A year ago today March 27th I got to see my family for the first time in 18 months. I still remember how anxious I was as I watched that clock in the mission home wall slowly draggin its hands, showing every passing second. I had no idea that life after the mission would be so difficult or challenging. Ask anyone and they would probably tell you that I adjusted well and I believe that I did- at least on the outside. But I really struggled with finding meaning in the mundane tasks of "normal" life. Nothing could replace that feeling of sheer joy that came by giving up everything so that someone else could find peace and happiness too. School was just something to keep me busy, something I could put all of my effort into and feel like I was accomplishing something. I didn't realize how hard of a time I was still having until I came to New Zealand. No matter how cliche this sounds, I feel as though I've rediscovered myself again while living here.
New Zealand reawakened my love for the outdoors as well as my passion for teaching. True, I don't feel like I ever really lost my desire of becoming a teacher but I guess I forgot how much I really enjoyed it until I had a classroom full of eager students ready and waiting for me to guide them. I realized how much I love planning for what they need and then making it happen. No matter how crazy the day or how rambunctious the kids I still look forward to coming back again and again and again. There is no other feeling in the world (besides an investigator saying yes to baptism and then carrying through with it) that compares to a child looking at you with comprehension shinning through in their grin.
Today was one of those incredible teaching days. I had the experience of bringing some of my culture and background alive for my students through skype. My 13 year old brother graciously accepted the invitation to skype my year 6 class and to be interviewed by them so that they could compare schools/learning environments in the States to Pomaria Primary School. Yesterday we spent a reasonable chunk of time coming up with interview questions that could help us (my class) gain a better understanding at what schools in America are like.
Funny enough it is spring break at home right now so the family is actually off on holiday to Florida visiting my grandparents. There have been a series of pretty powerful thunderstorms that have caused power outages over the space of a few days. So they ended up skyping from McDonalds. We started off the experience by showing the students where we were on google maps and where my brother was skyping from. Their eyes got so big just thinking of how far away Florida really is. Afterwards I rang and we started our skyping session. Because of construction around the school we ended up taking the class to the conference room so that it would be a quieter environment.
It was so awesome! I introduced my brother to the class and they all got to wave hello. Then two class members acted as spokes people to ask him the questions from the class. It was an awesome exchange of knowledge, culture, and experiences. Although he is a few years older than my students they are preparing to move up to intermediate school next year. We skyped for 25 minutes! The class had a chance to meet my mom, sister, brother, grandma, grandpa, aunt, and cousin. They also had the opportunity to introduce themselves and say hi. After I said goodbye we grabbed the ipads and used google earth to see exactly where my brother's school is, where my house is, where my university is, etc. Mrs. Rihari wrote down everything that my brother said in response to the questions and tomorrow we will make a list of comparisons. Such a great experience!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Waterfalls and Pumpkin Pie
Since our plans changed for the weekend I decided to make my own plans. Erika and I went hiking this morning around 7:30am. I invited some of the other girls to come but they all said it was too early. It was the most perfect morning for a hike! It was a chilly morning with the sun breaking through fog covering some of the hills. It reminded me of home :). We took a trail called the Goldie Bush walk that led to a waterfall named Mokoroa Falls. The hike was perfect- ups and downs, some stairs, and a cool cable bridge. The falls itself was beautiful but running low on water. It was just nice to be outside and enjoying the beautiful sunrise. We hiked through the bush pretty much the whole time and surprisingly it was pretty humid- probably because it rained last night. The hike back was a little more intensive because there were quite a few stairs to climb. I can't wait to get back home and start a solid exercise routine again.
After the hike we stopped by Muriwai beach. Erika's nephew sent her Flat Stanley and asked her to take pictures with him in different place around NZ. So we took him with us and got some pictures with a few surfers and with the black sand as well as the waterfall. We also stopped by to see the Gannet colony (a type of noisy, smelly bird that nests right next to the cliff edge) which was cool. There was also a surfing competition going on that we got to watch for a bit- interesting because it was this beach where the shark attack happened that killed that man. There was also a really cool sea cave that we got to explore. The surf would come up through the cave making the cave seem a little erie. It was such a great start to the day!
The rest of the afternoon was spent with Julie, Beau, Jean, and Jayceen. Julie drove us to a few different beaches outside of Auckland and we had a mini picnic while enjoying the beautiful weather. It was such a great day! Jean even made some cake pops for the occasion. While chatting I got the idea to try making some pumpkin pie (I promised my class that I would bring them some next week). The idea of pumpkin pie is super weird to the Kiwis. It's almost as if someone suggested that we make a squash pie and serve it for dessert. But I did a trial run and even though it didn't turn out exactly like our American version and I had to first cut up and boil a real pumpkin (they don't have canned pumpkin here) before making the actual pie (their pumpkins are white and green here and super small but they are orange on the inside). It was turned out really yum! Oh and I made it in a square pan... even though it's usually round. This was just a test run anyway. I'm super sleepy from such a busy but awesome day... night :).
