I'm getting SUPER pumped for April to start. We go on holidays starting April 9th and don't go back to the schools until the 26th!! It's a long freakin break. It kind of reminds me March break back in the day when we actually got 2 weeks. Oh how I miss that.
My original intention was to do a few days in Spain with the flatmates and then head to Italy on my own and end up in Rome for Easter. However, the prices to get into Italy from Spain and then back to London from Rome were ridiculously high so I chose to forgo that idea and do more Spain and then Portugal with Susan. I'll go to Italy some other time. I'm sure I can find a lovely church in Portugal to go to mass at on Easter Sunday.
We've finalized our plans (of where we want to go) and have gotten most of the hostels booked. Just need to decide on what we want to see/do while we're there. We're not leaving until the 13th but I'm already mentally checked out of working. Although, I did get up today in hopes of work but there was nothing. Susan and Monica had to take nursery assistant jobs just to get work. Unfortunately I am not brave like them and I can't handle babies, nor would people want me around their babies. haha.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
The big 25
Since my birthday happened to land on a Tuesday this year I kept things low key because I was hoping for work the next day. Unfortunately, I also woke up with a sore throat that day so chose to stay home and just relax which was well needed anyway after the fun weekend beforehand. I started my day off with a nice run around Lewisham. I found this great park not too far from home so ran the streets to it and went through the trails and then back home. It was definitely a challenge because the entire trip there was uphill. It felt so good to get out there though because it was a beautiful sunny day and I've been feeling sloth like lately without the gym. I thought about joining one here but they want far too much money and I just can't afford that. Anyway, when I got home from my run I was feeling so pumped up that I did an ab workout too. The rest of the day was very relaxing. I stayed in and had pizza and wings with the flatmates and skyped with friends back home. =)
The real fun happened yesterday when I took a bus tour to see Stonehenge and Bath with the flatmates. It was about an hour and a half drive outside of London. Stonehenge was really neat because it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. No one really knows how the rocks got there or their true purpose but there are certainly plenty of myths and suggestions about it. In any case it was something cool to see and I really enjoyed it.
After Stonehenge we got back on the sweltering hot bus and headed to Bath. On the way there we went through this area that is used by the military. There were tank crossing signs and you could see the tracks left by them. We also passed this small village that we were told was requisitioned in the 1940s by the British military. They gave the people of the town a little notice and some money to leave the town and then they used the village as a training grounds. They recreated a German village and practiced different strategies on how to take the town in order to ready their troops for battle in Germany. The town is still used today for that purpose and the townsfolk have never been able to return.
We got to Bath and had a few hours to explore the Roman baths and the city itself. The Roman baths were really neat too. You couldn't touch the water though because it was a nasty green colour, probably full of bird feces, is super hot, and comes through old lead pipes. We go to explore the whole museum which included the large bath area as well as many ruins that have been excavated. We got to see where the Romans would have lounged when they came to the Baths, the private rooms for the wealthier Romans, and loads of artifacts that were found there. On both the Stonehenge and Roman baths tours we used these audio guides which tells you many facts and the history behind the places. It was a lot to take in but really interesting stuff.
We spent so much time in the baths that we barely had time to explore the city. We ended up just going to a pub around the corner for some lunch. While we were there we saw on the telly that there was huge riot going on in Central London at the time. People had started a peaceful protest in Hyde Park because of the spending cuts but then some anarchists decided to ruin things and took to the streets and destroyed shops and banks along Oxford Street and Piccadilly Circus. The images reminded me of the riots that happened in Toronto for the G20 Summit. Since these fools were causing raucous in the centre of the city our tour bus had to make some new stops on the northern end of the city because access to Central London was closed. It turned out better for us in the end because we were able to get dropped off at a station closer to home.
Once we got back home we relaxed for a bit then headed out to the Fox and Firkin down the road. Some of my friends met up with us there for some pints and good times to celebrate my birthday. There were some live bands playing which turned out to be awful. Despite the terrible music from the bands the whole night was awesome. We drank, danced, played ukulele and boggle late into the night then headed back to the house where we sang silly camp songs. All in all it was a great birthday!
