Hello again! This is Bryan, reporting live from London England. The weather for the past bit has been up and down but in the low 20s... typical British summer :). Now let's look at the breaking news.
At the top of the list, last Wednesday was my birthday! I'm now the big 2-7 (or as my sister likes to say "in my LATE 20s). There's not much to say aside from the date... it was a normal working day and I didn't even make it out for a pint to toast the occasion. Don't worry though, I managed to sneak out on the weekend for a drink with a few friends as I watched the Netherlands and Spain battle it out for the World Cup. (Incredibly, it was a very exciting game... fast moving with so many penalties handed out I felt like I was watching a hockey game lol.) I'd like to thank everyone for their wishes and cards. I do miss you all and look forward to seeing you this coming Christmas (my flight has been booked!).
This brings us to our weekly countdown - to the end of the term! I have another week after this before school breaks up for the summer. Of course, this also means I have another 2 pay checks until September... sigh. Oh well, I have my European vacation to cheer me up! One of the great things about working in Europe is how close everything is to travel to... may as well take advantage while I'm here. Yes, I know... I don't understand how departing on an expensive trip (on which I'll be spending even more money) makes me feel better about my finances either... but it does :).
With the imminent ending of the school year, its time to finish up all those loose ends that have been put off. Today's project was updating the SEN folders (wait... you mean those papers were actually to be used for something?!... kidding kidding lol). I think next week is shaping up to be a quiet one. Last class trips (the nursery is getting a teddy bear picnic :) and finishing up the year. Staff-wise, we're holding a little party to say good-bye to several members. A little sad, but they're going on to bigger and better things.
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Monday, 28 June 2010
A Dark Day for England
If anyone was watching the World Cup this weekend, they would have witnessed one of England's worst games culminating in their 4-1 thrashing by Germany and an end to their cup dreams. Seriously... Germany walked all over them and it didn't seem that there was any heart in the squad. They gave up much too early.
Another contributor was the disallowed goal in the first half... how anyone could miss that it was in is still beyond me. Two feet over the line for Pete's sake! Just another argument for the use of goal line technology in soccer matches (it happened again in the next game with Argentina receiving an offside goal against Mexico). I'm not quite sure why FIFA has nixed the idea... something about it taking too long and spoiling the "spirit of the game". Really though - in this day and age, in this sort of high profile match with millions of dollars in the balance, I think taking a minute to verify contentious goals would be an asset. Its not like we're asking for every infraction, foul or free kick to be checked... just disputed goals which the officials did not have a good line of sight to.
At the end of the day though, the players themselves must take the "blame" for the loss. One goal would not have made a difference in the result and, if they could not mentally shake themselves out of the shock of going into the second half one goal down, then they should not be in this kind of high profile event. In any kind of sporting event, you have to just keep pounding away at the other team until you get the result you want - miracles can happen but only if you create chances for them to.
They are making £100,000 + a week which hardly seems justified in the way that they performed. And to Rooney - if you don't want fans to boo, give them something to cheer about!
Another contributor was the disallowed goal in the first half... how anyone could miss that it was in is still beyond me. Two feet over the line for Pete's sake! Just another argument for the use of goal line technology in soccer matches (it happened again in the next game with Argentina receiving an offside goal against Mexico). I'm not quite sure why FIFA has nixed the idea... something about it taking too long and spoiling the "spirit of the game". Really though - in this day and age, in this sort of high profile match with millions of dollars in the balance, I think taking a minute to verify contentious goals would be an asset. Its not like we're asking for every infraction, foul or free kick to be checked... just disputed goals which the officials did not have a good line of sight to.
At the end of the day though, the players themselves must take the "blame" for the loss. One goal would not have made a difference in the result and, if they could not mentally shake themselves out of the shock of going into the second half one goal down, then they should not be in this kind of high profile event. In any kind of sporting event, you have to just keep pounding away at the other team until you get the result you want - miracles can happen but only if you create chances for them to.
They are making £100,000 + a week which hardly seems justified in the way that they performed. And to Rooney - if you don't want fans to boo, give them something to cheer about!
Saturday, 26 June 2010
Another lazy weekend
Here I sit on another lazy weekend . The temperature is 25C and rising - a perfect sunny day for a BBQ. My housemates and I just finished cleaning off the unused porch and BBQ in preparation. It'll be just us pretty much, but should be fun.
