Australian Culture at St.Ignatius

My first experience at my international practicum was unlike any teaching experience I have ever had before. St.Ignatius College is located on the northern side of Sydney and is unbelievably beautiful. As I walked up with Heather Kozin, the other BC student teacher with me, I could not believe that this was a school for boys from fifth to twelfth grade because it seemed even more beautiful than most colleges I have seen. Our supervisor came to meet us and he extremely nice and supportive. He came to Boston College to get his masters and said that he absolutely fell in love with Boson. After talking about BC and catching up on our experiences in Sydney thus far, he took us on a tour around the campus. The school sits on a peninsula and is surrounded by beautiful views of the water. He told us that some of the boys live on the other side of the water and ride their boats across the water for school everyday- definitely something I have never heard of! He also explained to us the difference between public and private schools in Australia. He said unlike the US where there are many great public schools, most of the public schools in Australia are not so good. He said that the public schools are mostly just for academics and there is no way to get involved or participate in anything outside of the classroom. He also said the resources in public schools are very limited, similar to what we see in urban schools in the US. Out of the four main private schools in Sydney, St.Ignatius is the lowest with a tuition of $20,000 a year. He said some of the other schools can go up to $40,000 which was amazing to me. Because tuition is so high, there are very high expectations from the parents. It was very interesting to hear that although there are many parents who have very high expectations for academics, there are even more who want their sons to excel in sports. I always felt like sports was very important in the US, but it is nothing compared to the importance of sports in Australia. People love there sports more than anything here and by sending the boys to schools such as St.Ignatius, they are increasing their chances of playing professional sport. At St.Ignatius however, they are the most well-rounded school with equal emphasis on academic and sports. Adam explained to us that their main goal is to make these boys good men by the time they leave.

This focus on being “good men” was very evident as the day continued. Adam brought us over to the junior school which is grades five and six and we went into the faculty room where many of the teachers were on break. All of the teachers were unbelievably friendly and everyone was telling us that we were always welcome to come into their classrooms. It was nice to see such a strong community amongst the teachers feel so welcomed by the faculty. We then went off with a fifth grade class to their library class. The librarian apologized to us in advanced because she was not feeling well and did not have an exciting lesson planned but it was not a problem at all because I still found it interesting! She was using a smart board to go over referencing skills with the boys. She had a bunch of different information such as the publisher, author, year of publication, etc., on the board mixed up and had the boys come up and try to put them in the correct order for a bibliography. It was really cool to see how excited the boys were to go up and move the words around simply by just touching them on the board to try and come up with the correct way. After the lesson, the boys had free time to read. I ended up sitting in a corner with a bunch of boys who were doing a trivia quiz game. They were so funny with their questions about America for me. They knew way more about the US than I expected them to know and I was also surprised with how many of them have been to the US. They were all so friendly and so excited to talk to us.

After library we went back up to the faculty lounge for lunch. They got lunch delivered and insisted that we ate with them. It was a treat to have fish and chips for free! Through lunch we got to talk to a lot of the different teachers about how they like teaching at the school and they all seemed to love it. They spoke very highly about the boys and all had such pride in the school. Through all my experiences in Australia the people have been very friendly, but at this school the friendly culture of Australians was extremely obvious. They even told us that they would ask around to see if any teachers were coming from our area to give us a ride to school in the morning! After we finished eating, Heather and I decided to go outside to hang out with the boys for their recess. As soon as we walked out, boys started coming up to us and shaking our hands to introduce themselves. Never have I seen boys this young be so outspoken and friendly, it was wonderful! They were playing all different kinds of sports including rugby, cricket, and American basketball. It was interesting to see how even though they were playing rough and being competitive, they were also very kind to each other and there was no fighting occurring.

After lunch the whole fifth and sixth grade had an assembly. The head of the junior school lead the assembly by asking the boys to raise their hands and share their intentions of anything they want to pray for. I was surprised to see how eager the boys were to participate but it was very nice to see. After this, the head of sports for the school came to the front and ran through the weeks accomplishments in sports. The boys stood up when he mentioned individuals and everyone clapped for them and their accomplishments. The head of the school then stood up again and went through merits that the boys received through the week and each of the boys got to stand up for acknowledgement. It was interesting that the boys received so much praise for their various accomplishments but I think it was wonderful. Not only were the faculty applauding for the boys but even their peers were giving them praise.