After the hike we stopped by Muriwai beach. Erika's nephew sent her Flat Stanley and asked her to take pictures with him in different place around NZ. So we took him with us and got some pictures with a few surfers and with the black sand as well as the waterfall. We also stopped by to see the Gannet colony (a type of noisy, smelly bird that nests right next to the cliff edge) which was cool. There was also a surfing competition going on that we got to watch for a bit- interesting because it was this beach where the shark attack happened that killed that man. There was also a really cool sea cave that we got to explore. The surf would come up through the cave making the cave seem a little erie. It was such a great start to the day!
The rest of the afternoon was spent with Julie, Beau, Jean, and Jayceen. Julie drove us to a few different beaches outside of Auckland and we had a mini picnic while enjoying the beautiful weather. It was such a great day! Jean even made some cake pops for the occasion. While chatting I got the idea to try making some pumpkin pie (I promised my class that I would bring them some next week). The idea of pumpkin pie is super weird to the Kiwis. It's almost as if someone suggested that we make a squash pie and serve it for dessert. But I did a trial run and even though it didn't turn out exactly like our American version and I had to first cut up and boil a real pumpkin (they don't have canned pumpkin here) before making the actual pie (their pumpkins are white and green here and super small but they are orange on the inside). It was turned out really yum! Oh and I made it in a square pan... even though it's usually round. This was just a test run anyway. I'm super sleepy from such a busy but awesome day... night :).
Some of the trees we were hiking through with the morning sunlight streaming through.
The original NZ silver fern. So named because the underside is a silvery white color. This is their national symbol.
A cool tree with multicolored bark.
Morokoa Falls. It's still pretty even though the water flow wasn't that great.
A classic NZ look- lots of rolling hills, livestock, and blue sky
Muriwai beach
Gannet colony (the white specks to the left, center, and right). Also a view of where the shark attack happened. Find the black rock jutting out underneath where all of the Gannets are to the right. That is where the fishermen were standing when they heard the cries for help and saw the attack happen. From that point go straight out about 20 meters or so and that's about where he was attacked and killed.
The white ones are the parents and the grey ones are the babies.
Despite being only a hundred meters or so from where the shark attack happened there was still a surf competition. All of those black dots are surfers.
A better view of the black rock. You can even see fishermen on the rocks.
Coastline and beach :)
View from the beach.
Sea cave!
Sometimes the water would rush in really fast and sometimes it would be completely empty. There were carvings of people's names all over the walls of the cave.
Pumpkin pie- square form :)
Beach Day!
So good news bad news... Bad news the van company we had booked our van with doubled booked the van so last minute Erika had to call every car rental place in Auckland but none of them had any 10 passenger vans available. So we had to cancel our Coromandel trip... in a way it was nice because it made for a nice relaxing Friday. It was a bit up in the air as to how we should spend our free Friday. Sara, Elise, and Brittany opted for Indian food and then the mall (Sara loves playing DDR and they have a place to play it at the mall). Erika said that anyone who wanted to could come with her to the beach so I took her up on that offer.
It ended up being just Erika and I but who doesn't love hanging with their program director- especially when she is as awesome as Erika. :) She picked me up around 1 and we drove out to Takapuna beach. It was a pretty windy and cloudy day but the beach was beautiful. I admit I didn't wear sunscreen... not the best idea in the NZ sun (I usually don't burn very easily but the sun is a lot stronger here). I didn't get burned per say... :). It was SO nice to be at the beach again- I haven't really been since we got back from the South Island. It may sound weird spending the whole day just me and my professor but it was awesome! We have a lot of common interests and she's doing a lot of research in bilingual education which is something I am very interested in. I've never really worked closely along side a professor before but it really nice to have her insight and experience- especially when it comes to succeeding in education.
We also stopped by another beach that's more of a secret beach just a few miles down. It was really beautiful and quiet. The ocean is such a great place to contemplate life :) After dinner I went over to Elise and Brittany's house (Sara was there too) and we watched Harry Potter 5. It's funny how much you forget happens when you haven't seen the movie in a while. All in all it was a great day even though our plans were changed last minute.
It ended up being just Erika and I but who doesn't love hanging with their program director- especially when she is as awesome as Erika. :) She picked me up around 1 and we drove out to Takapuna beach. It was a pretty windy and cloudy day but the beach was beautiful. I admit I didn't wear sunscreen... not the best idea in the NZ sun (I usually don't burn very easily but the sun is a lot stronger here). I didn't get burned per say... :). It was SO nice to be at the beach again- I haven't really been since we got back from the South Island. It may sound weird spending the whole day just me and my professor but it was awesome! We have a lot of common interests and she's doing a lot of research in bilingual education which is something I am very interested in. I've never really worked closely along side a professor before but it really nice to have her insight and experience- especially when it comes to succeeding in education.
We also stopped by another beach that's more of a secret beach just a few miles down. It was really beautiful and quiet. The ocean is such a great place to contemplate life :) After dinner I went over to Elise and Brittany's house (Sara was there too) and we watched Harry Potter 5. It's funny how much you forget happens when you haven't seen the movie in a while. All in all it was a great day even though our plans were changed last minute.
