My Supply Teaching Life: In Review

Friday was officially my last day of supply teaching in London. On Monday, I start my full time job that goes until the end of July. Whoo hoo!

I started thinking about my short lived career as a supply teacher, and when trying to sum it up, I realized (or, as they spell it here, "realised")...

• I have taught in several different areas/boroughs of London, including from memory: Hackney, Croydon, Hammersmith & Fulham, Newham, Hillingdon, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Hounslow.

• I have taught Years 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 and 11 - all at least once.
  
• I have worked in 3 different ASD/SEN schools (Special Needs).
  
• I've taught kids from the following countries (and plus): Lebanon, Poland, Portugal, Iraq, Greece, Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, Mozambique, Finland, Cayman Islands, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Nigeria, Somalia, Jamaica, Ireland... Okay, this list could go on forever.
• I've took many many tubes, buses and walked for miles, but always avoided the overground and train for no reason other than the fact I wasn't sure how to do navigate it.
• I have been asked if I was from: New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Poland, Scotland and most often, America - which is when I explain that yes, I am from NORTH America, but I am Canadian.

• I've met other teachers from: North England, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Scotland and Sweden.
• I've taught the following secondary (high school) subjects: Maths, English, Religious Education, Food Technology, Science, Art, ICT, Citizenship, Design and Technology, Geography, Textiles, Music...
• I've woke up for approximately 45+ mornings, waiting for a phone call.
• I've worked at 12 different schools - 6 of them I worked at more than once.
• I've given approximately 5 hours worth of detention.
• I've spent approximately 5 hours answering random questions about Canada.
  
• I've been to 8 general assemblies, 2 Christmas performances, 1 award ceremony and 1 showtime performance.
• I have improved my story reading voice, complete with sound effects.
  
• I have learned how to effectively use an Interactive Whiteboard, because I had to in order to communicate with students.

Well, I am sure there is much more that has happened within these 3 months of supply work - trust me, I have learned more than I can even express in this blog post. And I am pretty confident that I've learned more from the students than they have from me, they just don't realize it.

I am so excited to start at my new school next week and just know that it will be challenging, but incredibly satisfying and rewarding.

Fruit etc.

How much fruit can you buy in London for £2.14?

-2 oranges
-5 bananas
-1 monster pineapple (deliciously ripe)

Tegan & Sara: London Style

We went to see Tegan & Sara at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on Friday. The venue (pictured above) was amazing. It reminded me of the Burton Cummings in Winnipeg, but seemed a little more "open".

However, what you may NOT know is who exactly Tegan & Sara are. So, if you were wondering...

Tegan and Sara are twin sisters from Calgary, Alberta who typically play indie/rock/pop sort of music. They've basically been playing and recording music in Canada and the US for the past 10 years, and in my opinion, are pretty great.

They are also known for their "banter" during their live performances, which I love. I've only seen them twice, but Tyson has seen them something like 7 or 8 times. If you search them on YouTube, you will come up with many many videos of them just talking back and forth about the randomest things while on stage. I got one video that I'll put on here, and there is still one that I have to find on YouTube about them talking about "Shepherd's Bush".
(I tried to upload the video and it took like, an hour, so I gave up for now)

ANYWAY - The show was great, of course. Their opener was some dude who I cannot remember his name, but he was definitely interesting. It was just him and his laptop and he kept calling himself a rapper, but I'm still not completely sure what he was.

And then Tegan & Sara came on.


One of my favourite things about Tegan & Sara is their modesty. It's so obvious that they truly just love playing music and really could care less about fame and money. They were so appreciative of the response to their newer songs and told the crowd that they didn't want an encore because it makes them feel weird and awkward (which does totally make sense). They played a lot of songs off their new album - Sainthood - but a good balance of old songs as well. I, of course, am partial to their old stuff because I'm a sucker for two great voices and acoustic guitars, and their new stuff borders on electronic. BUT, no matter what they do, I'm still a fan, and I think they really began evolving when they recorded The Con, which had a different feel than their previous albums.


____________________

The good thing about London is that tons of great shows come through here, and for the most part they are decently priced. In the next few months, I want to get tickets for Xavier Rudd (if I can convince Tyson, I think he has seen him like over 10 times, me not as many) and Joss Stone (I looove her!).

Until next time...

