Breaking the Fourth Wall

Any teacher will usually tell you that you have to start strict with kids at the beginning, and then slowly ease up on your expectations of them over time. This is particularly true for substitutes; your day will be so much easier if you start the day as the boss in the classroom, and then end the day more lightheartedly. If you start too soft, you might never earn their respect or attention because they won't think it matters. Sometimes I feel like I have to act in a somewhat scripted manner, using words and phrases that their other teachers use regularly, even though they aren't words I would often use. It's almost a conditioned response, where the kids respond quicker to a familiar phrase than to a synonymous phrase because they don't have to really process what I have said. One of those key words I throw in often now is "sensible" or "sensibly". Aussie kids are often told to do something in a sensible way. I'd never say sensible in America unless I was talking about making a choice or something like that - not to describe a person or an action. But, I've noticed when I use that particular word, the kids are used to hearing it and they literally change the way they sit and look at me.

Anyway... today I was at one of my favorite schools where I rarely get to go. They don't often call the temp company that helps place me because they usually have their own subs, so they usually just call in situations where they are in a bind or need more subs than usual. I was placed a third grade class, and those can be hit or miss. Some are good, but usually by that age they have learned from experience that having a sub usually means they can get away with things, so they test you to see how much you will let them get away with. They will do this early and often, and it usually only gets worse the higher the grade. 

My third grade class today was exceptional, though. They weren't little perfect angels or anything, but when I started talking, they got quiet. When I explained something, they listened and asked insightful questions, so I didn't have to say the same thing 10 times. I could joke around with them, and they could joke around with me, but then get back to what they were doing (as opposed to just going off-track or taking something too far). They were really sharp and quick-witted, and they didn't take it personally if someone made a little joke about them. For example, some boy called out, "Are you married?" (because I write my name on the board as "Mrs." but look younger than kids usually think I am, they ask me this A LOT). Without missing a beat, another little boy calls out to the other boy, "Why, you looking for a date?". And everyone laughed for a second, but then we just kept on with the discussion. Some kids might get really embarrassed getting that kind of attention at that age, but these kids seemed to get that a joke doesn't mean someone is necessarily making fun of you, and they took everything lightly. 

They didn't whinge when I told them what they needed to do; they just did it. It was a total 180 from a lot of the classrooms where I end up. When they were finished with their work, some of them wanted to do more and write their own stories, instead of finding a way to goof off. The other great thing about this class was that they looked out for each other. For example, one boy reminded this girl that she had to go to her music lesson at the right time, so she wouldn't forget. It was very innocent and cute. This might not sound like a big deal, but I spend a lot of time getting some kids to show the tiniest amount of courtesy to others because some can be really defensive or not have much empathy. 

Perhaps my experience with this class is more telling of the other classes I have to teach, if these are the moments I take note of. In any case, it was an enjoyable day to be with a class that had so much personality, and I got to share a little bit of my unscripted self. Not to mention, one of the boys had a birthday and I got a big, delicious homemade M&M cookie. 

ROC and Craic

Mike was away at the big regional frisbee tournament this weekend, along with easily half the people we know in Sydney. I was doing fun stuff around town with the other half.

Saturday, I did the ROC at Olympic Park with two friends. It was a lot of fun, and I took some GoPro footage. I don't know if any of it actually came out well, but if it did I'll post some in the future. The most exciting obstacle was the "Leap of Faith", which is about a 20 foot free-fall into some air pillows. 

After that it was time to cruise to a few different breweries with some friends that had moved away from Sydney, but were back for a visit. The crew was predominantly Irish, and we had some good craic. One of our friends trains German shepherds in her spare time, and brought two along. One was Murphy, her dog we've seen before. The other one was Moose, who is GIGANTIC. Apparently, Moose was training to be a police dog but got fired because he was too friendly and wouldn't bite - too cute. They were very well-behaved companions, especially considering all the BBQ meat that was consumed in their presence. Mostly they just slept, which secured our perimeter. 

Now, time for a lazy Sunday afternoon bike ride.

Hip Hip Hooray!

It has been a week of celebrations of birthdays and of friends attaining citizenship (both in Australia and the US). Yay for love and friendship and diversity!

Not Normal

I am completely perplexed by the idea that the US government wants to reduce EPA regulations that protect the air everyone breathes and the water everyone drinks. There was JUST a water pollution crisis in Flint, Michigan, and I haven't heard whether or not that has been resolved. The next crisis can happen anywhere. Just because you don't live right next to a factory doesn't mean that you won't be affected by lax standards. It's a dangerous game of Russian roulette. 