Radio and Observations
Wednesday was observation day. That is probably the hardest part of our job- looking like we know what we are doing :). The good thing was we had a talk right after roll of respect and showing visitors how we behave in our classroom. I told my kids that my professor was coming in to watch me today and that she wasn't only watching me but that she was watching my students and seeing how well they represent room 8 learning. The observation went really well. Of course there are things that I could have done better but over all I achieved the lesson objective while managing and guiding the learners. I only had my maths group so it wasn't the whole class which was really nice as well. Honestly I was nervous but as soon as Erika showed up all of those feelings disappeared and I just focused on the kids.
Afterwards we had a mini debrief where we talked about the lesson. This was kind of a big deal only because my internship recommendation rides on this one observation. I scored very well and Erika said that she's confident that I will do very well at the internship. I will find out next week if I have been picked for an internship or not. Yes I'm nervous about getting one but I also know that I've given it my best shot and whatever is meant to work out will happen.
Thursday was also an awesome day because I got to be on the radio! Here at Pomaria school the kids operate a daily radio program during their lunch period. It's the kids job to write the scripts and organize the radio show each day. They also act as DJ meaning they pick out the songs the radio will play. There is a teacher in charge of the radio but she is only there as a resource because the radio is completely student run. There are usually two students directing the show each day and two more acting as techies if something goes wrong or needs to be tweaked. The students take turns running the radio program.
Some of the girls in my class are DJs on the radio and asked if they could interview me as part of their radio show. The program is only broadcast out for a few kilometers but it's still an awesome opportunity for the kids to make connections and contribute to the community. My interview lasted a whole five minutes and they just asked me what kinds of pets I have at home, what I have enjoyed about New Zealand, etc. I even got to pick the next song that they played (Just the way you are by Bruno Mars). All in all it was a great ending to the week since we have tomorrow off!
Afterwards we had a mini debrief where we talked about the lesson. This was kind of a big deal only because my internship recommendation rides on this one observation. I scored very well and Erika said that she's confident that I will do very well at the internship. I will find out next week if I have been picked for an internship or not. Yes I'm nervous about getting one but I also know that I've given it my best shot and whatever is meant to work out will happen.
Thursday was also an awesome day because I got to be on the radio! Here at Pomaria school the kids operate a daily radio program during their lunch period. It's the kids job to write the scripts and organize the radio show each day. They also act as DJ meaning they pick out the songs the radio will play. There is a teacher in charge of the radio but she is only there as a resource because the radio is completely student run. There are usually two students directing the show each day and two more acting as techies if something goes wrong or needs to be tweaked. The students take turns running the radio program.
Some of the girls in my class are DJs on the radio and asked if they could interview me as part of their radio show. The program is only broadcast out for a few kilometers but it's still an awesome opportunity for the kids to make connections and contribute to the community. My interview lasted a whole five minutes and they just asked me what kinds of pets I have at home, what I have enjoyed about New Zealand, etc. I even got to pick the next song that they played (Just the way you are by Bruno Mars). All in all it was a great ending to the week since we have tomorrow off!
Friday, March 22, 2013
Parents Night!
Wednesday night was my first official meet the parents night. The school recently got a new garden area (garden for display not growing food) and they wanted to combine a blessing ceremony on the garden and a parents night. The staff sat in front, organized by house. It was a little surreal to be sitting with the staff. It was just one of those moments where I couldn't believe I was grown up enough to be a teacher but then at the same time it feels like I my life is moving in exactly the right direction. Each of the staff members (including myself) had the opportunity to stand up and introduce themsevles. The principal spoke as well as his two assistants. Some of the boys in a club called the Kapahaka (a club for students to learn how to perform Maori dances like the haka) stood up and performed a haka. They were adorable because they are still super small but they gave their all to impress the audience. They wore the traditional skirt called a pupu during the performance, which just added to the performance.
After the introductions and welcome we followed the Maori leader and the boys out to the garden area. The Maori leader then dedicated the garden and said a special prayer (all in Maori) while sprinkling holy water using a small gathering of leaves on each of the four big stones and the main tree in the garden. At the end of the prayer the boys who performed the haka sang a song in Maori to the tune of How Great Thou Art. It was hauntingly beautiful. Then we were invited to come up and touch each of the rocks and the tree. In Maori culture they believe that as our spirits connect with nature we can leave a piece of ourselves to keep nature alive. By touching the rocks and the trees after the ceremony it was symbolic of each of us giving support and life to the garden that it would be a fruitful, peaceful, and prosperous place for future generations. All of this took place right as the sun was setting, which filled the sky with so many magnificent colors! A rainbow also shone through after the ceremony. It was such an incredible experience to be a part of!
Afterwards the parents and teachers mingled together. It was the learners (students) responsibility to introduce their parents to their teachers. Such an important skill for the students to develop. Sadly I only had the chance to meet two or three of my students parents but it was still a neat opportunity.
After the introductions and welcome we followed the Maori leader and the boys out to the garden area. The Maori leader then dedicated the garden and said a special prayer (all in Maori) while sprinkling holy water using a small gathering of leaves on each of the four big stones and the main tree in the garden. At the end of the prayer the boys who performed the haka sang a song in Maori to the tune of How Great Thou Art. It was hauntingly beautiful. Then we were invited to come up and touch each of the rocks and the tree. In Maori culture they believe that as our spirits connect with nature we can leave a piece of ourselves to keep nature alive. By touching the rocks and the trees after the ceremony it was symbolic of each of us giving support and life to the garden that it would be a fruitful, peaceful, and prosperous place for future generations. All of this took place right as the sun was setting, which filled the sky with so many magnificent colors! A rainbow also shone through after the ceremony. It was such an incredible experience to be a part of!