Life in London: The Update

As I mentioned earlier, I have not been updating this blog nearly enough! This isn't meant to indicate that things have not been happening here in London, just that I have yet to find the time to update!

I figured that a brief update is in order. I've now been living in London for two and a half months. Things were quite rocky throughout the first month - basically my expectations did not meet the reality I was faced with. But no problem, I worked through that with the fantastic support system I have here and back in Canada, and quickly, things improved.

I met some great people who were really eager to get things sorted for me, so for the past month I have been working in a variety of Secondary, Primary and SEN schools and enjoying every moment of it. It's strange to think of how much I've learned in the past 2 months - about myself, teaching, culture, history and life in general.

This past week also brought better news my way. My consultant had been very keen to get me a trial day at a particular secondary school after the half term. She called me frequently to check in and tell me about the school and the position. She was convinced that I would LOVE the school and that they would LOVE me. However, I was really nervous, seeing as I had never been to the school and I spent a lot of time trying to come up with a lesson plan that would be suitable for all the students. Needless to say, my organization, preparation, confidence and flexibility made my visit to the school a very pleasurable one.

And my consultant was RIGHT! I did LOVE the school. I can't even explain why or what I loved about it, other than the fact that it just felt "right" being there. I felt comfortable and both the staff and students were very welcoming and modest. I spent the day observing various classes and getting to know the school, as well as teaching one lesson.

Anyway, the position is for a job teaching Geography and PSHCE with the possibility of some English. I had a fabulous meeting and chat with the deputy headteacher and things were looking really good.

When I got home from school, my consultant called me to let me know that I had made quite a positive impression on the school and the teachers. They wanted me to take the job! This particular job begins in January and is taking over for a teacher who is retiring. So as far as things go as of RIGHT NOW, I 99.9% have the job and only need to formally accept it. The school wants me to go in on Monday and Tuesday to further observe the other teacher so that I can be sure about accepting the position.

So things are most definitely looking up!

Local Public Transportation

Well, it's a Tuesday morning at 9am and there is no call yet. Safe to say that I have the day off, which in this city is bittersweet. So I was sitting here imagining going to work and how I would get there and then I thought I would share part of my (imagined) journey with you. Of course what they say is true that a picture is worth a thousand words so lets take a look...

(click to view a clearer picture)

In our area we are fortunate enough to have some good transport links. We'll start with the Shepherd's Bush Market Station because it's the closest. Clocking in at a whopping 6 minute walk is this, our closest station which runs on the Hammersmith and City Line. Although it seems slower than the Central Line, and cheaper, it is a fairly nice ride as the stops from here to Edgware Rd are above ground, which means you can stare out the window instead of at a dark wall. The station doesn't look all that attractive but it gets the job done.






The second closest and most used (by us) station is the Shepherd's Bush Central Line Station. This one comes in at an aerobic 14 minute walk and is right in front of Westfield Shopping Center. Now the Central line can be worth the walk because it flies right through central London connecting with every single other tube line. So this means that via the Central line you can get anywhere in London, in due time of course. Here's some before and after pics of the refurbishment they did in 2008. Maybe one day they can do the same for the SB Market Station..

before

after

Quite the difference, eh?

The third option is the Shepherd's Bush Rail Station, which is good for making connections in the south as there's not as many tube lines down there. This station is right across the street from the Central Line station and I estimate it to be a 15 minute walk from our flat. Now as we have learned, you can use your oyster card for the overground- but ONLY the overground. If you switch to another train line (southern, national, southeastern, etc) you must purchase a ticket for that rail line. Our flatmate found this out the hard way and had to pay a 20£ fine on the spot. Also if you know where you are going, it's cheaper, and easier, to buy a return ticket. This station opened in September 2008, so it's also really nice and new!






These trains are also a fairly nice ride as you get to look out the window (mostly rail tracks, trees and graffiti) and the seats are a bit nicer than the tube's.



And last but not least is the bus. The bus is slower than the other options but it can get you to places that are not serviced by the tube or train. This also becomes your only option (besides a taxi) for getting around/home after the tubes stop running (approx 12-12:30). The night buses can have a fun atmosphere as everyone else seems to also be coming home from a good night out as well! There are three types of buses I have seen so far which are: the double decker, the bendy bus and the regular bus. That being said there aren't actually too many of the regular buses around.

