Time to graduate again

Two and a half weeks to go to the end of this school year.  I made it!  Term 4 is just mental, with report writing, swimming, Waterwise, children and teachers knackered, and let's do a musical production in the middle of it all.  For the heck of it.  Never again...

On Tuesday the kids will perform Around the World to students, teachers and parents.  It's pretty stressful pulling it all together, but it will be well worth it.

And then on Thursday, down to Rotorua to graduate officially from my teaching degree.  Hurrah!! It will be lovely to see some of the other distance students again, and it's always nice to tick off a year of study with the formal walk across the stage.  I wonder how it will feel in comparison to the last time I did it.  Unfortunately mum and dad can't join me this time, but Gregg will be there cheering me on.

Hang up the phone

I don't make a habit of posting about school stuff here for a number of reasons, but I just have to share this one.

This term I've introduced a new (mini) programme for half an hour every Tuesday: Science of Sound.  It is my one bit of the week that I really get to indulge in teaching my two passions: music and science.  Last week we explored all the different sounds you can make just with your body.  Yes, we're talking 12 year olds, and so it did include the most spectacular belch and a mini-fart, but they weren't expecting me to then challenge them to do it again without any movement whatsoever.  Needless to say, this added to their conclusion that SOMETHING has to move in order for a sound to be made.

Today each group of three was given 2 tin cans, a hammer, a nail and a piece of string.  I simply asked them to use hammer and nail to put a hole in the bottom of each can and tie the string through the hole.  Would you believe it, within minutes, they had finished this and spontaneously, naturally started exploring all the possibilities of their string telephones, full of natural curiosity.  I had not told them what they were making or what they were to do with it, but they came up with sounds and ideas with them I hadn't considered.

This, to me, is what teaching is all about.  Authentic, innate curiosity.  Children exploring in their own directions.  My main job then was to toss in some questions and challenges (How might the sound be getting from one end to the other?  If you twang the string, how can you make the sound louder or softer, higher or lower?  Are there any circumstances in which the sound will not travel along the string?).  They bounce off this, solving problems, asking new questions, and truly experiencing and learning about how sounds are made, transmitted and changed.  I have never been so happy as in my noisy classroom this afternoon.

Topsy turvy baking

For most of my life I have been known for being less than successful in my home baking endeavours.  Or maybe less than reliable is more accurate, especially when it comes to cakes.  Burnt on the outside, sloppy in the middle.  Badly risen.  Many cake ailments have troubled me over the years, so much so, that my opinion of myself as a baker of cakes is not very high.

Today I have proven myself wrong.  I have baked a peach and butterscotch upside down cake and it is spectacular!  Light, fluffy sponge, sticky gooey butterscotch, all holding together nicely.  Hurrah!  You've got to love the Be-Ro cookbook...

New Blog: In Our Four Walls

We have recently purchased our own little bit of New Zealand - a section of land on which we will be building (or having built) a house of our own.  It's simultaneously very exciting and exceedingly daunting, and feels very grown up.

I've decided to start a separate blog - http://inour4walls.blogspot.co.nz/ - specifically dedicated to the project.  I'll keep posting here about everything else, as I will still have a life outside of the Big Build.  I hope...

Mountain views

Auckland is so flat in comparison to Queenstown.  Landing in this beautiful part of New Zealand I was starkly reminded of how much I miss having access to proper mountains on the North Island.  A few token mountainous volcanoes, but then it's hills and more hills in the top half of the country.  The craggy peaks and gorgeous snowtopped mountains around Queenstown and Wanaka are breathtaking.  It has been an absolute joy to be surrounded by them for a long weekend.
Driving through Kawarau Gorge was quite mind-bending too - it transported me right back home to Scotland.  It is so similar to the drive from Banchory to Glenshee, I half expected mum to be waiting at the end with homemade soup and bread!

But would I want to live down here?  I'm not sure - much as it is a stunning place to live, the South Island doesn't really have anything by way of exciting cities, the flipside of the lifestyle coin that is just as important for me.  Hmmm...

We have had a brilliant long weekend 'holiday' down here: sailing on Lake Wakatipu on the old steamboat TSS Earnslaw, visiting our good friend Jane at Walter Peak Station, spending time with our other good friend Laura in Wanaka, tasting lots of wine, eating good food, going to the cinema (I have GOT to find one like it in Auckland - a lazyboy for everyone!), skiing at Cardrona (thighs burning) and soaking up the sights.  It's been a good one.  I can't wait to come back down for our proper two week holiday in January.

