Last College Assignment

Here's my last ever college assignment... a journal of my student teaching experiences here in Scotland.  This is something I have had to do every week since I've been here, but here's the last one.


Topic: CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES!

1.     Describe how this experience has influenced your teaching or mindset as a teacher, or in general.

I have learned how to accept different ways of doing things.  It has opened my mind up to listen and accept others’ point of view.

2.     What unique teaching skills have you gained by choosing to student teach in an international setting? How are these skills unique to your experience overseas?

I have learned how to adapt my lessons to specific classes.  Since I was teaching the same thing to two classes, I learned how to plan what the characteristics of the students were and what I should teach them during class periods.  I am not sure if this experience is unique or not because at my US placement I would make sure both classes learned the same thing every day, but I also had to adapt lessons when things didn’t work.

3.     Describe any personal influences from this experience. How have you grown as an individual in your thinking and perceptions of the world? How have your perceptions of the United States changed? How will these personal influences impact your teaching, and ultimately the students in your classroom?

I have learned how to behave appropriately to match the country I’m in.  It has helped me to understand this part of the world and hold a true appreciation of it.  I was not very knowledgeable of the Scottish people before I came, but I feel I know a great deal now.  It’s been good to live outside of the US for awhile and see how people view the US.  I have seen that there’s not just one way of doing things and that although the educational system here seemed weird to me at first, now I can see its value.  This will allow me to be a more understanding and adaptable teacher.  I will be able to help my students better by teaching them in different ways and appreciating their diversity.

4.     Describe one professional and one personal success (or special moment) that you had while abroad. Tell how this will impact the way you will teach and interact with colleagues and students in the future.

A professional success happened during my first lesson to 1Y1.  I thought I was teaching the fourth lesson in the chapter, but I was supposed to teach the whole chapter starting with the first lesson.  I was able to plan my lesson quickly and teach the first two lessons in the chapter during that class period successfully.  Personally, I found myself successful getting around the UK independently.  Not having a phone or a friend with me, I was able to use maps and buses to get around to different parts of the country.  The first experience will teach me to plan better, but since I will have my own classroom in the future, that shouldn’t be a problem.  I will also be able to share my experience with my students to encourage them to go to college and study abroad.

My Last Full Weekend in Edinburgh

Well, I'm completely exhausted... it's been a long weekend.

FRIDAY
At school, the S1-S3 students participated in the Olympics!  I helped out with the biathlon (swimming & running).  Luckily I finished early and got to watch [field] hockey and football (soccer).  I really enjoyed watching the hockey and cheering for my students.  I am looking forward to seeing the results tomorrow. 
After school I went to Calton Hill.  That's this big hill with some monuments and great views of the city.  Then I walked down the Royal Mile and headed to the National Museum of Scotland.  I found that extremely boring so I didn't stay long.  Maybe it wasn't so boring, but I had been to London's wonderful museums the week before and it was 4:00 by the time I got there so I was already tired.  Then I went to Elephant House to have a mocha and a sweet.  This is where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter.  No big deal.  There were elephants everywhere though, it was wonderful.  Then I headed to Greyfriar's Cemetary to get a proper look at Greyfriar's Bobby since last time I was there it was dark.  Then I headed back to my room and called it an early night.

SATURDAY
I spent most of my day at Cramond Island.  When the tide is low, you can walk to the island by a path or through the sand.  I walked through the sand on the way there and the path on the way back.  I saw lots of little crabs in the sand, which was really cool for me.  The island itself was not very interesting.  I sat down and read a book for a little bit.  The tide was coming in so I headed out and went back to my room for the rest of the night.  I took some wonderful pictures, but I lost my camera so unless I get it back, you will never see them.

SUNDAY
Today I went to Holyrood Palace, the Queen's Scotland home.  It was very nice.  Then I walked up Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano.  It took me about 3 hours to walk to the very top and back down with only a couple short breaks.  It was great because I had a 360 view of the city and the firth.  Then I had dinner at World's End - haggis, neeps, and tatties and cranachan for dessert.  How Scottish of me!

