Week 16 – Personal

I can not believe it is the day before I am to begin my journey home. It feels like only yesterday that I arrived in University Trails and was shown my apartment that I quickly learnt to call home. My last few days here have been very jam packed with last minute sightseeing, shopping and taking many pictures of the beautiful campus. I was lucky enough to share my last week here with my boyfriend Darren who surprised me by coming to visit! He was very sneaky and had managed to get my friend Sarah to pick him up from the airport and was left in Walmart whilst Sarah played cool and got me for our weekly shopping trip. I was walking around Walmart when all of a sudden I heard a familiar whistle and there he was. I am pretty sure to this day that I rugby tackled a few families out of the way so that I could get to him!

It was interesting listening to his perspectives of Oxford as I had become so familiar with everything and everyone that I had to be reminded that I was an international student! I enjoyed showing him around the university and Oxford. We even went for a quick trip to the Ole Miss Museum which I had known very little about. One of the highlights about his visit was when we got to go to Graceland. I had never really been a big fan of Elvis but that was all down to having heard very little of his music. On the tour we were able to see around his house however we were unable to gain access to the upstairs as Elvis had always believed that the upstairs was private and only meant for family.

In my opinion Elvis had quite a unique taste in decor with his walls being covered in very thick carpet (yes the walls, not just the floor!). I got to see the famous jungle room which actually does look like a jungle with its different shades of green carpet and a small pond decorated with leaves at the back of the room. I was surprised to hear that he bought Graceland for only $100,000 considering the amount of land that came with the mansion. We enjoyed walking around his gardens and his garage whilst admiring the wide range of cars Elvis had collected over the years (including the pink Cadillac). We finished of our tour with a look around his private jets and boy did Elvis know how to travel in style! The main jet named after his daughter included seats made of dark green leather, belts made of gold, a full dining table and two king sized beds.

I have just finished the last of my packing and already feel the welling of tears as I remind myself that I am leaving Ole Miss. I know for a fact that I will miss this place a lot and have already promised to come back and visit friends. The memories created in the months here in Ole Miss will remain with me forever and will always hold a very special place in my heart.

Week 15 – Professional

As finals approach the atmosphere around campus has tensed up as students rush around handing in last minute assignments and attending their last classes for reviews before their exams. However in comparison to the feeling of dread, fear and anticipation that I have felt building up around this time at home due to upcoming exams, I feel the opposite here. I feel more confident in my development. The additional advantage of having small tests along the way shows how I have been progressing and I feel a surprising sense of ease and only a small amount of tension about my upcoming finals. Another big difference about finals over here is the added bonus of being able to take some of my exams on Blackboard from the comfort of my own bed! This has made learning and assessment a lot more enjoyable as I’m sure you could have guessed.

The exams here differ from the ones back home as well due to being more selection type based assessments. For example the majority of my exams have been multiple choice questions with having the opportunity of earning a few more points with personal answers to a few open ended questions. There is also no time limit on any exams that I take within the classrooms however the online exams do have a time limit. From my classroom management and assessment class I learnt that there are three parts to multiple choice questions. The stem is the question or statement presented needing a solution. The alternatives are the choices available and the distracters are the incorrect answers.

My understanding of formative and summative assessments has also been developed through having to produce 5 different types of assessments that I used on my teaching practice and identify which ones are formative and which are summative. As I was teaching such young children I was unable to use any tests as the majority of the children can barely read or write their own name yet. I made a KWL board which helped me to engage in discussions with the children about what they already know on transport, what they would like to know and finally at the end of the unit we would look at what they had learnt together. I also was able to follow a simple guideline and produce my own cooperative checklist. I used my observation skills to assess how well the children worked cooperatively. My other 3 types of assessments included a smiley faced questionnaire, a list of verbal questions that I used during my lesson and finally a small, short and basic worksheet that I used as my summative assessment to assess the children’s understanding at the end of the unit.

I have already completely finished two of my classes and with only two more to finish this incoming week I am beginning to enjoy last minute sightseeing at the weekends. I intend to see as much as I can in my last 2 weeks here in Ole Miss as I know I will miss it a lot once I return home. 

Week 14 – Personal

It is scary to think that now I only have 3 weeks left in Ole Miss. I have been reminded of this a few times this week as our professors are beginning to ask us to reflect on our courses and how we have felt about the Ole Miss Campus and education system. I firmly believe that I have learnt so much this semester and I believe a lot of it is down to having fantastic tutors, engaging classes and challenging yet rewarding assessments. Kelly and I both agree that we have been blessed with the classes and professors here and I personally feel that I will go home with a more in-depth and greater understanding of multiple education issues.

