Birmingham...aka the home of horrid children

I woke up Tuesday morning actually excited to go and teach. How silly was I???


Kelly (a fellow Nipissing grad) and I met in the city center and took the bus out to our school for the day. I had known where I was going to be teaching on Monday night so I was able to made a plan and map it out, a wonder feeling for a control freak like myself. Both Kelly and I had year 1 in the morning and year 5 in the afternoon. When I heard I had year 1 I had horror movie-like flash backs from the last year 1 class I had...thankfully this class was much better!


The regular teacher was fantastic; she had the classroom wonderfully set up and clearly loved her job. However, she didn't know that I was coming in so the notes she gave me to follow were for herself to read...so while I am sure they were crystal clear to here they were not for me. More like mud....or even tar. If the children weren't decently behaved I don't know how I would have managed! Splitting a class of unknown children into 6 literacy groups and giving them 6 different assignments is almost impossible! While talking to one group the rest of the students do.....what???? Get in trouble, that's what! Add on fact that I didn't really know what she wanted me to do and the result is she definitely will be re-teaching that lesson! But I promise, I really did try!


Play time (I quickly learned this meant morning recess) had me going outside with the children. Fine, I can handle that. What was ridiculous was the fact that the three teachers on duty in the primary yard (I use the term 'yard' loosely, we were literally locked into a giant fenced area) were ALL NEW TEACHERS!! I was the only one that had even taught in the UK before! By the end of recess I had 6 rackets (aka plastic hitting devices) and a skipping rope (believe it or not there were many creative uses as a weapon with it as well).  Awesome. So then, when the bell had finally rung, we lined the students up to go inside. This is the real kicker...not only had they stuck the three new supply teachers outside but they also failed to give any of us a key to get back into the school. We were literally stranded inside a fenced in 'yard' with 50 students. So much fun! I finally had to find a nursery (pretty much day care) teacher to come and let us in as clearly no one realized that we were still stuck!


So I herd, yes I do mean 'herd', the students back into the class (which believe me was not easy) and tell them to get their PE kits for gym. Imagine my face when I learned this meant for the entire class, girls and boys alike, to get their gym clothes and then change IN THE CLASSROOM WITH ME!!!! AHHHH!!! Hello lawsuit, my name is Alicia. It was horrifying. So I turned my attention to the prep notes cause there was no way I was going to help a child undress. I may be blonde, and Canadian haha, but I am not inviting disaster to knock on my door! I was rather confused when I read that I was to have students run around the hall while I shook a tambourine....um what?? Around the HALL?? Wouldn't that be slightly, I don't know, disruptive of the other classes??? After inquiring about these seemingly insane instructions I learned that the hall is 'UK speak' for gymnasium. SO glad I figured that out before parading the students down the hall with musical instruments!


Gym went well (aside for the time I was locked out of the gym due to a lack of keys to get anywhere in the school) so I was in a good mood when I went upstairs during lunch to find my year 5 room. Kelly and I literally had to search for it, we weren't shown around the school at all. Didn't even know where the bathrooms were. Then we met the teachers we would be replacing. They told the both of us that they would be rather 'tricky'. Tricky is code for 'this afternoon you will either cry, quit teaching or move back to Canada'. I wanted to do all three. Words can't even BEGIN to describe my afternoon. I kicked out 10 children, had a pile of at least 10 paper snowballs that were thrown at me, had the head (principal) come in twice to help and two other teachers to assist with crowd control. I didn't even get through the register (attendance) without help. I have never felt like such a failure in my entire life. I actually wanted to leave all my stuff and go home. How children can act like that is beyond me. I miss my Canadian children!!!!


Today (Wednesday) there was no work for me so I came home and went back to bed. So today I will relax, spend time with Lizz and clean the house. We have a friend coming for supper tonight so that is awesome, and CAILEY COMES TOMORROW!!! Can't wait!!


So here is hoping that the rest of this week goes well! I am going to spend the next bit looking into Christian schools here in Birmingham as surely they must be better behaved??