I will add pictures tomorrow probably (for Friday and Sunday).  My computer is being goofy and I'm very tired.

Homesick

Well it took me about 7 weeks, but I'm finally homesick.  It's absolutely gorgeous here today (I wore a dress!) and so I sat at the park for a while after school.  When I got up to start walking back I smelled someone grilling.  Then it hit me.  All the smells and summer feelings made me miss home.  I think I've lasted so long because the weather and overall atmosphere here is very different from what it is like back home.  Now that the weather here is catching up, all I want to do is go home, sit by the pool, grill some delicious food, and drink margaritas.  Only 10 more days til I'm home!  I can't wait!

Masterchef Competition

School went just fine today.  I did get to eat lunch outside, which was awesome.  Today was the nicest weather in Scotland since I've been here!  It was in the 70s (Fahrenheit), which is about 30 degrees higher than it has been... awesome! 

The real fun, though, started after school.  I got to be a judge for the school's Masterchef competition.  There were 13 applicants (4 of my students).  The students could either choose a sweet or a savoury dish to make in 1 hour and 15 minutes.  What all did I eat?  Let's start with the sweets.  Chocolate brownies, Dorset chocolate mousse cake (finalist), chocolate caramel slice, chocolate tart (finalist), profiteroles (finalist - my student!), strawberry tart, fudgy banana muffin (finalist).  So 4 of the students who made sweets are moving on to the finals.  The savoury dishes:  cheese and bacon pasta, fish and chips (my student - almost made it), potato curry with rice (finalist), salmon and broccoli tarts (finalist - my student!), Indian chicken curry (finalist), veggie curry (finalist - my student!).  That means there are 8 people that made it to the finals.  Why 8?  Because the judges couldn't compromise on 6.  The finals were supposed to be next week but since lots of the students are in France, it's the following week.  Damn, that means I won't be here for it.  It was a fun experience, though.  Plus, I got a free dinner out of it!

When I got back "home" I checked my e-mail and I got some wonderful news.  I have been selected for the Southeast Student Spotlight!  I answered a bunch of questions about school and my life for them.  Not sure when that will be posted, but I will attach it when that happens.  Here's the link to the recent Student Spotlights so you can get a feel of what it is: http://www.semo.edu/spotlights/students.htm

A Truly Magical Day

Today I went to WB Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter. In no words can I describe to you how absolutely fantastic this place is. If you in any way even like the Harry Potter movies you need to get there as fast as you can. I'm sure it will be open for a long long time though.

I got to see original sets, props, and other magical things. I even tried some [delicious] butterbeer. It is just absolutely incredible how they were able to create such a magical world.

Pictures are worth a thousand words right? (Maybe more when these are your pictures.) 

When I got back in the city I decided to check out Westminster Abbey with my spare time. I got to see it on Easter but it was great to be able to walk around and spend more time looking at the sites. I also sat by the river for a bit.

Then I went back to the hostel to pick up my suitcase.  My coach left on time but due to construction, I got into Manchester later than expected.  It worked out just fine though.  So I spent pretty much 12 hours on a coach bus.  It was awful, but cheapest way to travel I could find.

My trip was absolutely fabulous.  I am very lucky to be able to do these things (and grateful I had the money saved up).

Marvelous Museums

It's amazing how closely I am sticking to my original plan. I went to the Natural History Museum first. It was incredible (and free). I started in the volcano section which actually made me quite sad because of all the deaths they cause. Shout out to my friend Kevin for surviving one! Other natural disasters, how life began, ...and dinosaurs! I loved that. Lots and lots of fossils. It made me really want to have a Jurassic Park, Land Before Time, and Night at the Museum marathon. Ben Stiller would have had his hands full at that museum! They also had a part with mammals. The giant whale was really cool! Alright so that was about a 3.5 hour museum trip.

