The weekend
has come around again in a multi-coloured blur travelling at the speed of
light! I’ve just about got my head around which group of students is which –
and what their learning objectives are for this term.
In
secondary I’m teaching 2 sets of 11/12 year olds (1st year in
Scotland’s education system), one class of 13/14 (2nd year) and seniors
aged 16/17 and the eldest 17/18 (6th year to me) who are just about
ready to leave school for the wider world. They are all genuinely worried about
their exams … something I’m not sure my generation was so worked up about, we
knew we had to get the grades to achieve our choice of work/college/uni but I
think we were more bothered about our social lives. Or maybe that was just me ;
)
I also have
PAIS classes. These are after school classes for primary and secondary kids
whose parents want them to achieve Trinity and Cambridge exam levels. So there
are classes for PET and KET (secondary) and in our school Starters, Movers and
Flyers (the names of the YL Cambridge exams).
My Starters
group (age 8-9) have missed their usual teacher for the last 2 classes. He is a
very calm, gentle presence in the classroom and they love him. (I’ve seen them
run and hug him and climb all over him at the beginning of class : ) ). Naturally
they are upset and out of their routine when I have been with them this week
and I very much need to find my feet with teaching this level. We are slowly
building rapport. They are awesome kids. Boisterous but just awesome. Such
loving little people. I want to persist to create good classes for them – that stimulate
them (just a little!) and then have them calmed down (as much as is possible!)
by the time they go to meet their parents. Stirrers & soothers in the right
blend!
I took one
to ones with the PET and KET groups yesterday and they were all so well behaved
and spoke beautifully to give me vocab for clothes or to talk about their travels, and
their dreams of travels in the future.
Last night
Simone, Anna and I went for well-deserved PRINKS. The bar we went to gave out
great free snacks – tortilla with bread, sweeties, crisps, PIZZA : )
Today I
want to look over what’s happening next week and get some planning done. Also
want to get out and get some fresh air and a good walk as due to my flu last
weekend I have only seen the very near neighbourhood and the school route! The
days are long at our school. We don’t get back usually until 745pm earliest.
Dinner is at 9. Finding yourself with free time is very much your reward in this environment.
For lesson
planning and taking a break from the school during the week we’re lucky enough
to be near a gorgeous café called Miss Maruja. I think I would move here for
that café and being next to the Atlantic Ocean at the drop of a hat.
WORST BITS
the last day of the flu. I was so fed up of it and a little tearful. I'd had ENOUGH!
BEST BITS
when I did the same present continuous lesson with my first years and set B were ABSOLUTELY SILENT for 2-3 minutes !!!!!
when about half of the kids in Starters really tried to work with me and did little things to help me : )
fishbowl gin tonic : )
Dinner ... always ... for the craic :)
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