I have noticed that along with growing professionally, I have grown personally in a number of ways. This week was rather hard as someone I loved dearly unfortunately passed away at home and I found it a real struggle being here when I believe I was needed more at home. I found myself having to put on a strong front and still attend classes when I would rather have been elsewhere. It was hard not being able to say a final goodbye by attending the funeral but I was comforted with the thought of much happier memories which I focused on as I realised there was nothing else I could do. Being away from home at such a time has not been easy but I am proud of myself for sticking it out and continuing on as normal as possible.

One of the main things I will miss when I leave Ole Miss is the independence that I have gained from as they say ‘learning to stand on your own two feet.’ I will not deny I have made some funny mistakes while here. For example I recently discovered that sometimes I was using fabric softener rather than detergent to wash some of my clothes. Of course upon discovering this I was a little embarrassed to say the least! But I have learnt to always make sure I read the labels and to not make assumptions based on observations alone. We always encourage our students to not see their mistakes as failures but rather opportunities for improvements and I couldn’t agree more! As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, ‘all life is an experiment.’’The more experiments you make, the better !’ 

During my time here I have also learnt to cook (without burning my food) which to me is a huge success! My dad was always teasing me saying that I would set of the smoke alarm even from making toast and he was not far from the truth. However I am now not only cooking decent meals for myself but have also found pleasure in baking. (To my surprise and delight my cupcakes seemed to have gone down a treat with my roommates as they quickly disappeared!) I will not deny that when I first arrived I was living of a diet of ramen noodles every night but as the weeks passed I began to try-out new things and through trial and error have developed a much healthier diet! I have also taken advantage of the free exercise classes offered at the Turner Centre at Ole Miss and have worked hard to get my fitness level up, something of which I am proud of!

My time at Ole Miss has helped me to step out of my comfort zone. I am thankful for the opportunity to do so as I would not have done otherwise and I am looking forward to returning home and being able to cook dinner without setting of the fire alarm! 

References

Deonaraine. R, (2003) Power Quotes to energise your life, Lincoln, iUniverse Inc  

Week 13 – Culture

Its strange how after 3 months here I have easily settled in to the routines and environment surrounding being a student at Ole Miss and I find myself calling it my home. I have even adopted an accent (albeit a terrible one!). One of the main culture differences I have found does not regard what I see but rather what I hear in the language and slang used at Ole Miss. There are many words I hear that have the same meaning at home but are either different or pronounced with a real Southern drawl. I find myself not only adopting the accent but also the slang and have been told on many occasions by Americans that I don’t have a strong ‘Northern Irish’ accent. When writing essays for some of my classes I have also identified some differences in the spelling of some words. For example colour and colour. Between myself and Sarah we came up with a short list of words that we have noticed mean the same but are entirely different due to our cultures.

Northern Ireland                       ​Ole Miss​

Boot		Trunk
Lorry		Truck
Trolley		Buggy
You All		Ya’ll
Rubbish​​​		Trash/Garbage
Tin		Can
Biscuit		Cookie
Police officer​​		Cop
Curb​​​		Kerb
Favour​​​		Favor
Favourite​​		Favorite
Behaviour​​		Behavior
Humour​​		Humor
Postbox​​​		Mailbox
Que​​​		Line
Trousers​​		Pants
Smack​​​		Spank
Bum​​​		Booty
Jumper​​​		Sweater
Holiday​​	Vacation
Bun ​​​	Cake

Along with the accent and slang I have also fallen in love with the fashion style over here as it is very country, with cowboy boots and hats galore. (I even bought my own cowgirl hat which I will proudly wear when I get home…let’s hope I don’t get too many funny looks!) That said it is interesting comparing what I would be wearing at home to what I wear to classes here which normally consists of Nike shorts (also known as ‘norts’) and large baggy t-shirts. Even though it still feels weird in comparison to Stran, it also feels incredibly relaxing being able to wear shorts to class. It is also important to keep in mind that as we now head into the spring/summer months the weather here has greatly improved with some days hitting temperatures in the high 70s which is much nicer than the cold, dull days we are used to at home! (Over here they use Fahrenheit rather than degrees Celsius)

I have found it interesting comparing the American beliefs about Northern Ireland with my own background knowledge. When I was in New Orleans (getting none other than a chocolate covered Oreo of course), the sales assistant recognised the difference in my accent and continued on to ask where I was from. After I answered saying I was from Northern Ireland he then proceeded to state that I ‘must be protestant then!’ At the time it was hilarious and everyone around burst into laughter. In hindsight I find that it was remarkable to hear that the first thing that Americans associate with Northern Ireland is the Troubles and the segregation amongst Catholics and Protestants. I have been asked many questions about such a time and I have found that my information is rather limited. In comparison every student from Ole Miss has had information surrounding the Civil War firmly planted in their education and I have made it a private mission to find out more on this topic as the weeks go on.

