Week Two Update: Relief Teaching LP

Now that I am three days into relief teaching, I feel like I am an expert. I can now find all of the classrooms, I know where at least 3 staff toilets are AND I know where morning tea is served (I even managed to make it there today in time to have a tea:). And, let's be honest, who wouldn't love a country that schedules and provides morning tea AND makes it socially acceptable for adults to dip their biscuits into their tea?!

Today was especially fun as I got to actually teach a lesson (vs. handing out an endless number of worksheets). I was teaching an ESL class filled with International Students. They had to do some written work to start & then we had a discussion. For the discussion, I broke them into 4 groups & asked them to move their groups to each of the four corners of the classroom. They had clearly never been asked to do that before. The looks on their faces was priceless, as if to say, "You really want me to stand up from my desk, move somewhere else in the room and TALK to other people?!" I think they may be more used to the 'sit and get' style of teaching. Fortunately, they are also used to doing what they are asked, so up they got. I might save some of my other 'fancy' teaching techniques for a little later in the term. LOL:)

As for the rest of the classes I have covered, they have generally been uneventful...teens are teens, students are students & courses are courses...there is good, bad and ugly in all of those things. Although, I do have to admit that there is more good than bad or ugly at Takapuna Grammar. For example, from my classroom today I could see the PE classes and EVERY student was in PE gear...a novel idea:) The funny thing is that most of the students were in bare feet, which is also very common here. 

At this point the VP has booked me until next Friday. Two full weeks of teaching. I am also teaching five periods a day (most teachers would have a prep period each day), so I have been teasing Mike that I am going to make more money than he is...and he has to prep his classes, go to meetings & mark student work. Although, having said all of that, I do miss being a part of a staff/department & having classes of my own to build relationships with staff & students.

Moving forward, once the kids get settled in their classes, I am hoping to take at least one day off a week to spend some time volunteering at the kids' schools. 

And that's my lengthy teaching update. I don't expect it will change much over the next few weeks, unless something exciting happens, my blog focus will be on other more interesting things...like our kiddos & life in NZL. Cheers 🍻