Making the Youth of England Dumber...

Why in the world would you hire an American to teach your British children? The differences in spelling, measurement systems, grammar... It's ridiculous that I'm allowed to teach here.
Try converting kilograms and kilometres and degrees Celsius in a British science class.
Or try editing a student's paper while remembering the differences in spelling between the US and UK. Here are some basic spelling differences:
-color (colour)
-organize (organise)
-defense (defence)
-check (cheque)
-favorite (favourite)
-center (centre)

Teaching has been going well. I started three weeks ago at Kingsgate Primary School, and then quickly moved on to a Catholic secondary school called St. Marks. It was supposed to be a one-day gig, but they liked me and asked me to fill in for one of their absent teaching assistants for 2 weeks. I've been working with a variety of special needs students ranging from physical disabilities (wheelchairs, cerebral palsy) to autism to ADHD to minor learning disabilities. It's been rewarding and exhausting. I commute 90 mins every morning: 5 min walk, hour tube ride (2 trains), 15 min walk. School. If I didn't like the kids and the people I work with I obviously wouldn't deal with such a long commute.

The children all wear matching uniforms... Blazers, sweater vests, ties, and either trousers or skirts. They call all of their female teachers by "Miss" and their male teachers by "Sir." This means that I am referred to as "Miss," too. It's quite nice.

I primarily work with an 11-year-old Lebanese girl, *Mariam, who suffers from cerebral palsy and minor learning disabilities. She wears braces on her legs and has trouble getting from class to class, especially when stairs are involved. She loves dance and the arts. She said to me on our second day together, "Miss, tell me about America. I hear it is just wonderful. I want to move there and become a dancer, actress and writer." I just smiled, told her it was the land of opportunity, you can be whatever you want to be, blah blah and all that other bullcrap.

Last week I witnessed first-hand her passion for dance. I had to help her dress for P.E. class. I was dreading the class the entire day. How was I supposed to help a child with cerebral palsy try to keep up in a gym class full of active 11- and 12-year-olds? The girls P.E. theme last week was dance, and Mariam was thrilled. The teacher started the music and the girls began a semi-choreographed shuffle dance around the gym. Though Mariam's technique looked nothing like the other girls, I was surprised by her quickness. I had never seen her so light on her feet. And her face. She glowed. Even writing about it now I get goosebumps.

You might be wondering why in the world I would come to London and teach. (?!) It really is ideal temporary employment for someone like me who seeks flexibility (for travel) and decent pay. I meet a ton of new people each day. I get to see areas of London that I normally wouldn't take the time to visit. Oh, and the things I learn! For instance, Tuesday I had history where I learned about Medieval kings of England. In english class I learned about alliteration, and I helped students write poems about dragons and wizards. In drama class the students were perfoming puppet shows. One student created a blonde-hair, blue-eyed puppet with an American accent. (hmmmm, sound familiar?) The next period was art where the kids were painting famous places. One boy wanted my personal opinion on his rendition of the Grand Canyon. "Do you live near the Grand Canyon? How big is it? Does my painting look like it?..."


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FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

I saw Fiddler on the Roof yesterday (Thursday). It was magnificent! I love the movie, and the stage version was even better. I knew every song and I sang along in my head.ha. I wish I could see a theatre show every day. That's not possible, but I am on track to see one show/musical/concert/performance each week. 4 weeks. 4 shows: Fiddler on the Roof, I am Falling (contemporary dance), WICKED, 39 Steps. And next week I'm supposed to see Grease with Kyle (Colorado) and Beth & Jenny (Minnesota). Beth and Jen met the lead actor "Danny" last Saturday in a Jazz club, so we have a pass backstage to meet the cast. I'll let you know how that goes. :)

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New pics are up!
http://ashleyhenke.shutterfly.com