This week has been full of fun and learning. It has been exciting to watch the children become more settled in the classroom, and especially to know that I do actually know all of my students' names. Well, maybe that's not quite true. I know the names of all the students in my "homeroom", but I'm still trying to learn the names of some of the students in the other grade teach, who are my students for mathematics, and I'll also probably have some of them for swimming.
As I learn the children's names, I am also trying to get to know their personalities a little better, and to learn the best ways to teach each child. This is challenging me, but is also very important to me. The better I understand my students, the better I am able to meet their needs.
Swimming was an interesting experience. We had girls' swimming on Thursday morning, and boys on Friday afternoon. As this was our first lesson with them in the pool, it was our first chance to really find out their abilities. The pool is a reasonable size, with a deep end and a shallow end. It has steps for entry and exit as well as ladders, and has some rails attached to one side at the shallow end for kicking practice (as well as giving less confident swimmers something to hang on to. Our first battle, with the girls, was to actually get them into the water! It was cold! At least until they started moving around. Since I was still trying to throw off the cold I'd caught a couple of weeks ago I didn't get in the pool this week, but usually I will. It was interesting to see the different ability levels, and also different confidence levels. We have them ranging from non-swimmers and scared to confident with little technique to some quite competent swimmers. It will be interesting trying to meet all of their needs, and especially making sure the non-swimmers get the chance to learn basic water safety skills and then to learn to swim. The boys were much more eager to get in the water, and most were very eager to show off their ability. They were also much louder than the girls! Still, despite the water being cold, I think that most had a good time in the pool, and are eager for next week's lesson.
This week was the first week with formal homework assigned and followed up, and children got a sticker for each item of homework that was completed (up to 3 stickers a day). At the end of the week, the level of homework completion determined who got to participate in "Fun Friday". Sadly only about half the class were able to enjoy this week's activity involving creating pictures using fishy foam shapes! Looking forward to having more children enjoy next week's activity.
This week I was also able to ability group some of the children for Mathematics, and that was really helpful. There are still some challenges associated with the Math program, and I'm going to have to work out some ways of extending some of the children, but it will happen.
Next week I hope to start assessing some of the children's reading levels, so I can tailor their instruction more individually, as well as ensuring that they have appropriate reading material for free reading & home reading. This afternoon I went to one of our local second hand book stores and selected about 80 titles, which I'll pick up early next week. Most were $1 each, with a few hardbacks for $2. I'm looking forward to levelling them, and getting them into the hands of the children. It's great to be able to get books for kids at such good prices. They're pre-loved, but all the ones I chose have plenty of life left in them! I did manage to find a copy of "Ralph S. Mouse" which I'm thinking of reading aloud to my kids. We'll do a novel study on "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" a little later in the year. That will be fun I think, especially in a country where so many of us travel by motorcycle most of the time.
That's all for now. It's time for bed, listening to the sound of gently falling rain! Hope we can make it to church tomorrow without a boat!
18 September 2010
10 September 2010
Where did this week go?
It's hard to believe that we have already finished two weeks of school. At the same time, I'm praising God for His strength to get through this week. On Sunday afternoon I experienced those tell tale signs that I was nourishing some nasty germs, with lots of sneezing and a drippy nose. I took some garlic tablets, headed home early and had an early night, but all to no avail. The bug had got hold of me, and it's stuck with me all week. I wish it would go away! So I armed myself with a box of tissues and bravely headed off to school on Monday morning, where I quickly discovered that I was not alone and that several of my colleagues were also in various stages of battling similar ailments. I guess it comes with the territory. Various forms of infection do seem to be an occupational hazard when you teach 7-9 year olds in a "large" group. Life's like that!
