Start at Castlefield Infant School and Weekend Travel

October 5, 2011

I have to begin by apologizing for taking so long to update my blog. It is an understatement to say it has been a whirlwind the past 5 weeks. I’m actually home sick with my first UK ear infection and thought it was a good time to reflect on the travel and school experiences I have had in September.

TRAVEL:

Scotland, September 2 – 4, 2011

One of the many advantages to living in the UK is the opportunity to travel to so many different areas – countries even! The weekend before school began, September 2 – 4, I took the train north to visit my friend Norie in Glasgow, Scotland. She is a fellow Fulbright Teacher and happens to be a twin. The Friday I arrived, I was able to visit the private school in which she is teaching history to children ages 12-18. We finished off the day with beverages in several pubs and enjoyed an ‘American cheeseburger’ at TGI Fridays. The next day we met up with the members of the Scottish Exchange Club who kindly drove us to Braemar for the Highland Games. The games were amazing. The field reminded me of the Quidditch Field in Harry Potter but there were no flying brooms. There were stands surrounding half the field and a special open-front house for the Queen. We arrived a few hours before the Queen, so we were able to tour the grounds and get a feel for the Scottish culture. There were bagpipes, royal military, and lots of athletes dressed in kilts or striped, rugby shirts. The field was a constant buzz of different sporting events, and there were great people-watching opportunities. We even lined the road in which the Queen and her caravan drove out of the stadium. Unfortunately, we picked the wrong side of the road to see the Queen but I received a nice wave from Prince Philip. Afterwards, we walked into the town and did a little shopping with the rest of the sporting enthusiasts. To finish off the day, one of the Scottish Exchange Club members arranged for us to have dinner at a wonderful roadside pub. I experienced my first Scottish Steak Pie and it was delicious. It was a wonderful weekend in Scotland and I found the people to be very friendly and outgoing. My hostess, Norie, also was a lot of fun to spend time with and I loved hearing her ‘east coast/American’ accent.

London, September 16 – 18, 2011

When my friend Anita said she was going to be in London for a business trip, I jumped at the opportunity to do some sightseeing with a friend from home. But first, I decided to visit my sister and brother-in-law. It was such a welcome site after a long day at school and 3 train changes to see them waiting for me on the platform in Hemel Hempstead. We had a late dinner and caught up. Saturday morning I headed into London to meet Anita at the Great Portland tube stop. We immediately had coffee and hopped a double decker tour bus where we got ‘shushed’ for talking too loud. The first stop was lunch and then photo opportunities at Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Making our way to the mall we saw Downing Street and guardsmen on horses. Around 14:00, we met my sister and brother-in-law at Buckingham Palace for a tour of 16 State Rooms and viewing of Princess Kate’s wedding dress, shoes and cake. It was absolutely wonderful! We finished off the afternoon with a tasty dinner at a Dim Sum restaurant. Sunday involved more touring before heading back to Hemel Hempstead. My sweet brother-in-law and sister then drove me to the in laws house for a traditional Sunday dinner and a celebration of the sister-in-law’s birthday. After three train rides, I was home again, tired but thankful for a fun weekend.

Leeds and Whitby, September 24 – 25, 2011

Leeds is a city located about thirty minutes from where I am living. It is easily accessible by car but Joan (Kelly’s mom) and I decided to take the train to meet Kelly’s brother, Andrew. We spent a lovely Saturday eating good sandwiches, touring the local market and visiting a very posh department store called Harvey & Nichols. I touched clothing that cost more then two months of pay and drooled over shoes made by Prada. Andrew is a very kind man and it was great meeting another member of Kelly’s family.

On Sunday, my partner teacher Cat and her boyfriend Richard drove me to a coastal town called Whitby. It is a coastal village that perhaps is best known for Whitby Abbey, which is a mere skeleton of the building that once stood there. It is a town that holds one of the most famous fish and ship restaurants, The Magpie Café, and the queue can easily be 1 – 2 hours. Luckily, we queued around mid afternoon and didn’t have to wait to long! The fish and chips definitely lived up to all the hype. After lunch we hiked up the cobble stone streets to the stairs leading up to the Abbey, which sits on a hill overlooking the town. While we didn’t tour the site, it was pretty outstanding looking at the structure. On the way back down from the Abbey, I followed my adventurous partner teacher down this very steep, slippery cobblestone road that ran along the side of the stairs. Cat learned one of my fears… going down steep inclines. Richard sweetly stayed in front of me, offering his arm and support at the steepest points. Apparently we had an audience, because at the bottom a woman who had descended the steps kindly said, “Oh good, you made it down.” On our way through the town I experienced my first ‘fish pedicure’ and purchased a ring with Whitby Jet in the center (black stone). The weather was cloudy and rainy but ended in sunshine. There was something very relaxing and familiar about being on the coast. A huge thanks goes to Cat and Richard for being my tour guides for the day.

Future Travel

This weekend, I am headed to London for a reception at the US Embassy and meetings at the British Council for Fulbright. I’m excited to see my fellow Fulbright Teachers and get a little time to catch up with one another. In a few weeks, my friend Leeann arrives and we are going to London, Dublin and Paris. I’m looking forward for her to experience some of Europe! In November, my Head Teacher has offered to take me to the town of York, a historic town located in the North of England and when my Jewish Mother comes in April, we are discussing Spain. One of my main goals of this trip is to get in as much travel as possible. So far so good. ☺

TEACHING:

Castlefields Infant School, September 5, 2011-Present

Castlefields is a lovely, small school located in the town of Rastrick. The school is only 2.8 miles from where I am living, but a majority of the journey is up steep hills. The school’s property sits above some of the surrounding areas. On stormy days, the wind whips through the grounds and blows the trees. We are a single story building with a small car park and a bungalow building on the side of the property, which is used for before/after school care and preschool.