The real fun happened yesterday when I took a bus tour to see Stonehenge and Bath with the flatmates. It was about an hour and a half drive outside of London. Stonehenge was really neat because it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. No one really knows how the rocks got there or their true purpose but there are certainly plenty of myths and suggestions about it. In any case it was something cool to see and I really enjoyed it.
After Stonehenge we got back on the sweltering hot bus and headed to Bath. On the way there we went through this area that is used by the military. There were tank crossing signs and you could see the tracks left by them. We also passed this small village that we were told was requisitioned in the 1940s by the British military. They gave the people of the town a little notice and some money to leave the town and then they used the village as a training grounds. They recreated a German village and practiced different strategies on how to take the town in order to ready their troops for battle in Germany. The town is still used today for that purpose and the townsfolk have never been able to return.
We got to Bath and had a few hours to explore the Roman baths and the city itself. The Roman baths were really neat too. You couldn't touch the water though because it was a nasty green colour, probably full of bird feces, is super hot, and comes through old lead pipes. We go to explore the whole museum which included the large bath area as well as many ruins that have been excavated. We got to see where the Romans would have lounged when they came to the Baths, the private rooms for the wealthier Romans, and loads of artifacts that were found there. On both the Stonehenge and Roman baths tours we used these audio guides which tells you many facts and the history behind the places. It was a lot to take in but really interesting stuff.
We spent so much time in the baths that we barely had time to explore the city. We ended up just going to a pub around the corner for some lunch. While we were there we saw on the telly that there was huge riot going on in Central London at the time. People had started a peaceful protest in Hyde Park because of the spending cuts but then some anarchists decided to ruin things and took to the streets and destroyed shops and banks along Oxford Street and Piccadilly Circus. The images reminded me of the riots that happened in Toronto for the G20 Summit. Since these fools were causing raucous in the centre of the city our tour bus had to make some new stops on the northern end of the city because access to Central London was closed. It turned out better for us in the end because we were able to get dropped off at a station closer to home.
Once we got back home we relaxed for a bit then headed out to the Fox and Firkin down the road. Some of my friends met up with us there for some pints and good times to celebrate my birthday. There were some live bands playing which turned out to be awful. Despite the terrible music from the bands the whole night was awesome. We drank, danced, played ukulele and boggle late into the night then headed back to the house where we sang silly camp songs. All in all it was a great birthday!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Living the London Life
I can definitely say I'm all settled in now. I've been here for just about a month and I've become fairly well acquainted with my surroundings. I've always been good with picking up directions and figuring out where I need to go which has been helpful in trying to navigate myself around this city. I'm even starting to memorize street names and bus routes for places I need to get to.
The past two weeks have been quiet at times and then super busy. I enjoy the busy times because it doesn't give me a chance to think about things that have been bothering me. However, the quiet times which often lead to reflection have certainly been helpful in figuring things out. So far I've come to the conclusion that this was definitely the best move for me. I'm enjoying myself out here and getting to create memories that I will carry with me forever. Now if I can only just remind myself of that more often.
Supplying has been pretty decent. I haven't worked as much as I'd like to but that's mostly because I'm not as open to differentgrades years here as I am back home. Still haven't taught secondary here yet but maybe there will be something this week. I've been going back to the same primary schools I've taught at which is great because I know the routines, see familiar children, and end up feeling more confident when there. I really think the kids pick up on that and respond better. If you're on the ball then they don't have the opportunity to act out or you can at least call them out on things much quicker which puts that to an end.
Of course, kids will always be kids and no matter where I am there will be those little buggers who like to test the boundaries or my patience. One thing that I've noticed a lot here, in comparison to kids back home, is that they LOVE to tattle tale. It drives me mad! Everyday I have a handful or more of kids coming up to me to say "Miss. Crawford...so and so said this....so and so did that...so and so..." I have to address the major things, such as fighting, but mostly it is just useless rubbish that eats up so much of my day. I can't count the amount of times I've had to give kids lectures about minding their own business and worrying about themselves. I just have no patience for that. Ah!
