School Starts

STUDENTS: Well, my school started this week and I'm just getting to know all the kids. I have about a dozen Maori and Pacific Island kids (Samoa, Fiji, etc.) plus 3 Korean, 2 Chinese, 2 Indian, 1 Cambodian, 1 South African, 1 Dutch, 1 Australian, and 1 token American teacher. That's lots of diversity for a class of 29 students! The personalities of 12- and 13-year-olds are pretty much the same all over the world. A few are too chatty. A few are shy. Some have very low skills and can barely read or write. Some have terrible home lives. Some are extremely active in sports. So far their behavior has been mixed. I was ready to wring their little necks on the 3rd day, but they were lots better on the 4th day. They're just testing me. I'll have to whip them into shape. :)

MISS: All the students call their female teachers "Miss." As in, "Sorry, Miss." or "Yes, Miss." It's sweet. It reminds me of the Spanish students calling me Maestra.

PLANNING: I ran out of things to teach after two days of beginning-of-the-year stuff. The container isn't here yet so I was just making things up ... with mixed success. I was frantically staying up till 11:00 every night trying to plan for the next day, just surviving day-to-day. I hate that. Luckily, I had some time this weekend to plan for the coming week so I feel better. (I even had time to watch the Olympics opening ceremony, and time to write this blog entry.) And supposedly, the ship with our container is arriving the day after tomorrow. My fingers are crossed.

SINGING: Mrs. Baker will like this: Every week there is an all-school singing assembly where the principal plays the piano and the kids all sing along. If they're not singing out loud enough, she makes them start over. It's kinda cute seeing everyone (boys included) singing at the top of their lungs. So far, we've sung Daydream Believer and Lean On Me, old 70's songs. I would have expected folk songs or something. Oh well. I love to sing, regardless. I also told the principal that I play flute and she's eager for me to accompany her, once my flute arrives.

SPORTS DAY: On Friday we had a big sports day to celebrate the end of the first week back. The Deputy Principal is a volunteer fireman so he brought a fire truck and aimed the hose in a big arch and the kids ran under it and through it and got all wet. (remember, it's summer here) They had a blast. There were also relays and tug-o-war and other fun stuff. Perhaps Mr. Foote should get a fire truck to come for Alder Creek's 8th Grade Day?

FITNESS: There's an all-school fitness program 3 mornings a week for 30 minutes. (Kiwis are REALLY sports-minded) I'm in charge of taking 30 kids on a power walk. My job is to make sure none of the kids allow this 48-year-old lady to pass them.

PE: By the way, Schroeder, Kiwi kids always do PE & Fitness barefoot! They have their PE classes outside in the grass almost every day. They only get rained out once or twice a month and have to go in the Assembly Hall instead.


LUNCH: Lunch also takes place outside. First, the kids all sit under the trees for 10 minutes to eat, Then they have to clean up. Then they are released to play around for the rest of the hour while 2 staff monitor the grounds. There's no cafeteria, no kitchen, and no hot lunch served in any New Zealand schools.

SUN PROTECTION: They are required to wear hats for protection from the sun. It's funny to me because I'm used to kids getting in trouble for wearing hats. Here they get in trouble for NOT wearing hats. Ha. I also have to be a good role model and wear a hat when I'm leading the power walk, etc.


MOVIE MAKING: I also found out that they're making a movie version of the book Bridge to Terabithia, a young adult novel that lots of kids have read. They're filming it here in New Zealand, and actually it's happening less than 5 miles away. Some of my students are getting paid $100/day to be extras in the film. They are playing fellow classmates of the 2 main characters. The 2 stars are both American kids, but the extras are Kiwi kids.