Then I headed next door to the Science Museum. Maybe not my best idea because I'm sure I was too tired to get the most out of it. They had all sorts of American space stuff. Why are we giving this stuff to England? I really enjoyed it but it seemed weird they had a bunch of our stuff. I went on a short 4D ride to the moon and back. Only money I spent on the museum tho besides food. The museum also had a lot of planes, trains, and automobiles (yes, I did that on purpose). There were a lot of computer activities so I wasted lots of time there. I basically skipped the fun hands-on stuff because I was running out of time and much of it was like the St. Louis Science Center. I did make it to the awesome math exhibit before the museum closed. As a math nerd, it was pretty great. Wish I could have went during my time at SEMO - it would have given me inspiration and help with my math papers and presentations. So then at like 6 or whatever time it was, the museum kicked everybody out. So thats my story of how I spent 8 hours at 2 museums.

I took the tube back. But I lost my day ticket so I had to spend an extra £4.30 on a one way ticket. That sucked. Decided I would go straight back to my hostel/bar since my feet are in absolute pain and I'm wiped out from my day.

Harry Potter tomorrow!

London, my new love

Today was a-maz-ing. I got into London at 6:45am from my coach bus. Sitting in a bus that long and trying to sleep is difficult, but it wasn't too bad. When I got in I went straight to my hostel. I changed my clothes and such and I got rid of my suitcase. My hostel is above a bar. How wild is that? Then I headed for Victoria station and bought a day ticket for the tube. I went to King's Cross station so I could get a Platform 9 3/4 picture. Success!

Then I got back on the tube and went to Trafalgar Square! This is where the Harry Potter premiere was. I know because I watched the live feed online last summer. Amazing. In the same place as all those wonderful celebs who hold a dear place in my heart. I'm lame but I know lots of you understand where I'm coming from.

Then I started walking onto my next destination: The British Museum. On my way I bought a ticket to see Jersey Boys at 3:00 today. Only £20... Not too shabby. Alright so the museum was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. The Egypt pats were by far the most astounding but the Greece parts were a close second. I spent the first 20 minutes in complete awe. Jaw dropping. And its free! Can't get better than that. I spent about 3 hours in there. Could have slowed down a bit but I was worried about making it to my show on time. Had a great lunch at a diner where I typed all this up until now :)

Rosetta Stone

Jersey Boys was great! The theatre reminded me of The Fox in St. Louis. I sat on the side sort of but it wasn't too bad. I realized I like a lot of songs by The Four Seasons so if anyone could lend those to me that would be great. After the musical I took a walk and a tube ride and walked over millennium bridge. I went to Tate Modern but that was a mistake. I do not understand modern art for the life of me. And they had way too many exhibits you had to pay for - a lot of money too. So no thanks. Then I came back to my hostel. I am in the middle of a three tiered bunk bed. I guess it will have to do for 2 nights.

Ready for London!

Well, I'm all packed and ready for my trip to London this weekend!  I just had to go back since my first trip there was so short (if you haven't seen that blog, I think it's my third post).  Okay, mostly because I really want to go to the WB Studio Tour London to see the sets of the beloved Harry Potter series.  I absolutely love the books and movies and I am thrilled to walk on the set on Monday and see how the magic happened. 

So here's my plan:
My coach bus leaves Edinburgh at 10:00pm tonight.  I have to carry my suitcase down four flights of steps, but it should be smooth sailing from there. 
My bus arrives in London at 6:45am and I will walk to my hostel nearby and check in.  Hopefully they will take my bag so that I don't have to worry about it.  Then I will get some breakfast.
My plans for Saturday could change easily, but I think I will go to King's Cross Station first to take a platform 9 3/4 picture, then go to the British Museum.  After the museum I will go to the Covent Garden, Leicester Square, and Trafalgar Square.  Then I will walk across the Millenium Bridge and go to the Tate Modern museum.
Sunday plans really depend on how much I got done on Saturday.  But I hope to do both the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. 
On Monday I go to the Harry Potter tour and then I have a bit of free time before heading back to Edinburgh.  My coach bus leaves London at 7:30pm, stops in Manchester for 40 minutes at like 1:00am, and arrives in Edinburgh at 7:30am. 
On Tuesday I will upload all my pictures to facebook (which will take forever I'm sure).  I hope to write my blog posts each night and add pictures to them on Tuesday.

