Another installment that seems much too late. Unfortunately there will be no new pictures today. I would love to show some from my school, but I am more cognizant of putting my students' faces on the internet.
We are absolutely loving it out here! The community, house, and work all feel like home. We are obviously missing loved ones back home, but for right now, this is where we are supposed to be. I have 25 students (11 Grade 6, 11 Grade 7, and 3 Grade 8 students). The automatic respect for staff, each other, and most importantly self is much more evident. Most of the students want to learn and achieve high marks. I am also learning Saskatchewan's educational practices as some things are drastically different. For example, no marks are given for assignments or assessments. Instead a MABEI scale is given out. Meeting, Approaching, Beginning, Experiencing difficulties, and Insufficient Evidence. Instead of handing out 9/10s or C+, students receive one of the 5 letters. As well, each outcome is assessed. As an example, Math has 14 outcomes for the year. By the end of the grade, each outcome will have been assessed. In Ontario, Math has five strands and students are given broad assessment results each term. All in all, it is very quick and provides a more accurate picture of all aspects of learning. The one area that has been heavily criticized is that nothing denotes work or learning above expectation. Meeting is the highest achievement the student can achieve.
Our home life is becoming more settled. Almost all of rooms have been painted and we have attempted to personalize each area. Claire, after three long years of waiting, finally has her scrapbooking area set up (*sorry Dad about not bringing the desk out yet). Edgar has been loving our fenced in backyard. We have also finally purchased and picked up our new vehicle. We now own a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. It is a very nice vehicle and we are pleased at our purchase.
As mentioned, I do not have any photos, but I can share a few stories from the first month. One of my students is bright, and I don't mean just, "she writes neat and knows her multiplication table." My first day I had the students think of questions they wanted to ask. Most thought, "What is your favourite subject?/How old are you?" But this girl asked, "Do you consider yourself to be an organized person?" Word for word. Who talks like that? A few weeks later, during our Questioning Unit, I had the students think of three random questions. After collecting them and typing them up I randomly handed them back out for the students to find its answers and complete a short presentation on their findings. Again, most asked, "Why is the sky blue?/When was the first hockey game?/Why is grass green?" Instead this girl inquired, "Why are there wars when nations can just peacefully talk?/Why in a world of technological advancements, are people still dying from ordinary things?"
I would love to post this picture, but it is what it is. There is a young student named Gunner who wears a western outfit on a routine basis. He isn't the only one as many students regularly wear cowboy boots with spurs, cowboy hats and jeans to school on a daily basis. This particular student has several shirts that remind me of old pictures/movies from the 70s. He wears them as they were designed too, with the first two/three buttons undone.
One of the new opportunities this position has for me is to coach a school team. With our small school size there are not a lot of team opportunities, but I have volunteered to be the Girls Volleyball coach. Just like everything else, I am loving it. Working with the girls has been an excellent way to connect with them, as well as with their parents. On a bit of a selfish note too, I am feeling more at home being connected with competitive sports again. It has definitely been too long.
Until another day, Goodnight and Goodluck.