Since I haven't been working a ton I have had loads of opportunities to explore the city some more and have some fun! On one of my day's off I decided to check out the British Museum which holds many ancient artifacts from the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian peoples. Of course, the one thing everyone flocks to when you get there is the Rosetta Stone. For those of you who aren't history dorks this slab of rock has writing in three different languages including Greek and Hieroglyphics and was essentially the key to discovering how to read hieroglyphs. It was pretty neat to see something up close that I had learned about in high school and university. Although ancient history was never my favourite of the histories to study it is quite interesting. Seeing those artifacts definitely makes me more excited to see more in their original locations when I visit Italy and Greece later this year. Anyway, the museum was jammed with foreign school groups who were getting on my nerves so I decided to leave. I ended up meeting up with Chris (one of my flatmates) who works in Covent Garden area and was on his lunch. We had a good stroll around the market and watched a performer. It was a lovely afternoon.
As I'm sure my sister is dying to know, the nightlife is pretty good here. Those who know me well know that I'm definitely a pub kind of gal but I also like a little dancing here and there. London is definitely not short on pubs so that's right up my alley. Only problem is that many of these places close at 11 or 12. This is great for catching the train/bus home but not so great when you just want a late night out with your friends. If you want to stay out later you have to go to the clubs.
Last weekend Monica, Chris, and I went to meet up with their friend Jenn who lives outside of the city. We had dinner and then decided to head to Gordon's Wine Bar in Covent Garden. On the way Monica's friend Charlyn joined us and when we got to Gordon's we were lucky enough to actually get a table. This bar is really neat because most of it is underground in the cellar with these low ceilings and small candlelit tables. Unfortunately we were only able to get a table outside on the patio but it was under heaters so at least we didn't freeze. The night was awesome because the wine was tasty, the conversation was flowing, and there was great company to enjoy it with.
The next day Monica and I decided to check out a local theatre in Catford that was putting on a production of The Diary of Anne Frank. I saw this done once before when I was younger at the Young People's Theatre in Toronto. It had a great impact on me back then and maybe is what sparked my love of history. Anyway, this theatre is soo tiny. It probably seats about 50 people and the seats descend right to the floor of the stage so you are as close as can be. We sat up front which allowed us to feel like we were right in the play. It was so well done and definitely worth the 14.50 we paid.
So basically that's what I've been up to the past few weeks. This past weekend we also went to a club for Fletcher's gf's birthday which turned out to be a fantastic night. The club closed at 12 so we headed across the street to another one that closed later. I'm really lucky to have awesome flatmates that are great to hang out with.
My plans this week are hopefully to work (today is day 2 of nothing) and then on Saturday we're heading out to Stonehenge and Bath on a tour as a little birthday present to myself. It should be just as exciting as my other weekends here. =)
The past two weeks have been quiet at times and then super busy. I enjoy the busy times because it doesn't give me a chance to think about things that have been bothering me. However, the quiet times which often lead to reflection have certainly been helpful in figuring things out. So far I've come to the conclusion that this was definitely the best move for me. I'm enjoying myself out here and getting to create memories that I will carry with me forever. Now if I can only just remind myself of that more often.
Supplying has been pretty decent. I haven't worked as much as I'd like to but that's mostly because I'm not as open to different
Of course, kids will always be kids and no matter where I am there will be those little buggers who like to test the boundaries or my patience. One thing that I've noticed a lot here, in comparison to kids back home, is that they LOVE to tattle tale. It drives me mad! Everyday I have a handful or more of kids coming up to me to say "Miss. Crawford...so and so said this....so and so did that...so and so..." I have to address the major things, such as fighting, but mostly it is just useless rubbish that eats up so much of my day. I can't count the amount of times I've had to give kids lectures about minding their own business and worrying about themselves. I just have no patience for that. Ah!
Since I haven't been working a ton I have had loads of opportunities to explore the city some more and have some fun! On one of my day's off I decided to check out the British Museum which holds many ancient artifacts from the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian peoples. Of course, the one thing everyone flocks to when you get there is the Rosetta Stone. For those of you who aren't history dorks this slab of rock has writing in three different languages including Greek and Hieroglyphics and was essentially the key to discovering how to read hieroglyphs. It was pretty neat to see something up close that I had learned about in high school and university. Although ancient history was never my favourite of the histories to study it is quite interesting. Seeing those artifacts definitely makes me more excited to see more in their original locations when I visit Italy and Greece later this year. Anyway, the museum was jammed with foreign school groups who were getting on my nerves so I decided to leave. I ended up meeting up with Chris (one of my flatmates) who works in Covent Garden area and was on his lunch. We had a good stroll around the market and watched a performer. It was a lovely afternoon.