Check out our holiday snaps here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddballproductions/sets/72157631672665704/

Bledisloe highs

It has been on my bucket list, Gregg's bucket list and our joint bucket list for a long time.  We finally saw the All Blacks play live at Eden Park in the Bledisloe Cup match vs the Ozzies.  Our seats were right behind the touch line, and a try (in fact, the only try of the game) was scored RIGHT in front of us.  Ooooh, very exciting!  There was a great atmosphere, Mexican waves galore, nice bums and legs, and red noses for Comic Relief.  I wouldn't rush to see another game, but I'm glad to have had the experience.

Check out the pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddballproductions/sets/72157631672566710/

False sense of security

The new smoke alarms we bought the other week are making us feel much safer in our temporary home.  We'll ignore the fact that they don't have their batteries in them, are not mounted in the wall, are in fact still in their original packaging sitting on the kitchen table.  But the fact that they are there somehow makes us feel we have taken important steps to ensuring our safety.

Funny things, human beings.

Auntie Jo

2 weeks ago the exciting news came through that my sister-in-law, Kirsty, had given birth to a beautiful baby boy - Malcolm Thomas Odds.  Apparently he has the Beaton looks but the Odds attitude and height (or at the moment length really).  Welcome to the world wee Malcolm!

Report writing in the fast lane

I'm coming to realise that report writing is much like motorway driving in the UK.  It's the one main bit of the job that you are not fully allowed to do when you are still learning.  But once you're into it for real, you're supposed to, nay, expected to know exactly what you're doing.  And despite all the warnings, tips, suggestions from the more experienced, nothing can really prepare you for what is quite involved.

Writing reports for a class of 28 children is mental.  It doubles the normal teacher workload, I tell you!

Cla cla classy

The setting: Dance class in the school auditorium.  Cha cha cha couples dance with reluctant teenagers, boys vastly outnumbering girls.
Result: 30 year old female teacher mucks in and dances with 11 year old male student.

Male student: "Tell me when the dance is over so I know when to open my eyes."
Teacher: "Won't it be easier to dance with your eyes open."
Male student: "Not really, I know what to do with my feet, and I'd rather keep my eyes closed as I'm looking straight at your lady lumps."

So classy.

Provisionally Registered

I am finally a properly, officially (albeit provisionally) registered teacher in New Zealand.  Yes, if you go to the New Zealand Teachers Council website and type in my surname, you will find me.  Just wanted to share.

Front or top, hot or cold?

I have always been dubious of the general trend in New Zealand for washing machines to be top loaders and only cold wash.  Cold water never washes anything properly, and the top loader machines seem to make only  half arsed attempt at all stages of the cycle except the spin, reminding me every time of Kevin washing his dad's car (a favourite Harry Enfield sketch).

Today, my doubts were given foundation when I washed Gregg's work clothes in a front loader on 40C for the first time in, ooh, 9 years probably.  The colour of the water coming out of them... Eugh...

I rest my case, New Zealand.

Riding the Wave

I tell you what, I'm loving being a teacher.  At the same time, I feel like I've been hit full in the face by a tidal wave and I'm only just managing to keep my head above water.  Getting to know the kids, the routines, the school, the teachers, the layout, the computer systems, oh, and how to really be a teacher...  Full-on.

But it's good.  I feel I've properly landed on my feet with an excellent, progressive, well-run and supportive school.  I have felt included and welcomed from the very beginning, and supported at every stage.  I also feel that I am encouraged to try out things and think outside the box a bit, which is wonderful.  It makes a previous company I worked for seem seriously unprofessional and incompetent in terms of people management.  I can't gush enough about how amazing my colleagues and seniors are at this school.  I'm a lucky, lucky beginning teacher!

Recurring Dream

I realised the other night that the vast majority of my most vivid dreams always end up in the same place - the house we lived in in Belgium.  There will be details from other parts of my life - a dress I bought only recently, friends from Glasgow or Borneo, etc - but I'll usually end up back at the Rozenlaan house with a good amount of detail.  The plot is different every time, but all the other houses I've lived in barely feature.

I wonder why that is?  Anyone else have a similar experience?

Oh, and my flying dreams?  I swim through the air in a graceful breaststroke.

Month of Muchness

Well, March has been a month of muchness indeed!

