Week 4...been here one month today!!!!

Happy belated Anzac Day to everyone!!!

Was thinking of you all leading up to Anzac Day and felt a long way away as I didn't get to go to a parade or service. I was working Monday-Thursday at a school called 'Grange Park Infant School' in a place called Hayes (... two buses from Margie and Brian's ... 7.05am I'd leave here and be there about 7.50am:-)

Today (Friday) I was on a work experience day and I'm back again on Monday. It's at the Infant and Nursery School right next door to Margie and Brian's house.... with the possibility of perhaps being offered a full-time teachng position starting next year...no not in Jan but their school year beginning September:-) I'd be teaching a reception class (4-5yr olds)...

In a reception class (30 children) there is the teacher (be me!)and a TA (Teaching Assistant) or  otherwise known in some classes as a 'Nursery Nurse'

In the reception class the children all wear school uniforms....they have phonics classes, maths and numeracy, knowledge about the world around us. creative language and literacy, and physical development. They have a very structured curriculum....with far less 'uninterrupted spontaneous play' than our PreSchool 2 children at Belmont Kindercare had  ("....what would ERO think of that!!!!!")

So far I have taught Key Stage 2 (6-7year olds) math and numeracy, design technology, phonics (!!!) (fortunately I'd observed a student teacher teaching that two days so I knew to use expression like "underline where the "sound buttons" are" (yhay for a model to go by!!! Talk about being chucked in the deep end!!!) They don't use black boards or white boards but a computer program white board that takes a bit of getting used to using and provides the children with a bit of entertainment as I get my head around it!!!!

In the Key Stage 1 and 2 classes there are generally 4-5 ability levels, each with their own learning outcome that their work is set to and marked by.... any suprise I get there half an hour early to give myself extra time to go over and prepare in my own head!!! Catherine at Kindercare will be impressed by my earliness!!! I'm appreciating the extra time to sit and have that cup of tea as well before the day starts... Liisa:-) a leaf from your book!....'cause then for the rest of the day I'm pretty much on my toes!!!

I'm learning the secret to getting work marked as I go and I got positive feed back from Protocol (my supply teaching agency) to say the school I worked at this week were very happy with my work and will use me again:-) (Whew!!!) I've joined up with three supply agencies now and one of them said they have put me at the top of their list to be booked for next week (hopefully they put me into work next week as they pay more than Protocol!!!)

Looking forward to catching up with a friend of mine who's in London until Tuedays on Sunday before she leaves London to go to Switzerland for three months...might have to fit in a visit to her there!!! Kirsty and I are going to meet at Covent Garden and check that out :-) before going to a church service there together in the late afternoon.

Lots of love and have a great weekend:-)

Big hugs,

Love

Shell

XXX

My last fortnight....starting work and trip to Lymmington

Hi from the Kiwi in London who is only now up dating her blog after... it was three weekends ago that I was in Bratton....where has the time gone!!!

How is everyone?

Exert from Fri 20th April...jst a quick hi before we head off to Lymmington for the weekend to visit friends of Margie and Brians.

Update: 

Had a lovely weekend away...we did a 30km bikeride Sat, ate lots of yummy food, loved being out in the countryside and along the coast by the sea!!!!
 Around which we did an hours walked yesterday....

...................... before coming home to help Pau celebrate being offered a permanent position at the school he's been teaching at.:-) Go Paul!!!

Brian and Margie have been fantastic...Margie's been especially great with helping me sort out transport timetables etc for getting to work and places. And likewise including me in some of their outings too:-)

Wed 18th April:

Had first day supply teaching in Harrow... took me two tubes and a bus ride :-) ....and very strange being called 'Miss Kite'!

Work leads so far:

Had dropped my cv at the Springwell Nursery and Infant School next door to Margie and Brian's house and was called by the head teacher to go and meet her as they have some positions coming up next school year (starting Sept). I'm going to do two days work experience there Fri 27th  and following Mon.

Have also registered with another supply teaching agency. .. New Zealand trained teachers have a very good reputation here in the UK and despite the recession there seems so far to be a good amount of work. I feel really grateful to be able to wak into work here.

Mon 23 April:

I worked today and have got three more days at the same school this week which is nice. It's a bit of a quick learning curve though... today I was with a class of six year olds... and taught their PE and music classes. Tomorrow I'm going to try out some different behaviour management strategies and be MUCH firmer with them!!!!

 Photo's pending!!!!!

Here in London the church services I've gone to are a part of the London Church of Christ. It's been wonderful the number of people I've met so far who know people I know in New Zealand:-)

Everyone's so warm and friendly and the transition to living in the UK with everyone looking out for me has been a real blessing.

Lots of love to you all

XXXX

We've had beautiful weather but today it's turned cold!!!!....and it's
supposed to stay like this over Easter.

Tomorrow I'm bussing down to Wiltshire to see Chris's family so
excited about that.

Yesterday I had my induction for working with Protocol...supply teaching.
Have got a bank account set up so any donations gratefully received for the 'Save the
new Kiwi' fund in London ... crikey setting up a flat is no small feat....rent's paid
monthly and you need a months bond, a months deposit plus four to six weeks rent...up front!!!
So will definitely be beginning work Mon 16th April when schools go back after Easter Break:-)

Everything's so different here and there are sooooooo
many different people. It's amazing!!!!