After the assembly we attended a sixth grade class on religion. It was very interesting to observe this class because I have never been in a Catholic school setting. The lesson was on lent and the objective was to get the boys thinking of ways they could “fast” without just giving up a certain food or a toy. The teacher had the boys think of behaviors or habits that it would be beneficial to do without. The boys came up with ideas such as swearing, being rude, being selfish, complaining, etc. The boys then had to come up with their own statement which they wrote on a scroll to hang up in the classroom. With the scrolls hanging around the room, it was supposed to be a reminder to the boys about their statement so that they can try to keep their commitment. While observing this lesson, I noticed many of the same teaching strategies that I have seen in the US. When the boys were doing things at their desks that they were not supposed to the teacher had them stand up for a few minutes. I also noticed when a boy was talking the teacher asked him to leave for a few minutes and come back when he was ready to get on task. The classroom was set up similar to many classrooms I have seen where the boys were sitting in rows in pairs. It seemed to be effective because the boys could collaborate with the person next to them but they were spread out enough that there was not constant talking. The biggest difference in the school was autonomy that the boys had. They did not have to ask permission to go to the bathroom and were responsible for getting to their classrooms without the teachers guiding them. They did not seem to take advantage of this autonomy and it actually made them seem very mature.

Overall, it was a great first day. I am very excited to get in and observe more lessons. I am also looking forward to teaching lessons while I am at St.Ignatius because it seems like the faculty will be very supportive of me.

INTRODUCTION & RESPONSE TO REFLECTION QUESTION 2

This Friday Kelly and I completed our first day of teaching at a school called Riverview in Sydney, Australia. Riverview is a private all boys Jesuit school located in a quiet suburb on a gorgeous campus. The institution is made up of two separate schools, one with students years five and six – where Kelly and I are placed – and the other with students years nine through twelve. While some of the students board on campus, others ride their boats to school or arrive by public or personal transportation. I was shocked not only by the beauty of the campus but also by how welcoming every member of the Riverview community was. All of the boys went out of their way to introduce themselves to us at recess, and share different knowledge they had about America or ask us questions about America or our time spent in Australia. The head of the school also had Kelly and I speak at the afternoon meeting to welcome us and all of the teachers were thrilled to have us in their classrooms observing and teaching. After only an hour of being there, I knew I was in for an incredible experience!

In the morning of our first day Kelly and I spoke with our practicum coordinator who told us all about the school and explained how, just like Boston College, Riverview strongly focuses on the Jesuit ideal of educating the whole person. After our introduction, Kelly and I spent time in a fifth grade classroom before lunch and a sixth grade classroom after recess. In the future, Kelly and I will be teaching in either fifth or sixth grade classes and will be working with a variety of different teachers. While the fifth grade class Kelly and I attended did library work, we had the opportunity to observe a religion lesson in the sixth grade class. Unfortunately, we did not have a chance to speak with the teacher specifically about how he planned for the lesson, but I did notice that he put quite a bit of thought into the lesson because it ran incredibly smoothly and was timed very well. The topic of the lesson was lent, and the teacher began the lesson by asking students to read an excerpt about lent and find the definitions for different words relating to lent. After the students had time to get dictionaries and find definitions on their own, he then went over these definitions with the class. Next, he asked students to read different behaviors people can give up or alter for lent that will benefit others, and asked students to come up with some of these on their own which he recorded on the Smartboard. For example, one student said he could give up complaining by thinking of others who are less fortunate than he is. Finally, the teacher had the students choose one behavior they would like to give up for the remainder of lent and had them record and decorate their sacrifices on scrolls that he planned to hang up in the classroom. Based on these observations, I found the lesson very similarly structured to lessons I have observed and taught in America. Like my previous experiences in America, the teacher included a range of activities in one lesson to cater to various different learning styles allowing students to express their knowledge through writing, speaking and drawing. He also switched from class work to individual work to group work and used different teaching strategies to ensure that all students had the opportunity to reach the lesson’s objectives. During the lesson, the students sat at their desks arranged in pairs, which is also very much the same as the American classrooms I have worked in. The materials were also comparable to those in America, such as the Smartboard, worksheets, dictionaries and religion workbooks.

