why I've not been blogging...report writing

To put my chaos in perspective, there are 19 students in my class. Each one needs a lengthy paragraph for each of the following areas of the curriculum that I teach: language arts, mathematics, social studies AND student conduct/behaviours/attitudes. One such paragraph I've copied for you below, so you can get an idea of the task that is ahead of me. If you're doing the math, that's almost 80 paragraphs in total...oh yeah, I also have to give each child letter grades in about 15 areas of math and language arts--these are specific areas of our program, such as "can effectively compute all four operations of mathematics mentally"...

XXX is one of the students who have been in the PYP way of learning for her entire schooling and this definitely is evident in how she conducts herself each day. She is an inquirer: always striving to know more on her own or in a group (such as how to solve an interesting math puzzle). She is a thinker: pushing herself to show others her knowledge and newfound skills (like a new origami sculpture). XXX has a great deal of wonderful talents—in her ability to see things in innovative ways to try systems of solving a challenge that others may have not tried, and she is caring. XXX shows her friends and her teachers that she enjoys their company and wants to engage them in appropriate play or conversations. XXX has done considerable growing up this term and yet her self-confidence is still intact and she attacks most of her day with enthusiasm. XXX’s few struggles each day lie in her work habits. After coaching and direct assistance, she still cannot prioritize her time consistently, nor can she find assignments or important papers because her desk, cubby and backpack are bursting at the seams with unfiled work and miscellaneous memos or notes to herself. XXX will need to adopt a system of keeping herself organized next year with her many courses, subjects, teachers and classrooms, or her marks will suffer. XXX’s affection and lovely smile will be missed in our hallways next year, but I know she’ll give middle school her 100% and I look forward to hearing about the great things she’s up to next year. Best of luck, XXX!

It Ain't Rocket Science!

...or maybe it was...?


(for the geeks among my readers, notice M's name of the rocket is ENTERPRISE...)



Younger M and I just spent a weekend with a handful of other St. John's families at Euro Space Centre--what a trip it was! (AND let me leave that sounding as ambiguous as it is intended)!

In a nutshell here were our activities:

• human gyroscope participants
• space shuttle simulator pilots and Houston ground crew staff
• moon walkers/flag planters
• satellite technicians in 1/6 gravity
• centrifuge trainees/guinea pigs
• rocket engineers
• rocket pilots and recovery operations technicians

so now to the details...

It started with a very early Saturday morning ride in the teeming rain, sprinkled liberally with sleet, sheering winds and a good dollop of hydroplaning for 1.25 hours down the E411 towards Luxembourg. We didn't experience the hydroplaning ourselves, but the Mini Cooper right in front of us who swerved to take over a BMW was not so lucky. The Audi I was in manouvered gracefully to avoid being part of that tin crunch. Thankfully I wasn't driving: Peter, another parent accompanying his 11 year old volunteered to pick me up from my home and take all four of us. His child (A) is a student of another grade 5 teacher, and very (shall we say carefully...) active...M was a gem dealing with the antics of this only child of a very busy family with privileged status. We got to the location right on time, but the Centre wasn't ready for us...this was the beginning of a host of mis-communications and culture clashes for our (mostly north American and UK) troupe of 7 dads and 2 moms.

As we arrived, we got in, had a cup of coffee and then hunted the building for someone who looked in charge. When we found the individual, she said we had come in the wrong door, and to go out, around the construction site and down the hill to the lower doors. Of course, since it was raining still the adults sent the kids on ahead, and what did my little guy do, but wail about how A was beating him in an unfair race and then because he was doing more whining than navigating, slipped in the puddles and went ass-over-teakettle...right into the soaking wet grass. Not a happy kid! (I'm pretty sure I heard the SH_T!! word...).

