Week of May 14 and May 21 - Teaching Winding down, Day Sailing, The Voice

Panorama of Sailing

The past two weeks have been another two weeks were teaching has taken up much of my time.  I have had Year 7 and Year 8 for the past few weeks and recently just gave back Year 12. It's been a fun experience teaching all of the classes.  I enjoy teaching the younger years one class a day because of their enthusiasm and energy, but this experience has further confirmed my view that I would rather teach high school as opposed to middle school.  This Monday, Brittany and I will be switching schools for the day and I'll be going to her school (Normanhurst Boys) and she'll be coming to mine (Asquith Boys).  It should be a good experience for both of us, as although both of our schools are public schools, her school is a selective school meaning you have to pass an exam to get in and they only take a certain number of students.

As my teaching experience enters it's last week, it has been an unforgettable experience.  The faculty at Asquith, specifically the math department has been so welcoming and helpful throughout the experience.  I could not have asked for a better mentor teacher for my overseas experience than Jim French, and the overall department has just made the experience so comfortable and easy for me.  Although the teaching styles and school setup are different, when it comes down to it teaching kids is very similar no matter where you are, and this experience has really been a great one.

Captain Andrew

Besides the teaching there were some other highlights during the past two weeks.  Last Saturday we went spent the day sailing courtesy of Bobby and Maddie's friend Greg.  It was a beautiful day for sailing, with temperatures in the low 70s.  We set out around 8:30 am and didn't get back till 5 pm.  The only problem with the day was the lack of wind!  There was enough wind to sail the way out, but we had to motor back the way in.  We made it to place called America's Bay, which was a nice little treat, and I got to captain and steer the boat back for most of the return trip which was an added bonus. 

Joel Madden, Delta Goodrem, and Keith Urban

Last Monday, Brittany and I attended a taping of The Voice courtesy of Maddie who is the Director's Assistant for the show.  She's also been the DA for many other big shows in Australia, she's a big shot! It was another amazing experience.  It was a very impressive show and we had great seats.  It's the most popular and watched show in Australia, and has some big name judges like Seal, Keith Urban, Joel Madden and Delta Goodrem (famous Australian singer).  It's very cool to be at a live show, that millions of people across the country are watching.  After the show we got to go behind the scenes into the production truck where we met the Director and some of the other people involved in the show.  Just another thing to check off on my Australia list. 

The set of the The Voice

My parents arrive next Monday (just 8 days away!) and we'll be doing a lot of travelling then.  I can't believe I've already been here for almost 2 months.  What an experience it has been!

-Andrew

Australian Words/Phrases

Cheeky - Used to describe someone who is being a bit of smart ass or fresh

Buck's Party - Bachelor Party

Mucking Around - Fooling around, acting silly

Weeks of April 30 and May 7 - Teaching and a few Excursions!

I've been slacking on blog posts for the past two weeks for a couple of reasons.  I've been in full swing with teaching.  Although, I only have two classes that I'm teaching, school is taking up much of my time so that means less time for blogging.  Also, I haven't done as many as exciting over these past two weeks as school has taken priority and much of my free time is jammed into the weekends. 

With that said the teaching is going very well.  I have been teaching Year 7 and Year 12 for the past two weeks.  Unlike in the U.S. they don't have class everyday, Year 7 only has class 7 days per fortnight and Year 12 has class 8 days per fortnight.  The Year 7 class I am teaching is the highest level math class for the year.  They are very good class who always works hard and most of them are eager to learn.  It's very enjoyable to teach them, mostly due to their eagerness to learn and their enthusiasm each day.  On the other end of the spectrum is Year 12 class, which I enjoy teaching equally as much for different reasons.  It's easier to relate more to the Year 12 class as they are much more mature, and although it is a General Mathematics course, meaning for many of them math is not their favorite subject it is also a very enjoyable class to teach.  Over the next few weeks in the school, I'll be getting the Year 8 class and possibly Year 11.  Both of these classes are hard-working and at the higher academic levels, so I'm sure they will also be enjoyable to teach.

Although teaching is taking up much of my time, I still have had some time to do some more exploring around Sydney.  I went on a field trip (or excursion as they call it) last week to the Hyde Park Barracks and Police and Justice Museum in Sydney.  Both places were very interesting.  The Hyde Park Barracks served as a housing area for convicts that were sent to Australia, and it was a very cool place to visit.  The Police and Justice Museum was also very interesting and we go to see some of the holding cells they used to use, weapons from famous crimes as well as several other things.  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on that day!  During the past few weeks I've seen several more rugby games (this time of the high school variety).  There are two types of rugby, rugby league and rugby union.  Depending on who you ask they'll say one is much better than the other.  I haven't really formed an opinion yet, but the past few games I've seen have been rugby union and they've been pretty fun to watch.

It is crazy to think I have already been in Australia for 5 1/2 weeks and teaching for 3 weeks, which means I reached the halfway mark in both my total time in Australia and my teaching time.  It has been an amazing experience so far and there is nothing I can complain about.  Everyone I have met has been so welcoming and friendly and have made the experience that much more enjoyable and fun.  It will definitely be difficult leaving when that time comes.

-Andrew

Australian Words/Phrases

-Australians love to use the words "reckon" and "heaps"

-Bushwalking - Hiking

-She'll be right : it'll turn out okay or don't worry about it