So was it a good week. Well, apart from the germs, I think that I learned a thing or too, and so did my children. I am starting to feel like I'm getting to know the children a little better, and have probably got three quarters of the names of my own class sorted out in my mind. There are a couple of boys who are similar in looks and behaviour, and if I can't see their faces then they may well get called by the wrong name. There are also two girls who are similar build, and both very sweet, whom I have been mixing up a bit. I get frustrated when I do this, since names are important, and I really do love each of these kids in their own individual way, and I want them to know they are important enough for me to call them by the right name, so I think they'll be wearing name tags in class for one more week. Hopefully by then I'll have them sorted out.
One thing I learned this week is how much some of the children struggle with reading and following simple instructions. We did a mathematics test today, which consisted of a single page of questions in almost exactly the same format as we had worked in class over the last two weeks, and I was flabbergasted by the number of children who were unable to simply read the instructions and answer the questions. No, I'm not talking about the students that I know have very limited English here. I'm talking about students who have quite good English. Definitely something we will need to work on. The other big concern in mathematics this week was the number of children who were still doing basic addition facts by counting on their fingers. By 3rd grade I expect most children to know these facts without having to count, but obviously there's still need for work on this. I can see some flashcard making coming up!
A good thing this week, was getting the children grouped more effectively for their Language classes, and knowing which group was which. While I'm doing roughly the same content with each group, there is definitely room for differentiation here, both by ability and by learning style. I'm still struggling with reaching the children in the class who have very little English, but am seeing some progress with them, even in just understanding simple instructions and classroom procedures. Building vocabulary is going to be an essential part of both Mathematics and English classes. I must go back and review some of the ESL strategies I learned at a workshop in the past and see how I can better help all the children learn. This weekend I hope to get some Mathematics grouping done, so I can better differentiate instruction in that subject as well. This is more challenging as I have two classes, but in consultation with the other teacher, we decided if might work to mix the two classes up based on ability levels. We'll try it and see how it goes. Hopefully it won't make the Science/Social Studies classes too unbalanced in terms of ability.
Something else that I have done this week which I'm really happy about is to accept a certain level of talking and discussion of work between the children when they are completing written tasks. In the past I have expected this to be done in silence with no conversation allowed, but I'm learning that there are some children who simply must talk about things to process them, and so long as their chat is on topic then it's OK (unless it's a test that I need individual work for).
Next week's excitement will be the opening of the swimming pool for classes. Fortunately for me, 3rd grade swim lessons are on Thursday and Friday, so I've got almost another week to get healthy again before I have to get in the water. It should be fun actually.
So was it a good week. Well, apart from the germs, I think that I learned a thing or too, and so did my children. I am starting to feel like I'm getting to know the children a little better, and have probably got three quarters of the names of my own class sorted out in my mind. There are a couple of boys who are similar in looks and behaviour, and if I can't see their faces then they may well get called by the wrong name. There are also two girls who are similar build, and both very sweet, whom I have been mixing up a bit. I get frustrated when I do this, since names are important, and I really do love each of these kids in their own individual way, and I want them to know they are important enough for me to call them by the right name, so I think they'll be wearing name tags in class for one more week. Hopefully by then I'll have them sorted out.
One thing I learned this week is how much some of the children struggle with reading and following simple instructions. We did a mathematics test today, which consisted of a single page of questions in almost exactly the same format as we had worked in class over the last two weeks, and I was flabbergasted by the number of children who were unable to simply read the instructions and answer the questions. No, I'm not talking about the students that I know have very limited English here. I'm talking about students who have quite good English. Definitely something we will need to work on. The other big concern in mathematics this week was the number of children who were still doing basic addition facts by counting on their fingers. By 3rd grade I expect most children to know these facts without having to count, but obviously there's still need for work on this. I can see some flashcard making coming up!