I am perplexed that there are people who want the increase our reliance on fossil fuels when we have made great progress in the last few years in using renewable energy resources. There is no question that the fossil fuels on earth will only grow more scarce, and then run out altogether, very possibly in the next generation's lifetime. This is not an exaggeration or me trying to scare people, it's fact based on how much is left and how much the world currently uses. It is obvious that if a country wants to be world leader in the coming decades, it needs to harness renewable energy technology, and lead the development of new renewable energy technologies. Most developed nations take this stance and are slowly cutting back on their use of fossil fuels and increasing their use of renewable energy. There is a great opportunity for job creation in renewable energy. And yet, for some reason, the US wants to go backwards and keep relying on businesses and methods that are dying out. The people in charge want to pad their pockets and don't care about the future of anyone else, and I find it disgusting. It's not sustainable and it doesn't make good business sense.

The priorities of this administration are entirely out of whack, and this is not normal. It is not normal to censor research. It is not normal to get rid of laws that are there to keep people and animals safe. It is not normal for government officials to make up historical events when they are being interviewed. 

Booderee National Park

This weekend we went camping in Booderee National Park with a large group of friends. We stayed at the Cave Beach campsite, where they provided firewood and had very nice, clean facilities. There were a ton of wallabies, roos, pademelons, and possums that invaded camp. We also had a great dolphin sighting - I saw them from land, but Michael was lucky enough to see them close to him while he was in the water. It was a lot of fun and now we are exhausted and have a lot of laundry to do. 

Sylvester McMonkey McBeach

One Dr. Seuss story I end up showing my younger classes a lot if "The Sneetches" - it's lesser known than some of Seuss's other work. A short synopsis can be found here. It is a great reminder that knowing what really matters and what really doesn't can save you a lot of time, energy, money, and happiness in the long run. It's also a great reminder that there are people out there that are happy and able to profit from the ignorance of others.

Knit Wit

This weekend I learned a new life skill and I am officially knitting my first scarf. It seems strange to start knitting something made out of wool during a heatwave, but really it's the perfect time. You don't start knitting warm things when it's already cold. Then it's too late. Duh.

Heatwave

I've survived another week of teaching and facilitating, and it wasn't bad. I've been in air-conditioning during the workday, which has been so great while we have been going through a seemingly endless heatwave. Maybe once or twice a week we will get a little bit of rain and a short break from the heat, but then the temperature goes right up again to the 90's or above. I am completely over summer at this point. Hopefully after tomorrow the worst of it really will be over, but I'm not holding my breath.

Swiss Army Man

Having worked at a video store in my youth, I have seen a lot of weird movies over the years. Last night we watched Swiss Army Man, and I can confidently say it is up here among the weirdest. It's the story of Hank (played by Paul Dano), who is marooned on a dessert island when he finds a flatulating corpse (played by Daniel Radcliffe) that washes up on the shore. Hank finds a way to harness the corpse's flatulence in order for them to escape the island, and that's in the first few minutes, and then it only gets more bizarre. I cannot emphasize that it enough - it gets really, really strange.

I have to say, I enjoyed it. It was completely unique and unlike anything else I'd ever seen. It was whimsical, crass at times, and the characters' friendship that develops is actually kind of cute. "The whole time you're watching, you're wondering "Is this really happening? Is this in this character's head? Is there some weird twist that's going to happen?". I won't give anything away, but some questions are answered by the end. 

If you're looking for a macabre, surreal, buddy comedy, check it out. 

Thanks, Australia!

In Australia, once you have submitted your permanent residency application, you're eligible for the universal healthcare system. As of today, I am officially covered, for free. It's pretty wonderful. 

Househeating Party

We had a housewarming party on Saturday that ended up lasting 10 hours, in four parts. I think all the great get-togethers we have ever hosted have always had different components/activities/locations.

1. We started in nearby Prince Alfred Park, playing some lawn games and having snacks with friends. 

2. Then we moved to our apartment where we reached critical mass, ate many fingerfoods (mini grilled cheeses were a big hit), played some party games, and managed successfully utilize our metal laundry sink as an ice bucket that stayed cold for an impressive 14+ hours. Ninja was really good socializing with all our guests, and Eve made a timid cameo. 

