Monthly Archives: March 2017

Observations with Dr. Marvelle

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This week Dr. Marvelle was here in Quito to observe us at Colegio Menor. It came up quick since it feels like we just started but it was a good time because we’ve had a couple of weeks and have familiarized ourselves with our classrooms but aren’t super stuck in any routines yet. Dr. Marvelle was here for three days and observed each of us twice. I did a math lesson in my Kinder class Tuesday and a read-aloud yesterday, Torey did calendar Tuesday and yesterday a language arts lesson, and Emily did read-aloud Monday and yesterday was substituting for the day for her cooperating teacher. Tuesday night we were going to try to go to the soccer game between Ecuador and Colombia but as it turned out it was much more difficult to find tickets than we thought it would be, especially considering that it was a national game. Instead we got dinner at a TGI Friday’s nearby and watched the game from there. Last night we all went out for burgers at a place called La Burguesa and had the most delicious burgers ever! It was a good time having Dr. Marvelle here and he was really helpful in giving me advice and some direction. It is crazy to think we have been here long enough to have been observed already!

Beautiful English Days to Bike and Explore

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We had a beautiful weather to end our first week in Crewe! On Friday we went to a cafe opening at a local church and were able to meet the mayor of Crewe! We also were able to pick up some bikes from the church which they are allowing us to use during our time here. We have since been biking to and from school to save money on taxis and to get some exercise. We were also introduced to a few college students this weekend who could not have been more welcoming and polite. They took us to they favorite dairy farm to get some ice cream and play catch in the beautiful field next to the farm. One of our friends had a rugby game on Saturday, which he invited us to come watch and I found that to be very interesting because I used to watch my friends play rugby in high school. On Sunday (which is Mother’s Day here) we went to the gorgeous city of Chester for the day. We walked around all day, walking along the city walls, which literally go along the outside of the whole city. We went into the Chester cathedral which was goregous and full of history and then walked around a proper British castle. By the end of the weekend we were totally exhausted, but ready to go back to school to see the kids again and start our second week with them!

 

Sunny Days in England

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Our first week here is officially over. I have really enjoyed my time with the students in the school. The field trip was awesome! It was like an athletic obstacle course for the students to got through in teams. Our first weekend here was very busy! We went to a cafe opening in town where we met the mayor of the town which was awesome. We also met some MMU students, who we got ice cream with after. We now have bikes that the local church is loaning us. This has been so helpful because it is much easier to get around. We also are saving so much money on taxis because we’ve been biking to the school and all around town.  We enjoyed fantastic weather all weekend long! It was about 65  degrees and sunny. We went to a rugby game on Saturday, which was very cool to see (a little rough as well). On Sunday we went to Chester, a neighboring city. This city is very beautiful. It has old city walls that you can tour. There also is a stunning cathedral, many shops and plenty of places to eat. We had a lovely time touring this small city. We walked around the entire city which was about 10 miles!

Week 2 in Shanghai: Getting to Know The School Better

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This week I got to know the school and the students better by visiting different kinds of classrooms and taking some classes with the students. I saw not only the English classroom, but also history, math, art, and music.

Last Friday I joined a cooking class where we made sausages wrapped in bread.

Here students invited me to join their “food festival.” They made different dishes and had me sit and try with them for lunch. The student on the left was explaining to me what the different dishes were.

In the art class we were designing clothes.

I also joined a paper folding class where a student made this bow for me.

Now that I have seen many different parts of the school and understand more how things are done here, I am excited to move forward and start working in the classroom more this coming week.

On the weekend, the school arranged a trip for me to see more of Shanghai. I visited the Shanghai museum and Yu gardens while getting to try some of the local foods.

Bronze-work, pottery, and jade

Yu gardens and some dumplings.

Thank you to the school and to my guide for showing me around!

Until next time and thanks for reading,

Michael Rose

Ciudad Mitad del Mundo

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This past weekend we traveled to Mitad del Mundo, about 45 minutes from our house.  Mitad del Mundo is the equator at the middle of the Earth.  We spent most of the afternoon there taking photos and having lunch.  There was a lot more to do there than we expected.  There were museums, a lot of sculptures, souvenir shop s, and even Latin American dancers! We had lunch at a restaurant where we had empanadas, avocado sandwiches, fritadas, and of course coffee.  It was an awesome afternoon, especially because it did not rain!

Huasquila Field Trip

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The past few days have been pretty amazing here. I had the opportunity to travel for three days with my fifth grade classes to a tourist destination in the middle of the rainforest!!! It is only my second week here at Colegio Menor and I cannot believe what I have already experienced.

