Weeks 2-3

Hello everyone!

 

Now that I’ve been in the school for a few weeks, I am getting into the swing of things, so I thought I’d send an update (don't worry, there are pics at the bottom of the post). Every school I have been a part of has some kind of word or phrase that is supposed to inspire students to push through when things get tough. This word manifests itself in different ways but gets at the fact that the human race seems to have this intangible skill to persevere through difficulties. At my school in New Zealand the teachers call it “courage.” But I’ve heard it called many other things, like “grit,” “stamina,” “resilience,” “creativity,” and being “relentless.” In Finland they have a word which encompasses all of these things: “sisu.” And while it may not be a part of the written curriculum, this quality is something that teachers hope to instill in their students. Because if you are creative, resilient, and courageous, use your stamina and grit, and embrace the sisu mentality, you can get through any challenge life throws at you. At least that’s the theory.

 

I also think, especially when looking at social media, we forget to remember that everyone goes through struggles where we have to dig deep and work hard to get through. And as someone who hopes to teach children these values, I think it’s important that I use my courage to lead by example. Don’t get me wrong, New Zealand is AMAZING! But I also don’t want you to think that all these opportunities have just fallen into my lap and that I have gone through no struggles since I have been here. So if you’re sitting at home thinking, “Why is it that Ellie gets to go out and have all these amazing experiences and my life feels like it’s falling apart?” this post is for you. Because behind every Instagram and blog post with a highlight was a struggle (unseen by you) to get me there. SO, I hope you will join me in celebrating, relating to, or laughing with me at a few of the struggles of my past two weeks.

 

STRUGGLE #1: Sunset Sagas

I LOVE a good sunset. They never get old. Every one is different, every one is stunning in its own way. Rachel, another UMM student who is living with me while we are student teaching in New Zealand, also likes sunsets. BUT we always miss the best view of them by just a few minutes. The house we are staying at is just up the hill from Lake Taupo, and while there is a view of the lake the place the sun sets is blocked by neighboring houses. One night we looked up at the sky and saw the most beautiful sunset. So we ran inside, put on shoes, and sprinted down to the lake. We were breathing very hard by the time we got there, AND we missed the brightest colors of the sunset by what felt like seconds. Long story short, we’re still chasing the “perfect” view of a gorgeous sunset. I’ll let you know if we ever catch it.

 

STRUGGLE #2: Time Zone Trouble

Okay, so missing sunsets doesn’t seem so bad, but one of the more difficult things about living in a country that has a 19 hour time difference from home is finding a good time to talk to friends and family from the states. By the time I wake up in the morning, everyone at home is already at work. And by the time I get home from work, most people back home are going to bed. To make things more complicated I’m 19 hours AHEAD, which means that when it’s Monday here it’s Sunday at home. So none of our days or times really match up, which means carving out times to talk that tend to be at weird times of the day either for me or for the people I’m talking to. Sometimes it’s hard to feel connected to people at home when you’re so out of sync during the day.

 

STRUGGLE #3: Directionally Challenged?

Wednesday the 6^th was a day off of school for the national celebration of Waitangi Day (a somewhat controversial treaty between the English and Mauri). Rachel and I thought we would go for a bike ride around the bay on our day off, so our host drove me to pick up a bike from her friend’s house. I was pretty sure I knew how to get back (two lefts and a right, then I’d be in our neighborhood), but when I came upon a roundabout we didn’t pass on our way there I knew I was lost (anyone who knows me won’t be surprised). So what should have been about a 10 minute bike ride turned into 50 minutes as I had to bike down to the lake in order to figure out how to get home. Which meant that I then had to bike up the steepest hill to get to our house (who am I kidding, I made it part way up and then had to walk).

 

STRUGGLE #4: A Cold in Paradise

It’s week two of student teaching and the GERMS ARE REAL. I already caught a cold. All I want to do is cuddle up in my blankets and sleep in but I drag myself out of bed and go to school anyway. Colds are always annoying but they’re especially annoying in the paradise that is New Zealand.

 

STRUGGLE #5: The Tongariro Crossing

Imagine walking a half marathon. Now imagine walking that half marathon in altitude up and down a mountain. Well that’s exactly what we did one Saturday. It took us 7 hours (the average is 8). We trekked 19.4km and gained over 700 meters of elevation just to hike back down 400 meters through a breathtaking volcanic landscape. And I’m not gonna lie there’s a reason a section of the trek (that lasts about an hour) is called “the Devil’s staircase.” YOU try climbing stairs for an hour. Your legs and lungs would be burning too. But honestly, coming down was worse. Walking down a mountain for three hours after the crazy physical exertion that got you up the mountain was, in a word, exhausting. This trek was hands down the hardest thing I’ve done physically in a long time, and there were a few times I wondered if it was even worth it.