3. Then we hopped over to The Eveleigh Hotel and were able to play the largest game of pool I have ever played with 16 people at one time (if you are familiar with the basketball game knockout, it was similar to that, and we had to re-rack the game three or four times throughout). It was one of the most impressively spur-of-the-moment organized, inclusive games for a large-ish group of people I have had the pleasure to witness. Our friend, Taffy, decided to act as a de-facto camp counselor and start it. Even the few friends who were there that aren't a part of the frisbee crew really got into it and had fun. 

4. After that, we went back to our place with a much smaller group of friends who still felt like carrying on, and we played a low-key game of Things and ordered Dominos. Apparently you can order poutine and knockoff churros from Dominos, and to nobody's surprise, both are terrible. Stick with pizza, Dominos. 

I already knew we had a welcoming, diverse, hilarious group of friends from all over the world, and it was wonderful to have an excuse to have them all over. Thinking about it now, we had friends over who hale from from Australia, US, Estonia, Wales, Malaysia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Croatia, and Colombia. The house was significantly warmed - figuratively, and literally. We were all sweating because we have no air conditioning and it was in the 30's Celsius. And still, nobody really cared, everyone was happy to stay for hours and hours and hangout anyway. 

A-B-C, it's easy as 1-2-3.

It was a decent first week back to school. The beginning was off to a slow start, but then I worked at a special needs school and a familiar, very diverse public school. 

I have worked at special needs schools before, but even this was a new experience for me. For most of the day I was in a classroom with seven children who have severe cerebral palsy; five of them were in wheelchairs and they were all nonverbal. It is a very different teaching children who have limited capacity to display their emotions and thoughts. More of the teaching ends up being about social skills, very very basic life skills (like older students might learn how to wash dishes), and just generally having routine. A lot of their day is spent with the aides attending to their various care needs - mainly toileting/changing their diapers, and eating. I even had three who don't eat orally at all; they had feeding tubes with some kind of formula. That blew my mind thinking of how much I love food, thinking of how they never get to just enjoy something as simple as a piece of pizza. I've always had good classroom aides, and these women were exceptionally good. It is such a demanding job. If they're lucky, they get thanked with a smile from the children they are constantly helping with every basic need. If they're not lucky, they might get punched or have their hair pulled by some of the older children that can get unhinged at times, when trying to communicate. Anyway, the people at this school are all heroes in my book. I was there for a day; they are in the trenches day in and day out, just so these kids can have some semblance of a normal life and make tiny progress every day. 

At the other school where I worked this week, I am a familiar face. It's one of the few schools where a lot of teachers and students know me by name. When I say it is a diverse school, I mean that very often I am the only even half half-caucasian person in the room. The students tend to come from various countries in Asia and the Middle East. Almost every class has at least two kids that are new arrivals who barely speak English at all. I was in a classroom for two days with a lot of kids I've taught before, and they predictably put me through the ringer for the first day. The second day they were a little more fun and we were able to do cool stuff, like build bridges out of popsicle sticks for STEM. 

I already valued education, but these experiences in my first week reminded me of the importance of ensuring that all children in a community have equal access to education. With the future of education uncertain in the US because of reckless choices being made at the top, I am thankful that I work in a country that has an amazing public school system that really does respond to the diversity and needs of their different populations. 

NPS Love

It's no secret that Michael and I LOVE the US National Parks and their staff. They have done incredible conservation over the years and really set the tone in the early 1900s for other countries to protect and take pride in their own natural beauty. In addition, the parks educate future generations through their wonderful programs. Michael and I have visited many of the parks over the years; I particularly have a special place in my heart for Yosemite and Yellowstone, and grew up with all the Washington, DC national parks and monuments practically in my backyard. I just wanted to dedicate a little post to them to show my continued support of what they do. 

1984

I have been at a loss for what to say lately. If there is anything I can urge people to do at this time of instability, it's to stay informed through multiple reputable news channels/websites. Yes, all media has some kind of bias, but that is not necessarily a bad thing as long as you recognize it. I also highly recommend that everyone seek out and read news that is biased against their own personal beliefs. Find out what the other side thinks, and why. Find out and think about how and why they are spinning the same info you are hearing from other sources. Check the source and cited material to validate its accuracy and context. Question if something doesn't seem right. Turning a blind eye is no longer adequate. In addition, seek out and make note of what has happened that is not being reported and consider why, especially when some big shocking event seems to be happening that is dominating the news cycle.  This is obviously trickier, but having multiple news sources helps with this. Pay attention. If you don't, you deserve what you get. 

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"It's called a changeover. The movie goes on and nobody in the audience has any idea." 

                                                                                    - Fight Club