The Deep End of the Pool

I have just started at Swanson Primary. Today marks my second day, since Monday was Labor Day here in NZ. Today was a very interesting day because it was so far out of the ordinary for me. The school was actually doing a special program called, "Into the Deep," which teaches the students what water safety techniques. I was able to, quite literally, jump right in. I was one of the facilitators, alongside my cooperating teacher Mrs. Francois, who led the children in our groups from the pool. The students were able to learn how to save someone with ordinary objects, as well as, what to do if they were trapped under a sail. I can understand why these would be such valuable tools here, since Auckland is known as the city of sails. It rest on a narrow strip of land with a large harbor on either side. I was so excited to be able to jump right in and get involved with the students of Room 34 (my class) and other students from around the school. Tomorrow we will be taking another group to the pool to finish this final session. I missed the first two because I was still in the States. So far, much of what I have been doing has been learning a new system of schools, and I am enjoying every minute and new experience. There have sure been a lot of those moments so far. Two of my favorite have been morning tea, which is a break from teaching around 11 am where there are cups and tea provided for the teachers, great on a cool day; the other favorite is just the open nature of Swanson Primary, with large windows dominating the classroom and open air between the rooms and most buildings. It is exciting for me to walk outside, during a break time rather that in a hallway. I am looking forward to jumping right back into the pool tomorrow and seeing were tomorrow leads.