Week 4: Reflection

Good morning!

So it is now monday, and I'm posting late once again... I spent the entire weekend sleeping off the flu. I think I was also just exhausted from the busy week I had, there was teaching, painting and finally the school musical!

My week started just like any other and I jumped straight into my teaching again, although I didn't give as many lessons last week as the previous week as I had my final class with grade 10 life sciences for that topic and don't see the grade 8s very often. I did however teach some mathematical literacy classes throughout the week, which I found incredibly difficult. I find it very hard to explain the maths to them on their level, I don't understand how they don't grasp the concepts and I can get quite frustrated when phrasing and rephrasing work in many different ways. Luckily my mentor is quite nice and often jumps in to help when asked. He never interferes which is awesome but rather will offer advice afterwards or provide me with a different approach to the work which is incredibly useful.

On Tuesday I attended the final dress rehearsal of the play before they went to Montague on Wednesday where they did very well. I am so proud of those kids, and all the amazing talent they have. They are captivating and often engage me to such a point that I feel I'm a part of the story. Their acting often leaves me breathless! I also painted some masks on Tuesday when one of the teachers had a mini crisis about the musical starting on Thursday.  But it all wrked out in the end!

Thursday was the big musical, I spent the school day sitting toesig for my mathematical literacy teacher and helped and advised all of those classes, and also had a lesson with my grade 8s! I didn't mind sitting toesig for my mentor as he had to set up camera equipment for the musical, and it gave me a chance to manage some classes on my own as well as see some other classes. I spent the rest of the afternoon preparing some work and then I was on duty at the musical from 6pm till 11pm shushing the learners, although they specifically said not to ssshhhh... them.

Friday morning I was up bright and early and ready to end the week, it was a depressing day, as almost of half of our proef studente had finished and were leaving. Our number went from 13 to 7. It was quite emotional for me to say goodbye to my new friends, and they will certainly be missed, but at least we had a nice free period together to enjoy lunch, and each others company.

Overall a busy, tiring and surprisingly emotional week that has made me realise just how much effort and stress the teachers put into pulling together a production to showcase the school's talent and get the learners involved, but when you look at the excitedly nervous faces of the learners and feel their proud buzz afterwards, it all seems worthwhile.

XxX