Half Term Break Ideas

I feel awkward calling the upcoming week off "half term BREAK" because really, I've just started working and do not feel the need for a break (primarily, an unpaid one)!

However, it will be nice to let loose from the pressures and anxieties of the "will I be working today?" supply teaching mentality.

Unfortunately for me, I haven't worked enough to save enough cash to go anywhere for the half term break (which, by the way, is the last week of October). So, I will be hanging around in London with Tyson and hopefully exploring and visiting some of the great sites this city has to offer (and more than likely the free ones).

I periodically check out this website to see what kind of deals they have, and came across their blog entry. I decided to share it with you here - it is from www.lastminute.com.

50 ways to have a fun filled half term

October 15th, 2009

Autumn half term is the perfect time to catch your breath before the onslaught of winter, and there are loads of great things to do all over the UK. Whatever your budget, and wherever you are, there’s something here for everyone, including free stuff!

London

The British Museum has recently become one of the most popular places to visit in London and it has free workshops over half term too.

The V&A Museum of Childhood is a great place to go in East London and it’s free. It has great collections of toys throughout the ages and oodles of interactive exhibits to tinker with.

Go see The Lion King – brilliant music, stunning sets, fantastic cast and an array of amazing costumes, means this is a guaranteed fun experience and great for all the family too.

On Wednesday 28th October there’s Children’s Book of Art Treasure Trail around four London galleries and a £100 prize of book vouchers up for grabs.

Get on yer bike and keep the kids entertained on a four hour sight seeing Bike tour of London – wheels, fresh air and exercise included.

There’s a free event on Sun 25 & Mon October, it’s called The Big Draw at Museum of London Docklands with drawing and making activities and special workshops throughout the day.

This Harry Porter-themed walk starts off in Leicester Square and takes in Harry Potter’s magical London; including the latest film locations from Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince. Tickets from £20.

For something more edgy try London Rock and Roll Tours – air guitars supplied free.

Use your loaf and feed the ducks in St James’s Royal Park for free and pick up a few conkers on the way round.

See London as you’ve never seen it before with a spin around the London Eye and a riverboat experience.

Hit the South Bank and wander down London’s new cultural Thames walk.

Spend a memorable day in the Tower of London and learn all about the great history of this place and meet the people that actually live and work there too.

The British Music Experience (BME) at the 02 is an interactive exhibition, combining cutting edge audio-visual technology with some of the most coveted music memorabilia – kids go free over half term.

Get up close and personal with your favourite A-listers and meet some of the greatest personalities from history at Madame Tussaud’s World Famous show in Baker Street, London.

Take a walk around the corner and have a mooch around the Beatles Gallery too – it sells original memorabilia from the Fab Four.

Take a jaunt around ZSL London Zoo and get to know over 650 species of wildlife. Did you know it’s Darwin’s bicentenary and you can now take the Darwin trail round the Zoo? Hotel packages are available too.

Meet Wallace and Gromit at the Science Museum in London’s South Kensington.

Pop along to the new Darwin Centre at the Natural History Museum, South Ken. There’s lots of interesting exhibits to capture the imagination of kids and adults alike.

Explore the magical and historical collections in the Victoria & Albert Museum with 1000s of items of cultural significance from all over the world.

The London Pass will gain you entry into 50 top sightseeing attractions. It starts from £24 and gets you discounts and special offers at many restaurants, shops and entertainment options around the city too.

Don’t forget to buy an Oyster card and spend the day tubing around town.

Make sure you visit your local library to pick up some inspirational books to help you with your half term homework. Even better, make a day of it and visit the world renowned British Library, it’s fabulously modern and right near St Pancras.

Head out of town to Surrey and visit The Maze, Henry VIII’s State Apartments, the vast Tudor kitchens and more at Hampton Court Palace, with a 10% discount you won’t lose your head over the ticket price.

Take a walk along the Thames and take in the sights – get your free walking guide here.

Salisbury, Stonehenge & Bath and London 2 day tour is under £40 and includes: tour of Salisbury and Salisbury Cathedral, a stop at Stonehenge and Georgian Bath plus a walking tour of Bath with spectacular views.

Out of town

Beds
Stroll across acres of beautiful English countryside and watch lions, tigers, elephants, hippos and giraffes out and about in one of Europe’s largest conservation areas at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, Dunstable, Beds from only £16.50.

