Meet Miss Herbert... who came all the way from NZ just to teach *YOU*!

Today was my first day meeting the children... and some of you might be wondering how that went... or perhaps some of you have nothing better to do than read the low-down of my day haha!~


I have started typing my blog posts on the notes option on my iPhone when I am underground on the train. What a wonderful way to kill time! Then I can just email the note to myself when home, copy/paste it to my blog, and voila!! Thank the heavens for modern technology!


Today...

I was supposed to turn up at 8.30am(!!!) and go and observe in the classrooms and basically get to know the children. When I arrived, Anne, the head teacher explained to me that I would be teaching Pete's class who are year four (our year 5) for the day as Pete had been burgled overnight and had to wait for the Police. His flat is in Kennington which is where Bryce and I were looking... And on the bottom floor which I have since been told to avoid like the plague! 

Anyway, I ended up in Year four which are the class I'll be relieving in for three hours a week anyway so that was a stroke of luck. What Murrays Bay has in Asians, Townsend has in African children. They are *beautiful*!! I spoke with another teacher about some planning for the day and it was a little annoying as the teacher explaining things to me was doing so as if I had never taught before. I believe I have taught twice the time he has. He also was trying to show me how the smartboard worked and so I politely mentioned that I had taught only with a smartboard my whole career. I then rushed about and did the photocopying that needed doing and then decided to create a smartboard resource on goal setting in about ten minutes. Lol. Nobody creates their own here. And from what I have seen they don't adapt them either. 

At 8.55am I went down outside and had to collect the children who were all nicely lined up. Amazing. I escorted them back to the classroom
and introduced myself and told them I'd come all the way from NZ just to teach them because I had heard how wonderful they were. I was met with a room full of white smiles :)

I showed them a world map because most didn't know where NZ even was and they asked me questions. Quite funny really. I've never been the one who has had questions asked about my country. 

I started teaching the lessons, starting with 'new years resolutions' which I taught as goal setting- including the STAR method (specific, time related, achievable and realistic) and obviously had them record Learning intentions and success criteria which they sort of do here but very beginning stages. I'll change that ;)

All the lessons went well, they were lovely and really cute. Though I spent the day dealing with little quibbles "Miss he stole my pencil" and so on - I thought it too early for me to tell them to build a bridge and climb over haha! 

Several of them came to thank me for teaching them and for being so nice and friendly. CUTE! I said "it's lovely you're thanking me, but it's my job" and one boy responded "yes Miss but you don't have to be so friendly" 


So the day went well and I'm back again tomorrow before the weekend. Bryce and I are planning to go to Portobello Markets and perhaps Camden Markets of which Bryce has become quite a fan!! I intend on squeezing in some theatre this weekend too- though it's so hard to decide what to see as there is so much on!!

Cheery-bye :)