I suppose the most exciting news from this week is that I've gotten guaranteed work for the autumn term! I will be back at my current school for 3 days a week covering teachers' prep classes (or PPA as its called over here) for Nursery - Year 4. Each week a teacher gets half a day off to plan, mark and prepare for the next week which means the school either arranges for another teacher to cover the class or hires a supply. I'm quite happy about this: I have some guaranteed work coming back from my long vacation, I don't have to take any days off to prepare for / attend interviews and its a good school with friendly staff and well-behaved students. The head teacher also had some really nice comments about how I was doing a good job and everyone loved me :).
It will be a change - hopefully a good one. I will miss the bond between teacher and student that you form when your with the same group of kids every day, but 3 days at the same (small) school will help mitigate that. It will also be nice not to have to worry about long-term planning or assessments (though marking will be the same). And the two days out of the week I wont be at the school, I'll (again hopefully) be out at other schools - giving me back a sense of adventure and new ideas (PD that I get paid for doing! lol). Also even though 3 days a week is enough to survive on, it doesn't leave much for saving :).
I suppose the other thing I need to do is my report writing which I am woefully behind (surprise, surprise eh?). If everything goes to plan, I'll get 6 done this weekend leaving only 5 to be completed during the week. Its not too bad - thankfully I only have half a class to do or I'd really be in trouble lol.
I suppose the most exciting news from this week is that I've gotten guaranteed work for the autumn term! I will be back at my current school for 3 days a week covering teachers' prep classes (or PPA as its called over here) for Nursery - Year 4. Each week a teacher gets half a day off to plan, mark and prepare for the next week which means the school either arranges for another teacher to cover the class or hires a supply. I'm quite happy about this: I have some guaranteed work coming back from my long vacation, I don't have to take any days off to prepare for / attend interviews and its a good school with friendly staff and well-behaved students. The head teacher also had some really nice comments about how I was doing a good job and everyone loved me :).
It will be a change - hopefully a good one. I will miss the bond between teacher and student that you form when your with the same group of kids every day, but 3 days at the same (small) school will help mitigate that. It will also be nice not to have to worry about long-term planning or assessments (though marking will be the same). And the two days out of the week I wont be at the school, I'll (again hopefully) be out at other schools - giving me back a sense of adventure and new ideas (PD that I get paid for doing! lol). Also even though 3 days a week is enough to survive on, it doesn't leave much for saving :).
I suppose the other thing I need to do is my report writing which I am woefully behind (surprise, surprise eh?). If everything goes to plan, I'll get 6 done this weekend leaving only 5 to be completed during the week. Its not too bad - thankfully I only have half a class to do or I'd really be in trouble lol.
Saturday, 19 June 2010
I'm Alive!
Alright, no need to send out search parties or call the police... I am indeed alive and well. I know that I haven’t been keeping this blog as up-to-date as my loyal fans would like (or at all for that matter). I guess that is the danger of having a routine – you get comfortable, complacent and just don’t know what to say. Over the month I’ve tried to sit down and blog, but ever time I would simply stare at the blank page – the words wouldn’t come. I know its hard for some of you to imagine... Bryan at a loss for words?! But its true.
Anyways, I’m still enjoying my time with my Nursery class – they are so cute at that age and some of their observations are amazing in their insight. The other day I had to do one of the hardest things a teacher has to do... I said goodbye to my first child. You just get so attached to them at that age and I wont be there next year... don’t think she understood though lol.
This summer I’ll be taking another trip, this time around Europe. I’ve booked through Contiki again (quite a good agency for young professionals) so hopefully it’ll be a blast. I decided on their European Experience leaving in August. Click here to view my itinerary.
Work for September is still up in the air, so fingers crossed something will come up in the next month or so. I really don’t want a repeat of last Autumn! I need more than 6 days lol!
Anyways, I’m still enjoying my time with my Nursery class – they are so cute at that age and some of their observations are amazing in their insight. The other day I had to do one of the hardest things a teacher has to do... I said goodbye to my first child. You just get so attached to them at that age and I wont be there next year... don’t think she understood though lol.
This summer I’ll be taking another trip, this time around Europe. I’ve booked through Contiki again (quite a good agency for young professionals) so hopefully it’ll be a blast. I decided on their European Experience leaving in August. Click here to view my itinerary.
Work for September is still up in the air, so fingers crossed something will come up in the next month or so. I really don’t want a repeat of last Autumn! I need more than 6 days lol!
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Finally Back!
Ok,, so apparently when I said "the next few days" I really meant "in two weeks" . I'm not really sure why I haven't blogged in so long - I've had quite a few ideas for posts (the last two weeks have had plenty of things for me to post about) but I just haven't seemed to get around to it. Guess my head hasn't really been in the game... though that begs the question "what game has it been in?" :) Could be a symptom of little sleep...