Birmingham

@ Think Tank is a series of events for kids in Birmingham with loads of workshops and fun to be had including animation and story telling. Lots of them are free or under £5.

Fill your face with Dairy Milk and design your own choccies on the way round at Birmingham’s Cadbury World set in the gorgeous Bournville village – from £10.

Broxbourne
Spend a day in the country at Paradise Wildlife Park from £13 each. It’s a fantastic place to get up close and personal with tigers, lions, monkeys, zebras, reptiles, birds and camels.

Bournemouth
Take a 4* Menzies East Cliff Court Hotel break, you can bring your kids and the dog too and explore the wonderful countryside and ocean views of Dorset. Poole and Lyme Regis are both a short drive away.

Blackpool

Pop along to Blackpool Zoo and save 10% off tickets too.

Brighton
Enjoy the quirk eccentricity of The Royal Pavillion Brighton with tickets from £7.90 adult tickets and £4.60 for children,then head to the Pier to enjoy a stick of rock and an ice cream.

Chertsey
Thrill seekers will love the Saw ride at Thorpe Park, Chertsey, Surrey. We have up to £7 off the usual ticket price; prepare yourself for some of the scariest rides of your life.

Cumbria
Enjoy the vibrant Autumnal leaf displays of the Lake District and drop into the Lakes Aquarium, Lakeside, Newby Bridge, Cumbria from only £5.17.

Get your walking boots on, grab a packed lunch and take the kids for a stroll around The Lake District – home to the famous children’s book writer Beatrix Potter.

Durham
Diggerland is a fun-packed theme park with 18 different rides, drives and attractions using real full sized construction machinery set in 15 acres of adventure park surroundings. Tickets from £15.

Hastings
Smugglers Adventure tickets are cheap as chips, starting at only £4.25. Journey deep into the heart of Hastings’ historic West Hill to discover the fascinating world of the Smugglers Adventure in St Clements Caves. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum…

Kent
Enjoy a literary feast of fun and adventure at Dickens World in Kent. Tickets are from £7.30 and this will take you and your kids on a fascinating journey through Dickens’ lifetime, stepping back in time to Dickensian England and the streets, sounds and smells of the 19th century

Manchester
Fancy trying out puppet making? These workshops are free for kids over half term.

Portsmouth
Blue Reef Aquarium has more than 30 living displays bring the wonders of the aquatic world to life. With informative talks and feeding demonstrations the aquarium is a spectacular experience whatever the weather.

Ripon, North Yorkshire
The Lightwater Valley Theme Park has a thrilling theme park line-up which comprises some amazing rides, including Europe’s longest rollercoaster -The Ultimate, as well as the stomach churning, mighty Eagle’s Claw and The Hornet’s Nest – the ride with a sting in its tail!

Scotland
Bagpipes, haggis and tartan await in the Highlands and there are some great Scottish hotels to choose from across this beautiful region of Britain.

Staffs
Get splashed and pampered with this ticket and hotel special at Alton Towers. Two day tickets and a one night hotel stay for under £60.

Head to Drayton Manor, packed with a host of great rides and attractions set in 280 acres of lakes and parkland, featuring some of the biggest, wettest and scariest rides around including Apocalypse, the world’s first stand up tower drop and Shockwave is Europe’s only stand up rollercoaster.

Warwick
Find out how they battled it out in the olden days on a trip to Warwick Castle. Kids go for £9.

Windsor
Enjoy the perennial favourite Legoland Windsor with up to £17 off. Plus take a stroll around town too – you’ll easily spot the castle and just walk over the bridge to Eton riverside – very charming.

York
Have a grand old day in York and choose from over 50 Attractions in and beyond York to visit with a York Pass – including Europes largest Gothic Cathedral York Minster, Jorvik Viking Museum and the world famous Castle Museum. Tickets from £18.

Wales
SeeWales Gower Walking Tour is only £40 and includes glorious golden stretches of sandy beaches, spectacular cliff top views and ancient monuments which are all part of the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Venues all over the UK
Try a visit to Sea Life- with venues all over the UK including Scarborough, Loch Lomond, Brighton, Birmingham, Blackpool, Great Yarmouth Great and Weymouth and a whopping saving of up to 30% off.

Or get close to nature with a water holiday – take a barge around the fabulous network of canals the span the length and breadth of Britain. A nice way to do a pub tour and keep active too.