We stayed at the Huasquila Rainforest Lodge and had three packed days of hiking, swinging from vines, and experiencing nature through local guides and indigenous communities. It was absolutely incredible! It was so great to interact with my students outside of the classroom and really get a chance to  know them better. Although I am exhausted now, I am so happy that I got to be a part of such a wonderful field trip and experience with my students.

 

 

Teaching at The Jockey Club Primary School

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The Outside of the School                                Interior Photos

Interior Photos                                                   Interior Photos

The school (pictured above) is half indoors and half outdoors and very beautiful. It even won an architectural award.

The school is publicly funded, but families still need to pay about $100-$200 US dollars a month to send their children here. Most students that attend JCPS have wealthier parents.

 
Classroom                                                            Main Hallway

A typical classroom is less colorful than a US classroom.  Hong Kong classrooms don’t usually showcase student work and have considerably less posters. Additionally, teachers go to the student’s classrooms instead of the students coming to their teachers’ classrooms.

Hong Kong students are much more independent than US students. It is completely normal to leave a class alone. Some kids, 8 or 9 years old even, take a public bus or taxi home by themselves.  (The school also has school buses.)

Each class starts with the teacher and the kids standing. The teacher says “good morning class” and bows, the students say “good morning teacher” and bow back.

The student’s English skills are very good. All the English classes are conducted completely in English without a problem.

Recess and lunch are at the same time. The kids eat and play at their own will.  The students can pretty much go anywhere in the school even though most go to the common, outdoor area. Also, there doesn’t seem to be much concern about bullying or social problems here. For the most part, the students just work out their problems themselves.

Teaching has been great so far!  We implemented a sticker chart with rewards for participation and good behavior.  This has been very effective so far.  Every 25 stickers the students earn a prize from the prize bag.  Students are motivated to behave well!

Helpful things to know:

  • There are signs across from the elevator that detail which rooms are on which floors.
  • You can leave the school for lunch and get something from the campus shops.
  • You’ll teach two classes a day and two after-school activities a week.
  • The schedule is from 8:30am-4:40pm Monday through Friday.  This is different from what the international office told us initially, as I believe they gave us the university students’ schedule.
  • Technically the school day ends at 3:40pm, but you are required to stay until 4:40pm even if you are not teaching an after-school activity. In your off time you can plan your lessons or mark students’ work.
  • You have an Easter break!  This is a great time to travel. Our Easter break about about a week and a half, from April 8th – April 20th.  (We have to come back Friday April 21st for an in-service day.)  I would wait until you come to Hong Kong to verify which days you actually have off.  As a teacher, you’ll go by the primary school work days/off days and not the university’s.

An International Classroom – my students at SPRCS getting letters from students in Taunton

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Here are some pictures of my students here in Belize opening their letters from my students back in Taunton. I did my student teaching at the H.H. Galligan Elementary School, and my third grade students there wrote my Belize students letters. In the letters they talked about what an their life looks like everyday, and what their interests are. They also asked questions to my Belize students, so they could get to know them better. My Belize students opened the letters and were so excited to read them! I cannot wait for them to re- read the letters and respond back to my students in Taunton. It is pen pals, mixed with an international classroom. Children are children everywhere, no matter how different their culture maybe.

Sink or Float

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The teachers of Belize do a really amazing job of creating hands on activities with little materials. Today the students and I worked on an engineering lesson in which they were required to construct boats using popsicle sticks, styrofoam, glue and other recycled items. We were then able to test out which ones sank or float right at the beach! It was so exciting for the kids to be off school property and get to see whether or not their boat would withstand the floating test. This was definitely a fun project I felt I could take home to do with my students in the states.

Hello From Crewe!

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After some issues with our Visa, Melissa and I have finally arrived at MMU in Crewe! Over the weekend we had a chance to travel and explore the town and it’s surrounding area a little bit. We are lucky to have the train within walking distance of our dorm so we traveled to Manchester on Sunday, where we toured the Manchester Cathedral and had lunch at a local pub. Today was our first day at Leighton Academy and we spent the first half of the day getting to know the staff and students. We were placed in a year two classroom for the rest of the day, which is with students between the ages of 6-7. We had the chance to experience a music class and a gym class with the students today as well as some short lessons. Everyone in the school is very welcoming and friendly, they all have a very positive attitude about the school and all of students. Tomorrow we are going on a field trip with the year two class to a local college. I look forward to getting to know the staff and students better and being able to explore more of England this weekend!