Week 5 Done... Almost

Wow, I can't believe it's already been 5 weeks student teaching in this amazing place.  I accomplished an amazing feat today - I have planned all my lessons for the rest of the time I'm teaching here.  That means I can spend my free time making my lessons better, wasting time, or possibly observing other teachers.  Hopefully I can watch some teachers from other subjects teach - that would be interesting.  I will ask about that next week.  Tomorrow is the Olympics!  Well, not technically, but each register class chose a country and tomorrow they are competing in Olympic events.  I get to help out with the biathlon.  I don't have the most interesting job, but hopefully I can finish early and see some football (soccer) or hockey.  I'm excited.  And there's always the plus of getting to wear jeans to school. 

Well, I spent my night applying for jobs again.  Six more applications out there.  If you are reading this and can get me a job for the next year (preferably teaching math, but I'm not picky), I'd greatly appreciate it. 

Getting the Hang of It

Well I'm into my fifth week of student teaching and it's going great.  Tuesdays are my hardest days because I teach four classes in a row.  That's still one less than I taught at my last placement, but last time I only taught three different lessons a day.  So that was a little tiring and the break and lunch were much needed.  The lessons went pretty smoothly today.  Right now I am teaching area of composite shapes, commission and overtime pay, and triangle similarity.  I will be moving onto new topics next week.  Monday is Victoria Day so I don't have school, and Tuesday is a teacher in-service and my coordinating teacher said that I should spend my day doing something more fun.  Don't have to tell me twice!  Even though I will probably spend Tuesday trying to recover from my big trip to London.  My planning for the weekend is going well.  I think I will museum hop since most of them are free and seem extraordinary.  Cheers!

Exploring Edinburgh

I slept in today and when I got up and checked my e-mail I saw that Gilmerton Cove had a spot for a 1:00 tour today.  So I got ready as fast as I could and looked up how to get there via Lothian Buses.  I was much more successful traveling via bus today - it's not so scary anymore.  I made it to Gilmerton Cove just in time for my tour, only to find out everyone else on the tour bailed and I was by myself.  No big deal though.  The lady in charge let me in for free and let me guide myself in the underground mystery that is Gilmerton Cove.  I had to wear a hard hat, but I totally pull it off.

Archaelogists and historians cannot figure out what Gilmerton Cove was made for - all they can do is take guesses.  This room may have been used as a baptismal font?  Anyway, it was interesting and the price is great, so make a reservation to see it if you come to Edinburgh.

While I was there I found out that I was very close to Craigmillar Castle, so of course I had to go!  So I hopped back on a Lothian bus for the short journey.  Craigmillar Castle was only 5 pounds for an adult and it was a hell of a deal!  It was my favorite castle I have been in thus far (including Edinburgh, Stirling, Dunlace, and Alnwick).  It was well kept but not commercialized.  I enjoyed how the rooms were all connected by different staircases and how the top was easy to get to.  I did not get too scared walking up any staircases either - they were much wider with rails or ropes to hold onto.  So if you are ever in the Edinburgh area, do yourself a favor and visit this castle.

When I left the castle I headed back to the city centre.  I decided while I was having a big day I might as well stop at the Scott Monument and cross that off my list.  It is my favorite building in Edinburgh.  Even though it's covered in soot, I still think the architecture of it is amazing - until I decided to climb up it - geesh! Can you tell how windy it was?  Probably not, but it was nearly 30mph so I thought I was going to blow right off and die.  Do this, but do it on a sunny wind-less day if possible.  It's only 3 pounds to go up and you get a "certificate" saying you climbed the 287 steps to the top.  The Wallace Monument needs something like that!  I had to climb up one of the "legs", then through the middle all the way to the top.  Scary.

Despite the crazy wind, I had a wonderful day exploring this glorious city and I managed to cross 3 more places off my list!  Living the life.  Back to school tomorrow.