*If anyone else has great ideas they'd like to share (or if you'd just like to hang out), drop me a message!*

Annnd... I'm Back

I've had a bit of a hiatus, from this blog in particular, for several reasons. I was really trying to figure out my blogging situation/purpose for the past few months.

A few readers have told me how much they value and enjoy reading my blog, particularly about moving to London, and teaching, etc. I was really torn though, because I wanted to create and maintain a blog that was specifically for my family/friends where I didn't have to edit my thoughts, and all the specifics (if that makes sense).

So, I finalllllly have come to a conclusion. Since I truly do enjoy blogging and sharing, I am going to make an effort to upkeep this blog about general things - life in London, teaching, etc. My other blog is now private and you have to sign in to read it, so I don't need to worry about who is reading what. If you are a family or friend and interested in reading my other blog - please let me know so I can add you to the list :)

Look forward to more posts in the near, near future :)

First Time Teaching in London

NOTE TO READERS: It has come to my attention that some readers have misinterpreted this blog entry. If you know me at all, you know that my comment about being a "secondary teacher" is purely playful. It is a joke that I had in Winnipeg after having a very stressful and crazy day teaching Kindergarten. It by no means demonstrates that I am "only teaching primary because I am desperate", we just all have our preferences. On the plus side, I have found that I do particularly enjoy primary in London. Who would've thought :)

Yesterday was my first day teaching in London. I got a call around 7:45am, when I had already given up hope and put on my pj's and big comfy Mondetta Canada sweater. So OF COURSE that is the day I get a call to supply teach. And believe it or not, the job was for a primary position at a school in East London. Obviously I said yes! Tyson was just about to leave so I threw on some pants and ran out the door with him. We didn't even walk to the tube station, we hopped on a bus and jumped off and ran the rest of the way (of course we stopped to pick up a copy of the Metro - they're free and provide endless time of hilarious London gossip and "news"). I got to ride with Tyson until his stop, also in the East and then I switched lines and was at the school right around 9:00am (yeah, I was late, that was looong journey)!

When I arrived at the school, everything felt kind of chaotic. They took my passport and CRB and gave me a book called "Guide to Supply Teaching" and showed me an empty classroom as the children were in assembly. So at least I had a good 10 minutes to sort of soak in what I was about to do.

Now this was a Year One (Grade 1) class, and everyone has heard the story about "The Day I Taught Kindergarten", which did not end well. This day, however, did.

The TA brought in 30 or so little tiny cutie kids who immediately started whispering, wondering who I was. But even squished into a tiny classroom, they were so well behaved. Yeah, they constantly were pulling on my leg saying "miissss, miissss, missss" and spitting on each other, but after I explained that I can only hear once voice at a time and spitting was disgusting and full of germs, they day went on quite well!

Making stuff up as I went along wasn't that hard either. The TA was kind enough to do the first activity, which was writing in these "Ditty Books" and spelling words (by sounding them out, booo...) so I just helped. One little girl was obsessed with me and kept trying to tell me stories and how much she liked me and my clothes. Then after playtime (aka recess) I had to do numeracy, which again I just made up from some random plans I found on the counter. Counting to 20, which numbers are bigger/smaller, counting backward, simple addition (How many stars do I have? How many did I take away? Now how many do I have?) and then I got them to do the same thing with different colours of blocks, etc.

In the afternoon, since they were working on a topic about Belonging and Family, I told them about ME! I said that I wasn't from there and asked where they thought I was from and right away they were like "Are you from Canada Miss?!?!" and I was like "WELL YES I AM!" And then I read them The ABC's of Canada, a sweet book I picked up at The Forks before I left Winnipeg. Then the children wrote in their books about their family, friends, what they like to do, etc. and drew pictures. They did really good and then got up at the front and shared with the class their stories. SO CUTE.

Oh, then we had a party for some girls birthday. I do have to admit, I never did learn any of their names very well, mostly because I could not pronounce them! Most of the children were Bangladeshi, Pakistani or African. Well, all of them were. And they had very unique names and I felt awful for not being able to remember or say them! Oh well, that will be my goal for the next time.

In other news, we are getting a new flatmate today who is also from Winnipeg, even though we really just met this week. Exciting!

NOTE: Yes, I had an okay day in Primary, but please do not mistake this for me being a Primary teacher. I am still DEFINITELY a Secondary Teacher :)