The only challenge my teacher faced during this lesson was classroom management, which is where I observed the central difference between his teaching style and the teaching styles I have observed in America. Whenever a student did not listen to instructions or failed to stop talking when he was told to, the teacher had him stand up until he was ready to focus again. I had never seen something like this in America, and was surprised at how well it worked and how little distraction it caused in the classroom. I think that this is an excellent strategy, especially when working in an all boys classroom, because it allows students to stretch their legs and take a break when they are feeling antsy instead of punishing them and forcing them to remain seated and still. The teacher also assigned more homework to a student who failed to listen at the end of class, which was always a threat that I had witnessed in America but that I had never before seen enforced. Despite this difference in classroom management strategies, I did not yet observe any striking differences between Australian and American teaching styles but am sure that in the future I will discover more.

Similarities and Differences

Normally, my second class teacher is very hurried, so Emmy and I do not get a lot of down time to talk with her. However, since I went on a different day this week, I was able to observe an atypical day. Every week (not on the days we usually go to Scoil Bhride), the students have swimming at a local gym for about 45 minutes. This was very helpful, because not only did I get to watch the children learning in a different setting, but it also gave me a casual, relaxed atmosphere to talk with my CT. We talked a lot about the similarities and differences of American and Irish schools.

One of the main differences that I noticed right off the bat is that Ireland, or at least this area of Ireland, does not have the typical private or public schools that we would normally think of. Basically, all schools are public, and they are all Catholic, though a fair amount of students are not actually Catholic. My CT made it seem like religion was not too pervasive in the school system, since it is a public school. However, it is hard to tell, since in the class Emmy and I are in, the students are working towards their First Communion in a few short months, so much of their time is devoted to learning the prayers. While the children are not forced to take part in the Catholic aspects, it is so interesting to me that this school is essentially like an American public school. It seems to reflect the laid-back Irish culture in that parents do not seem to complain that their children are exposed to Catholicism when they did not sign up for that type of school.

One similarity that I noticed was that this school, which is considered disadvantaged (though I never would have guessed), like many of the American disadvantaged schools, has a lot of recently immigrated students. Many of them come from northern Africa or eastern Europe, and some of them are currently in the process of learning English. Also, at this disadvantaged school, along with many in America, a large number of students come from single-parent homes, or have parents that are currently in jail. I was shocked about hearing about some of the home lives that many of my students came from. One difference I noticed is that unlike in America, where underachieving schools usually receive less funding, my CT told me how they actually get more funding here, which actually makes sense. Twice a week, they have math specialists that come into the school and work with students to help increase their achievement levels. In America, it was only the wealthier schools I taught at that had the extra support from specialists that came in multiple times a week. The Irish system of doling out school funds definitely seems to make more sense to me. However, another similarity to American schools that I noticed was that it is typically the same four or five kids that are pulled out during certain subjects. In nearly every school I have taught at, it tends to be the same group of kids, in each subject, each day, that get pulled out. Although it is understandable that certain children who need help likely struggle in all subjects, it does seem that being pulled out so consistently can give the children a complex when they are put back into the classroom for those subjects.

It has been really interesting observing the classrooms, and seeing just how similar and different they really are!

A Typical Day... and My Last Day

As I have stated before the students in my class at Scoil Bhride do not switch classrooms or teachers for different subjects, rather all the instruction is given by my CT within the classroom. On Wednesdays, the days that we visit, the students do not even leave the room for specials. They have two breaks from instruction during which they eat a snack and their lunch and then play outside. In addition to this they also do art in the afternoon, but this is taught within the classroom by my CT, and because it is last in the day is often only rewarded to the students if they were able to get through all that was planned for the day.

