – right then I missed home and I was questioning what the heck I was thinking doing the most challenging part of my program without any of the support systems back home.  PANIC!  But then I remembered that it’s ok, feeling that way is normal, and I am going to love this adventure.  I can feel it.  

Airport #1

Just got through security smoothly at Sea-Tac and I am waiting at the terminal for my flight.  Saying goodbyes to my family at the gate and over the last couple days was difficult.  They are a fantastic bunch of humans.  Always joking and sassing about everything, but I've come to appreciate in the last couple years what it means to be family.  I know that they will be there with me through all of this.  I feel ready to be off into the world and I could not be more excited, but leaving behind loved ones is always tough.  I've got a couple days of airports and planes ahead and here at the start of it I feel energized and excited.  We'll see how things are going after about a day in the air and 6 hours sitting in airports.  I have a feeling I'll be really bored in LA.  I have 4 hours to kill and the inconvenience of being phone-less to get used to, not that I am particularly good at utilizing my telephone.  So excited for what the coming 3 months will bring.  It's starting!!!