Good-Bye PC 2011!

March 26, 2011

So I am behind again… things have been absolutely crazy!!! 

The last few nights in Manly, Australia were absolutely amazing with the group!  We had a day that was spent at the Zoo and Sydney Aquarium, we had a final dinner on a pirate ship, and many laughs were shared…  On the morning of March 22^nd, I had to say goodbye to my “family” that I have grown incredibly close to over the past 2 months.  It was definitely more difficult than I thought, but luckily for me, there were a few more people who stayed in Australia for a while. 

           

It was only a short 2 days, and BOOM I was in the classroom with the twenty children I will be student teaching!  The first day went absolutely amazing!!!  The kids were adorable with their accents and uniforms.  I was asked a fair share of questions, the most common being, “Did you really come all the way from America?”  The kids seemed to enjoy having me around, as much as I enjoyed them.  The differences in a Kindergarten class at home, compared to the “Kindy” class I am in are amazing to see.  The Kindy’s here are mostly 4, they do not have to turn five until July (their school year begins early February).  Kindy is not a time spent playing at all, they all excpted to learn to read and write sufficiently.  I was surprised to find that approximately 98% of the stuents in the classroom were already reading and writing.  They do not use phonics in Kindy, more sight word usage, but it is still interesting to see how much the students pick up on. 

The end of the day came so quickly, and I cannot wait to go back tomorrow!  A few things that I need to remember is:

·                *Always bring a sunhat

·                 *Ms. Hegge sounds a lot like Ms. Eggie and Ms. Peggie

·                 *There are no hallways; when the children are out the door it is crazy!

·                  *Bring my own lunch, instead of it being the less common option, each and every student and staff           bring lunch from home, the canteen is for snack and drink options.

I hope everyone is well, I cannot believe Pacific Challenge has come to an end, and my Student Teaching as begun!!!  Time flies by, so take nothing for granted!  Cherish every, single moment that you have.  Never look back, because the present will just slip away.  Enjoy what you have now, not tomorrow.  And of course, smile.

Lots of Love from 10,000+ miles away!!!