Afterwards the parents and teachers mingled together. It was the learners (students) responsibility to introduce their parents to their teachers. Such an important skill for the students to develop. Sadly I only had the chance to meet two or three of my students parents but it was still a neat opportunity.
Green- Whanaungatanga Orange- Matauranga Red- Manaakitanga Yello- Turangawaewae
Beautiful rainbow :)
Behind us is the garden that was blessed.
These boys practice every day at lunch to make sure they get the performance down correctly.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
A Class of 50+
Today I had a unique experience. All of the teachers minus a select few left the school at 12:30 for a meeting with the teachers union. There's been some struggles with the government and teacher's pay as of late (sound familiar?) and so a meeting was scheduled that was mandatory for teachers to attend (who are part of the union). Unlike most schools the principal decided to keep the school open and not to have an early release day. So at the close of recess all of the students were gathered into the hall (the gym) and sorted into one of 9 groups. The remaining teachers were then assigned to one of those groups for the remainder of the day. It actually turned out to be 8 groups because one of the teachers who was supposed to help out was actually out sick.
Elise and I (one of my fellow BYU girls) were given a group of 52 kids to take care of for the rest of the day. The students were spread out from new entrants (kids start school when they turn five no matter when that is during the year and they can't start school before the age of 5 so new entrants or new kids come in randomly during the school year and are sent to a special class before mixing with the rest of the school) to year 6. I know- quite the spread. Last night Elise and I had worked out a rotation with one other teacher where we would have 20 minute stations. Station 1- with me making patterns out of blocks and also drawing them on paper. Station 2- Elise reading a story and asking comprehension questions to the kids. Station 3- puzzels of all shapes and sizes.
I'll admit it was a bit daunting to have 52 pairs of eyes staring up at you as you divide the students and send them off to the stations but I loved it! I loved having the freedom of planning and working with my new class even if it was for a short period of time. It made me wonder how the teachers back in the olden days succeeded with students at every age level. We didn't have time for much instruction but the kids were able to enjoy two of the three rotations. At the end of the day we had to line them up and bring them back to the hall. I was proud of my students they lined up quietly and quickly. There were a few backpacks left in one of the rooms that we used and some of the older learners volunteered to help me sort out who had left their backpack behind.
Elise and I (one of my fellow BYU girls) were given a group of 52 kids to take care of for the rest of the day. The students were spread out from new entrants (kids start school when they turn five no matter when that is during the year and they can't start school before the age of 5 so new entrants or new kids come in randomly during the school year and are sent to a special class before mixing with the rest of the school) to year 6. I know- quite the spread. Last night Elise and I had worked out a rotation with one other teacher where we would have 20 minute stations. Station 1- with me making patterns out of blocks and also drawing them on paper. Station 2- Elise reading a story and asking comprehension questions to the kids. Station 3- puzzels of all shapes and sizes.
I'll admit it was a bit daunting to have 52 pairs of eyes staring up at you as you divide the students and send them off to the stations but I loved it! I loved having the freedom of planning and working with my new class even if it was for a short period of time. It made me wonder how the teachers back in the olden days succeeded with students at every age level. We didn't have time for much instruction but the kids were able to enjoy two of the three rotations. At the end of the day we had to line them up and bring them back to the hall. I was proud of my students they lined up quietly and quickly. There were a few backpacks left in one of the rooms that we used and some of the older learners volunteered to help me sort out who had left their backpack behind.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Silly Hats and an Earthshaking St. Patty's Day!
Friday Night: There was a huge regional dance for all of the YSA. The church dances here are church dress and tight security. Meaning they have adults stationed at each entrance making sure people arrive wearing modest clothing and that nothing is "brought in." There were SO many people! I have never been to a dance quite that packed before. We didn't arrive until almost 11 so we only got to dance for about an hourish but it was a lot of fun! Hot but great! It's funny though because a lot of the music that they played was from the 80s and 90s instead of more modern type stuff. It was St. Patty's day themed so there was a giant paper rainbow spread out across the whole cultural hall as well as little golden kiwi chocolate dollars (like our chocolate coins) scattered all over the floor.
After the dance the people I was with stopped by for a "feed" just another word for getting food. We stopped at a place kind of like a stand but more like a shop with no seating. We got the healthy stuff- you know burgers, fries, and of course milk shakes (Cultural note: if you ask for a milk shake that is what you will get- milk that has been shaken with some sort of flavor in it. If you want an American milk shake then you must ask for a thick shake. They use the same flavoring that we put on snow cones to flavor the thick/non thick milk shakes). A couple of Maori boys saw us eating and came over to make conversation. One of the girls in our group was part Maori and so she started chatting with them. It was (for lack of a better word) hilarious to hear them talk back and forth because the NZ accent really came out super strong as well as the lingo. Just hearing them talk to each other was a cultural experience. Their favorite words- "choice bro" were used at the end of almost every sentence (even though it was a girl doing some of the talking they called her bro). That made for a late night but it was a cultural experience all the same.
