Time for another Post...

Greetings. It has been almost two weeks since I last posted, the time has just passed quickly without my getting around to blogging. Teaching has been on the whole fairly positive lately. I've been doing more teaching in Yr 2 and 3 classes which is really my preferred age group. As of last Thursday, I've started tutoring students at Richard Alibon Primary school two days a week. I met with the homeroom teacher on Thursday, then met each of the students briefly that afternoon just to introduce myself and get to know them a bit. Friday, I worked with three students. The two main areas of focus for most of the Math students (I also have some in English as well, whom I haven't worked with yet) seem to be decoding word problems (identifying exactly what information the question is asking, and what operations are required to solve it) and converting between decimals, fractions, and percentages. I'm hoping to be able to work with at least 4-5 students those days so that I'm not taking a major pay cut over supply work (I talked to the principal and he said he has two more students for me which would bring me up to a total of 8), but already on the first day, I found it a much more rewarding job than supplying. The kids were eager, and they worked really hard, and they each learned something...even something like, reread each sentence carefully to be sure you understand the information you've been given.

Aside from teaching, I'm beginning to plan seriously for visits from friends for each of my upcoming school holidays in April, June, and August. In April, I'll be showing my friend Karen around London. After she goes home, I'm going to visit the Taize Community in France for four days, a ten-year old dream of mine now that I can finally fulfill. For anyone not familiar with Taize, it's an ecumenical monastic community that works and worships together, and has welcomed Christian pilgrims from around the world (particularly young people) for many years. In June, Emily is coming to visit, and then in August, my other friend Karen and I will be backpacking across Europe together. I'm doing lots of research right now about how best to see as much as we can on a budget as possible. Paris, Bruges, Amsterdam, parts of Switzerland and Germany (where we have IVEP friends), Salzburg and Vienna, Rome and Venice are on the wish list right now.

Last weekend, I saw Chicago with some friends from teacher's college. We managed to see the show and get dinner at a Thai restaurant nearby for 27.50. It's wonderful to be in London and be able to take advantage of such deals...I know I am fortunate.

Yesterday I led a musical gathering for my church friends at the London Mennonite Centre. I got out the blue hymnal and Sing the Journey books, and picked some of my favourites--mostly short and simple, but beautiful pieces to teach in parts to the gathered assembly (about 10) by rote. We had fun, and several people expressed interest in doing it again.

Well, it's time to get outside and take advantage of the glorious weather. The crocuses, daffodils and pansies are all in their prime...spring has officially arrived!

London Transport Museum

Hi again. This past week has been gorgeous: cold, but sunshine and clear blue skies every day--a very welcome reprieve from weeks on end of grey, overcast skies from my point of view. Teaching went pretty well last week too. Monday I arrived at my designated school to find the boilers were off, so they sent all the kids home. They still had to pay me for showing up, so I changed a large bulletin board and then went home around noon. Tuesday I didn't get called in, so I went to a bookstore in Ilford (a community just north of Barking) where I bought myself a number of budget Europe travel guides for a big trip I'm hoping to make with a friend from back home this summer. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, I was in yr 3 classes each day, and amazingly, some pretty well-behaved kids. I really like that age group. They're old enough to be a bit more independent, have a bit more self-control than the really young kids, yet not old enough to be self-conscious or hormonal yet. They're a really creative bunch, and most of them still idolize their teachers.

On Friday night, Kim and I went to see the opening of Alice in Wonderland. It has been a long time since I read the books, but I mostly enjoyed it. Since I had never seen Avatar, it was my first 3-D movie. They combined Alice and the Looking Glass with Carroll's poem, The Jabberwocky, including the "vorpal sword." I had sung a song based on the poem in choir at Nipissing last spring, so I had the song going through my head a few times.

Saturday I went to the London Transport Museum. It's very well done, a very interactive exhibit in which you can board old buses, trams, trains, etc and see what they were like.

various vintage models of London buses

Lots of history, from the British-style rickshaws that used to be used to the mini ominbuses which replaced horse-drawn carriages as a mode of transport, to the high-speed rail options available to Londoners today


Yesterday, I went to St. Paul's Cathedral for their choral Eucharist before going to the Menno church in London for 3 pm. I had a nice visit over drinks and chips (with mayonnaise, the Belgian/Dutch way...) with some friends at a local pub after church. A good weekend...