I don’t even know where to start. I’ve only been here for two full days, and so much has happened. This place is amazing! How about I give you a few highlights from each area of the trip thus far? Here goes..enjoy!
Travel
- Alex and I departed DSM at 1:30ct and flew throught Denver, San Fran, Auckland & Queenstown before driving to Alexandra WITHOUT ANY TRAVEL DELAYS, CANCELATIONS, or ANY ISSUES!! àMiracle, haha! 28 hours of traving!
- I met two gals (not too much older than me) on the plane, Carle & Amy, who were very kind and gave me suggestions about traveling, New Zealand itself, and even gave me their business cards in case we travel to their cities. Very nice!
- The landing in Queenstown was quite, hmm..different! I say this because it was frighteningly (yes, frighteningly) bumpy but beautiful as we came in between the mountains! Also, the runway came out of nowhere! We also got off the plane using the staircase with amazing mountains right in front of us!
- The Principal of the Terrace Primary School, Garry, came and picked us up from the Queenstown airport, and drove us around Queenstown. I cannot even begin to explain how pretty that city is! The mountains, the clean blue-green lakes/rivers..everything! That also have a starbucks, McDonalds & KFC there..ha!
- Garry took us out to breakfast at a cute little café with a lake-front view and filled us in on some New Zealand knowledge as well as some info about the school. He is such a nice guy!
- Finally, he drove us down the scenic roads to Alexandra where we arrived at our little house. It’s a cute 2br/2bath home with a full kitchen, living room, kitchen table, laundry/clothesline, etc.
- We drove our van to go get groceries, and that was, well, an experience! Let’s just say that people could definitely tell it was our first time there looking for food and such, ha! **MAY I REMIND YOU..we also drive on the left side of the road here and don’t have stop lights..just round-a-bouts..HA! Yeah, that’s fun/weird! (I can only imagine if my mom came..us and round-a-bouts…LOL). Epecially going the opposite way around). Gotta love us Americans ;)
- After we got everything unloaded and unpacked, we went to the school to meet the staff and walk around a “wee bit.” The people here are SUPER NICE!
- FINALLY, after who knows how long we had been without a bed, we got to bed around 7:30 Monday night and slept the night away ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz
- First of all, they’re hilarious! We have found that we are all weird in our own ways. I think I’ve cried laughing a few times already! (They’ve also caught onto the fact that I lose it, by laughing, pretty easily..haha)
- Both of them are in the Iowa State Educational Program as well.
- Alex (girl) is originally from Illinois, and is an early-childhood Ed major. She is teaching an entry-level class here in NZ.
- Alex “Spooner” (boy) is from Iowa and is an Elementary Ed major like myself. He is teaching a Yr 7/8 class here.
- Also, Alex sets her alarm to the LOTR theme song since we’re here in NZ! It’s great!!
- The school we are working at is a Entry-Year 8 school (K-8). Some unique things about the school that s ets it apart from American schools are:
- Kids start school at the entry level on their 5th birthday. For example, Alex is teaching in one of the entry-level classes, and there are 18 pupils. By the end of the term, there could be 26 due to kids coming in and starting on their birthdays
- The classrooms are combined between two age groups. For example, I’m working in a Yr 5/6 classroom with kids aged 9-11. Yes, it is very different from how we do it in America, but Garry gave us his reasoning of how they do it like that here, and it makes a lot of sense. Here are some of the reasons for the combined classrooms:
- NZ schools focus on small-group learning in Maths, English and other subjects to help focus in on individual students
- **There are NO standardized tests in NZ!! Garry says that instead of focusing on tests while teaching, teachers are able to work with ‘Johnny’ and see what ‘Johnny’ needs to be learning, depending on the subject matter. That is why this combined age-group classroom helps because it allows a variety of groups for students to work in to meet their level.
- Unless changed for a particular reason, the students are with the same teacher for two years. They believe that it is more beneficial for the students to work with the same teacher, for the most part, because the teachers have a better sense of the students’ learning strategies by then, and that makes the second year that much better. (It’s also not like they’re learning the same thing for two years because, again, each group is working on something different at times to reach their levelà That’s where the fun part of teaching/planning will come in… ;) )
- The building is unique in that each classroom has a door to the outdoors. They are temporary buildings (like trailers), and have open windows to see the beautiful scenery. I like the big difference in looks because it adds to the culture!
- The Maori people are the natives of NZ, and the people here respect the Maori traditions in their everyday lives.
- It is custom to greet people as they come in with chanting, dancing, gift giving, etc.