Saturday: Beau's birthday party! We had one of the biggest cakes I've ever seen! It took both Sara and I to carry it to the table but boy was it delicious. It was a silly hat themed party so everyone that showed up brought a silly hat. Sara and I had a chance to get creative since our resources were a bit limited but as you'll see below it turned out pretty good. We had tons of food and even more dessert! Although it sprinkled rain on and off throughout the day it turned out to be perfect for the party. We had a silly hat parade and a treasure hunt. We had the chance to meet more of Beau's cousins (on his dad's side) and enjoy some delicious NZ dishes.
Sunday: St. Patty's Day! Although it's not really a big deal here in NZ we wore green anyway. Julie made us green pancakes which we ate with green milk for dinner (they are green but it's hard to tell in the actual photos!). The most exciting part of the day happened around 4pm in the afternoon. I had just settled down for a nice Sunday nap. Rain was lightly tapping the window and I was just reaching that in between state of not sleeping and yet not awake when suddenly the bed shook and I head some weird rattling noise. I jumped awake thinking that some how Beau had gotten into our house and was trying to wake me up by shaking the bed. I sat up and looked around for Beau but he was no where to be seen. Confused as to what had just happened, I decided to just dismiss it as a weird dream and I fell back asleep.
About an hour later Sara and I got up to go have our green pancakes with Julie. The first thing she said to us when we walked in was if we had felt the earthquake. What?! Earthquake?! She said that about 4 there was a small earthquake (3.9 on the richter scale) that shook the house for just a second. The news reporters gaged it coming from the volcano Rangitoto and said that another one had followed but that it was barely discernable compared to the first rumble. So that explained my mysterious jolt! Not the most pleasant thing to experience (especially during a Sunday nap) but hey I can now add earthquake to my list of NZ experiences.
NZ Herald Article
After the dance the people I was with stopped by for a "feed" just another word for getting food. We stopped at a place kind of like a stand but more like a shop with no seating. We got the healthy stuff- you know burgers, fries, and of course milk shakes (Cultural note: if you ask for a milk shake that is what you will get- milk that has been shaken with some sort of flavor in it. If you want an American milk shake then you must ask for a thick shake. They use the same flavoring that we put on snow cones to flavor the thick/non thick milk shakes). A couple of Maori boys saw us eating and came over to make conversation. One of the girls in our group was part Maori and so she started chatting with them. It was (for lack of a better word) hilarious to hear them talk back and forth because the NZ accent really came out super strong as well as the lingo. Just hearing them talk to each other was a cultural experience. Their favorite words- "choice bro" were used at the end of almost every sentence (even though it was a girl doing some of the talking they called her bro). That made for a late night but it was a cultural experience all the same.
Saturday: Beau's birthday party! We had one of the biggest cakes I've ever seen! It took both Sara and I to carry it to the table but boy was it delicious. It was a silly hat themed party so everyone that showed up brought a silly hat. Sara and I had a chance to get creative since our resources were a bit limited but as you'll see below it turned out pretty good. We had tons of food and even more dessert! Although it sprinkled rain on and off throughout the day it turned out to be perfect for the party. We had a silly hat parade and a treasure hunt. We had the chance to meet more of Beau's cousins (on his dad's side) and enjoy some delicious NZ dishes.
Sunday: St. Patty's Day! Although it's not really a big deal here in NZ we wore green anyway. Julie made us green pancakes which we ate with green milk for dinner (they are green but it's hard to tell in the actual photos!). The most exciting part of the day happened around 4pm in the afternoon. I had just settled down for a nice Sunday nap. Rain was lightly tapping the window and I was just reaching that in between state of not sleeping and yet not awake when suddenly the bed shook and I head some weird rattling noise. I jumped awake thinking that some how Beau had gotten into our house and was trying to wake me up by shaking the bed. I sat up and looked around for Beau but he was no where to be seen. Confused as to what had just happened, I decided to just dismiss it as a weird dream and I fell back asleep.
About an hour later Sara and I got up to go have our green pancakes with Julie. The first thing she said to us when we walked in was if we had felt the earthquake. What?! Earthquake?! She said that about 4 there was a small earthquake (3.9 on the richter scale) that shook the house for just a second. The news reporters gaged it coming from the volcano Rangitoto and said that another one had followed but that it was barely discernable compared to the first rumble. So that explained my mysterious jolt! Not the most pleasant thing to experience (especially during a Sunday nap) but hey I can now add earthquake to my list of NZ experiences.
NZ Herald Article
A cool sunset
Some of the food at Beau's party. The silver pot on the left has something called Taro root that they boil and eat with coconut cream (kind of like a potato but more bitter)
A dessert called banana poke (poo-key). The lumps are just boiled bananas (did you know that boiling a banana for 2 hours turns it a purple color?) with coconut cream over the top. It has a consistency like pudding and it's pretty tasty.
Sara and I with Beau's cake and of course our silly hats :)
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Sweet Home Alabama Biscuits
Week three of working in the schools and this week has been quite the adventure. Starting on Monday I was in control of the class pretty much the whole day. I followed Mrs. Rihari's example but a lot of the planning was up to me as well as the organization of the day. I took control of management both in small group and whole class situations. Mrs. Rihari has opened the door for me to experience teaching as a New Zealand primary school teacher and although I realize that I have a long way to go I am absolutely loving it!