A good thing this week, was getting the children grouped more effectively for their Language classes, and knowing which group was which. While I'm doing roughly the same content with each group, there is definitely room for differentiation here, both by ability and by learning style. I'm still struggling with reaching the children in the class who have very little English, but am seeing some progress with them, even in just understanding simple instructions and classroom procedures. Building vocabulary is going to be an essential part of both Mathematics and English classes. I must go back and review some of the ESL strategies I learned at a workshop in the past and see how I can better help all the children learn. This weekend I hope to get some Mathematics grouping done, so I can better differentiate instruction in that subject as well. This is more challenging as I have two classes, but in consultation with the other teacher, we decided if might work to mix the two classes up based on ability levels. We'll try it and see how it goes. Hopefully it won't make the Science/Social Studies classes too unbalanced in terms of ability.
Something else that I have done this week which I'm really happy about is to accept a certain level of talking and discussion of work between the children when they are completing written tasks. In the past I have expected this to be done in silence with no conversation allowed, but I'm learning that there are some children who simply must talk about things to process them, and so long as their chat is on topic then it's OK (unless it's a test that I need individual work for).
Next week's excitement will be the opening of the swimming pool for classes. Fortunately for me, 3rd grade swim lessons are on Thursday and Friday, so I've got almost another week to get healthy again before I have to get in the water. It should be fun actually.
05 September 2010
Quote of the week - lessons from 3rd grade
Question: What drink is not good for you?
Answer: Cola
Question: Why not?
Answer: Because it is made of gas, when it is not cold and when we put it in the refridgerator it become sweet.
Published as written, complete with 3rd grade ESL English & spelling!
Answer: Cola
Question: Why not?
Answer: Because it is made of gas, when it is not cold and when we put it in the refridgerator it become sweet.
Published as written, complete with 3rd grade ESL English & spelling!
03 September 2010
Five days down, 175 days to go!
No, I'm not really feeling like I want to count down the days. Actually it has been a good week. I could fairly confidently say that I know about half of my students' names, and I'm beginning to know a little of their personality and abilities.
I've just finished reflecting on this week using some very simple questions, so instead of reinventing the wheel I'm going to copy and paste my reflections for all to see.
Date: Friday 3rd September 2010
What new information did I learn this week?
I learned so much new information this week that my head is spinning. One important thing I learned is how the A-Z reading program can be used to inform teaching, and to differentiate instruction through the use of reading groups. I also learned that I need to speak more slowly. I think I already knew this, but I was reminded of it.
What have I done well this week? What made me so successful?
I have done well at teaching some lessons, especially the ones that I planned well for. I do not think the children have been bored at all this week. I think I have done well at interacting with the children and learning their names, including correct pronunciation and putting the right name with the right student. I think the name tags definitely helped me to do well at this. I will continue this for another week so that I can really get to know all students’ names well. I think I handled the conflict situations between children well, because I listened to all the different views of the situations then helped them to see that forgiving is important, and that they need to let go of their anger so they can be happy again.
What didn’t I do so well this week? What can I do to improve?
I think the thing that I didn’t do so well at this week was always speaking to the children in a quiet, gentle voice. I don’t think I shouted at them, but I wasn’t always quiet and gentle either. I would really like to improve this. I think that I need to consciously pray about this each day, and to think about how I am going to speak before I speak.
I don’t think I differentiated very well this week either, but I am still getting to know the children and their abilities. I think that, as I get to know the children better I will do this. An important thing that I really need to work on is effectively handling the extroverted children in my classroom who need to verbalise information in order to process it. This is something I will review and think about. I need to plan for more student talking time next week.
How do I feel about my teaching this week? Why do I feel this way?
I feel partly good and partly frustrated about my teaching this week. I feel good, in that I did my best, and I think the children had some fun, and that some of them learned some things. I feel good because some of the children, who initially would say nothing at all, have started to speak to me, even if it is only in a whisper. I pray that they will feel safe enough to take some risks and speak to me and know that they will be accepted for who they are. I feel frustrated because it is so difficult to tell how much some of the children actually understand, and I’m not sure if I am reaching them. I’m also frustrated because while I didn’t shout, I did raise me voice at times, and I really do not want to do that. I pray that God will help me to remember to use other strategies to get the children’s attention, and to be patient when they are talking when I need them to listen.
