Kia Ora

I know that I have found my calling in life, and working with children and helping them discover themselves and learn is the most fulfilling thing I have ever done. I have such bright Kiwi students, and they have taught me so much already in the short time I have been with them. I have quickly learned all of the children's names in the class, and I am really settling in quite nicely at the school. The staff is so wonderful here, and I am treated like a staff member and not just a student teacher. I feel as though they really value what I think and believe. The students are really starting to get into a routine since it is the beginning of the year here. It sure is exhausting setting up that routine though. The students are starting to understand what they should be doing when and that is very important. It has been incredibly helpful to see how the beginning of a school year is set up and what needs to be in place in order for there to be success. Overall, I would say that the children are very well behaved, lovely children. I reckon that I have gotten quite good at my teacher stare and using nonverbal cues to get students on task. The children are really listening to me, and comprehending that I am also their teacher. Since there were only three days in the school week last week I mostly observed and led small group activities. I also got to see the testing that takes place at the beginning of the school year to split students up into their math, reading, and spelling groups. I was also fortunate enough to grade those tests and to see what levels the students were at.