Bittersweet Moments
Hello! I know it has been quite sometime since I have posted! The time here is sure flying by! Last week was our only full week in the school. I was very excited to have finished up teaching my Kentucky lesson and start my new lesson for science. Last week I taught over six lessons! I loved teaching about the parts of flower and their functions. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed teaching the same topic to first and second grade. It was a great experience practicing differentiation between the two grade levels! On Friday, we had parents day where parents come in and observe for the first half of the day. That was quite interesting! I am teaching two more lessons this week to finish off my teaching here! I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in the classroom and it has just reminded me how much I love teaching!
As for fun, we went to the Olympic Stadium from the 1992 (the year I was born!) Barcelona Olympics, and walked around the Barcelona Football Stadium! Over the weekend I made it London, England! Although we only had a day to sight see, it was incredible! I saw the Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, London Eye, London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, The House of Parliment with the Elizabeth Tower (which has Big Ben inside) and much more! My favorite was our boat ride under all the bridges! After the eventful weekend we have just three days of teaching this week. Today I enjoyed taking many pictures with my students!
I have been truly blessed to have this incredible experience. I have learned so much about Spain, teaching, and even about myself. I have participated in things I could have never dreamed of and pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I have learned how different yet beautiful the world can be. I have encountered several different teaching styles and have been exposed to so many unique things, including classroom management. I have no doubt this amazing trip has enhanced my candidacy as a future educator!
At the London Eye with a view of the House of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben)!
Patio fun with some awesome kiddos!
Adios,
May 4, 2014
Adventures Abroad!
I would have to say the time between last Wednesday and now may have been the best thus far! Wednesday was my best day at school! So many great things happened! To begin, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting classrooms and acting out Roald Dahl's version of Jack and the Beanstalk. Ironically, I was the giant! Then, I finally taught my first independent lesson. I taught it to two classes and it went great. I did a lesson on Kentucky, which included a little bit about me, where I am from, famous places in Kentucky, and famous symbols/ things/people from Kentucky. I was so happy to teach about the Kentucky Derby Festival during Derby week. The kids loved it! To end a great day, the school had a flash mob for book week. I have always wanted to be a part of one! It was a blast!
Thursday morning a few girls and I flew out to Paris, France! The first afternoon was dreadful. Full of rain and we often got lost! Fortunately, once we figured it all out we were good to go! We took a tour bus around Paris and saw things like the Louvre museum, Notre Dame, Palais Garnier (the opera), Place de la Concorde, Grand Palais, Les Invalides, the Arc de Triumph, and of course the Eiffel Tower! On Friday, we took pictures at the Eiffel Tower and then rode the bus to the Louvre. We spent most of our day waiting in line and walking around the amazing museum! I even took a picture with the Mona Lisa! Saturday we visited Notre Dame, went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and went to the Arc de Triumph! It was an amazing holiday weekend!
The flash mob! See if you can find me in the middle!
In front of the Eiffel Tower!
Selfie with the Mona Lisa!
April 29, 2014
One Week in and I am in Love!
I apologize for the delay in posts but the week has been one for the books! I absolutely love this city! (Don't worry, I'm still coming back!) These past five days in the classroom I have been working with first and second graders on reading picture books, as well as doing an author study for Roald Dahl. The students are really enjoying it! I'm very excited to teach them about Kentucky tomorrow and show them all about Derby, Fort Knox, KFC, and more! My fifth graders- you will be excited to know that next week I am teaching them about parts of a plants and their functions!
Aside from all the work, I have managed to fit lots of site-seeing into my schedule! Last Friday evening, we went to the center of Barcelona and visited the Christopher Columbus statue and walked around the port. We also went to the Catherdral de Barcelona. Saturday we took an hour long train ride to a beach called Sitges and spent the day on the beach and shopped around the town. Sunday we went to the tallest mountain in Barcelona, Mount Tibidabo. There is both a beautiful church and amusement park on top! We also went to Parc Guell, a gorgeous park with mosaics by a famous artist named Gaudi. Today after school we went to the Sagrada Familia, the most famous church in Barcelona!
Thanks for all the support!
April 23, 2014
Settled in and Student Teaching!
Hello! Thank you for your patience! The wifi here is unreliable and hard to obtain for long periods of time! What a whirlwind this trip has been! We left the states around 6:30pm and arrived 7 hours later at 8:45am (yes there is a 6 hour time change!). Jet lag has definitely set in, and I am working on adjusting! Upon our arrival, Ashley Reynolds (a man!) our mentor, met us at the airport. He graciously paid for our cabs and sent us to our residence. It is hard to explain what we are staying in. It reminds me of an old dorm, but it is somewhat like a montessori. It is run by nuns... and we had no idea! Nonetheless, it is very quaint and suits us well. Then, Mr. Reynolds took us to the nearest bus stop and taught how to ride the bus to and from school. He also took us to the metro (train) station and helped us purchase our first tickets. To end our tour, he took us to our school! It is phenomenal. It is a very small, highly expensive private school. The facilities and teachers are incredible. We ended our day by eating in a small cafe near our residence... needless to say what I thought was salmon...was not at all!
Today we woke up at 7 and headed to school shortly after. We managed to use the bus just fine and not get lost! We began the day by meeting with the director of the school. We then met our cooperating teachers, and I have three! The school schedule or "time tables" as they call them are much like college. The students rotate and often the teachers have an hour or so here and there without a class. The school day starts at 8:45 and ends at 5:00pm with no siesta. Therefore, students have 30 minutes of play in the morning, 30 minutes after lunch, and 30 minutes in the afternoon. Even better, there are aides who watch during the play time so teachers can plan and do other things. Unlike most student teachers, since I have three cooperating teachers, I rotate between and do not get most of these breaks. It may be tiring but I think it will optimize my experience.
This evening on the way home from school we took the metro for the first to the center of Barcelona. The streets were packed and decorated much like a festival. Today's holiday is Sant Jorgi (St. George's Day) the patron saint of Barcelona. It is much like our Valentine's day and symbolizes love. According the the myth, a dragon liked to eat princesses and a knight named George slayed the dragon and when it's blood poured out it turned to roses. The men by all women they love roses. (girlfriends, wives, mothers, sisters, etc.) Diamonds, chocolates, and other gifts like in the U.S. are not given. In return, women buy the men in their lives books! haha! Still trying to learn the reasons behind this. As we continued on our own into the city we were mesmerized by the beautiful architecture and how busy the area was! We stopped for gelato and it was amazing! It was quite exhausting after a long day of school, but well worth the first adventure. We will be back!
Love,
March 24, 2014
As many of you know, I will be spending the final weeks of my student teaching experience in Barcelona, Spain! I am anxious, nervous and excited! Recently, I have finished my Teacher Work Sample (TWS) for WKU and can now focus on enjoying the remainder of my student teaching and plan for my adventures abroad! Stay tuned for the many stories, laughs, and chaos that will ensue!
Enjoy,
We are so excited to hear about your adventures! Thank you for sharing with us!
ReplyDelete--Farmer 5th graders
We love the pictures and hearing about your adventures!! Thank you for sharing with us!
ReplyDeleteFarmer 2nd Graders