What other things have I been thinking about? Is there a reason for these thoughts?
I’ve been thinking about my friend K, and how I want things to be a little easier for her, because I know she is having a tough time in India. I’ve also been thinking about L as she continues to wait for God to give her a job in the US, and I’ve been thinking of and missing some of my colleagues from Logos. I’m enjoying my colleagues at EWIS, but it’s really hard being new!
What new possibilities could make my teaching better? What are the possibilities for next week?
I think that the way the A-Z readers are set up could really help make my teaching better, with its potential for differentiation. I think that the most important possibility for next week is that as I learn the students’ names and personalities I can do a better job of differentiating my teaching. I that once I get the Language Arts groups finalised then it will be easier to differentiate; especially now I know which is my more capable group. The other possibility for next week is to start some differentiation within the Mathematics program. One other possibility is to get some really good word work happening. The best thing though is to continue to rely on God for His strength for each and every day.
I thank God for the opportunity I have to teach 3rd grade, and know that God is using this time to teach me many things, as I continue to serve Him here in Cambodia.
I've just finished reflecting on this week using some very simple questions, so instead of reinventing the wheel I'm going to copy and paste my reflections for all to see.
Date: Friday 3rd September 2010
What new information did I learn this week?
I learned so much new information this week that my head is spinning. One important thing I learned is how the A-Z reading program can be used to inform teaching, and to differentiate instruction through the use of reading groups. I also learned that I need to speak more slowly. I think I already knew this, but I was reminded of it.
What have I done well this week? What made me so successful?
I have done well at teaching some lessons, especially the ones that I planned well for. I do not think the children have been bored at all this week. I think I have done well at interacting with the children and learning their names, including correct pronunciation and putting the right name with the right student. I think the name tags definitely helped me to do well at this. I will continue this for another week so that I can really get to know all students’ names well. I think I handled the conflict situations between children well, because I listened to all the different views of the situations then helped them to see that forgiving is important, and that they need to let go of their anger so they can be happy again.
What didn’t I do so well this week? What can I do to improve?
I think the thing that I didn’t do so well at this week was always speaking to the children in a quiet, gentle voice. I don’t think I shouted at them, but I wasn’t always quiet and gentle either. I would really like to improve this. I think that I need to consciously pray about this each day, and to think about how I am going to speak before I speak.
I don’t think I differentiated very well this week either, but I am still getting to know the children and their abilities. I think that, as I get to know the children better I will do this. An important thing that I really need to work on is effectively handling the extroverted children in my classroom who need to verbalise information in order to process it. This is something I will review and think about. I need to plan for more student talking time next week.
How do I feel about my teaching this week? Why do I feel this way?
I feel partly good and partly frustrated about my teaching this week. I feel good, in that I did my best, and I think the children had some fun, and that some of them learned some things. I feel good because some of the children, who initially would say nothing at all, have started to speak to me, even if it is only in a whisper. I pray that they will feel safe enough to take some risks and speak to me and know that they will be accepted for who they are. I feel frustrated because it is so difficult to tell how much some of the children actually understand, and I’m not sure if I am reaching them. I’m also frustrated because while I didn’t shout, I did raise me voice at times, and I really do not want to do that. I pray that God will help me to remember to use other strategies to get the children’s attention, and to be patient when they are talking when I need them to listen.
What other things have I been thinking about? Is there a reason for these thoughts?
I’ve been thinking about my friend K, and how I want things to be a little easier for her, because I know she is having a tough time in India. I’ve also been thinking about L as she continues to wait for God to give her a job in the US, and I’ve been thinking of and missing some of my colleagues from Logos. I’m enjoying my colleagues at EWIS, but it’s really hard being new!
What new possibilities could make my teaching better? What are the possibilities for next week?
