New Zealand {2013}

March has begun

It was very strange writing “March” on the board yesterday. February flew by, which means I have been here for a month already! It’s pretty hard to believe…and that means I only have two months left. :/ The beginning of March also means that I am half-way through my teaching time here, too. I cannot believe I only get 4 weeks left with my students. I really enjoy teaching them, and their personalities mix so well. I’m excited to teach with Horizons again this summer, but I don’t want to leave here, either.

This week we discussed what was special about us or what makes us unique, and then we created wire sculptures. Let me just tell you-wire is NOT the easiest material to use with 6 and 7 year-olds. By the end of the first day working with it, I had less than half finished…the rest were struggling to even try using the wire. Unfortunately, one student was so frustrated by the end that he was in tears. As a teacher, it was not only heart-breaking, but proved to me (once again) that each student has a different learning style, a different expression of their learning, and a different point of frustration. I could easily go into why I disagree with the over-abundance of standardized tests in the states because of this, but instead I’ll continue to blog about my time here.

Within the past two weeks, I have done a few pretty exciting things around the area; pictures below.

-Went for an early morning run to watch the sun rise over the ocean.

-Pet a baby shark (two sharks that a 7 year-old girl caught in the bay).

-Went into the city to get a drink with (another American) Jaclyn, and waited in line for the bus for over an hour :/

-Traveled to and experienced the Auckland Lantern Festival with a new friend from school, Sarah.

-Celebrated my host Grandma’s birthday (with Dominos and cake)!

-Traveled into the city (with another teacher and my host brother) to watch a NZ Breakers basketball game.

-Went for a late night run (with my host dad and little host brother) to see the ocean reflecting the moon.

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