Assessment and St.Albans

I hope everyone's week has been going well. I had a busy, yet good week here in Luton.

The school that I am teaching at is really big on Assessment for Learning. For my non-education followers- AFL is giving students written and verbal feedback (but not just a grade, it needs to be comments on successes and areas to improve on) in every lesson. Every three weeks we have "AFL Marking stickers" due. This means, in every students exercise books we input a sticker with feedback on their learning. Our stickers have sections for : Well done for..., Next steps, Literacy target, student reflection and teacher comments. In addition we insert a "Working at Grade" (the current level/grade they are working at) and Effort level (how well their performance/behaviour is in our classes). These were all due by the end of the week and in another three weeks, we have to do them again. Let me assure you, you almost need to start them right after you finish them because they can be a long process. I have 12 different set of exercise books to mark, most with between 25-30 students in each set. It's a long process but I found some ways to make the process more fast. I typed up and then printed various comments for different levels of students in my classes so I just had to determine the level the student was working at and then put the correct typed sticker in their notebook. Still, its a long process. For the "effort" grade, it is on a level of 1-5, 1 being the highest and 5 being the lowest. I did not give any of my students a 1, even those that do great work in the class and are well-behaved because its still the beginning of the semester and I want them to all try harder in my class. :)

This part goes out to all my Trent friends. So, as most of you have realized, I will not be at HOTT this year. Firstly, as I have often carried pictures of your faces around, I would be thrilled if someone did the same for me :) Secondly, I participated in the next closest (but no where near as amazing) experience as HOTT yesterday. In St.Albans, a town about 20 min train ride south from Luton, there was an Ale and Cider Festival. You paid a small cover fee, a fee to get a glass (which if you returned at the end of the day you got your money back or you could keep it) and then a discounted price on ales and ciders from all over the place. There was even a foreign section in the basement. The glass was engraved with information on the event, just like HOTT glasses. Outside, there was a swarm of people hanging around and enjoying the nice weather--just like at HOTT. There was music and plenty of ale and cider to be drank (although HOTT just has 1 beer choice, it also has Palm Bay--right Rob?). I went with a bunch of Canadians teaching in Luton and a few British teachers joined as well. We met some British there, who at the beginning seemed very nice but then as they kept drinking we found new spots to hang out because they got...interesting. We spent most of the afternoon in St.Albans at the Ale and Cider festival. Nothing will ever replace HOTT for me but I am glad I got to experience something similar.

While we were in St.Albans, we did a quick walk around. It is a beautiful city. I loved it there. I will definitely need to go back to do more sightseeing. We saw an old and beautiful church and went into the oldest recorded pub in England, "Ye Olde Fighting Cocks"--I think the name needs an upgrade.

Today I am heading into the school to get some extra work done so I can hopefully leave earlier than 6pm during the week. I have a hair appointment on Wednesday to get my hair trimmed, nothing crazy--it is getting uncontrollable. 

I wish everyone  a great week and I miss everyone greatly! 

My One Month Anniversary with the UK

This week I saw the official one month anniversary of me being in the UK. It is crazy to think it has already been one month. There have been tears of laughter, tears of sadness, overwhelming feelings, excitement and adventure. The beginning of this week was a little tough. I definitely missed home and the realization that one month had passed made me miss my family and friends even more. Not only were my UK friends great this week, as per usual in supporting me (as we support each other always) during the one month mark, but my students and my friends and family  in Canada also helped. I told my students that I taught the day of my one month anniversary and they were very excited. They couldn't believe I had only been in the country for one month...even for me, sometimes one month seems so long other times I can't believe one month has passed already. In addition, hearing from some friends back home was really nice. Not that I have not heard from them at all, but either sensing or knowing my longing for home I felt a sense of support from abroad. Even my best friend, Tasha (there's a shout out for you) who I know is insanely busy with lesson planning, teaching and marking for her own classes got in touch :)  Thanks friends! Also, Ashley Robinson--thank you for uploading pictures of my going away party...it was great to see them and be reminded of how supportive everyone actually is in my life :) My family abroad was great with support this week too. I received several emails from the James side of the family with words of encouragement and thoughts of prayer for my success in England as well as my grandparents (Banks') travelled to England to visit!