Week 12 – Personal (Easter)

This past weekend was the highlight of my time here in Ole Miss so far. My friend Sarah was kind enough to invite me to join her and her lovely family for the Easter weekend. Sarah lives in Terry so it took us roughly three and a half hours to get there from Oxford and that was including a 20 minute stop in Sonic for dinner (which was delicious!).

We drove to New Orleans on Good Friday morning and it took us just over 2 hours to get there and again that was after a quick breakfast in Waffle House. (Their waffles are to die for!) After eventually findiing a parking space we quickly checked into our hotel and left in our luggage. We stayed the The Wyndhem Garden Hotel which was thankfully right in the middle of New Orleans meaning that everything was within walking distance. We headed straight for the French Quarter which is the most picturesque and colourful section of the city. The area is also known as the Vieux Carre meaning ‘old square.’ The buildings in the French Quarter represent a blend of both French and Spanish influnce, with Cafe Du Monde being a main attraction serving beautiful coffee and exquisite ‘beignets’(french dounuts covered in powdered sugar).

We walked around Jackson Square which lives in the heart of the French Quarter which dates back to 1721. We took the opportunity to go explore St. Louis’s Cathedral which dominates the square and is the oldest cathedral in the nation. Just in front of the cathedral is a 20,000 pound statue of General Andrew Jackson on his rearing horse. As we dandered around the square I saw many different artists displaying their work for all the visitors and the famous horse drawn carrigies are patiently awaiting tourists to give them a tour of the city. (However at $15 per person we thought it was much better and cheaper to walk!)

As we wandered further into the French Quarter I overheard stories of pirates, priests, elegant families and their slaves and even practitioners of Voodoo who had long called this neighbourhood and the unique houses their homes. As we continued our sight seeing it continued to amaze me at just how many small cafés, bars and restuarants there ae scattered everywhere. It has been said that New Orleanians do not eat to live but rather live to eat!

We finished of the day by taking a street car ride through the Garden District which is one of the city's premier neighbourhoods. It is 65 block district which was built in the 1850s and known celebrities such as Brad Pitt have bought houses there.

Our second day very much consisted of trying to buy presents for friends and family back home and I have also fallen in love with the masks which can be bought anywhere in New Orleans. The masks are usually worn around Mardi Gras however they also make great room decorators! We finished off our trip by taking a stroll down the infamous Bourbon Street which is known for having a carnival atmosphere with its many nightclubs, strip tease shows and alcoholic concoctions! When we arrived back in Terry we called it an early night due to the exhaustion from walking everywhere and feeling very full from the delicious foods.

Sunday was a very relaxed and enjoyable day which began with a visit from the Easter Bunny! Sarah and I awoke to a basket full of fun treats and chocolate which quickly disappeared after the Easter church service. Her granny and uncle both came to join us for Easter dinner and they were full of many questions about Ireland which I was only too happy to answer. On Monday before we drove back to Oxford Sarah and I enjoyed a quick shopping trip to Jackson and enjoyed lunch at Peppers.

I was very sad to see this weekend come to an end and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing many new sights and meeting the lovely Terrys (this is also Sarah’s second name which is ironic since she comes from the town of Terry!) To conclude, it was an unforgettable Easter full of many fond memories!

Week 11 – Professional

As part of our effective classroom management and assessment practices class we had to produce our own classroom management plan this week. I had to include my philosophy of classroom management and discipline. This enabled me to expand my knowledge on an area that could possibly determine my success as a teacher.

Children need to feel respected and once there is respect established then the children will respect me as their teacher and in turn my authority. Classroom management in my opinion involves the rules, routines, procedures and structures of a classroom and these should be majority the teacher’s responsibility. However in contrast, discipline is to do with self-management and self-control. Discipline is the student’s responsibility. I agree with Spencer Kegan’s belief that discipline is something that you help the students to acquire in order to help them behave more responsibly. Discipline is not something you do to students but rather what they obtain.