This week has reminded me that teaching is much more than just standing in front of a class and spouting information. A true teacher knows that she is the facilitator of learning not the fountain of knowledge. It's also been a good reminder that there is never a dull moment when it comes to teaching and classroom management. There have been good moments and bad but all for my benefit. Teaching involves reflective practice and I've had a chance to reflect every single day. My teacher is an awesome mentor! She provides helpful feedback and suggestions while allowing me to take the reigns and experience those ups and downs myself.
Fridays are cooking days in room 8 and today I got to add my own cultural bit into our usual activities. I've been trying as much as possible to include cultural parts of myself in our lessons just to give the kids a taste of my experiences versus theres. It's been SO awesome. The other day I talked to them about some new foods I've tried since being here and then shared some foods from my culture that they've probably never heard of like biscuits and gravy (when I say that they picture cookies with gravy poured over them). So today Mrs. Rihari let me make Sweet Home Alabama Biscuits with the kids.
For starters we told the kids it was a surprise until right before we were going to make them. Then I had a chance to talk more about my culture and actually bring out a real live banjo! Mrs. Rihari just happened to have one at her house that her dad picked up a long time ago and gave to her! Although I don't play myself I told the kids a little bit about blue grass music and where the banjo originated (Africa). Then we had the students close their eyes and imagine they were walking through an Alabama county fair (I was acting as narrator) and Mrs. Rihari brought out the banjo and with the help of a youtube video actually played the banjo! Ok well, maybe it wasn't really her playing but her air banjo skills rock. The students were so surprised to hear that kind of music that their eyes popped right open to see where it was coming from. The principal even stopped by the class to see what we were up to. It was SO much fun! Next came the actual baking part.
We divided the kids up into 4 small groups and there was a teacher/teacher aid working with each group. While they were baking I had a countryfied playlist going on in the background with some banjo jams and of course the classic Sweet Home Alabama song. The kids absolutely LOVED the experience! The cooking was all done by them. I specifically had written up the recipe and adapted it to the NZ method of cooking while making it easy for the year 6s to follow the directions. They had a chance to mix together all of the ingredients, roll out the dough, and then cut out the biscuits (we actually used cookie cutters so most of the biscuits turned out looking like gingerbread men and stars and hearts but that made the experience that much cooler.) They were surprised to see the biscuits raise up when they were baking in the oven.
After all of the groups had finished and the tables were clean (the flour was a bit tricky to clean up since the students had gotten it everywhere!) we had our taste test where the students went outside and were able to eat the biscuits with their choice of jam with butter. I showed them how we cut and eat the biscuits at home. Some of the students ate as many as four (and kept asking for more!). They said that they were so delicious and I even heard one girl tell her friends that she was going to go home and make them for her mum.
I loved this experience for so many reasons but mostly because we were able to share in a culture experience together. After the baking the students had to write about the experience in their master chiefs book. This book includes a copy of the recipe of what they made and their reflection of how it turned out. Cooking is definitely a tradition that I'm going to continue doing in my own classroom. True, we do have a full kitchen in our classroom (only because we've been relocated to the staffroom until our rooms has been renovated) but there are still so many possibilites for cooking that don't involve an oven or a stove. Plus the kids get SO excited about the chance to make something themselves. It was such a great experience!
This week has reminded me that teaching is much more than just standing in front of a class and spouting information. A true teacher knows that she is the facilitator of learning not the fountain of knowledge. It's also been a good reminder that there is never a dull moment when it comes to teaching and classroom management. There have been good moments and bad but all for my benefit. Teaching involves reflective practice and I've had a chance to reflect every single day. My teacher is an awesome mentor! She provides helpful feedback and suggestions while allowing me to take the reigns and experience those ups and downs myself.
Fridays are cooking days in room 8 and today I got to add my own cultural bit into our usual activities. I've been trying as much as possible to include cultural parts of myself in our lessons just to give the kids a taste of my experiences versus theres. It's been SO awesome. The other day I talked to them about some new foods I've tried since being here and then shared some foods from my culture that they've probably never heard of like biscuits and gravy (when I say that they picture cookies with gravy poured over them). So today Mrs. Rihari let me make Sweet Home Alabama Biscuits with the kids.
For starters we told the kids it was a surprise until right before we were going to make them. Then I had a chance to talk more about my culture and actually bring out a real live banjo! Mrs. Rihari just happened to have one at her house that her dad picked up a long time ago and gave to her! Although I don't play myself I told the kids a little bit about blue grass music and where the banjo originated (Africa). Then we had the students close their eyes and imagine they were walking through an Alabama county fair (I was acting as narrator) and Mrs. Rihari brought out the banjo and with the help of a youtube video actually played the banjo! Ok well, maybe it wasn't really her playing but her air banjo skills rock. The students were so surprised to hear that kind of music that their eyes popped right open to see where it was coming from. The principal even stopped by the class to see what we were up to. It was SO much fun! Next came the actual baking part.