I've started my new assignment at the nursery class and I'm loving it! Since I've supplied there previously and there's a very experienced team, its was easy to slide into the routine and the kids have gotten comfortable around me. Every now and then though I'm reminded that I'm in charge... there's no other teacher to do the daily planning, room organization, comment books, paper work - I'm ultimately responsible. As well, I set the lessons (though its quite unstructured in nursery) as opposed to simply following them as a supply teacher so I'm free to choose the topics and direction and deviate whenever I see fit. The power - the awesome new power! :)
On a serious note again, its so nice being in one place - knowing that I have a job, where I'm going and what I'm going to do in advance really decreases my daily stress. Seeing the same children each day helps build the teacher-student relationship and let's me watch the improvement. Being able to see that I'm making a positive difference is very rewarding and really adds to my job satisfaction. Some days, I'm having so much fun with my children that it doesn't seem like work at all - though these kind of days are invariably the most draining by the end :).
I'm also seeing the importance a stable environment makes in their development. Stability gives the children a framework in which to explore safely - too much uncertainty or new things can be scary. Changes or interruptions of established routines (even briefly) have the potential to throw children off for the entire session which means I have to keep things interesting and engaging while familiar enough so they know what to do and can have fun.
So the final Ireland albums have been posted (6 in all) so check them out! I'll make more of an effort to get more consistent updates ("ya ya", I hear you say, "we've heard THAT before".) Well... I mean it this time :).
I've started my new assignment at the nursery class and I'm loving it! Since I've supplied there previously and there's a very experienced team, its was easy to slide into the routine and the kids have gotten comfortable around me. Every now and then though I'm reminded that I'm in charge... there's no other teacher to do the daily planning, room organization, comment books, paper work - I'm ultimately responsible. As well, I set the lessons (though its quite unstructured in nursery) as opposed to simply following them as a supply teacher so I'm free to choose the topics and direction and deviate whenever I see fit. The power - the awesome new power! :)
On a serious note again, its so nice being in one place - knowing that I have a job, where I'm going and what I'm going to do in advance really decreases my daily stress. Seeing the same children each day helps build the teacher-student relationship and let's me watch the improvement. Being able to see that I'm making a positive difference is very rewarding and really adds to my job satisfaction. Some days, I'm having so much fun with my children that it doesn't seem like work at all - though these kind of days are invariably the most draining by the end :).
I'm also seeing the importance a stable environment makes in their development. Stability gives the children a framework in which to explore safely - too much uncertainty or new things can be scary. Changes or interruptions of established routines (even briefly) have the potential to throw children off for the entire session which means I have to keep things interesting and engaging while familiar enough so they know what to do and can have fun.
So the final Ireland albums have been posted (6 in all) so check them out! I'll make more of an effort to get more consistent updates ("ya ya", I hear you say, "we've heard THAT before".) Well... I mean it this time :).
Saturday, 17 April 2010
Travel Update... It's a "blast" over here
Ok, so you've all probably heard about the eruption in Iceland (near the Eyjafjallajokull glacier) which has sent clouds of ash into the atmosphere and paralyzed airports across Europe. Thousands of flights have been cancelled, including mine with Ryanair to London. In my last post, I said that I was going to just hang out in Dublin till this blew over, but after reading and talking to more people I've decided to bite the bullet. As no one knows when the air is going to clear and airports are going to be crazy with backlog, I've booked a ferry to Holyhead tomorrow morning and will try to get a train to London from there. Let's hope there's space on one of the trains (I can't pre-book the tickets).
As much as I have loved my time here, I'm ready for the vacation to be over and to get back to work... and I'll still make more working than the extra trip cost. Of course I'll be talking with Ryanair and my travel insurance to see if I can get any money back, but I wont hold my breath. If everything works perfectly, I'll only be around 12h behind schedule though which is worth it.
Keep watching this space as I'll have another post with more Ireland info and pictures (not to mention first full time teaching experiences) up in the next few days.
As much as I have loved my time here, I'm ready for the vacation to be over and to get back to work... and I'll still make more working than the extra trip cost. Of course I'll be talking with Ryanair and my travel insurance to see if I can get any money back, but I wont hold my breath. If everything works perfectly, I'll only be around 12h behind schedule though which is worth it.
Keep watching this space as I'll have another post with more Ireland info and pictures (not to mention first full time teaching experiences) up in the next few days.
