Full Control Has Begun

I have just started my full control this week on Tuesday. I could not be having a better time. Well, maybe I could, but I am just so excited with my own progress and the development of my students in Rm 34. On Friday, the students had one of their final work days on their Claymation projects, and those projects are looking simply amazing. All except one group of students has taken their pictures for their visual Claymation narrative. The students have been having a great time making their background and characters for their short films. I could feel the excitiment in the room as the first group took their pictures and put them on the computer. Using the advance button, the students were then able to get a rough idea of how their final film would look. I was proud of my students for being willing to take charge of every aspect of their film - from the storyboard, to background and character creation, to photography, and placing the pictures on the computer. I cannot wait to see their final Windows Movie Maker films after our lab day next week.

When I first heard that I was placed in a 5/6 grade classroom, I was nervous because I had always felt most comfortable in a high school situation. However, right now I am simply enjoying every minute of my experience with the students and faculty of Swanson Primary. I am so thankful for this experience, and I can only wish that more student-teachers will choose to travel to a different country and experience the truly unique experience of teaching around the world. I love and enjoy my experience. I look forward to school each day, and hate when the week is over. I know now that I am meant to be a teacher, but more importantly that I can be a teacher anywhere I would like.

I am looking forward to next week, but also dreading the end of the year. Since taking over weekly planning for the past two weeks, I have become intimately familier with how little time I have left. However, I also have so many opportunities for unique experiences as the school year comes to a close here in NZ. Next week, I will be going to Rainbow's End on Thursday (a theme park) as a result of my cooperating teacher's involvement with the Cool Schools Initiative (a peer mediation program). The students who participated in this program are rewarded with an end of year trip to Rainbow's End. Since all but five students from my class are involved, my coop and I were asked to go along with the students. Yay, for experiences only possible in a primary school environment.