Graduation Day + Inchcolm Abbey

Well folks, today is my graduation day.  Technically, just commencement because the graduation list will be finalized June 1 (my last day here).  I know that loads of people could care less about going to their graduation ceremony, but I'm not one of those people.  I was looking forward to having photo shoots with all my friends that I've met over the past four years.  It makes me really sad that I may not see some of them again (so if you want an invite to my grad party, let me know!).

The past four years have led to an undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Science in Education High School with a major in Mathematics Education.  I am graduating Cum Laude (soooo close to the next step) through the Jane Stephens Honors Program, with participation in Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Eta Sigma.  I worked my butt off to get there.  I was invited to the honors breakfast with President Ken Dobbins too.  This is why I wanted to go to my commencement ceremony.

I will just have to settle for getting my diploma and other certificates in the mail.  To take my mind off things, my flatmate and her boyfriend took me to Inchcolm Abbey.  We took the train to Queensferry then bought our tickets for the boat to Inchcolm.  We stopped at a wee cafe and had a snack - I got a banoffee pie (banana toffee)... fab-u-lous!  I need to figure out how to make that at home.  Anyway, we got on the boat that took us to the island and guess what we saw on the way?  SEALS!  How cool is that?  I have never seen a seal in the wild!

After obsessing over the seals we got to Inchcolm!  The abbey is beautiful.  Nothing too different from some of the castle ruins I have seen, but I really enjoyed it.  I think I will just post a few pictures and call that quits for the day.

I swear we speak the same language

There are so many words/phrases that they say here that are different in America!

School/Math List
Maths = math
Show your workings = show your work
Revise = review
Their decimal points are written right in the middle instead of at the bottom
BODMAS (brackets, order, division, multiplication, addition, subtraction) = PEMDAS (parenthesis, exponents, ...) -----> this means they don't learn exponents with order of operations
Jotter = notebook
Factorise = factor
Marking = grading
Exclusion = expulsion, expelled
Nothing = zero
Gradient = slope
Surds = answers left in square root form because they can't be simplified
Indices = exponents... okay, that makes sense
Reset = redo
Rubber = eraser
Corridor = hallway
Pythagoras = Pythagorean Theorem
Trapezium = trapezoid
Simulaneous equations = systems of equations
Supply = substitute teacher
Yufty slip = "you have to cover" slip
Cuboid = cube

Non-Math List
Cooker, hob = oven, stove
Chips = fries
Lift = elevator
Trainers = tennis shoes/sneakers
Mind the step/mind your head = watch your step/head
Wee = small
Note = bill of money
Rubbish = nonsense, trash
Digestive = cookie, biscuit
Aye = yes
Mental = crazy, omg
Jumper = hoodie
Bloody hell, bloomin eck = omg
Hoover = vacuum cleaner
Plaster = bandaid
Turning point = point of inflection
Nutters = crazy people
Lass = lady
Lad = guy
It's been donkeys = it's been ages
Rape = canola
Dogged school = skipped school
Loo, toilet = bathroom
Skittles = bowling
Mucking about = messing around
Coo = cow
Loch = lake with salt water
Ben = mountain
Glen = valley
Tea = dinner
Inverness = Inver means the mouth of the river and ness denotes the river ness
Inchcolm = inch is an island

I will add to this as I learn more.

Another Week Down

Four weeks of student teaching over.  That means I've been in the UK for five weeks and I have three weeks left.  It's going by quickly.

Today is another rainy day and since I am planning all sorts of activities for my remaining time, I decided to spend my half day inside planning the next three weeks and getting some chores done.  I don't know why I am spending all this money without a job waiting for me, but when in Rome, eh?  Now I sound Canadian.

My plans for the next 3 weeks:
May 12:  Inchcolm Abbey
May 13:  Gilmerton Cove

May 18:  Leave for London
May 19:  London (suggestions?)
May 20:  London (suggestions?)
May 21:  WB Studio Tour London - Harry Potter!!!
May 22:  Arrive back in Edinburgh (long weekends rock!)

May 25:  ??
May 26:  Edinburgh Zoo?
May 27:  Arthur's Seat?
This weekend really depends on the weather...