We divided the kids up into 4 small groups and there was a teacher/teacher aid working with each group. While they were baking I had a countryfied playlist going on in the background with some banjo jams and of course the classic Sweet Home Alabama song. The kids absolutely LOVED the experience! The cooking was all done by them. I specifically had written up the recipe and adapted it to the NZ method of cooking while making it easy for the year 6s to follow the directions. They had a chance to mix together all of the ingredients, roll out the dough, and then cut out the biscuits (we actually used cookie cutters so most of the biscuits turned out looking like gingerbread men and stars and hearts but that made the experience that much cooler.) They were surprised to see the biscuits raise up when they were baking in the oven.
After all of the groups had finished and the tables were clean (the flour was a bit tricky to clean up since the students had gotten it everywhere!) we had our taste test where the students went outside and were able to eat the biscuits with their choice of jam with butter. I showed them how we cut and eat the biscuits at home. Some of the students ate as many as four (and kept asking for more!). They said that they were so delicious and I even heard one girl tell her friends that she was going to go home and make them for her mum.
I loved this experience for so many reasons but mostly because we were able to share in a culture experience together. After the baking the students had to write about the experience in their master chiefs book. This book includes a copy of the recipe of what they made and their reflection of how it turned out. Cooking is definitely a tradition that I'm going to continue doing in my own classroom. True, we do have a full kitchen in our classroom (only because we've been relocated to the staffroom until our rooms has been renovated) but there are still so many possibilites for cooking that don't involve an oven or a stove. Plus the kids get SO excited about the chance to make something themselves. It was such a great experience!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Happy Birthday Beau!
Today was a very special day! Beau's 12th birthday!! Boy was he excited! We've been hearing about his birthday every day since we got home from our south island trip. On Saturday we are having a big birthday party with a hangi (where they cook the food underground by heating up rocks and then sticking the food on leaves by the rocks and covering everything with dirt for a few hours- I'll give more detail on Saturday) and a silly hat parade. So today we just had a quiet celebration with Jean and Jayceen. Jean brought a cheese cake and they had family home evening with us. We played snakes and ladders (just like chutes and ladders) and sang popcorn popping. For Beau's birthday, Sara and I bought him a gangnam style t-shirt from one of the local shops. He absolutely loved it!
Teaching also went well today. We had a reliever (a substitute) because it was my teacher's planning day (they get two every term). Tomorrow I start taking over for half day control. I'm actually really excited about it! I feel ready and although I'm a little nervous I know that I can do it. Yes there are kids who always give you trouble and I'm learning how to handle them in the classroom but I just love teaching so much! It's such a fulfilling job and I know that no matter how tired I am that at the end of the day I made a difference, even if it was only a small one. So tomorrow begins the real teaching adventures! Bring it on :)
Teaching also went well today. We had a reliever (a substitute) because it was my teacher's planning day (they get two every term). Tomorrow I start taking over for half day control. I'm actually really excited about it! I feel ready and although I'm a little nervous I know that I can do it. Yes there are kids who always give you trouble and I'm learning how to handle them in the classroom but I just love teaching so much! It's such a fulfilling job and I know that no matter how tired I am that at the end of the day I made a difference, even if it was only a small one. So tomorrow begins the real teaching adventures! Bring it on :)
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Pacifica and a Party
Julie had a caretaker come for Beau for a few hours and she took us to Pacifika. It's an awesome festival that has been going on for quite some time. There's a park called Western Springs right across from the zoo and every year about this time the city sets aside an entire weekend devoted to Pacifika or the celebration of all of the island cultures. We walked by booths representing Tahiti, Tonga, Tokelau, Fiji, Niue, Kibati, Samoa, the Cook Islands, and Tuvalu. We were there early in the day (smart idea to beat the crowds and the heat) which made looking around the different booths really easy to do. There was so much dancing going on at every one of the different stages. The costumes and dances were amazing! While we were wandering around the Cook Islands a bunch of girls between 5-7 got on the stage dressed in traditional clothes and did a little dance. It was so cute! They had the hip shake down and everything- simply amazing!
The island culture is definitely something else. Very colorful and always with heaps of flowers. I was SO many beautiful things and amazing food. I tried something they call raw fish... it's fish soaked in coconut juice with other veggies and stuff mixed in. I only had a small bite (I believe it's still raw but I decided NOT to ask and just to try some) and it tasted good with the coconut but also very fishy... one of those things you try once and that's enough. The coconut ice cream on the other hand was SO delicious! They also had the option of getting a half slice of watermelon with ice cream as well but the pineapple seemed more tropical.
On our way home we stopped for some fish and chips another Kiwi classic. We spent the afternoon relaxing for a bit (and planning for my lessons for the next week) before leaving with Julie and Beau to a birthday party. This party was for Julie's sister's partner. Let's just say this was one of the most interesting parties I have ever been to... It involved lots and lots of alcohol and an interesting crowd of people. All of them super nice and very hospitable but I was grateful that we didn't stay too long. That experience reminded me how grateful I am for the gospel and my upbringing.