Classroom management and discipline is very important in as it provides the foundation for the success of both students and teachers. It helps to foster a friendly and respectable relationship between all members of the class. I do not believe that all students come to school knowing how to act responsibly and therefore need to be shown and taught from day one. Discipline is important in securing the children’s cooperation in learning and exercising self-control. One of my main goals as an educator regarding discipline is to teach my students to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner not only when I am in the classroom but also when they are left unsupervised. When they master this they will have acquired an inner sense of responsibility and self-control. ‘Self-control enables students to take positive charge of their lives while respecting the rights of those around them.’ (Charles, 2011)

Procedures are part of classroom life and exist so that children know how to show acceptable and responsible behaviour ensuring respect for themselves, their property and others. A misbehaviour procedure that I would be keen to include in my classroom is that of restitution, resolution and reconciliation.

* Restitution – do what is necessary to repair damage that was done.

* Resolution – identify and correct whatever caused the misbehaviour so that it won’t happen again.

* Reconciliation – establishing healing relationships with people who were hurt or offended by the misbehaviour (Apologise and promise to work hard to not repeat the misbehaviour in the future). (Charles, 2011)

The information gained from my observations has helped me to establish a classroom management and discipline plan that ensures my students will feel safe and welcomed when entering my classroom. They will understand the importance of conducting appropriate behaviour through rehearsing and reinforcing of the rules and procedures helping the class to cooperate together and run smoothly. I hope to

Continually uphold a professional image at all times. I am to continue to grow professionally through increasing experiences at conducting a planned discipline approach.

References

Charles, C. M. (2011). Building Classroom Discipline. Boston: Pearson Education Inc.

Week 10 – Professional

I still can’t believe how quickly time is going and that Kelly and I have been here for 11 weeks now. To add to this deblief was the ending of our observations/teaching practice in Willie Price University Nursery School this week. Looking back I am so thankful that I have been given the opportunity to witness the similarities and differences between home and here. It has helped me to grow both personally and professionally as I have been able to adapt my teaching and learning strategies to suit the environmental differences.

It was an interesting experience learning from the younger children as I hope to teach primary school age and had never considered nursery school age. Willie Price helps to prepare the children for going to elementary school and I enjoyed observing just how they do this. The common phrase that children are like sponges has been proven to be very true as it was amazing seeing how much information young children can absorb. It was also embarrassing as they were far quicker at picking up their Spanish than me!

My time at Willie Price also offered Kelly and I the opportunity to co-teach which as mentioned in an earlier blog was something we both found challenging yet rewarding. The atmosphere within the school was very laid back and it was a nice comparison to the stress that we would feel on teaching practice back home. The teacher’s planner which included just a few notes planned ahead for each day amazed me as both Kelly and I agreed that we would be unable to hand this into Stran as our planning for teaching practice! I felt that the school put very little pressure on the teachers and as long as they produced some evidence of their weekly planning then they had a lot more freedom over their content and how it would be taught.

Obviously with being so young the children have a lot more playtime opportunities than those in primary schools and they also have a good long nap in the afternoon after lunch. (I feel that teachers should be offered the same opportunity as working from 8am can be very tiring!) I found it interesting observing and listening to the children during their free time and how they were able to form imaginary stories combining what they had learnt in school and their knowledge about the outside world.

The school was very focused on centers and during each lesson the teacher with the help of the classroom assistant would split the children into four main groups and present a different activity at each. The school has 8 main centers which helps children to develop a wide range of skills. The centers include art, house-keeping, block building, science, library, math and manipulative, sand and water play and the cooking center. As I enjoy being creative the art center was an area that always drew my attention and with the correct guidance and support the children made excellent crafts. This was also something I noticed that was different as back at Stran we are encouraged to develop the student’s creativity and some believe that crafts limit the children’s opportunity to do this.

However I believe that using crafts at such a young age is beneficial as it helps to teach children how to follow step-by-step instructions and there is always the chance to add their own personal detail to their craft. The house-keeping center which included dress-up was also a center that the children enjoyed as they were able to pretend they were in for example a shop or bakery. They were able to exercise the routine of buying products rather accurately. Of course this was minus the understanding of money and correct change which they would develop in elementary. (It was funny listening to how an apple cost “10 bucks!”)

I am sad to see my time at Willie Price come to an end though I will not miss the 8am starts! I thoughly enjoyed learning from the children and their teacher and who knows, one day I may even come back here to teach myself if the opportunity arose!

(27/03/2012)