- The school population waited inside of the gym and welcomed us in by chanting Haere mai. Haere Mai.” The principal, Garry, then spoke about himself, his family, where he is from, and the school in the Maori language before interpreting in English. The oldest class then stood up and did a song to let Garry know that he did a good job (Clapping is not a Maori tradition, so singing takes its place). Then Brian, my teacher, stood up and spoke about the same things in Maori on behalf of us newcomers.
- *We then did the “.” This was a bit different because the Maori people show that others have been welcomed in by sharing the same breath. So, we went through a line and held each other’s right hand (like you were going to shake it), put our left hands on their shoulder, and leaned in to touch noses and forehead.
- **It was very different, but very emotional/moving at the same time to experience such a meaningful, cultural welcome!
- As mentioned, I’m working in a Year 5/6 classroom with 26 students. They are so funny! Yes, they are talkative, but funny, ha!
- I’m working with a husband wife team. Brian teaches Mon-Wed, and Rosie teaches Thursday and Friday. They are such a cute old couple!
- The first thing the class did when we came in after the ceremony was share about themselves. That was nice!
- We then did Maths, and I got to jump in and help a group work on UV rays and SPF data based on the time of the day (yeah, it had been awhile, Lol)
- ***After Maths, we went into the Computer Lab so that the pupils could research where I was from (Georgia, Iowa State, Iowa, Snellville, etc.). I totally forgot how much kids know how to do at that age! Some things did/”researched” were: -Pictures/videos of my gymnastics (Oh goodness, hahaha) Brian laughed and asked that they research where I was from because he saw that I was getting embarrassed, Lol. It was fine though -They asked me if the Snellville City Hall building was my house..ha! -They found my house on Google Earth
-Oh, it was hilarious! They kept asking me to come over to their computers to show me what they found.
- *One thing one of my girls asked me was if I had seen celebrities. I told her that I haven’t seen many, and she replied, “What’s the point of living in America if you don’t meet celebrities?” Haha. It’s funny/neat to see their perspectives and what all they know about the states.
- The students in my class asked me if they had an accent..Umm, yes! I told them I loved it, and they said they really liked mine too, ha! The best question that I was asked, relating to accents’ was,
- I’ve never been asked to say so many different things!
- We found a bunny outside the school and put it in a box for a while to research and write up facts about it.
- Only ONE kid is taller than me..haha, score!
- The people here are very big into health and fitness! The school requires a ‘Brain Food’ break around 10am for students to grab a healthy snack. The teachers look and make sure that the food is healthy. This is one way they teach/model health.
- The students are HUGE sports fans. The popular sports here are cricket and rugby. After lunch, they have their ‘play time’ (recess) and the kids are out everywhere! The school has many different playgrounds, blacktops, tennis courts, track/field equipment/ balls, and so much more for the pupils to play with.
- **My students LOVED the fact that I was a gymnast and were begging me to show them skills such as “Flic-flaks,” haha.
- ***CRICKET!!!
-The coach didn’t know my name, so my new name is “MISS AMERICA” Haha. The kids loved it
- We did 2 hours of outdoor “athletics” today (Wednesday) during the times we would usually do reading and maths. This shows how much they stress physical activity and health. But of course I joined in on the fun J
- ALSO…Spooner and I went for a run today after dinner, and lets just say, the air here is VERY THIN, haha! We were both dying, but it was a great workout with a great view!
- Alexandra lies in a gorge between many mountains
- We went walking around the town (which is not very big) and noticed cute shops along the way. However, most shops on the main streets close around 5:30pm. It’s a nice, quiet town.
- Alexandra has the second biggest clock in the world! It is mounted on the side of a mountain and is lit up at night. Yes, it shows the real time, and we hope to go up and see it soon!
- The food here is pretty similar, but there are many differences as well.
- The coffee is so different! Not so much difference in the taste, but how it is made. All you do to make it is scoop the coffee, add your cream & sugar and then add hot water. For example, their coffee beans are ground up so much that it is light and airy (not nasty grounds), and it dissolves fully into the hot water.
- I asked a man in the staff room on the first day how to make it, and he replied, “Have you never made coffee before?” I laughed and explained my love for coffee & how we use filters and machines. Supposedly, we’re wasting money on machines and such in America..
- The food in the grocery stores in a wee bit different. For example, Alex’s Froot Loops apparently tasted the same, but the look and texture were different. Spooner’s ‘meat lovers pizza’ had molasses on it..haha.
- **One of my students brought me one of NZ’s famous “lollies” (candies) called Pineapple lumps, which are chocolate covered pineapple chewy things, lol. They’re quite interestingly good. He was so nice.