As I'm sure my sister is dying to know, the nightlife is pretty good here. Those who know me well know that I'm definitely a pub kind of gal but I also like a little dancing here and there. London is definitely not short on pubs so that's right up my alley. Only problem is that many of these places close at 11 or 12. This is great for catching the train/bus home but not so great when you just want a late night out with your friends. If you want to stay out later you have to go to the clubs.
Last weekend Monica, Chris, and I went to meet up with their friend Jenn who lives outside of the city. We had dinner and then decided to head to Gordon's Wine Bar in Covent Garden. On the way Monica's friend Charlyn joined us and when we got to Gordon's we were lucky enough to actually get a table. This bar is really neat because most of it is underground in the cellar with these low ceilings and small candlelit tables. Unfortunately we were only able to get a table outside on the patio but it was under heaters so at least we didn't freeze. The night was awesome because the wine was tasty, the conversation was flowing, and there was great company to enjoy it with.
The next day Monica and I decided to check out a local theatre in Catford that was putting on a production of The Diary of Anne Frank. I saw this done once before when I was younger at the Young People's Theatre in Toronto. It had a great impact on me back then and maybe is what sparked my love of history. Anyway, this theatre is soo tiny. It probably seats about 50 people and the seats descend right to the floor of the stage so you are as close as can be. We sat up front which allowed us to feel like we were right in the play. It was so well done and definitely worth the 14.50 we paid.
So basically that's what I've been up to the past few weeks. This past weekend we also went to a club for Fletcher's gf's birthday which turned out to be a fantastic night. The club closed at 12 so we headed across the street to another one that closed later. I'm really lucky to have awesome flatmates that are great to hang out with.
My plans this week are hopefully to work (today is day 2 of nothing) and then on Saturday we're heading out to Stonehenge and Bath on a tour as a little birthday present to myself. It should be just as exciting as my other weekends here. =)
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Diary of a supply teacher in London
The week was pretty slow, as I figured it would be since they were just coming off of half-term break. I spent Monday and Tuesday doing some errands and I decided to head to the Imperial War Museum for an afternoon because it's free and I needed something to fill the time. It was great! I took my time and looked at as much as I could. It was nice to go to a museum by myself because I didn't have to rush or feel like I was boring anyone by reading basically everything. I watched a video on Crimes against humanity which talked a lot about genocide (particularly in Rwanda). It was really interesting and terrifying because they showed actual footage from the time and it was quite graphic. Part of the film was actually narrated by Michael Ignatieff which made me giggle a bit because I recognized his voice before they put his name on the screen. How dorky am I? haha. Anyway, because I took my time with each exhibit I didn't even see the whole museum. But that's ok because I can go back whenever I want. Even though I didn't see the whole thing I would definitely recommend it for anyone who is a war history lover like me. The Holocaust exhibit was incredible and includes many artifacts, videos, and even a model of Auschwitz.
Got my first work call on Wednesday for a Year 4 class near Elmer's End which isn't too far from my place on the rail. I got to the school and the Deputy Head Teacher (essentially the vice-principal) and the secretary were away so the Head Teacher was trying to figure out what to do with me. Turns out the teacher I was covering for was actually only there in the morning because she had prep in the afternoon. I had to wait for the Year 4 team to arrive so they could tell me what I'd be doing. I had the feeling that the Head Teacher had no clue what he was doing which made more sense later when I was told that it's the Deputy who coordinates supply teachers.
The other two Year 4 teachers arrived and finally figured out what I'd be doing for the morning. They both seemed quite disorganized which was funny considering that in England each grade follows the same lesson plans and teach the same thing. This is helpful because then if I have questions I can just ask the other teacher and they will know how to explain it. In Canada you're often left to your own devices because each teacher makes up their own things (to a certain extent). Anyway, the kids were awesome! All my fears of bad English kids were thrown out the window. They were a little excited because I'm a supply teacher with a funny accent but they were still good. I had two TAs in the class which was a big help because they helped with discipline (which there wasn't much to do in the first place). The morning went well with a lesson on databases in the computer lab, spelling, and writing a free-verse poem on an animal. The other teachers didn't know what to do with me for the afternoon (because one takes over the class that I had) so at the end of lunch I found out I would just be helping out in the other class. I listened during a science lesson and then worked with some small reading groups to see what level they were at in terms of reading skills. I marked the worked from the morning at the end of the day and that was it.
