Jealous?

I still would not change it for anything....

5:00am: Alarm goes off...

5:10am: I finally get out of bed...

5:30am: Eat a Hearty Breakfast (because you never know when you will be able to eat again).

6:00am: Agency calls and tells you where you will be working

6:30am: You finally come up with a public transit journey plan, on how to get to the school.

6:45am: Leave the house (Yup, it is still dark outside!!)

7:09am: Catch the Metro

7:19am: Get off at metro station that is in a different city!!! (yes they are super fast!)  

7:27am: Your bus does not show up, so you call Nexus and re-route your travel plans and catch a new bus.

7:42am: New bus shows up

8:00am: Introduce yourself to a new secretary or Head Teacher, who presents you with a foreign school policy.

8:08am: Read over notes left for you, find out you have to teach integers in numeracy, personification and metaphors in poetry, and ancient Greece for topics.  Also realize that there is no material left for you, so you must find your own material, and remember the students will start coming in at 8:50am (about 40 minutes).

8:10-8:45am: Have re-taught yourself integers, come up with an exciting attention grabbing activity for poetry and have familiarized yourself with enough information about ancient Greece.

8:55am: Thirty students aged 11 come running in excited to have noticed there is a supply in today, so decide that it is time to party and begin to run around and talk on their mobile phones.

9:20am: Register and dinner have been sorted, students have realized that I am their teacher and I mean business.

9:25am: Have been asked, if I am: American, Irish, Australian, or Scottish at least 15 times from at least 20 different students.

10:25am: Break time most students go outside, except that one student that is just DYING to show you her new book, dance moves, or new toy for the 10 mins that you wished you had to go over your next lesson plan.

10:45am: students enter once again

11:00am: students are finally calm enough to begin Literacy lesson.

11:55am: Students head off to dinner.  You are excited to get some food yourself and plan for the afternoon when you are called down to the office because one of your students has been involved with a fight outside.  After you have taken care of the mischief you are then told that you have lunch duty, so you grab your coat and head outside into the England cold rain, where the other teacher blabs your ear off, so you can’t mentally plan your next lesson.

12:55pm: Take the register

1:15pm: Students tell you that they have already done the lesson that the teacher has left for you, so you grab into your ‘magic bag’ (that all supply teachers have, and usually takes weeks to put together) and begins to teach a pre-planned lesson that you have luckily photocopied the day before.

2:30pm: Break time becomes a inside playtime because of the England rain, and the quiet time you planned to have to look over the rest of the lessons and maybe eat a yogurt turns into a chaotic mess, where Kaitlin and Dylan fight over who gets to go on the computer for 10 mins.

2:45pm: Give in to a fun activity to win over the students hearts and finally reveal to them that you are Canadian.

2:48-3:05pm: Students ask about snow, igloos, skiing, mountains and lumberjacks.

3:15pm: School ends, students stay to tell you all about their holidays that they have had in ‘America’.

3:30-5:00pm: Mark numeracy and Literacy so you can show the teacher that you are competent to come back to that school.

5:17pm: Catch bus

5:42pm: Catch Metro

6:15pm: Finally back home

7:00pm: Make dinner (FINALLY FOOD!!)

8:00pm: Begin planning for next class filling your magic bag to be ready for tomorrow.

The BEST Year 5 Class!!!! I know I am not supposed to have favourites but this IS My Favourite by far :)

Hot drink?

The infatuation with, ‘hot drinks’ here in England is fantastic!

Wherever you go, you are forever greeted with, “You arite?” (How are you?), “Would you like a hot drink?”

I have always been suspicious what a, ‘hot drink’, actually is?!  I usually always decline the offer, when people ask if I would like anything, I feel rude to make someone go and fetch me a drink, of MY choice!  That all changed!!!

It was a Tuesday and I was in a weird mood to begin with.  I was visiting with one of my agencies when I decided, ‘why yes! I think I will have myself a hot drink!’  mmmm.... I was not asked how I like my hot drink, I was just given a grin and off, sweet Gillian went, to fetch me my ‘hot drink’.   About 5 minutes later a ‘hot drink’ was placed in front of me!  With a lovely biscuit and all the fixings!!!   How wonderful hot drinks are here!  And everyone is always sooo concerned about them!