They spent the week at my granddad's sisters' house and all three came to visit me on Saturday. I met them at the bus stop and we went for lunch at the White House...a favourite of mine (Sarah can agree). I wanted to introduce them to the great fish and chips there but unfortunately the restaurant ran out of them the night before...they will never know. After lunch we spent some time shoe shopping, a task that my gran and I both excel at and could spend hours doing. They bought me a pair of winter boots, even when I argued that I can buy my own boots with the money I make from my career, but they are stubborn and I have learnt to accept their kind and generous gifts. I was able to take them to the school I work at and give them a tour. They were the first to see my classroom all decorated and were definitely shocked at the large and new facilities my school offered. They were able to meet a few of my fellow Canadian/American teachers who were in on the weekend doing some extra work. After the school, the tour continued with a visit to my house. I think they were relieved to see that it was a real house, in a real neighborhood and not resembling anything like the first house I rented in Peterborough during University. We ended the visit with coffee/tea and cakes. It was great to see them and almost felt like I was home again. Plus they brought me Canadian Peanut Butter---way better than the sugary/grainy peanut butter I found here in the UK. I will be eating apples and peanut butter like clockwork now.

On the teacher side of things, I feel more confident/more prepared than I did the week before. I think each week I will accomplish or master something new. This week not only did I finally decorate my classroom but I was consistent on some classroom adaptations for students with learning disabilities and for classes with social/behavioural problems. There are still tons of areas that I need to improve on and as a teacher I will always be learning and adapting my teaching to meet new things but the accomplishments of this week seem like a success and I am going to celebrate them as one. Here's to hoping I meet my goals for next week!

I'm a teacher...how did that happen?

Well readers, I survived my first week as a teacher in the UK. At times, I didn't think it was going to happen, but it has! I have my official schedule...hopefully no major changes will occur from now on. I still have 1 Drama and 19 History classes (some of those 19 are the same class of students several times a week). I have a wide range of students---some of my classes are great we can accomplish so much in a 1 hour class and others...well we need a few 1 hour classes to get through the material based on the behaviour of students. I have officially set my first detentions but have also made some great bonds with students. It is the most amazing feeling to have students say hi to you in the hallway, try to give you their homework when they see you on their way to another class and have them talk to you about singing Katy Perry in their music lessons.
At the end of the day, the behaviour problems in my classes are forgotten. The kids will move on and so will I. They will serve their detentions and some will change their ways, but some may not. I cant let the behaviour get the best of me, I focus on the positive. On those students who come to me asking for help after class, or ask to use my class to do course work after school. On the students who eagerly tell me about their day or ask me for homework to complete when I don't assign any (they do exist!). I am able to teach these students some amazingly interesting History topics (no offense to Canada, but our history is boring in comparison) and I love it.
In addition, I have volunteered to work with the Breakfast Club. As many students from the school come from low economic backgrounds, our school offers free breakfast/place to hang out in the mornings for all students. Programs like these are so important to students and it will give me a great opportunity to get to know some of the kinds more personally and maybe I can get some more kids on my side in my "behavioural" classes. I have also been asked about working on a drama club/small theater production after school which I am excited about. I have had my drama class once so far, and needless to say they are a struggle. Most of the students entered the drama room and thought that chaos was except able...in my drama classroom as long as it is controlled chaos, it is okay...this was not controlled chaos. They are definitely a work in progress..we shall see. I am hoping that getting involved in extra curricular drama will give me the drama fix I am looking for while at the school.

Besides being at the school from early in the morning to dinner time, I went to Milton Keynes with a few friends this weekend. Milton Keynes is home to a huge shopping area. It was about a 45 min bus, only cost us 7pounds for a return ticket. We managed to hit up two sections of the mall..it seems to be a series of malls all connected together but way too much for one day. We spent a while trying to find a place to eat lunch...the only non-sit down place was McDonalds and all the restaurants had huge line ups. We finally settled on one, got some food in our systems and then went on shopping. I got some new work clothes...mainly from H&M (even though there is one in Luton, this one was much larger). It was a good day overall and we finished it with a typical Sunday dinner (even though it was Saturday) at the Carvery.

Bonus of the Week: I GOT PAID! No longer taking money out of Canadian accounts!

A Week of Firsts

First Day as  Teacher
Well, they aren't kidding when they say that students in the UK are difficult to manage in the classroom. For my Ontario teacher friends/teacher candidates I can only compare it to this: almost every class no matter what year or learning level is like a Grade 10 Applied History class or similar equivalence to any subject and sometimes worse. The school I am working at is very focused on student behavior and ensuring that all students walk away with great British values, respect, etc. As a federation, there are solid procedures put into place and a huge support team. In Ontario, if another teacher has to enter your room or assist in dealing with a student or students it is taken negatively---you were not able to deal with it on your own. However, in my federation this is not the case. Teachers are constantly in and out of classrooms checking on students and learning from one another. If there is a problem, available teachers are more than happy to intervene and assist but it is a positive assistance. I have not had any serious problems in my classes thus far, but I'm not going to hold my breath for too long. Most of my students are just chatty but this can be expected in any school in any place in the world on the first days back after summer. I did keep my first student behind after school for a few minutes so he could practice sitting in silence.

