When I left Scoil Mhuir I had to pick up the 15B again and then connect to the 74A. I waited at both stops for 10 minutes or so, but since it was a sunny, fairly warm (by Ireland standards) day I didn't mind. I rode the 74A a few miles to the Yellow House, which isn't really a house. It's a pub. I turned right at the Yellow House, up the hill, and found the blue gates that lead to St. Mary's Boys National School. The secretary led me to one of the classrooms where Brittnee was located. We went to the teachers room to chat. About ten minutes later it was tea time, so all three of my student teachers were in the teachers room and we caught up over a cup of tea. After the 10-15 minute break and the teachers dispersed, the student teachers expressed some of their experiences and concerns thus far. Our students observe very quickly that the Irish school system is different than ours, and the most glaring difference is in classroom management and discipline. It doesn't necessarily exist here. What our students have been taught, and what worked in the states, doesn't necessary work as well here. They need to be creative in discovering ways to engage the students differently. They are bright kids here in the Irish schools, but there is always a lot of chatter and not a lot of respect for the student teachers. That disarms our kids a bit. They are not used to that type of classroom and/or behavior. I gave them a pep talk and assured them that they will be better for the experience and to embrace the opportunity that they have. They all have great attitudes so I am sure they will be fine.
When I left St. Mary's I had to catch the 16 or 16A back to city centre. The bus was very crowded coming into the city at noon and took about 35 minutes. It dropped me off right across from Dunne's, the grocery store near my flat. I headed home, but first stopped for lunch at the Larder. I might have to change my rule about not eating in the same place twice. I forgot how much I liked that place last year. I had a wonderful BLT on toasted sesame bagel with couscous and salad greens as my two side dishes. By the way, bacon here is not the same as home. It is more like Canadian bacon, or ham, but it's not like ours. It's not bad, it's just different.
After lunch I headed back to the flat to do some school work. I also was anxious to log onto my laptop so I could watch the Steelers game via my slingbox and Tivo. I made sure not to log onto the Internet (Facebook, blogs or websites) where the outcome may have been mentioned. I thoroughly enjoyed the game (mostly the second half!) as the Steelers won in grand fashion. (Note the use of grand. They say grand and brilliant a great deal around here.)
Tomorrow it is on to St. Colmcilles Junior and Secondary, to check in on "the boys", my three male student teachers. Bus 15 should get me there. We shall see...
2 comments:
So interesting about the discipline or lack thereof in Irish schools... I would have thought the opposite. Must be challenging!
It is interesting. It works for them though. The kids are bright and insightful. But it proves to be a HUGE challenge to our student teachers who get frustrated when the things that worked at home do not work here.
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