The next day I got a late call to go to a school called "Charles Dickens". haha. It was for a Year 5/6 class. When I arrived the other Year 6 teacher went over the day plans with me. Looked like it was going to be another decent day. The kids were already working on a literacy assignment where they were writing out instructions on how to defeat a monster that they created. I was supposed to stretch that out for 2 lessons, then do math (fractions), then read from Coraline in the afternoon. My class had a TA and a girl doing work experience so lots of help for me. The TA was much more vocal than the ones I had the day before which was great with discipline. These kids were pretty chatty and needed constant reminders to stay on task but were otherwise good. The Head Teacher popped in at one point to introduce herself to me and lectured the kids about working hard and representing the school well. She even talked with me at lunch to find out if they had completed their work and ask about their behaviour. Again, the day went well and I marked the instructions (which were really creative) at the end of the day and then went home. So far so good.
I didn't work on Friday but I'm not too disappointed about that. I definitely enjoy days off. However, I hope that next week is pretty busy because I will need the cash for all of the trips I'm planning on taking. Fingers crossed that I continue to have lovely kids and don't have to experience the dreaded evil spawn of London.
Got my first work call on Wednesday for a Year 4 class near Elmer's End which isn't too far from my place on the rail. I got to the school and the Deputy Head Teacher (essentially the vice-principal) and the secretary were away so the Head Teacher was trying to figure out what to do with me. Turns out the teacher I was covering for was actually only there in the morning because she had prep in the afternoon. I had to wait for the Year 4 team to arrive so they could tell me what I'd be doing. I had the feeling that the Head Teacher had no clue what he was doing which made more sense later when I was told that it's the Deputy who coordinates supply teachers.
The other two Year 4 teachers arrived and finally figured out what I'd be doing for the morning. They both seemed quite disorganized which was funny considering that in England each grade follows the same lesson plans and teach the same thing. This is helpful because then if I have questions I can just ask the other teacher and they will know how to explain it. In Canada you're often left to your own devices because each teacher makes up their own things (to a certain extent). Anyway, the kids were awesome! All my fears of bad English kids were thrown out the window. They were a little excited because I'm a supply teacher with a funny accent but they were still good. I had two TAs in the class which was a big help because they helped with discipline (which there wasn't much to do in the first place). The morning went well with a lesson on databases in the computer lab, spelling, and writing a free-verse poem on an animal. The other teachers didn't know what to do with me for the afternoon (because one takes over the class that I had) so at the end of lunch I found out I would just be helping out in the other class. I listened during a science lesson and then worked with some small reading groups to see what level they were at in terms of reading skills. I marked the worked from the morning at the end of the day and that was it.
The next day I got a late call to go to a school called "Charles Dickens". haha. It was for a Year 5/6 class. When I arrived the other Year 6 teacher went over the day plans with me. Looked like it was going to be another decent day. The kids were already working on a literacy assignment where they were writing out instructions on how to defeat a monster that they created. I was supposed to stretch that out for 2 lessons, then do math (fractions), then read from Coraline in the afternoon. My class had a TA and a girl doing work experience so lots of help for me. The TA was much more vocal than the ones I had the day before which was great with discipline. These kids were pretty chatty and needed constant reminders to stay on task but were otherwise good. The Head Teacher popped in at one point to introduce herself to me and lectured the kids about working hard and representing the school well. She even talked with me at lunch to find out if they had completed their work and ask about their behaviour. Again, the day went well and I marked the instructions (which were really creative) at the end of the day and then went home. So far so good.
I didn't work on Friday but I'm not too disappointed about that. I definitely enjoy days off. However, I hope that next week is pretty busy because I will need the cash for all of the trips I'm planning on taking. Fingers crossed that I continue to have lovely kids and don't have to experience the dreaded evil spawn of London.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)