So what am I teaching? Good question. With the first few days under the way, there have been changes in my department based on student numbers, etc; therefore my schedule is still being adjusted. I will have an updated version Monday morning. Now, for anyone who has ever planned for lessons or seen me plan for lessons you may think this is crazy---not knowing what you are teaching until the morning of. However, as I think I mentioned before but if not, I am now, my department has planned lessons for all the courses up until the end of the term. I have acquainted myself with each courses lessons and content so once I get my schedule on Monday I just need open up a lesson plan and teach!

First Time at a "Football" Game
I went to my first official British Football (Canadian Soccer) game--Luton versus Grimsby. The game ended up being tied and it hailed half way through; however, I can now say that I have seen a game. Even though I normally do not watch sports and cannot play sports if my life depended on it...I still find myself getting WAY too into competitive sports as a live viewer. Plus at half time they brought out about 50 little "football" players and had a few games going on. They were adorable to watch.
A major difference between British stadiums and Canadian stadiums---you cannot drink alcohol in British ones. You have to drink your beverage outside the stadium before entering and taking your seat.
I also realized that Brits have the best "shouting" voices for matches. It sounds as if they have smoked 20 packs of cigarettes a day---a really raw yet LOUD shout comes out. It is very British indeed.

First Time Eating Thai Food in England
This week marked the birthday of one of the other Canadians who came to teach at my school so we all went out for dinner. We found this great Thai restaurant, I need to find out if they do they take-out or delivery for a quick pad thai meal. In addition to going out for Thai Food, we bought a pinata for her birthday. Of course we had nothing to hang it by or to hit it with so we attempted to hold the string and then have her punch it. After a few attempts she could not break the pinata so my black belt friend round house kicked it while I held the string. Scariest moment of my life but also hilarious because she kicked the body right off the head, sent the body flying and the head swung around on the string and hit me in the face...all caught on video! So I guess I can say it was the first time that I was hit in the head with a pinata as well.

First Time having a Landscaper
As I am writing this blog, there are two landscapers in my backyard tidying things up! Am I paying for them? HECK NO.  The estates agent that we signed through have hired them. YAY!

First Time seeing the largest spider of my life
It just happened...as I was writing this entry. My roommate brought the garbage bag out into the living room and there it was, on the bag. I screamed...has a moment of paralysis, screamed again, was almost sick to my stomach and then killed it. Alisha (my roommate) thinks I am the bravest person for doing it...I almost couldn't but I could not let that thing live...it was huge. Thinking about it makes me want to be sick. **for any spider lovers out there, I am sorry if this post bothers you**

First Rainy Day in Luton
This is probably shocking to most of you, but besides a few overcast days when Sarah and I first arrived in Luton, I have only seen high temperatures and bright sunny days. There was one day when it rained for probably 10 minutes and then stopped. However, yesterday, was a very overcast day and in the middle of the "football" game it DOWN POURED! It even began hailing at one point. I think it is about time I purchase my Wellies (rain boots), good thing my roommate brought my rain jacket over with her (after I left it in Canada).

Brighton!

Well readers, today is your lucky day! DOUBLE POSTING DAY!

I had no intention of writing this blog, but I just got back from Brighton and had to document it somehow for everyone to know how much I love it.

Brighton is on the south coast of England and is about a 2 hour train ride from Luton. We took the train down just before lunch and spent most of the day at the pier. The pier was awesome. The day was a little cold and windy but the rain held off which was fantastic. The beach is long and rocky but along the boardwalk there is shops selling things from beautiful (yet overpriced) art, bracelets/necklaces, shells, to ice cream. There are also a few games including one that had AWESOME minion prizes from Despicable Me. When I asked how much it would be to just purchase the minion because we were losing at the game, he said it was 35pounds for a small one....needless to say I did not purchase one but we tried for a very long at different games and CLAW machines to win one and failed every time.

There is a giant pier on the beach with a HUGE arcade and carnival rides and games everywhere.

We didn't go on any of the rides because of the cost but we spent a great deal of time in the arcade playing games to try to win me a Minion and winning 2pence pieces on games. We won enough tickets to buy a lolly pop and glass.

