Week Three

Wow. Just wow. Week three is already done. In just three months, I will be back in the States for Christmas break. I have been in St. Lucia for five weeks, and I am amazed at how far we have come from the initial culture shock.
Despite my fears about grade one, I am already seeing amazing growth in my students. My students are getting better at having listening ears on and controlling their voices, something that stressed me out when I first started. My students are buying into our "team and family" culture, where we encourage, respect, and love each other. After just three weeks, my students give me several hugs a day and tell me that they love me. During read aloud time, students make predictions where they start off their sentences by saying, "I predict..." (I find this to be a big win for grade one students.) My students love love LOVE props, something we did in Milwaukee to encourage each other. So far I have taught them Ballin, Hot Chili Pepper, Two and a half claps, firework, and the Incredible Hulk.
Kirsten and I have both been asked by the church to teach piano lessons and Sunday School. They are giving us time to settle in, but I am sure we will be off and running with those activities in a few weeks. It is interesting to have a separate church and school, something that we would not have if we were teaching back in the states, but we enjoy getting to know different people and being able to build relationships with a variety of people.
The highlight of my week outside of school was probably eating brats for supper last night. We splurged $20 EC ($8 US) for five brats, and it was the perfect way to end a busy school week! Nothing like brats to remind you of home.
"I can do all things through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

First Full Week of School--Check!

It completely blows my mind that I am a real teacher. 

The first three days were full of meeting my 17 grade one students, setting up routines and procedures, and team building. I have been incorporating several things I learned while I was teaching in Milwaukee, such as sitting in STAR, tracking the speaker, Do It Again, props, A LOT of positive framing, and 100%. Holey moley, is it a lot of work to establish this kind of culture in a new setting! Consistency is the key. My students are adjusting well to the routines and procedures, but it is still early in the school year. I am excited to see their growth as the year progresses!

This year, I am teaching Language Arts, Math, and Health. My first week of lessons was hectic. I would come home from school and be completely exhausted. I am just assuming that is just the life of a teacher. At the end of the month, the special classes start, which means I will have FREE TIME during the day when my class goes to Library, French, Spanish, PE, Computer, Dance, Tennis, and Swimming. For now, we are filling in our free time with Language Experience Stories, read alouds, sentence writing, and lesson extensions. 

Grade one is definitely a challenge for me. I am not used to having students call out without raising their hands. I am not used to having students come up to me and poke me to get my attention. I am not used to having students tell me random stories that have no connection to what we are talking about. I am not used to having to repeat myself over and over and over again. I am not used to having to use simpler words that six-year-olds understand. We are currently working on staying in our seats and raising our hands to talk and having our listening ears on. Again, consistency is the key.

While I was teaching in Milwaukee, I was reminded that you choose your attitude, and your attitude effects everything. I am choosing to be positive. I know that God will bless my work here. I know that I will grow to be a better teacher. I know my hard work will pay off. I know that there will be difficult days, but God will work them out for my good. When I was feeling down the other day, God gave me the words I needed to hear: "I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." (Isaiah 46:4)