Pictures:
The island culture is definitely something else. Very colorful and always with heaps of flowers. I was SO many beautiful things and amazing food. I tried something they call raw fish... it's fish soaked in coconut juice with other veggies and stuff mixed in. I only had a small bite (I believe it's still raw but I decided NOT to ask and just to try some) and it tasted good with the coconut but also very fishy... one of those things you try once and that's enough. The coconut ice cream on the other hand was SO delicious! They also had the option of getting a half slice of watermelon with ice cream as well but the pineapple seemed more tropical.
On our way home we stopped for some fish and chips another Kiwi classic. We spent the afternoon relaxing for a bit (and planning for my lessons for the next week) before leaving with Julie and Beau to a birthday party. This party was for Julie's sister's partner. Let's just say this was one of the most interesting parties I have ever been to... It involved lots and lots of alcohol and an interesting crowd of people. All of them super nice and very hospitable but I was grateful that we didn't stay too long. That experience reminded me how grateful I am for the gospel and my upbringing.
Pictures:
I got my hair done at one of the booths to practice putting a flower in my hair.
Even dogs wear leis around here
Best dessert ever! Pineapple with ice cream inside!
Friday, March 8, 2013
Skytower and Stargazing
Friday off :) meaning we slept in. We spent the morning writing our science philosophy paper. Sounds exciting right? Well, all the hard work in the morning made playing the rest of the day that much more fun!
Julie and Beau ended up joining our group and taking us into town. While waiting for the rest of our group to join us we got to watch a man bungy jump off of the tower (it was more this fly down thing because they didn't really bounce back up). We got to ride up the elevator all the way up to the first observation deck and then we got onto another elevator to go up to the highest of the observation decks. We were really lucky because the weather was perfect, making the view spectacular. Beau was a little nervous to go up to the top at first but he enjoyed being up there. It was a little hard with him up there because he kept wandering off. Not that he could really go anywhere but we were just worried about him getting into the elevator without us. It made me realize yet again how patient Julie is when it comes to Beau.
It was really nice having Julie with us because she could point out different things that we were seeing. We also stopped by the lounge just to see what it was like. They have a restaurant that rotates around the top (just like the Space Needle in Seattle). It was a cool place and a nice view but definitely only one of those things that you need to do once.
Afterwards we head over to a place called One Tree Hill. It's called One Tree Hill because of of the solitary tree that was planted on the summit (which is actually a volcano) in 1640 (they've been replacing the solitary tree over time). Anyway, it's important to the Maori culture (you can look up for more info if you'd like. Anyway, we just had a picnic there up near the top with the group. There were some really awesome trees that had their roots growing straight out of their branches from the branch to the ground. They made for excellent climbing. After our picnic we ventured to the top of the hill/mountain/volcano and although it was windy we enjoyed another excellent view of the city and the surrounding area.
By this point Beau was pretty tired so Julie left with him but the rest of our group stayed for our final event of the night: the observatory! I was really looking forward to this because it was a chance for us to learn all about the southern night sky- not something that I experience very often. We had an hour presentation that talked about different constellations and formations (such as the southern cross- only available in the southern sky). We also learned about the southern pole or place where the night sky rotates around. It was all very interesting. We were supposed to finish our evening with a look through some telescopes at some of the things they had showed us in the presentation but some clouds rolled in making it poor visibility. But we did get some vouchers for us to come back on a clearer night which is cool. It was a pretty fun day :)
Julie and Beau ended up joining our group and taking us into town. While waiting for the rest of our group to join us we got to watch a man bungy jump off of the tower (it was more this fly down thing because they didn't really bounce back up). We got to ride up the elevator all the way up to the first observation deck and then we got onto another elevator to go up to the highest of the observation decks. We were really lucky because the weather was perfect, making the view spectacular. Beau was a little nervous to go up to the top at first but he enjoyed being up there. It was a little hard with him up there because he kept wandering off. Not that he could really go anywhere but we were just worried about him getting into the elevator without us. It made me realize yet again how patient Julie is when it comes to Beau.
It was really nice having Julie with us because she could point out different things that we were seeing. We also stopped by the lounge just to see what it was like. They have a restaurant that rotates around the top (just like the Space Needle in Seattle). It was a cool place and a nice view but definitely only one of those things that you need to do once.
Afterwards we head over to a place called One Tree Hill. It's called One Tree Hill because of of the solitary tree that was planted on the summit (which is actually a volcano) in 1640 (they've been replacing the solitary tree over time). Anyway, it's important to the Maori culture (you can look up for more info if you'd like. Anyway, we just had a picnic there up near the top with the group. There were some really awesome trees that had their roots growing straight out of their branches from the branch to the ground. They made for excellent climbing. After our picnic we ventured to the top of the hill/mountain/volcano and although it was windy we enjoyed another excellent view of the city and the surrounding area.
By this point Beau was pretty tired so Julie left with him but the rest of our group stayed for our final event of the night: the observatory! I was really looking forward to this because it was a chance for us to learn all about the southern night sky- not something that I experience very often. We had an hour presentation that talked about different constellations and formations (such as the southern cross- only available in the southern sky). We also learned about the southern pole or place where the night sky rotates around. It was all very interesting. We were supposed to finish our evening with a look through some telescopes at some of the things they had showed us in the presentation but some clouds rolled in making it poor visibility. But we did get some vouchers for us to come back on a clearer night which is cool. It was a pretty fun day :)
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