Now, Brighton pier is covered with seagulls. The best moment of the day was when we were eating ice cream on the pier and a GIANT seagull swoops down in between Carmel and I and eats Carmel's ice cream cone. Takes half of it off (the good half with ice cream in it) and then drops it on a bunch of kids beneath us. In between our laughing we tried to explain to them it was a bird...I hope they believe us.

Besides the arcade games and failing tries of winning Minions, the food on the pier was the next best. They have all the best carnival/fair foods you can imagine--popcorn, candy apples, candy floss, sugar donuts, waffle cakes and slushies. I went with popcorn this time but secretly wished for all of them.

After the pier we explored some other areas of Brighton but most of the shops were closed because it was after 5pm. However, we discovered a beautiful pavilion that was donated by India to Brighton to commemorate soldiers during WWI. It was such a peaceful environment and so beautiful. Behind it was a maze, that we didn't get lost in because they wanted too much money for it but the idea was cool.

Overall, our Brighton trip was a success and I would love to go back! It was a great day trip getting us out of Luton and taking our minds off the impending first week as teachers coming up. If you ever travel to the UK, I suggest putting Brighton on your list.

Schooling in the UK

WOW. I cannot believe it has been over 2 weeks since I made the big move to England....on one hand it feels like it was just yesterday but on the other I feel like I have been here for a year.

I spent most of this week with the federation I will working for that consists of several secondary and several primary schools. We did some training programs and I got my teaching schedule!

The UK education system is very different than the education in Ontario. For my non-teacher followers, in Ontario in a standard public school they run on semesters. Which means the school year is divided into two and student take "x" classes for the first half and a different set of "x" for the second half. Most public schools have 4-5 classes a day in each semester and it is the same classes everyday. On average, most Ontario teachers only have 3-4 classes a day (with one being a "prep" period) and those classes happen every day so they are only preparing for 3-4 classes a semester. The UK is extremely different. I have 12 different classes and within this 12 I see some of them more than once a week. The school year is not in semesters but in terms so the students have all the same classes all year long. Their schedule is based on a Monday-Friday schedule, where every Monday they have the same classes, every Tuesday they have the same classes, etc. Based on how many hours their courses require them to complete they may have the same class 2-3 times a week.

Overall I have 9 History classes ranging from Years 7-11 (this is equivalent to Grades 7-11 in Ontario), 1 Year 8 Drama, 1 Year 7 Religions and 1 Year 7 Social Morals class. Social Morals has been described to me as a class to teach students to cross the street, etc. I am hoping it is more interesting than just this :) Originally I had ZERO drama courses and with drama being my passion I was obviously a little demoralized (also the concept of teaching and prepping for 10 different history courses was overwhelming). However, the school I work for is amazing and when they realized that I had no drama courses, they worked their magic and secured me 1 hour a week of drama. It may not be a lot, but it is better than nothing and keeps my foot in the door of the Performing Arts department.
I also met with head of History at my school and he gave me so much information on how the History courses are laid out. Year 7 History covers Normas, Medieval Times, Tudors, Stuarts, Medicine and Growth of the British Empire. Year 8 covers Industrial Revolution, Jack the Ripper (Thank you Modern British History at Trent University for allowing me to write a 25 page single spaced essay on Jack the Ripper...I'm an expert), WWI, WWII, Slave Trade and Terrorism. The Year 9-11 is confusing from an Ontario perspective. Essentially they are courses that lead the students to writing standardized exams in the subject. Students can be enrolled in a 2 year or 1 year track program where they cover Russia, Germany and US history (selected time periods from both) over the program. At the end they write their examinations. This probably sounds overwhelming to any Ontario teacher, but after a few days I feel better about it all. Additionally, for at least all my Year 7 and 8s, my lessons have already been pre-planned up until Christmas holidays. So the preparation work load will be much more easy to handle than previously expected.
On a bigger plus side, the History department is planning some amazing trips including the Jack the Ripper tour of London, Tower of London tour, and going to France to see the Battlefields and D-Day beaches!

I officially start teaching next week. Tuesday is a Professional Development day and Wednesday is a Year 7 Introduction Day. Thursday is the first day that I will have students in my classroom and officially teaching! I am hoping to get to the school on Monday and decorate my classroom/set it up how I want it to be. I will post pictures of it all completed next Sunday!

I am heading off to Brighton (I think) today to do some touring of other areas in England before the insanity of school hits!