Pretending to be a teacher

So this past week I have been teaching in Room 8, and it has been smooth sailing, a few bumpy patches as there always is when you try to walk in someone else's shoes but overall it has been a good week.

It has also been an exhausting week, and I have truly had my eyes opened to the workload of a teacher... there is always something to be planning or marking or doing.

Room 8 (and the rest of the senior syndicate) are busy working on speeches, and thinking of speeches as a hamburger... leading to much discussion about what everyone likes in their burgers... it was well established that this is a favourite meal in most households!

We have also been looking at time in maths, with converting digital and analogue time to 24 hour time, most of the children seem to have a great understanding of this now, thanks to a couple of class experts explaining it in a way they all understood! 

It was skipping for fitness at Ranzau last week and there were children skipping before school, at break times and showing their parents after school as well! They have some smooth moves like the crisscross and double jump! Very impressive indeed! 

We began looking at our construction art projects with the children getting to choose what to make using egg cartons... there was a lot of excitement once they got online and had a look at some things that others have made! The plan is for them to take photos of and record the steps of their individual craft project with the aims of creating a Room 8 blog post with instructions on how to create these egg-y masterpieces, so keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks! 

For inquiry this term the focus is on cooperation and competition, the students have been doing a lot of work in teams and small groups working on their cooperative skills, especially working as a team and communication. They had to complete an activity (in silence) getting themselves in order of their birthdays (month and day), it was hilarious to watch and took them awhile but they got there in the end and I was very impressed with their perseverance in completing the task! Next week they are doing some BP challenges that will further promote their teamwork and cooperation, with a wee bit of competition thrown in! 

There were lots of children with plans for more exciting weekends than me, but I have had a productive one getting lots of reflection and planning done for the week ahead! 

Yesterday I applied to graduate, which is VERY exciting, and seems so close, yet also so very far away! I feel a little bit like a mother hen counting her chickens before they hatch, but that is the way of life when large numbers of people have to be organised! But I am very excited that those who are most important to me can come, especially as it is 6 days away from Christmas... lets just hope I can get time off work...

Here is me being a goof, and trying to make my student teacher friends smile :)