June 1:  ?? (last day student teaching)
June 2:  Craigmillar Castle?
June 3:  Fly back home

Kinda wanted to get a trip to Glasgow in, but that might not be possible.  Looking for suggestions on free/very cheap things to do in London next weekend! 

A Postitive Outlook

Today I looked at my planner and realized today was originally supposed to be the day I was coming back from Scotland.  Although my car accident was absolutely terrible, I am blessed that things are still working out for me.  I was originally going to come to Scotland, be in the classroom for 3 weeks, take a 3 week holiday, and teach again for 5 weeks.  With the help of SEMO, I arranged for me to stay at my first placement for a total of 9 weeks (with my recovery time in the middle of that) and my abroad placement for 7 weeks.  This still allows me to complete the 16 hours of student teaching my classmates were required to do, I just split it up a little differently.  This seven weeks instead of my original plan actually worked out better except for the missing commencement part.  I was able to fly over with my parents and travel before starting my placement, and my placement is in one big chunk instead of two smaller chunks.  That also cut down on costs of living/traveling over here.  So as awful as my accident was, I think everything worked out for the best.

A lot of my close friends and family are also probably wondering about my recovery.  My leg is great as you can probably assume by the amount of time I spend walking and climbing.  Sometimes my foot hurts, but that seems to be getting better slowly.  [Side note: I have no idea why my foot hurts! Maybe it was jammed under a pedal, I don't know.]  My arm is doing so much better.  The scar is still wicked (as well as my leg scar), but my range of motion is very close to normal.  Even if it never gets to the range of my right arm, it's not going to make much (if any) difference in my life.  Think about it - when do you ever need to hold your arm completely straight by your side in the real world?  Hardly ever.  So I'm doing great.  I like to think of myself as a little miracle :)

I found out today that I'm going to be a judge for the school's Masterchef competition in a couple weeks!  I'm excited (and a little nervous about what they will be cooking).  I'm so happy to be placed at a school that welcomes me with these opportunities.

Teaching - Week 4

This week I started teaching the third years.  I actually really enjoy them because they are more mature than my first and second year students.  Unfortunately due to not having school on Monday and they only have half a period on Wednesday, I only had 1.5 class periods with them.  My other classes are going well.  Second years had to take tests this week, so I had my students that were present do thinking/math games to improve their logical thinking and reasoning skills.

Today I made a big uh-oh... I slept through my alarm.  I have a cold right now so I think that affected my brain because I remember hearing an alarm far away and looking at my clock and seeing 4:30am, but that must have been a dream.  Anyway, when I woke up at 8:24 I immediately e-mailed my cooperating teacher and he was very understanding about it.  Luckily I didn't have a class first hour, so I made it in plenty of time for my class.  Embarassing though.  I'm just glad the faculty at Trinity are very very nice.  Even those outside of the maths department have been welcoming.  I am lucky to have been placed at such a great school.

MacBackpackers Trip

Oh man, I'm already worried about how long this is going to be and how I am going to limit the amount of pictures I add. Apologies in advance for the length, but if you have time, it should be worth the read.

So I booked a 3 day tour with MacBackpackers. Here's the tour details and a map of where we drove: http://macbackpackers.com/tour/3_day_loch_ness_and_skye

Day 1: We (29 tourists, most in their 20s) took off from a hostel in Edinburgh at 9am. Our first stop was The Hermitage, a national forest. The waterfall and river running through it was beautiful! After lunch in a wee town, we stopped at Ruthven Barracks. Then the group decided we would go on a whisky tour, so we headed for Tomatin distillery. I found that Scotch whisky was better than Irish whisky, but I still don't really care for the stuff. Next stop: the site of the Battle of Culloden. At this point I was completely wipped out and it was raining anyway, so I spent the majority of that stop at the cafe. Near that was the Clava Cairns (on right), piles of rocks formed into "igloos" used for burying people and a "calendar". Our last stop of the day was Inverness, the capitol of the Highlands. There, I stayed in my first hostel, which actually wasn't too bad. I also went on a pub crawl with some other people from the bus.

