Mood:  hungry

Alright I’m going to start off by saying that i had over  1500 words typed out for one hell of an update and then my internet crashed without warning and i lost it all. - So not impressed right now.

First of all let me apologize for the lack of updating the past few weeks have been really really hectic for both of us.

 Week one of prac:

Week one, although busy turned out to be alright. I had a full week with a supply teacher since my teacher decided to extend her vacation by a week lol. I was nervous at first seeing as the last supply this class had hated me but I lucked out and got the nicest one ever. Her name is Brenda and she pretty much told me I could take on whatever I wanted to and could teach whatever I wanted to during the week. She also consulted with me and everything. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better supply teacher. During this week I got to teach a bunch of lessons, my fav. being the maths-space lesson on compasses. I channeled my inner Chris LOL and taught them all how to hold/use a compass to find north. After I taught them that we did an enhancing activity where I had 15 shapes laid out on the floor in a grid shape and the kids had to stand on one of them. I then gave them an instruction for them to move – ex: move one spot to the south-west and they had to use the compass to find out first where north was in the classroom and then where south-west was. They loved it. I also got to teach and help them make a weather mobile which was pretty fun.  Another highlight of the week was that the Channel 9 weather guy came to the school and did a big presentation with the four 2/3 classes. They were all  really excited to be on tv that night. At the end of the week I asked Brenda if shed mind giving Penny (my classroom teacher) a review of my teaching over the week. Luckily she sent it to me too. So here is the review Brenda gave me:

It has been a total pleasure working with Amanda for the week. Lucky you, having such a talented pre-service teacher for the next few weeks!

Amanda has a lovely manner with the students and they respond well to her. Her planning is good; her provision of teaching materials is imaginative, educationally sound and fun. Amanda is organised and, probably most important of all, not at all fazed by sudden changes to the timetable. Which was just as well at the beginning of the week!

I might just add one thing. Not long ago I talked to another pre-service teacher (at another school) who declared she hated poetry and would never teach it. Hmmm... Amanda, on the other hand, appreciates poetry in her personal life, and was a marvellous person to have with the class when we were crafting poetic metaphors. We need more teachers who are passionate about poetry!

Pretty Sweet Eh?? I was still nervous about having Penny come back and mark me but this review was a real confidence booster.

Week Two of Prac:

This week started out the best possible way – with a phone call home on Monday morning (Sunday night – Thanksgiving) to chat with everyone. It was FANTASTIC to hear everyone’s voice although it made me miss the craziness that is our family get-togethers.  I miss hanging out with Jess and Maddie before dinner just catching up on life and dancing all crazy with Jess, Maddie, Mom, Aunt Kat and Aunt Jen  after dinner. Oh and of course the never ending “turn it down” … “turn it up” battle that always ensues. Aw how I miss you guys <3

Anyhow back to my week. Monday I got to start teaching my new unit on healthy eating/foods with the kids. I started by having them write down everything they know about healthy foods. Lets just say that only 5 of them could name at least one food group the other twenty didn’t have a clue. It kinda worked out better for me anyways since I had made a GIANT food pyramid for them (Pics: http://s636.photobucket.com/albums/uu81/mcawesome-in-aussie/Classroom/ ). Unfortunately my teacher isn’t the kind that gives you both good and bad feedback – she just gives the bad. And while I’m glad that she’s being honest with the things I need to work on I still wish she could throw in a “good job” in there. So add the constant criticism to two weeks of exhaustion and then a meeting with the vice principle in which we (the other pre-service teachers and myself) found out that the teachers have been saying some brutal stuff about us – the biggest problem is we aren’t sure what is directed at whom. Both guys also found out they are in danger of failing. So this built up and lead to a mini breakdown on Wednesday night. Fortunately I have the best boyfriend ever and he was able to make me feel better and then on top of everything  he made me my fav cheesy dinner. Whenever im feeling like this my fave thing to listen to is “Life Aint Always Beautiful” by Gary Allen some of the lyrics just fit so well:

Life ain't always beautiful
Sometimes it's just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heart

Life ain't always beautiful
You think you're on your way
And it's just a dead end road at the end of the day

But the struggle makes you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And happiness has it's own way of takin' it sweet time

No, life aint always beautiful
Tears will fall sometimes
Life aint always beautiful
But it's a beautiful ride

Nice eh? … anyhow Thursday I unfortunately woke up with the beginnings of a cold and by Friday my voice was disappearing. I made a judgment call and decided to stay home Friday and try to get better. Sadly its now Sunday and I still have it. Oh well life must go on.

Bugs, Birds and Geckos..oh my!

Bugs: so some of you may have heard that the other day we had the BIGGEST flying beetle thing I’ve ever seen. Pics on the link below

Birds: I was walking home from prac one day after a huge thunderstorm and looked at the tree across the street and saw 7 or so parrots sitting in a tree. Kinda cool.  Pic below also.

Geckos:  Nate was cooking dinner one night and told me to grab my camera. Turns out the light from to kitchen was attracting the moths and bugs outside and so the geckos were climbing all over our windows catching and eating all the bugs. The prob is that they are fast skittish buggers lol so we got a pic of ones belly but that’s the best we could do. Its also below.

Pics: http://s636.photobucket.com/albums/uu81/mcawesome-in-aussie/Bugs%20Birds%20and%20Geckos%20Oh%20My/

On another note I uploaded the mothers day videos to youtube as well as papas video . Unfortunatly they blocked the sound on papas video (boo) but the other ones are ok. Links below:

Little Guy : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdb1Nzjq_hI

My little girl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaLSJfm7Ktc

Papas Video (without the sound) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp1a7FD0iBk

And Finally a song to make every country girl feel good about themselves:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ-Xl7ykddk

Countdown to the end of my prac: 2 weeks and 1 day

Countdown to the end of Nates prac: 4 weeks

As for right now, im not so patiently awaiting Nates home made lasagna....