 

~BUT~

 

Just because I struggled doesn’t mean there wasn’t a silver lining.

 

IF I hadn’t used creativity when chasing those sunsets, I would have missed out on some beautiful moments because all I would have been focusing on is how they could have been better, when in fact they had their own beauty to admire.

 

IF I hadn’t used resilience to find time to talk to people back home even with the crazy time difference, I would have missed out on support and encouragement from people who care about me.

 

IF I hadn’t used stamina when I needed to find a new way home on my bike ride (even thought it was longer than expected), I wouldn’t have realized how resourceful I can be. Plus, I’d probably still be wandering the streets with a bike and that would be a major bummer.

 

IF I hadn’t used some grit to get myself to school even when I wasn’t feeling the greatest, I would have missed out on building relationships with my students and I wouldn’t have had one of my all-time  favorite interactions: during work time when a student had given up on completing their project, I somehow said the exact right thing which ended up making them internally motivated to finish the work that they had left incomplete (and come on, any teachers reading this know how awesome that is).  

 

IF I hadn’t been relentless and kept going on the Tongariro Crossing when both my legs and lungs were burning and I considered turning back, I wouldn’t have seen the AMAZING views below, cried over getting to eat lunch (seriously - they were happy tears, but I was so hungry a sandwich had never tasted so good), or had the satisfaction of completing such an amazing trek.

 

I have been really lucky to have role models in my life who have taught me how to use courage. They’ve shown me what it means to have a strong work ethic and never give up. And I hope I can be like them. I know I’m in New Zealand, but I’m showing I have Finish sisu. I’m surrounded by all things new – new people, new places, a new culture, new language, and a new way of teaching. I’m expanding my thinking and pushing my boundaries on a daily basis. And some days that can all be a little overwhelming. I don’t always get things right the first time. Or the second. But that doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying. Because every day I learn a little more, relate a little more, connect a little more, and try a little more. And I get to have all these little moments that make the struggle worth it.

[the entire sky was red about 2 minutes before this picture was taken - but it still is a cool sunset as it is now]

 

[AMAZING colours on this volcanic crater]

 

[one of the emerald lakes]

 

[steam vents produce sulfur-smelling steam from the ground]

 

 

[not standing in a cloud - this steam vent was warm and smelled like sulfur]

[red crater and the surrounding landscape]

 

[our view descending the mountain]

 

 

[this photo was taken after lunch - all smiles]

*Ahem* confession time – I was hoping to send out a blog post every two weeks but I’m a little behind…. Lesson planning, one week of full take-over of the classroom, and edTPA preparations kind of snuck up on me. But not to worry, I am catching you up a bit with this post which took you through weeks two and three. And while it’s not about my most recent experiences (more to come about that week in charge), I did want to talk about some of the tougher parts of this travel experience so far in an attempt to be real. More updates to come soon!

 

If you have questions or comments about my experience thus far, feel free to comment below. I’d love to connect with you!

Week 1

Hellooo from New Zealand!!!

In case you don’t know me, my name is Ellie Riihiluoma (crazy Finnish last name pronounced ree-uh-low-muh if that helps). If you do know me you might know that I live in Minnesota (USA) and have been dreaming of student teaching in New Zealand for a while now. And the fact that I am finally here still feels very surreal. It kind of feels like one of those things that you dream about but never think will really happen… EXCEPT THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!!! Let me back up and give you some more details about how I ended up in the beautiful country of New Zealand….

1.      I grew up in Minnesota with my mom, dad, and brother.

2.      After finishing high school in Moose Lake, I went to college to study Elementary Education.

3.      I pretty much always knew I wanted to be a teacher. Realizing occupational therapy schooling took around 8 years sealed the deal.

4.      I chose to pursue my bachelors degree at the University of Minnesota Morris, a homey college situated on the prairie of Western Minnesota.

5.      I have known that I wanted to student teach abroad since my freshman year of college.

6.      Junior year I took at the list of all the countries the U of M Morris cooperates with for Global Student Teaching (GST) and chose New Zealand.

7.      It seemed like the perfect choice because I LOVE hiking and camping and being outdoors, and there is no shortage of natural beauty in New Zealand.

8.      Later that year I applied to the GST program – and was accepted!

9.      During the fall of my senior year I received a placement at a school in New Zealand, followed shortly by a host to live with.

10.   On January 22 I got on a plane to New Zealand along with two other student teachers from my college and I will be here until the beginning of May.