Approximately 180 children make up the student body. Each classroom has at least one support staff and around 30 children. There are 6 classrooms that include Foundation Year through Year 2 students (4-7 year olds). There are only 7 teachers but over 42 staff members. All children are dropped off and picked up by their parents every day. There are no school buses to transport students. Children wear uniforms in the colors of white, red, grey and black. They are not allowed to wear any jewelry outside of stud earrings, which must be removed for PE. Children have athletic clothing, and all together they change into the clothing on PE days. Teachers teach all subjects including PE and Music. Classrooms do not include a teacher desk or standard desks. Students work at tables and all supplies are provided by the school. Each classroom has a Smart board and computers for students to learn, but the technology isn’t necessarily reliable.

Our Year 1 team is made up of two teachers (including myself) and two support staff. My teammate is a creative, energetic, excellent teacher named Catherine McClung, or Cat Mac for short. Between our two classrooms is a middle area that includes a sandbox, waterbox, creative station, and a Dinosaur Den. We arrive 20 minutes before students walk in at 8:30 am and can leave 30 minutes after the students are excused at 3:00 pm. However, like home, most teachers arrive early and leave late. Four days a week, the day starts with a 20-minute assembly led by teachers on a rotating schedule. There is a 20-minute break in the morning and 60-minute lunch. Once per week, teachers are given 3 hours of prep time during the day. The planning occurs in the student/teacher computer lab, and this is where we create any classroom materials or lesson plans. Cat and I get our prep time Wednesday mornings which means the support staff teaches one of our classes and a supply teacher (substitute) teaches the other class. Wednesdays after school, teachers stay an additional hour for staff meeting, and Thursday lunch times are reserved for an all staff meeting. Each day of the week has a different curriculum schedule. Some days, students receive Numeracy and Literacy while other days they have PE, Music and topic. All teachers and support staff teach a phonics program called, ‘Read Write Inc’ for 20 minutes, 4 days per week. Students are placed in flexible ability groups. Since supports staff have their own groups, they numbers are relatively small at about 15 student each. Homework and reading books go home once per week. There is a theme for each half-term based on student interests. We are currently learning about Dinosaurs.

Contact with parents occurs on a daily basis since they pick up and drop off children. I have yet to receive an email or many phone calls from parents. When the school or classroom needs to make contact with a large number of parents, a text message is sent out. Also, our secretary is very good and prompt about writing notices, which we hand out to parents at the end of the day. We don’t tend to have many parent volunteers because there is a very strict background check process for anyone who works with children in the schools. Also, there are policies about any materials created that include student names must be on a locked zip drive and student pictures are to be shredded and not removed from the school building.

Perhaps the biggest difference between curricula back home and here is the approach. In Tigard–Tualatin, our teaching is based on packaged curricula and the approach is pretty consistent across the district. In the UK, teachers used the National Standards to guide their weekly planning. There is an extensive lesson planning template that is used to state the object for each day’s lesson and four differentiated plans for how to implement the instruction. For numeracy and literacy, I have 5 different groups and each group receives a slightly different interpretation of the day’s objective in order to meet student needs. Each lesson clearly has an introduction and planeary (wrap up). The majority of instruction happens in a small group setting. My group tends to be slightly lower in their skills than Cat’s class, so we have to make further modifications.

The students are very well behaved. I take register (attendance) in the morning and after lunch. Children respond by saying, “Good Morning, Miss Smith” or “Good afternoon, Miss Smith. I hope you had a good dinner (which means lunch).” They have responded well to my ‘funny voice’ and still thinking I live with Mickey Mouse because I told them Oregon was the State next to the state that has Disneyland. I think they even questioned if I was Jesus after we sat through a sermon by Father Matthews and he kept saying, “Jesus was like your teachers in that he was a teacher.” They kept starring at me with funny looks on their faces. They have the same woes and worries of children in America except they have those sweet little accents. Parents are similar to families back home in that they too want their children to be safe and happy. Overall, parents and students have made me feel very welcome, and I have even received an invitation to a Thanksgiving dinner.

The staff at Castlefield works very hard. Their focus is on the students and creating a successful learning environment for all students. Similar to the challenges we have faced in Tigard Tualatin, they struggle with how to meet the needs of all students. One difference is there doesn’t seem to be a trend of children in the minority population falling into certain achievement levels. In other words, the minority population, made up of mostly Asian children (Middle Eastern), are scattered throughout all ability groups. Language does impact some of the learning but the parent support at home is very strong.

So far, my teaching experience has been faced with some challenges and I do feel like a first year teacher all over again. However, the Head (principal) and teachers have wrapped their arms around me and are doing everything they can to make this a successful experience. It has brought me back to the basics of focusing on the needs of the children and being creative in how I approach the objectives. I know that as time goes on, things will begin to become easier. The challenge is all part of the adventure and I am just trying to take it all in.

In writing this blog entry, it has dawned on me that an immense number of things have occurred in only a short 5-week span. I have started the school year with 30 smiling 5-6 year olds, began to form relationships with staff, been inducted into Kelly’s amazing circle of friends, purchased a car/insurance, learned (and am still learning) how to drive on the left side of the road, and managed to figure out where to buy groceries. All of this has been an adjustment and wouldn’t have been possible without the loving support of my staff, Head teacher (principal), and Kelly’s parents. The learning curve has been huge, but I continue to grow professionally and personally. I know that at the end of this experience I will be changed forever. Thank you to all of you who have sent me emails, Facebook messages, and letters/packages from home. I cherish the little reminders of home and hope all those I love back home are doing well.

Au-revoir for now☺