Traipsing the countryside

So part of the joy of teaching overseas is the fact that you get to take off and see things that not everyone gets to see. As my time in the US comes to a close, I realized that I hadn't seen half of what I wanted to see... so I took a couple of days of work on Memorial Day weekend and decided to do the seeing!


I visited Arlington Nation Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. A student at a school I taught at is buried here under special permission. My going there was a way to honour him.

The White House.
The National Treasury.

The War Memorial in DC. I didn't make it to the wall... maybe another time.

Me and Lincoln... you know how it is... the former president asks you to take a shot with him and you gotta oblige! hahaha. I think Lincoln was WAY ahead of his times and I admire him greatly. I really wanted to see this memorial.

The Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool... just gorgeous, even with the clouds.

The Lincoln Memorial from the outside.

This is a picture of James Madison's house (Montpelier). He was also a former president of the US. It's just outside Orange, VA. The grounds are gorgeous and worth the visit but I'd skip the house tour for a couple of years. They are busy restoring it so there just isn't much in it.

The house of Thomas Jefferson (Monticello). Well worth the visit. The grounds are AMAZING, the house is super interesting and the tour guide was great. It is just outside of Charlottesville, VA.

Drinking boxes... of WINE!!

One of my favourite things (besides time spent with a great friend) about England was the availability of wine in drinking boxes. So convenient for a picnic (or metro ride), so inexpensive, and just fun. I've often lamented that they don't have it here in the US or in Canada... but lo and behold, they do now! I found this little gem in the Target today. Love it!!

Teacher Recognition Banquet

So this past week I was invited to the county teacher recognition banquet, which was really lovely. The county pays money for a number of awards etc for teachers each year and pays for a really great dinner for all the teachers involved and the principals of all the schools. It was lovely, and it was lovely to be invited. However, my favourite part was that they tried their best to recognize me as a visiting international teacher... from... KOREA!! hahahaha It was hilarious because they made me stand up. I know that all those other people in there were wondering when did the white girl with the very white name come from Korea?! hahahaha I loved it. It was nice to be invited, but when I think about cost of everything and the lack of supplies etc in the schools and the lack of raises and the loss of jobs these days... well... I can't help but think this money might best be spent other ways until the economy recovers. I don't know.

Appreciation.

I don't want people to think that I got into teaching for the financial rewards (obviously not, since you can't make a lot of money at this) or for gifts from students or parents. I do this job because I love it and I believe I was gifted with the ability to do it well. But at the same time, it does feel nice to be recognized and appreciated for the job that we do. Teaching is a lot harder than the general public thinks. I know they believe that it's an 8-3 job with tons of vacation time. But I am at school at 7:15 in the morning and my students arrive at 8:15 and I only get about 20 minutes for lunch (how many of you get hour long lunches?!) and I have 30 minutes for planning (to make stuff for my lessons, plan my lessons, prepare things for the students, do their folders, write notes home, call parents if I need to, email other teachers and professionals about things at school, mark papers, enter grades etc). When that is all done, I usually stick around an extra 30 minutes getting ready for the next day. And there are plenty of days that I take home work because I am just plain old out of time. During the day it is said that teachers make approximately 1,000 decisions that affect the lives of their students and that is STRESSFUL. Never mind the fact that there is constant pressure to keep up with the newest research and methodologies. And then take into account that it's not just one or two children but around 20 at a time... and some of them are sick, some come from home lives that leave a lot to be desired, some are hungry, some are tired, some a needy for attention, some have special needs, some aren't ready for what they need to learn yet, some aren't interested in school, some are beyond what is being shown to you so they are bored and/or acting out and the list goes on. So at the end of the day it is a hard job and if I did it for the money, it just wouldn't be worth it to me. But I find so many rewards in the eyes of my students... and yet, it would be nice to be recognized by the parents and the community at large. This past Thursday was National Teacher's Day. Only two of my students saw fit to give me a card or a gift. I don't need the gifts, but a thank you from the parents would be great. A discount at stores on that day would be AWESOME (did I mention that I spend upwards of $500 for my students and classroom each year?)!! Okay, my rant is over... :)

My Spring Door

This is the door that I came up with for the final quarter of the school year. I was inspired by the blossoming trees outside. My para/co-teacher papered the door with lime green. I then painted the tree trunk and the blue sky below and a little above to give the impression of the tree top. Next I made the little blossoms for the kids' pictures. My para/co-teacher made the leaves and it all came together. I love it!

The things kids say....

I've always had students who have said things that have made me stop in my tracks (yes, swear words have been a larger number of those) or laugh out loud, but this year's class makes me belly laugh at least once a day and have often saved me from giving in to the hurt in my personal life (read the other blog - chronically single - to see that). This morning, one of my sweet little kids came in and was so excited because she had been to her big brother's concert the night before. She literally bubbled and flitted into class. It made me smile just to see and then our morning greeting went something like this:

Her: Miss Collins, I got to go to a concert last night!!!

Me: Oh wow, that's great!

Her: Yea, my brother was doin' it!

Me: So he was with the 4th graders?

Her: Yea! And he had a recordian... all the kids had a recordian!

Me (stifling a laugh): A recordian?

Her: Yea! The recordians were so cool...

Me: um... so it's a recorder, sweetie.

Her: Yea... recorder! (face red, laughing at herself)

I love my students... I have one who thinks that it is October or January every day and every day is Monday or Friday... I love her to pieces!!! *sigh* oh the things that kids say! Please share yours in my comments... I love sharing those funny stories.

Sticking Up for Others...

Today I was so proud of my students. While they were out on the playground (doing what kids do when it is sunny out), another student from another class said something a little mean to one of the girls in my class. One of the little boys was incensed about the whole thing. He went up to the offender, pushes him and gives him the business. He literally put his finger in the kid's face, tells him that we don't use mean words and that it is unacceptable... aside from the push, I have NEVER been prouder of a five year old in my life!!!