Friday, October 5, 2012

September....I made it!

I made it through my first month at my new school!! Well, new school for 2/3 of the year, but still.


Did you know that I was quite scared about this job?

Actually, I was mostly scared about the interview. Not the interview technically. Just even applying. 


Don't stop reading yet. This whole post is not about teaching, it's about fear mainly. 

So, some very lovely people I know from my church told me about this school that they heard had an opening. They actually put a good word in for me (so thankful). You must know that it's SUPER hard to find a teaching job in the UK these days. Maybe it's the same in Arizona too, I don't know.

Anyway, I went to have a 'tour' of the school (standard over here), and had a great chat with the Head Teacher (amazing woman). When I heard it was going to be mostly Year 5 & 6 English (Fourth & Fifth Grade US) and that they are very high level at this private school and that I would have to push them even higher as they started taking exams to get into really good secondary schools, I thought.......hmmmm maybe this is not for me. I'm more of the bring-up-the-young-students-that-are-behind kindof teacher.

I even emailed the Head Teacher after the tour and said thank you so much........maybe I could just volunteer and learn from this really awesome school, because P.S. this school has really got it together and did not appear to have any BS going on there. A place I would love to work at.

Anyway. long story short, yadda yadda yadda, the Head Teacher emailed me back and told to apply.......blah blah I did, I got an interview, I got the job (maternity cover) and guess what?!!

It's absolute heaven.

A job that I thought was OUT OF MY LEAGUE.

My thoughts before:

-private school.....I've never worked at a private school before.
-uppergrade.........I haven't taught much uppergrade.
-getting kids ready for secondary exams.......I've never done that.ever.
-I'm American......some people do not like that. they will not want me to teach geography.
-how will I learn all that content?.......I hope they have a specialist math teacher.

Needless to say, it's the best job ever, with the best kids ever, and the best staff ever. Before you say, oh well it's a private school so of course it is, let me say this.

This school is not super fancy. It is not like a boarding school-Harry Potter type private school. 

It's in a converted house if you can believe that! There is 1 class per grade level, with small class sizes. So literally my classroom is the size of a bedroom : )  

The kids are sweet, respectful and work their butts off (which does make my job pretty easy, yes). I love that this school has a balanced curriculum of English, Math, History, Geography, Science, Religious Education (overview of religions), PE, Music, foreign languages and the choices to be in Rock Band, Pottery classes, Chess, Martial Arts, etc. All of this with hardly any assessments (love!).

It's a LOT of curriculum to learn, and it's a lot of work........but it was nothing I'm incapable of adapting to. How funny that we can doubt ourselves.

Which made me think.......have you ever done anything you were scared of, and you were blown away by how it turned out?

Here's some pictures from the last couple weeks (wedding in Scotland and Wild West Day at school).

Feeling Grateful,
Kelli xx