I think that the way the A-Z readers are set up could really help make my teaching better, with its potential for differentiation. I think that the most important possibility for next week is that as I learn the students’ names and personalities I can do a better job of differentiating my teaching. I that once I get the Language Arts groups finalised then it will be easier to differentiate; especially now I know which is my more capable group. The other possibility for next week is to start some differentiation within the Mathematics program. One other possibility is to get some really good word work happening. The best thing though is to continue to rely on God for His strength for each and every day.
I thank God for the opportunity I have to teach 3rd grade, and know that God is using this time to teach me many things, as I continue to serve Him here in Cambodia.
30 August 2010
First day
Hooray! I survived the first day of school. OK, after 3 months off it was really hard work. I was woken by the alarm clock at 5.35am this morning, showered, breakfasted over a quiet time, packed my lunch, and was off to school by 6.25am! There was quite a bit of traffic about, but I had a good run, and by 6.50am was getting settled in my classroom. Once my Khmer teaching partner arrived, we went down to the office to collect the rest of our "copying", so I now have a full set of books for Math, Language Arts, and Handwriting. At 7.30am it was downstairs for the singing of the Cambodian national anthem, followed by a few words from the principal, then off to the classroom. Today was a day for getting routines started, and getting to know the children, and it was challenging. Some of the children were very eager to chatter and so easier to get to know, while others were silent almost all day. It was a day of discovering some of the children's abilities in some areas, and simply trying to get to know them a little. At lunch time I forgot that I was on duty in the playground for the second 20 minutes, but I think that's allowed on the first day (better not forget next Monday) since I got there for most of it! The majority of my children are Khmer, with a few Koreans, and a few of mixed races. Some speak English fluently, while others are still struggling to understand what I say, much less answer questions. I pray that God will help me to understand each of the children, and their individual needs, and to know the best ways to meet those needs. I also pray that He will help me be very patient, gentle and loving with all my students.
Thanks to all those who prayed for me today! As I said yesterday on Facebook, I can only do this in God's strength. In our weakness, He is strong. And now, it's time I reviewed tomorrow's plans, and then it will be off to bed!
Thanks to all those who prayed for me today! As I said yesterday on Facebook, I can only do this in God's strength. In our weakness, He is strong. And now, it's time I reviewed tomorrow's plans, and then it will be off to bed!
28 August 2010
Rainy season adventures
After a busy morning, and a productive early afternoon, I headed down to the gym for some extra exercise (I'd been to a garage sale on my bicycle in the morning). The sky was looking heavy as I left home, but I arrived safely before the rain started. I was only about 3 minutes into my workout when the rain started, lightly at first, but then very heavily. It continued to rain heavily for the next 20-30 minutes, and was still raining enough for me to put my raincoat on when I left the gym. The bike started OK, and I headed out onto the roads.
There is a main road that directly links the location of the gym with the suburb I live in, which is also the road that I generally use going to and from school. I know that road floods sometimes, but I headed up it, hoping for the best. Not a good idea! There is an alternative route, which while it is longer, is much higher (it's actually known as the dike road for fairly obvious reasons). I will definitely be taking that route in the future.
At first the road wasn't too bad, and for a while I was able to follow a 4WD up the highest part of the road without too much difficulty. It was very annoying to see several young men riding their fancy motor cycles through the flood waters at dangerous speeds, usually with no helmets on, and definitely with no consideration for anyone who may be affected their actions. They were just out to have fun! I learned a number of rainy seasons ago, that if I have to go through flood water, it's important to put the bike in a low gear (1st or 2nd) and then just keep going at an even pace as far as possible. Stopping should be avoided if possible, especially in deeper water. So I kept tootling along at 5-10km/hr, and was doing OK until I was about 1 km from home. Then the bike started coughing and sputtering. By this stage I'd been driving through water that was up to my ankles with my feet on the pegs. Not all the time, but definitely for several hundred metres. I managed to keep the bike going, just, and eventually made it home (taking the long route once I got to Toul Kork to avoid more water), and I was even mostly dry (apart from my feet & shoes). I'd love to have taken some photos, but I was too busy just trying to get home safely. I did however take some once I'd reached home!