 

So now I am in New Zealand, living with the most wonderful host and student teaching at a primary school! We’ve just finished our first week with students this school year, and I am very excited to continue learning from both the students and my cooperating teachers throughout this semester. I have been paired with a sweet and experienced teacher who knows what she is doing in the classroom – I have learned so much already! And I feel very fortunate to be placed in a school where each grade level has 3-4 teachers who co-teach the class. I am in years 3-4 (second and third grade in the states) and there are three teachers including my cooperating teacher in charge of the learning of this group of 72 students. While students are assigned to home rooms, they don’t stay there all day and every student works with every teacher at some point or another. There are even openings between the rooms for students (and teachers) to flow through. This is very different from the experiences I have had in the states, where one teacher is in charge of one class in one room, but I am enjoying the change and loving the collaborative nature of it. There are a few other differences between my school in New Zealand and the schools I have been to in the states. In case you’re curious what some of them are, I will list them below.

1.      Year-round. New Zealand’s school year is split into four terms which span the entire year, with a break of a few weeks to a month in between each term.

2.      Morning tea. New Zealanders love their morning tea – and this tradition carries over into the school. Every morning there is a short break for students to go outside and play while teachers gather in the lounge to enjoy tea or coffee and a light snack. The students then come inside and enjoy a snack of their own.

3.      Snack break. In addition to morning tea, the students at my school also have a snack in the morning before lunch.

4.      Lunch is much later than it is in the states. Students eat lunch at 1:40pm. Good thing they have two snack breaks to keep them full and focused throughout the day!

5.      Standards. New Zealand’s standards are much more open than the standards I have worked with in the states. This leaves teachers room to implement real-life applications for subjects such as art, cooking, carpentry, etc. while still meeting national standards.

6.      Culture. The culture of the Maori people (who lived in New Zealand before Europeans settled it) is a large focus of schools. Students know and regularly use a number of Maori words throughout the day and learn about Maori customs as part of the curriculum in order to keep the culture alive.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Every day I am learning more and more about school and my students, and the more I learn the more I want to know!

 

Besides getting acclimated to the school, I have spent some time getting acclimated to New Zealand and the town I am living in as well. I flew away from a cold Minnesota winter and jumped straight into a hot New Zealand summer. We have spent many evenings after school cooling off in the gorgeous Lake Taupo. We also hiked to the top of Mt. Tauhara and got a birds-eye view of the town I am calling home for the next three months. I spent a day in a neighboring town and learned a little bit about Maori culture. And drinking tea (or coffee) three times a day is now such a part of my routine I can’t imagine a time when I didn’t do that (even though it was literally two weeks ago). We also learned that sunscreen and sunhats are a MUST in New Zealand. The ozone layer is very thin over this part of the earth and it is very easy to burn – even if it’s cloudy and even if you put on sunscreen. We slather on the SPF50 every time we go outside and re-apply every few hours in attempts to minimize the damage. New Zealand’s accent and dialect also took some getting used to, but I am happy to report that I am much better at understanding it than when I first got here, and have learned many words that don’t match what we have in the US. Here are a few examples:

1.      The letter “z” is pronounced “zed”

2.      Chips = fries

3.      Tomato sauce = ketchup

4.      Togs = swim suits

5.      Jandals = flip flops

6.      Plunger = French press

7.      Rock Melon = cantaloupe

8.      Boot or hatch = trunk (of the car)

9.      Trolley = shopping cart

10.   Garage rhymes with carriage

 

Thanks for sticking with me (if you made it this far) and learning a little bit about my student teaching experience! While it has only just begun, I can tell it is going to go SO fast, so I am trying to take in everything that I can while I am here. I can’t wait to tell you about what I learn and experience in the coming weeks. For now, I’ll leave you with a few pictures so you can appreciate the beauty of New Zealand that I am lucky enough to experience on a daily basis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I welcome any questions or comments you might have about my post, trip, or student teaching! Drop them below and let’s connect!

Welcome!

Hello everyone!

This is my first blog!! I’ve always wanted to start one, but never had a reason to. Well, now I have the perfect reason because I am STUDENT TEACHING IN NEW ZEALAND!!!!! I will be there from January 24-March 4, 2019. I am SO PUMPED!

I am in my senior year studying elementary education at the University of Minnesota Morris. They are the reason I have this AMAZING opportunity surrounding my degree. If you’re considering education, and want to go to school in Minnesota, you should seriously check them out.

If I’m being honest, a big part of my motivation for this blog is for me, myself, and I to remember this experience. In ten years, when the memories of my New Zealand are getting fuzzy, how convenient will it be to look back at this blog and reminisce? I also thought this blog would be a good way for my friends and family to follow my adventures and see what I’m up to while I’m half a world away…. That being said, I hope this blog will entertain, inspire, connect, excite, and captivate anyone who stumbles upon its pages – whether I know them personally or not.

And with that I invite you (yes, YOU), to read this blog and embark on this adventure with me. Feel free to laugh with me, cry with me, live vicariously through me, learn from my mistakes, celebrate my successes, and enjoy this crazy thing called life.

 Thanks for stopping by and best wishes to you in your own life journey,

 – Ellie Rii