One of the first things I am told when I visit a new school is where the hot drinks are.  They will usually go out of their way to explain where the ‘fixings’ are and then say without fail, “can I get you a hot drink?”  During break time (recess) I have every school that I have worked at so far, have a lovely teacher pop her head in and say, “Go on then, and fix yourself a hot drink”.  Looooooove this! I just want to hug them for saying it!

The tea in the Staff rooms comes in those huge metal coffee maker thingys.  They are filled every morning and teachers flock to it.  My new infatuation with the hot tea made me think about Canada, and I have realized that we are not much different.

I remember being in Canada last year and seeing the brown paper cups, and at certain times of the year, the red rrrroll up the rrrim cups sitting on desks, or in hands of teachers.  I remember being asked on numerous occasions, “want something? I am goin to Tims.”  

I have come to believe that England’s ‘hot drink’ is Canada’s ‘Tims’......

We do share one thing in common about hot drinks....Starbucks!

This is my Saturdays, when I am not lesson planning :) On many occasions it's Nicci sitting in front of me for one of our 3 hour chats ;)....

"Doors closing"

It’s the little things that excite me.... I am like a child, and maybe this is why I love teaching so much. 

Let me explain this in more detail.... I marvel at the slightest differences that I have encountered here, but could care less about the big stuff.  I know that England is full of great history and that there are literally castles and ruins all around me, but I rather ride the metro and listen to the British accent recording.... it still to this day brings me great joy that I have been without car.  I seriously do not miss it!  I actually look forward to grocery shopping because it means I get to take a walk!

Ah walking!  I will most definitely miss the walking come June.  I have learned to enjoy my time alone and walking in the early mornings while on route to work or the library.  A cup of Java mittens and of course an umbrella and I’m a happy camper!  The fantastic British accent recordings on the metro have become another rather odd infatuation of mine!

Yes I may have some underlying psychological issue, but I wouldn’t give it up for the world.  I will forever understand the joy of hearing.... 

“Next station Haymarket...CHANGE HERE FOR ALL LOCAL BUS SERVICES” 

“The train standing at platform one is for ST. JAMES via THE COAST”

 Baaahhhahaha yep definitely an odd ball!

Here are some miscellaneous pictures to keep you entertained...

Us trying to take a 'Serious pose' picture... turned out that we just look ridiculous!

Finally decided to check out 'the other side of the footbridge of Jesmond Dene' and it took us all the way to Heaton!

Ryan on the foot bridge in Jesmond... shall we continue on and visit the other side???

When we got to the other side..... we seen this!!!

And this!

School buses... England style

Take a look at the bargains! £2.00 for a pint of beer, 3 beer for £5.00 ANY 4 SHOTS for £5.00.  I am not even going to get into the JagerBomb deal!!!!!

Us on a random Saturday... Ya this is how we do it! sooo COOL! I know!

Dogs everywhere! Always in the pubs... You would be able to take Rusty and Kirby with you whenever you wanted!

Newcastle (North Tyneside) at sunset :)

My Teaching Adventure

To my lovely British students!

My heart continues to grow for my teaching each day. I walk into a class and I am always fresh and new to them.  My students have a new face to look at and new very strange accent to listen to.

I want to preserve my memories of teaching here.  I never want to forget......

1.       Rubbers (erasers)

2.       Felt tips (markers)

3.       Rubbish bin (garbage can)

4.       Jumpers (sweatshirts/hoodies)

5.       Registers (Attendance)

6.       School dinners (hot-dog day!)

7.       Assembly (meaningless waste of time)

8.       Topics (Social studies)

9.       ICT (Computers)

10.   Year (grade)

11.   Deputy Head (principal)

12.   Brill (That was Brilliant)

13.   Looking Smart (you are dressed proper)

The best part of supply teaching is returning to a school and students remembering you!  Hearing students say, “Hi Ms. Cleanstream!  Are you teaching in my class today?!”  Is enough to put a smile on my face!

I get paid to play with dirt, make volcanoes, divide, multiply and laugh with 10 year olds who have no worries in the world!

British students with their sweet little accents and cute little kilts and blazer uniforms... I continue to feel under dressed around them and they are children!

Oh... the memories!!!!

Who could ask for anything better?