Day 2: We started the day of with Loch Ness. Absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately I did not spot Nessie. Some of the people on my trip were brave (or crazy) and went swimming in the loch, I only put my hand in. Then we stopped to take pictures at 2 different castles. One of them was where Made of Honor was filmed. So I got a little excited that I was basically in the presence of Patrick Dempsey and Kevin McKidd (a Scotsman!). Okay, now to the hardest part of the day: hiking to the Old Man of Storr. I tried to Google how steep up and how far the walk was and as far as I can tell, it's 2,359 ft high and about a 2 mile walk one way (but of course I walked back as well). Pictures from the hike:

Okay, so most difficult hike/walk I have ever been on. Ridiculously hard. But hey, I can say I've done it! After the exhausting hike, we stopped at Kilt Rock (named for the kilt-like "pleats" formed by the rock). Dinosaur footprints were found there! How cool is that? Alright, so second (third?) big adventure for the day: I tried haggis. Haggis is made from the innards of the sheep. If you think of it like a hot dog or sausage, it makes it more bearable. So my haggis was covered in oats so I got more oats than haggis. Not sure if that's cheating but I can cross it off my list. It wasn't too bad, but not too good either. I did feel more Scottish after eating it though! Now my flatmate says I must try black pudding (don't even look that up - you will regret it). Spent the night in hostel #2 on Skye, and I got the best bed in the room - no bunk!


Day 3: We had a large distance to cover to get back to Edinburgh, so there weren't too many stops. We went through the beautiful Glencoe. A glen is a valley, so Glencoe was formed through a bunch of mountains. During the lunch break, I took a walk down the valley to the river. Clearest water I've ever seen, so I had to have a drink! Then we got back on the bus and we stopped to see the world's cutest animals - hairy coos! (cows) I seriously love them, I mean, c'mon how adorable is this baby hairy coo? Okay okay, next stop: the Wallace Monument in Stirling. William Wallace was this badass dude who fought for Scottish Independence. He was also quartered, which means they cut up his body into four pieces and sent them off to cities across Scotland and England to prove a point. Gross. Anyway... they built this big monument to him so I paid the bit of money and climbed to the top. You think after walking up all these spiral staircases and mountains and such that I would be less scared of heights, but no. Still a little terrified, especially when the wind is blowing through the windows. So here is a picture of me after climbing all 246 steps (go me!). Then we arrived back in Edinburgh. Absolutely wonderful trip, but equally as exhausting. Took me 2 days to recover, which is why I am so late getting this out.

Also, if you're wondering why I wasn't at school on Monday, it's because it was May Day! I think I should look that up because I have no idea why it's celebrated.

Slacking

Sorry I have been slacking this week!  I don't have a good excuse either.

I taught both of my first year classes all this week.  We are learning ratio and proportion, which the kids are finding pretty easy, only a couple stragglers.  That's one of those hard things about teaching - some of the kids think it's too easy and some think it's hard.  The challenge?  Giving the kids the same amount of work that is at the level they are at - a very difficult thing to do in math day to day while remaining fair.  For the week I have been giving the fast kids a magic square to figure out - and they have really surprised me with how good they are at problem solving!  The slower kids have unfortunately had to finish their classwork for homework because that's the only way I can think of to ensure all the students are doing the same amount of work.  I also continued to teach my second year class - we have moved onto wages & salaries and I will be teaching that for the next 2 weeks.

Today was a half day! Yay for Fridays!  Since it was rugby tournament day for the first years, I decided to go watch that instead of sitting around planning lessons (especially since I have next week planned).  It was touch rugby and they are young, so it wasn't too official.  But they did have "coaches" that were college/professional rugby players.  How cool is that?

After school I got some food down by the Firth of Forth.  Had some curly fries... that seemed weird to me.  Then I went to the Royal Botanic Garden!  Not the prettiest time of the year to go, but the glass houses (the part you have to pay a "wee bit" for) were absolutely beautiful - and warm!

This weekend?  Loch Ness, Inverness, Isle of Skye, & Glencoe!  Expect an overload of pictures if we are facebook friends and a long blog on Monday (possibly Tuesday).  No school Monday because it's May Day of course!