Hey
everyone!! It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, so I figured it was
time for an update.
I have been
busy, busy, busy… and then a little more busy! I’m about a month behind on my
blog posts (oops). Don’t worry though, this post will catch you up a bit, and I’ll
post again soon to catch you up even more.
For anyone
who is curious, here’s a day in my life in New Zealand.
-
Eat breakfast: fresh fruit cut up in a bowl with
yogurt and granola (the fruit here is AMAZING, btw)
-
Pack a lunch (sandwich, fruit, granola bar, the
usual)
-
Gather everything in my backpack for the day
(instructional materials, etc.)
-
Walk 15 minutes to school
-
Help set up the classroom for the day
During
School:
-
Observe and assist an awesome team of teachers
-
Teach lessons to the most amazing kiddos!
-
Learn a LOT about classroom management,
differentiation, and flexibility
After
School:
-
Walk 15 minutes home
-
Go to the lake for a relaxing swim on hot days
-
Work on lesson plans and the edTPA
-
Eat a delicious dinner made by my host (she is a
GREAT cook and uses fresh ingredients)
-
Work more on lesson plans and the edTPA (if
you’re wondering what that is I’ll explain later)
-
Watch Married at First Sight Australia (it’s
surprisingly addicting!)
-
Drink a cup of tea and get ready for bed
Wake up and
do it all over again!!!
While not
really a voluntary experience, I thought it was worth mentioning. Any new MN
teachers or teachers in training will know what this is – and feel my pain. In
order to get licensed, we are required to complete an assessment which analyzes
our teaching. This assessment requires an intense amount of work above and
beyond normal lesson planning. Here’s a quick overview:
-
Design a 3-5 lesson unit in maths or reading (I
didn’t spell math wrong, that’s how they say it in New Zealand)
-
Answer questions about your planning process,
justifying your plan and linking the way you will teach your concepts to
research.
-
Videotape your lessons and choose a short
segment that shows your rapport with students, their learning, and analyze
missed opportunities.
-
Assess student learning by analyzing assessment
results and answering more in-depth questions about what the students learned
and what your next steps are.
These
questions are so in-depth and academic that answering them will make your brain
hurt. I am so sick of watching myself teach the same lesson over and over and
over again. And there have been many days that I have worked on it from the
time I get home from school until the time I go to bed. It’s a serious
time-suck – but when I am finished I will be one step closer to my dream of
having a classroom of my own (or maybe to share, you never know, this New
Zealand collaborative teaching thing may rub off on me).
 |
| It is not uncommon for my workspace to look like this after school |
Full
Control:
I spent one
week in full control of the classroom as a test run for later – when I am in
full control for three weeks. This means that I planned, taught, and ran
everything that my cooperating teacher normally does. I have spent numerous
hours in classroom practicum experiences, but let me tell you nothing can truly
prepare you for having full control of a classroom, with 20-70 (depending on the
activity) humans staring at you for directions while also having their own
agendas about what they want to get out of the day. And then teach and engage
them for 7 hours. I’m not going to lie it was the most difficult week I have
experienced in the classroom so far – but also the biggest learning experience.
I think I grew leaps and bounds in just one week, and I am now looking forward
to taking back over control for three weeks to apply everything I have learned.
Lake
Taupo Relay:
What says
co-worker bonding like running and walking the length of Lake Taupo (67.5km) as
a team on a Saturday morning? The answer is nothing! We wore tutus, squirted
each other with water guns to stay cool, and crossed the finish line holding
hands. It was a great experience to be part of a relay of such distance, and
take in the views of beautiful Lake Taupo as we made our way towards town.
 |
| I wasn't kidding when I said we wore tutus! |
School
Triathlon:
A
school-wide (years 3 and up) triathlon was held for our students on a
Wednesday. We walked them down to the lake, and they ran, biked, and swam while
many parents came to watch. I directed students getting out of the water and
onto their bikes, and enjoyed a day outside of the classroom.
Weekend
Get-Away to Hamilton / Raglan:
Rachel and I took a bus to meet another university friend who is student
teaching in Hamilton, New Zealand. While visiting, we took in the Hamilton
Gardens – completely free gardens which have culturally themed gardens – my
mouth was wide open the entire time and I was AMAZED by the intricate details. After
looking at the gardens, we bussed to Raglan where we ate at the cutest café,
swam in the Tasman Sea, and watched people surf. The only downside was we had
to walk 45 minutes to get to the beach and 45 minutes back (not having a car
can be a real bummer).
 |
| gardens |
 |
| gardens |
 |
| gardens |
 |
| gardens |
 |
| Even on a cloudy day the beach was busy! |
Ironkidz:
Every year,
Taupo hosts an event called Ironkidz. Ever heard of Ironman? Well Taupo hosts
that too, but the week before they host a triathlon for kids to participate in
to get them excited about the competition. The staff at my school volunteered
to help. Since the triathlon runs through the main road in town, I was
stationed by a motel parking lot to direct traffic and make sure no cars pulled
out into the street where kids were biking. It was a great day and fun to see
some of my students out there competing!
Rachel’s
Birthday:
On my New
Zealand roommate Rachel’s birthday, we went out to eat with our host and her
friend at in Indian restaurant. It was both of our first experience with Indian
food, but it was delicious and we both loved it! We ordered an array of things
and tried a little bit of it all – and nothing disappointed.
Sunday
Bike Ride:
One Sunday Rachel and I took a break from our
planning to bike down the lake to a beach we hadn’t been to yet. It was a
gorgeous afternoon, not a cloud in the sky, and the water was SO clear,
sparkling somewhere between blue and green. Between swimming in the lake, we
ate a picnic lunch and read books while lying on the sand. It was a much needed
break from school work, which was starting to consume my life, and a good
reminder to take time to enjoy this beautiful country while I still can,
because my time here is going to go fast!
 |
| These kinds of views never get old |
And that catches
you up on what I kept busy with in my fourth and fifth week here in New Zealand
(can you see why I didn’t have time to get a blog post out?). Next I will take
you through what I kept busy with in weeks 6-7 (hopefully much sooner than I
was able to get this post out).
.
.
.
.
Although it
does not fit with the timeline I planned on telling you about in this post, I
feel the need to address a somber and sobering event that recently happened in
New Zealand. As many people have heard (it made the news around the world), on
March 15, one man visited two mosques in Christchurch with an aim to cause destruction.
He killed fifty and left countless more injured. This act of terrorism was
committed on the south island (I am based in the north island and am safe), but
its effects were felt strongly around all of New Zealand. As someone who comes
from a country that (unfortunately) has dealt with a number of mass shootings,
I realized how desensitized I have become to hearing about them on the news.
New Zealand has never had something like this happen before, and people around
the country can’t stop processing, talking about, and responding to the event. It
has been quite a learning experience to see how a different country and culture
responds to an event that has happened the country I come from. I have been
amazed and humbled to have been able to watch this response. The people of New
Zealand have responded to the tragedy loud and clear. Not with violence,
threats, or fighting back. But with love, acceptance, and forgiveness. People
have really come together to show that they stand with the Muslim community,
that they are loved, and that they belong here. And although I’m not from New
Zealand, I am proud to be living among people who have faced such tragedy with
grace.
As always,
if you have questions or comments, drop them below and I’d love to connect.
Until next time!
-Ellie