Friday, 16 April 2010
The Good, the bad and the Irish
Some days I feel like a broken record, but I couldn't think of a better phrase to capture my feelings than "wow, I can't believe how the time has flown!" It seems like only yesterday that I stepped into Dublin and now its nearly over. This trip has been almost perfect - beautiful weather (I actually got a little sunburnt), spectacular scenery and a funny and knowlegable guide (seriously, Sean could waffle on about paint and it'd be interesting). For the trip, he shared with us his two big travel tips to have a good time:
1) Don't travel broke. Seriously, there is nothing worse than being stuck in a country with no money. Sure you've already pre-paid for the sights and accomodations, but there are still optional extras and, I don't know, FOOD!
2) Don't complain about the weather. This seems to be the number one complaint for tourists and really, what can be done about it? Personally, I would amend this to say simply "Don't complain". You are on a tour in a brand new country - just relax and enjoy the experience. If anything bad happens, you'll at least get a story to tell your friends and family back home.
Getting back to my sight-seeing... ya, there's no way I'll actually fit the whole five day tour into this blog (and really, words alone wouldn't capture it properly). So I'll speak in generalities and add longer captions onto my pictures whenever I get them up next week (boy I'm rather dreading that... I figure I have over 400 pictures on my camera)! From the Michelstown Caves where mellenia of erosion has created cool organic rock formations to the stark beauty of the seaside cliffs towering over the water; from the stark beauty of the wind swept Burren to the rolling emerald hills criss-crossed by stone walls and corkscrewing roads the beauty of the country is captivating.
Like many other places I've seen in Europe there is a delightful mix of ancient and modern, but moreso if that makes any sense. There's something about standing at a prehistoric area (such as the ruins of a fort) that is simultaneously awe-inspiring and humbling. On one hand, despite the best efforts of man and nature, it is still standing after thousands of years. On the other hand, you realize that this is all that's left of a once proud people... dispite their best efforts everything they once had has fading till only a shell is left. You realize that everything you hold dear is ultimately finite.
Anyways, that's all for now... I'll probably add another blog to expand on some points but I think that's long enough for now. Right now, I'm due to fly out tomorrow. However, there's been a volcanic eruption in Iceland and the ash in the atmosphere has played havoc with air transport (all planes have been grounded till 1 pm tomorrow at the earliest). Many are opting to take the ferry and bus to get back to London, but I think those will be waaaay too crowded for my taste so I'll wait it out here. So (fingers crossed) my plane will still be on schedule.
1) Don't travel broke. Seriously, there is nothing worse than being stuck in a country with no money. Sure you've already pre-paid for the sights and accomodations, but there are still optional extras and, I don't know, FOOD!
2) Don't complain about the weather. This seems to be the number one complaint for tourists and really, what can be done about it? Personally, I would amend this to say simply "Don't complain". You are on a tour in a brand new country - just relax and enjoy the experience. If anything bad happens, you'll at least get a story to tell your friends and family back home.
Getting back to my sight-seeing... ya, there's no way I'll actually fit the whole five day tour into this blog (and really, words alone wouldn't capture it properly). So I'll speak in generalities and add longer captions onto my pictures whenever I get them up next week (boy I'm rather dreading that... I figure I have over 400 pictures on my camera)! From the Michelstown Caves where mellenia of erosion has created cool organic rock formations to the stark beauty of the seaside cliffs towering over the water; from the stark beauty of the wind swept Burren to the rolling emerald hills criss-crossed by stone walls and corkscrewing roads the beauty of the country is captivating.
Like many other places I've seen in Europe there is a delightful mix of ancient and modern, but moreso if that makes any sense. There's something about standing at a prehistoric area (such as the ruins of a fort) that is simultaneously awe-inspiring and humbling. On one hand, despite the best efforts of man and nature, it is still standing after thousands of years. On the other hand, you realize that this is all that's left of a once proud people... dispite their best efforts everything they once had has fading till only a shell is left. You realize that everything you hold dear is ultimately finite.
Anyways, that's all for now... I'll probably add another blog to expand on some points but I think that's long enough for now. Right now, I'm due to fly out tomorrow. However, there's been a volcanic eruption in Iceland and the ash in the atmosphere has played havoc with air transport (all planes have been grounded till 1 pm tomorrow at the earliest). Many are opting to take the ferry and bus to get back to London, but I think those will be waaaay too crowded for my taste so I'll wait it out here. So (fingers crossed) my plane will still be on schedule.
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