Monday July 9^th 2012

Day One at Mountain Creek State High School

Today was absolutely incredible. If I was excited before, I am ten times more excited now. My teacher and I got along great as we went from session 1 to session 4. The school day begins at 7:30am so Melissa and I arrived at 7am. We chose to walk from our apartments so we leave just after the sun rises around 6:20am. Yes it is a long walk; however it’s much better than paying for a bus fare. Once we got to the school we signed in with the office and they helped direct us to our sub-school staff house ‘Bribie’. The school is divided into 4 sub schools each holding their own staff house. In this large office there are about 25 desks and Melissa and I even got our own desks for the next 9 weeks. It’s basically a building filled with teachers and their belongings. It has a huge table in the middle people eat and work at. There is also a small kitchen and a hallway with toilets and showers. I feel I can become very much at home here. I want to bring pictures and some of my own personal things to my desk to make me feel a bit more comfortable. The day is broken up into 4 sessions. Seniors (year 10, 11, and 12) attend school from 7:30am-12:55pm while juniors (year 8 and 9) attend school from 10:30am-4:05pm. Each class lasts 70 minutes and it sure does go by fast. For each session I got a small feel of the students I would soon be teaching. My host teacher guided me through each class and the expectations for it. I feel very comfortable and so eager to learn more. Session 1 is a year 10 class held in the fitness room. Basically the students learn and practice correct techniques in weight training. This is the one class Melissa’s teacher and my teacher work together which is a plus. Session 2 is a year 12 theory class. The topic for the term is ‘binge drinking’. At first I thought this was just considered a unit. However this is the topic for the entire 11 weeks of the term. I was so shocked to find out that what I begin to teach in each class is what I will still be teaching by the end of my 9 weeks. So many differences already and I have only just begun. This year 12 class seemed to be less interested and interactive. I hope I can come up with some neat ideas to get them interacting with me as I teach. I look forward to trying new ideas especially in a classroom setting. After session 2 we had morning tea which is a nice break. We basically just had a small snake and got back to work! Session 3 was a year 8 class however we had a assembly. It was a bit chaotic at first and I felt overwhelmed with students just walking everywhere. I can’t wait until I feel more in control. At this assembly the students were checked for attendance and also had their uniform and appearance checked. It seemed pretty intense because I have never been in a school with uniforms. I think it is smart they are strict in a sense it keeps everyone unified. After that, the students separated into their sub houses. Bribie students and teachers went outside to discuss athletics day which is to be held on Wednesday. This was a year 8 and 9 assembly so they are fairly new to athletics day. My teacher and other physical education teachers had recorded some of the students’ scores throughout other terms to determine which sport a student would be best at. They called out the students name and the list of which the student will compete in. Not all students were chosen and some students had many things on their list. It was a bit uneven, but I think the competitiveness controls these choices. Basically from my understanding, on Wednesday the students will all be bused to the University to compete in areas of racing, throwing, and jumping. All students attend and the 4 sub divided houses compete against each other. Bribie is the color red and Melissa and I get to work the events representing our team! Session 4 came along and we will usually have a year 12 psychology class, however today they were at a seminar. The day flew by and here I am at my desk by 1:45pm. My teacher and I organized the rest of the week and decided on where I will jump in. I will be teaching aerobics for the next 9 weeks and am starting with warm ups for 2 classes on Friday. I am more than pumped for this to begin. I am also going to start in a theory class as soon as possible. This seems to be very well organized and I know I will be enjoying each moment. When I can I will take pictures so I can post what parts of my school I am in! I feel so lucky to be in a school with such ease and organization, all my fears are fading.