This past week, my supervisor came to visit from Canada for six days to see the school, island, and how I’m doing here. Two of those days were our inter-house sports competition. He also took class photos for our newsletter and magazine.
26 February 2009
Oh yeah, and I teach too
You may be surprised, shocked even, to learn that life here in Tonga isn’t all biking, beaches, and vacations. I actually have a job here, teaching senior-level history at a high school. It’s the British system here, with a head boy, prefects, and houses (no Gryffindor though). In the Canadian equivalent, I’m teaching grades 11, 12, and 13 (OAC lives on!) history, and grade 13 sociology.
This past week, my supervisor came to visit from Canada for six days to see the school, island, and how I’m doing here. Two of those days were our inter-house sports competition. He also took class photos for our newsletter and magazine.
This past week, my supervisor came to visit from Canada for six days to see the school, island, and how I’m doing here. Two of those days were our inter-house sports competition. He also took class photos for our newsletter and magazine.
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Whoa, teach??? Did that bungy jump do a number on your head? ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the pictures. I was wondering what the inside of the school buildings looked like. Do you find that they have enough resources there? In the US there seems to be a chronic problem with schools lacking textbooks.
Are you in charge or associated with any house?
That is quite the tan! Nice to see pictures of you teaching with your Students.
ReplyDeleteWow in the US they have a lack of textbooks!? We don't have textbooks here either (except a few teacher copies), and other resources are few and far between. What I miss most, and ask for at the start of each year when we're asked what resources we need, is a world map. In form 5 history we jump from Europe to the Mediterranean to China to the Middle East, and the kids have hardly been exposed to world history or geography before that. Handouts are OK, but they're typically lost, forgotten, or destroyed during the year.
ReplyDeleteEven though the resources are limited, the kids are great to teach. Whenever I jot a table or graph on the board, they're all pulling out rulers and multicolour pens, it's crazy how neat and organized they keep their books. This year, too, they're a lot less shy and there's a lot more participation.
I'm in Bernadette house, but I have no responsibilities aside from cheering the students on. I am, though, head of the yearbook committee!
(Note: not pictured - the mouse that runs back and forth out of the teaching platform in front of the blackboard whenever I take a step)
The houses with male names (Sione house, Finau house, etc) are named after past Bishops, and the houses with female names (like mine) are named after past female principals of our college.
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