I am currently finishing a fabulous placement at Taupo Primary where the children keep me happy and on my toes.  The result is simultaneous knowledge that I definitely want to be a teacher and concern that I may be completely incapable of doing this for real!
This will soon be put to the test, as last week I trekked up to Auckland for an interview and very swiftly I was offered the job.  So as of 23rd April I will be teaching a year 7 class (11 year olds) in Auckland.  Why Auckland?  Well, Gregg was offered a job there and so I go too!
Does this mean...?  Really???  Yes indeed, in less than a month we will finally be leaving behind National Park and Mt Ruapehu to give something new a go.  So of course we are both experiencing the full gamut of emotions that hurl themselves at you when you decide to make a big change.  And in no particular or reasonable order, and certainly not synchronised that we are both in the same headspace at the same time!

Great to have a challenge!

Endings and beginnings

As someone who is usually notorious for being aware of impending changes and getting (mildly?) wound up about them in advance, I surprised myself by realising that today marks the end of a particular era for me.  This is the last day of a year of home study for me.  As of Monday, I'll be on my final 5-week placement, after which I'm all done!  All being well, come 23rd April, I'll have a job of some description and that'll be me for the timebeing.

I've really enjoyed studying at home.  I have proven that I can motivate myself and get the work done, despite all the distractions.  And I've established myself a rather nice, comfortable routine, thank you very much.  I cannot WAIT to be a real teacher with my own class, but I will also miss the self-managed time I have had this year.  Not to mention countless hours of quality time with Mav the cat!  Maybe I'll rekindle some of my social skills now though...

I propose 2012 be a leap year...

Until this year, I had absolutely no idea whatsoever that there was a tradition regarding proposals and leap years.  I'm wondering how I missed this one - that in a year featuring 29th February, and only in such a year, it is acceptable for the woman to propose.  The tradition is so well (ahem) established, that I have heard 2 different versions: the woman can propose anytime during the leap year, or, a woman can only propose on 29th February itself.  Hmmm...

I have discovered that one friend of mine actually waited until 29th February 8 years ago to propose to her man. And two good friends have recently got engaged with a rather unconventional proposal, again felt to be even more appropriate considering the extra day in the year.

Does it make me naive or idealistic that I thought we were emancipated enough that it was fine for the woman to propose anytime?  Or does it just make me a spoilsport and a bit bah humbug that I find this tradition one of the sillier ones?

January - Keeping up the momentum

Another year and I realise I have continued to be hopeless at keeping any sort of momentum going with this blog.  My sister's list of 30 Things to Do Before 30 has inspired me somewhat to give myself a (realistic) blog oal for the year: I've refreshed the look and at the end of every month, I will post something.  No promises with regards to quality, and I may even post more than once a month, should I get the notion.  But there will be something there for anyone who wishes to read.

I'm full of all sorts of resolutions for 2012.  I have to say, the nice way the year has started bodes well for any resolutions: Lots of big fireworks for starters, and I began the year kissing my shiny new husband of, ooh, only 3 days.  Before 1st Jan was out we were on a plane to, well, London, but we were on our way to a jaunt in Paris and Antwerp.  Around these events was wonderful quality time with friends and family (see the photo links in the post below).  The tone has been nicely set and I'm feeling good about this year.
I plan to spend more time enjoying today and looking forward to tomorrow, than dwelling on the past.  A better balance of these three is both necessary and achievable for me.  Hand in hand with that comes greater decisiveness.
I will worry less about trying to please everyone else.  And I'm going to get in touch with and catch up with at least 3 people who I didn't get round to seeing last year.  No, these two resolutions do not contradict each other - I will be catching up with people who I want to see and will benefit from seeing.  In fact, I moved on that one only just today.  I phoned the lovely Emily and I am looking forward to seeing her in March.

I'm also really excited about getting back into study.  Ten weeks.  That's it.  Ten weeks and I'll be a teacher.  I've got study to do, placement to complete, and a job to find.  Watch this space...

In the midst of all this good-feeling, it was somewhat disheartening to, once again, return from National Park after a stint in the UK.  It saddens me that I don't feel 100% happy to be back in the village and house that have, after all, been my home for the past 3 years - that's most of the time I've been in New Zealand now.  This village is fascinating in feeling both free-ing and stifling.  It is full of lovely people, and provides a comfortable wee lifestyle.  But for me, it's too predictable, there is not enough variety, and it's starting to feel stale.  So here's to 2012 being the year of spreading wings, one way or the other.

A whole load of photos

I have just uploaded a whole heap of pictures from the end of 2011 into the start of 2012 to my Flickr page - enjoy!

October - November 2011: Fun and games in and around National Park.

UK Trip 2011-2012: What we got up to with family and friends over Christmas and New Year, as well as getting married (wedding photos will be uploaded separately soon).

Honeymoon: A trip to Paris and Antwerp.

Up North: Tiki-touring around South Auckland and Northland before heading home.