We were the same number as they expected, but a few substitutions occurred since the documents had been received by the Centre--namely boy children for girls and dads for moms who had originally signed up. This meant that there were 10 boys overflowing two dorm rooms, 7 dads sharing a 5 bed dorm and one teen girl on her own while the two moms also had a dorm to myself. The hostess was beside herself when after that was dealt with (I volunteered the two women sleep with the 13-year old girl), she asked, "so, where are your sleeping bags?" to our blank stares and sputtering replies. It turns out our information said to bring nothing, and the centre's information had said "nothing will be provided". The joke was on us when with borrowed sheets and with handed-down towels we found there wasn't so much as a soap shard available for a shower in the morning. Five-star accomodations, these were not. If this activity happens again, I'll be sure to let the organizers know what lists of things we should carry to make the comfort of our cushy expatriates predictable (starting with the travelling mini-bar, a soccer ball or frizbee and a score of DVD's).

The day improved from there and we enjoyed engaging with the simulators, exhibits and models for the rest of the morning. Have a look at the video I've provided here of M in the gyroscope that simulates the freefall experienced by the Apollo 11's re-entry, July 1969.

Fun before the fall break

Have you heard of Pieter Brueghel? Here in Belgium, he's a darling of medieval art. In St. John's he's the focus of our second unit of inquiry that allows children to explore how "every picture tells a story". This is the Friday before the fall break (how sweet is this: no thanksgiving long weekend...instead we get a full week off school to revive ourselves and cruise into the christmas season!) and to finish off our lines of investigation about art, Benelux history, medieval anthropology and math involving time and calendars, we're headed into the gymnasium to play similar games to those children in Antwerp might have played in 1560, as immortalized in Brueghel's painting called Children's games (shown here):

In this painting there are more than 250 children playing over 80 games. This afternoon, the P.E. Department of St. John's has set up more than a dozen hand-made replicas of some of these activities so that the children can experience them for themselves: hoop racing, knuckle-bones, whipping tops, jousting (modernized by use of a mountain bike), "bowling", barrel riding, etc. We'll have more than 60 kids, from four grade five classes participating in mixed groups, experiencing for themselves what it might have been like to play the games of their ancestors. We've been very lucky obtaining the equipment for the afternoon: a kinesiology professor at the University of Leuven has made these toys for the sole use of schools wishing to reinact this particular part of Belgian history for children. We're all looking forward to this, so I'll be sure to take pictures and let you know how it went!

On the job again....I can't wait to get on the job again...

I'm a working woman once again, and have survived one almost full week with grade 5's! They're smart, keen, full of energy, clever, crafty, chaotic, coniving, funny, earnest, fragile and more! They seem like a cast of thousands, but I've only got 22...I think I know them all by first name now and have even met some of the parents (a much more hands-on bunch than my high school near gradutes' parents EVER were!)

Here at St. John's International School, the kids graduate from elementary school at the end of grade 5 and are responsible for an elaborate and very lengthy project at the end of their year. This is the culmination of all their international baccalaureate skill building for the last 5+ years and requires research, oral, visual and performance presentations as well as organized group work, independent work and parent involvement. It's a big deal and the entire school community takes it very seriously. One of my tasks will be to facilitate this and provide students with the fine tuned skills of organization, inquiry and rigor that the international educational system demands. We'll definitely be learning together!

Here's a picture from last year's exhibition to give you an idea how detailed some can make it...the topics this year have to do with international things kids can relate to, such as the diversity of access to healthcare or safety, discrimination based on things they've already experienced, and what peace and conflict really means in their lives. Think of a science fair but for social/world studies/social sciences and you'll be close...

So now this is the last hour before the christmas (and since this is a christian school, we have just finished the decorate-the-tree-baby jesus-star-nativity scene-pagent type of festivity--parents sign consent to the christian mission and values so these assemblies are expected) and the kids are all gone. The teacher I'm replacing is up at the staff meeting being rejoiced by her colleagues, and I'm staying out of the fray to let her have all that limelight...there'll be time enough for me to get to know the rest of the staff when we come back in the new year. I'll be reading furiously to get up to speed with the students' work to date and to what the exhibition is all about. I've met the other team members and it looks like I'll enjoy working here--provided that I can pace myself and transition well in the parents' eyes, the admin's eyes and most importantly, in the children's eyes.

As a last word, my son said this morning, "Mommy, where are you going?" I said, "to work". Malcolm thought about this for a second, then said, "Ooh! Now you can pay all of those bills daddy's been collecting!" I hope it will be much more than a paycheque, but that I'll be feeling capable and competent once again, as a (start the music) "hard workin' gal"!