Button credits: Scrappin Doodles, KG Fonts, Cara Carroll and Sonya Dehart
OK so I am going to try something new. Last week I posted about my teaching exchange that I did in 2004. I have had such a positive response to this and so many questions that I thought... I will do a little throwback to this time in my life for the month of August and today...which I realize is still July.
Basically I am going to share group emails and posts from my website from that time....oh yeah... I searched through so many files to find some of the highlights, embarrassing stories and teaching differences between here and there.....
So today is a throwback to September 2004. The start of my new school year of teaching 1st grade {Year 2} in Hereford, England:
O.K. I am continuing my Hereford 101 class…
I will pick up where we left off! So, first off is some good news. The daily cake thing in the lounge has let off. Did I tell you they were bringing in cake every single day? And I think it was in my honor, but honestly, this girl can't have cake daily. Now it seems we are down to just tea, coffee and some digestive biscuits. Yes, there is a cookie called the digestive biscuit. Let's discuss how everyone has several cups of either tea or coffee per day and people will walk to classrooms to ask if you would like a cup. Holy hospitality! Sidenote: They drink instant coffee! Luckily, I see workmen looking busy at my future Starbucks site. Work fast guys!
I have actually been teaching this week. They are very cute with their accents and uniforms. I think I have a great class- however, there are the usual suspects! Namely, S#1 (as in Suspect #1) told me on the first day of school that I reminded him of the one-eyed monster in Monsters Inc. I just replied, "Thank you, I have always wanted to be in a movie!" That quieted him down for a while because it wasn't the response he was expecting.
One of them told me at the end of the day that she was worried all summer that she wouldn't be able to understand me- she reports now that - it's okay! Overall, I am very, very happy with this sweet group.
On the first day of school they had to draw a picture of themselves- I suggested drawing themselves in a new dress, or for the boys in a new shirt and pants. They giggled. Weird...I thought, but moving on.... Later when I told Emily (my new teacher friend) that I had found a $20 bill in my pants that I can't use here- she told me that pants are underwear. So Emily thinks I may be a stripper on the side and the children think I want them to draw themselves with no clothes- this could become a problem....trousers, I need to remember to say "trousers!" Let me tell you what an eraser is called here- a rubber. So several times a day I have children saying- I can't find a rubber, my rubber isn't working…. not much else to say about that.
Just for the record- there have been several spiders found in our classroom. Sadly I make a 6 year old child (who does volunteer) deal with that- hey, as you all know, I have plenty to deal with at home!
I walked by some of the older children and heard them say- she is just so cool when she talks. So I have a fan club. I will be signing autographs at recess- so pretty much that is the same as in the states. (wink, wink!)
As for the traveling part- Cardiff was great- most of you have heard about it. This weekend I am supposed to go somewhere with my new fellow American teaching friend, but I may just stay here and recover from the first week. Below is a picture of us at Buckingham Palace last week.... and hopefully I will be back to London the following weekend.....
Click HERE to keep on reading and see Throwback Thursday: Teaching Abroad Edition 2!
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