There is a main road that directly links the location of the gym with the suburb I live in, which is also the road that I generally use going to and from school. I know that road floods sometimes, but I headed up it, hoping for the best. Not a good idea! There is an alternative route, which while it is longer, is much higher (it's actually known as the dike road for fairly obvious reasons). I will definitely be taking that route in the future.
At first the road wasn't too bad, and for a while I was able to follow a 4WD up the highest part of the road without too much difficulty. It was very annoying to see several young men riding their fancy motor cycles through the flood waters at dangerous speeds, usually with no helmets on, and definitely with no consideration for anyone who may be affected their actions. They were just out to have fun! I learned a number of rainy seasons ago, that if I have to go through flood water, it's important to put the bike in a low gear (1st or 2nd) and then just keep going at an even pace as far as possible. Stopping should be avoided if possible, especially in deeper water. So I kept tootling along at 5-10km/hr, and was doing OK until I was about 1 km from home. Then the bike started coughing and sputtering. By this stage I'd been driving through water that was up to my ankles with my feet on the pegs. Not all the time, but definitely for several hundred metres. I managed to keep the bike going, just, and eventually made it home (taking the long route once I got to Toul Kork to avoid more water), and I was even mostly dry (apart from my feet & shoes). I'd love to have taken some photos, but I was too busy just trying to get home safely. I did however take some once I'd reached home!
These are some photos of the road I live on. Notice the reflection in the water. This water isn't going anywhere fast. Most driveways on my street are built up quite a bit to prevent the water getting into the houses and yards, but you can see in the top photo on the right hand side, the driveway of the house two doors down from mine. Quite a bit of their yard was flooded.
If you look very carefully at the moto driver in the second photo you will notice something that I see quite often in flooded situations. The moto driver has actually tucked his legs up just in front of the seat. Now when you think that flood water in Phnom Penh is almost always tainted by sewerage maybe it's not such a silly action. I've haven't done it yet, and I don't plan on doing it anytime soon. I'd rather just wash my feet and legs thoroughly when I get home or to where I'm going.
The other challenging part of this afternoon's rain is that I am still, 3 hrs after it stopped, mopping up water that is seeping through the walls into my kitchen! I've got at least 1/3 of a bucket so far, and it doesn't seem to be slowing! At least that is clean water (in fact it is crystal clear in the bucket to a depth of about 3 inches in a 12 inch diameter bucket).
So if you're looking for a watery adventure, try Phnom Penh during the rainy season. Floods can almost certainly be delivered.
27 August 2010
What are you thankful for?
This afternoon I met with a friend whom I haven't seen since late May, and was asked the obvious question, "How are you going?". My initial response was that I was hot, sweaty, and frustrated, but as the conversation went on, it was great to remember just some of the experiences I've had over the "summer" break, and even just this week. I have so many things to be thankful for. Here's just a few:
- Time in Australia with family and friends
- Refresh Thailand 2010!
- Good relationships with people at Logos (even though I don't work there)
- A sense of God's healing that has allowed me to go out to Logos and feel no bitterness or anger.
- An opportunity to make a fresh start, teaching 3rd grade, at East-West.
- The beginning relationships with colleagues at EWIS.
- My great classroom at EWIS.
- Mr Dy - My Khmer teaching partner (often know as Teaching Assistants but I feel it is a partnership rather than just "assisting" because there is no way I could teach in Khmer and one aim of EWIS is a truly bi-lingual education for our students).
- Gym membership - good for my physical, mental, and emotional health.
- The home group that meets at my place (and the new members who have joined us).
- A great house helper.
- Above all, a God who knows everything about me, and yet still loves me unconditionally!
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