One Month!

Hello family and friends!  I have officially been here for one month and, although I have been less than punctual with my posts, I HAVE been having a great time!  I am finally feeling like I have a handle on my curriculum, I'm working out a way to facilitate two different grades of math & science at one time in a single classroom.  My students are pretty special.  In 2nd grade, we are currently working on plants, and exercising our grammar skills as well as learning a rad dance to 'Eye of the Tiger' (thanks, Wii dance) that we'll preform for the whole school on Thursday!  We are also embarking on our first field trip this Friday 'Into the Wild'! My 5th & 6th graders are reviewing place value and gearing up for problem solving and algebra; we just finished practicing scientific enquiry (British spelling), Lab Procedures, Record Keeping, & Conversions.  We'll work more on conversions later, but for now we're moving onto life sciences - we're exploring organs next week.  I have big plans!  So, although I still have a LOT of work ahead of me, I have a lot to look forward to, as well!

With the heavy load of learning and incorporating two different curriculum, as well as the policies and procedures of a new school in a foreign country, I have definitely felt some stress since my arrival.  I have high standards and expectations for myself, and I want to help our students excel!  I have managed to avoid burnout, though, as I am not allowing myself to work on Saturdays. Instead I have been venturing out and about in Kaiserslaughtern!  I've explored a bazaar, a museum and the Japanese Garden, as well as shopped for some back to school and winter essentials!

I am enjoying my experience in Germany so far, and I feel exceptionally blessed to be here.  My co-workers and flat mates are pretty great and I have some amazing friends here as well (not to mention my awesome cousins - I am so lucky)!  I'm looking forward to more adventures, including dancing at a 'local' country bar, attending the legendary Oktoberfest, hiking in the local forest, and exploring some of the nearby historical sites!  I will keep you posted.  Maybe not EVERY week, but regularly!  As always, I miss you.  Please come visit.  Tschuss!

Better Late Than Never...

I had intended to post weekly to my blog.  Reality had different plans.  I am in full lesson-planning mode, and spending most of my spare time figuring out what I will be teaching in my classes this year, and how to implement the cool techniques I have in my toolbox!  Already many of my tricks have come in handy.  Thank-you to all my awesome instructors and core teachers, as well as my colleagues in HU105 - working with you has helped me become a better teacher, and I am endeavoring to make you proud by providing a top-notch and fully engaging learning experience for my students!

Our first week of school went by so fast!  It started on Tuesday, September 3rd.  We had a school wide assembly and my friend and flatmate Alicia sang a beautiful song for everyone.  She teaches Drama, Social Studies, and English, as well as being an amazing singer!

Our second week of school is now almost over, and I adore my students.  I am teaching Science and Math to five 6th graders, five 5th graders, and 14 2nd graders.  The 2nd graders also learn English from me, and the 5th/6th graders have me for homeroom.  I share subjects with several other teachers; and consequently am able to co-teach!  My 2nd graders learn math in English and German; their homeroom teacher is also one of the German teachers and we teach together.  I am picking up some German in this class - I can now count to 100!  However, my general German language studies have stalled in deference to my lesson planning. As I get more organized and pick up steam, though, I will be able to work on it again!  There is a bit of a language barrier, but the students are pretty great about helping each other figure out the correct English word. I have such smart and resourceful students!

I spend most of my week working, but try to relax and have fun when and where I can. I have amazing flatmates who enjoy playing boardgames (what luck!), and I try to explore new places on the weekends.

This past weekend I experienced a Saturday Fruit & Vegetable Market, an awesome underground humidor, the swing festival in Kaiserslautern, and a Ramstein cover band in Landsthul.  Good times!  I fully expect to lesson plan this weekend, but if I am able to take some time out for fun, rest assured I'll share it with you!  I miss you very much, but am grateful for the opportunity to be here in Germany.  Tschuss!

Germany: Week 1!

My first week in Germany went relatively smoothly!  I have a LOT of work ahead of me though...  and as such, this post will be relatively short.  Teacher prep and orientation started bright and early on Monday morning.  I met my colleagues at Metropolitan International School (MIS).  I am impressed at the caliber of people I am working with!  We lost two instructors over the summer, so there was a bit of rearranging to ensure there was coverage for all classes.  Instead of being the homeroom teacher for the preschool students, I am now the home room/science/math teacher for 5th and 6th grade (combined into one class) as well as the English/science/math teacher for 2nd grade.  I'm so excited to use a lot of the techniques and tools I gained over the last two years!  Over the course of the week, we received our planning books, discussed the teacher handbook, went over procedures & polices, discussed combining the Hessen(German) and Cambridge(English) curriculum, and co-planned lesson topics and long range timelines, as well as planned school trips and set up our classrooms.  There is a lot of sharing that occurs on our campus, which I am in complete support of!  On Friday we gathered for a potluck, at which our school's directors provided many of the beverages.  We toasted the new school year with pink bubbly champagne, shared a delicious cooperative meal, and had a wonderful afternoon!

I am truly grateful to be sharing a flat with the other new teachers from the states.  We help each other out a lot!  Alicia and I went to get photos together for our visas, and had a very cool experience - we watched an impromptu choir performance in a pharmacy.  Sort of like a flashmob of music.  They sang 'Hallelujah' as well as other traditional and not so traditional church songs.  It was totally unexpected and very cool!

One thing I find very interesting is that there is a lot of 'do it yourself' here in Germany, where you can rent out tools and space and take care of things on your own.  From garages to shops to changing watch batteries.  I think it's very cool!

I have visited several towns in Germany in the week or so that I have been here: Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Viernheim, Mannheim, and Kaiserslautern.  It's been a lot colder here than I anticipated, and I seem to have dropped a little weight during my travels, so I decided to purchase a few new articles for this school year.  I adore H&M, and bought most of my purchases from them, but tried to spread it around the economy.  I'm sure you will see some of my new items in future posts, but for now I must sign off.  I will write again soon!  Tschuss!  

PS Today I bought Boots with the Fur! NOT made in China.  Yay!

PPS I also participated in an impromptu Zumba session in the middle of the street while shopping yesterday.  How awesome is that?!