There is no rigid schedule that the teacher must follow because the students spend the whole day in her classroom. This allows for maximum flexibility in planning and scheduling instruction for the day. My CT tends to follow a general schedule doing Spelling and Religion in the morning, followed by Irish, Science, Math and Reading. While this tends to be the general pattern of subjects, several of the days that I have observed, she has strayed from this pattern. Therefore there really is no typical day. Some days she will spend more time on certain subjects as she feels necessary, while other days subjects will not be included in the daily instruction at all. Sometimes she will incorporate Handwriting practice into the schedule as well as Creative Writing where time allows. She generally does a homework check as the first thing in the morning, however, on some days that are slower getting started or more kids arrive tardy she will complete a homework check during break rather than wasting additional time. Her instruction also varies greatly from day to day using various techniques and methods such as reading and math stations, partner activities, class activities, direct instruction, instruction using the SMARTboard, work in workbooks, etc. The variety of instruction is used to maintain the students interest while also choosing the best method to fit the objective and available time of the lesson. She tends to do a lot of group activities and stations on Wednesdays also to take advantage of having Kesley and I in the classroom.

From my observations I feel that my CT has done a great job of keeping a flexible schedule in her classroom to allow for distractions of special days and school events. Last week for example, the students spent a large chunk of the day practicing for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Because of the extra time dedicated to this practice, there was less time spent in the classroom. Therefore my CT decided to do review practice in many of the subjects, rather than attempting to cover new material in a shortened period of time. Today was also a less typical day, as it was Kelsey and my last day, and the class was also preparing for a school assembly on Friday and their First Communion which is quickly approaching. Despite all of these interruptions to instruction, she embraced these distractions. In the morning the students took the time to practice their songs and skit for the school assembly. They also then had a practice for their First Communion in the church during the afternoon. Despite the busyness of the day she still managed to fit in a small celebration for our last day. Rather than trying to fit in all of the subjects, she decided to cut out Science, Religion and Art for the day, and focus more closely on Spelling, Math and Reading. I think this flexibility helps the day to run more smoothly and benefit the students more directly. I hope that I will be given such flexibility in designing my schedule and planning instruction, because I think this is often the best way to meet the students’ needs and teach to the class rather than following a rigid curriculum and schedule.

Today was my last day at Scoil Bhride. It has been an amazing experience and I am lucky to have been given the opportunity to work in such a wonderful school community. I have learned so much about the education system in Ireland and will benefit greatly as a future teacher from the insight I have gained. It has been a great journey. Thanks for reading, I hope you have enjoyed!

A different perspective...

Today, I was able to observe the other senior infant classroom. This gave me a chance to compare the two teachers and classrooms. There were many similarities between the two of them, but what was most surprising to me was how many differences there actually were.

Both senior infant teachers are excellent at engaging their students and using their culture. The teacher today exemplified this with the use of a cheese sandwich for writing. She actually made cheese sandwiches in front of the class. Although this doesn't sound very appetizing to me, this is a favorite of the Irish children. She made sandwiches with bread, butter and cheese then sliced it up for the class. They had to write step by step instructions focusing on words like "spread" and "bread." The students loved it, especially since they got to eat cheese sandwiches as they wrote!

Although the activities were similar, especially with math and the smartboard, the atmosphere in the classroom is completely different. First off, the desks in this classroom are in a horseshoe. Any teacher knows what a different dynamic this creates than a classroom with desks in groups like the other class has. The students all face the teacher which creates less distraction, but also discourages group work. The students do not work in groups unless they are moved to the back table. This is very different than my other class which has a group activity for almost every lesson. As I mentioned in a previous post, my other CT utilizes the space in front of the smartboard, even though there is no rug space. Since the class is in a horseshoe, there is no need to do this, so the students stay in their seats. I would assume this would make the kids fidgety and inattentive, but the atmosphere in the classroom is quiet and orderly. Where my other CT gives the students a little freedom to be silly before putting a stop to it, this CT scolds any behavior right as it begins. While she does this in a nice way with a look or gesture, she still makes sure every student is in line. I think this makes the class run smoother and helps to manage their time, but it definitely takes some of the excitement out of the activities.

While I think both teachers are excellent, it surprised me how different their classroom atmospheres were. It was really fun to get a chance to compare the two this week!