So we flew right through to Spring Break so fast I didn't get a chance to get my blog done for week 8 but here we go....
I enjoyed this week in Willie Price as the theme was 'Habitats' and I definately want to implement this in later classroom practice, it was great to see this theme develop through the week too. All the work that was carried out on Monday and Tuesday was brought together on Wednesday for habitats day... Each of the teachers prepared a habitat and the children went around and visited each station where they were taught about each individual habitant, which animals live there, the climate and the landscaping of each part. The habitats included ocean, arctic, rainforest, grasslands, po
nd, forest, desert and the teachers had prepared them really well so it was a multi-sensory experience for the pupils. There was real algae in the pond, real ice and a porcupine at different stations. The children also had the opportunity to play a habitat gam
e throughout the week which I made sure to take photos of so I could use the idea in the future!We continued to learn as we spent time in Lafayette this week with all the various lessons that were going on and I am observing a lot of valuable classroom practices as well as picking up little things, like songs and classroom management directions that can be used in my classroom. I attended my first staff meeting with the other first grade teachers and was asked to visit another classroom where I talked a little about Ireland and St. Patricks Day.
On Tuesday night I was pleased to discover I had received 87% on the test we had completed and am thankful to be doing well in my classes so far!
In classes we have started to focus on lesson planning in Dr Chessin's class and in Dr Blackbourn's class we are looking at strategies to implement in the classroom for children with specific learning difficulties.
On Friday afternoon I headed to Memphis to catch a plane to Philadelphia for the week. I was flying there to stay with a good friend of mine, Kaitlyn who lives in Philadelphia with her family. Arriving in the State of Pennsylvania was a funny experience as no longer did I hear the Southern drawl or the 'y'alls' I had been so accustomed too!
Staying in Kait's house for a week was great, getting a break from Guess Halls was definately what I needed! On Saturday night other friends arrived for a dinner party and I got to surprise my good friend Laura who didn't know I was coming. Kait and I made cornflake chicken for the occasion, which sounds interesting but
is actually really good! I enjoyed the company of friends I haven't seen in a long time.On Sunday we headed to Kait's church, Broomall RP, after the service we ate lunch together before another service. In the evening we had dinner at Tony and Bekah's house, we spent a lot of time discussing the differences between Northerners and Southerners, I obviously have become very familiar with the South after being here for 8 weeks!
On Monday due to the rain we spent some time around the house, did a little shopping and watched some movie before an early night...we had an epic trip planned for the next d
ay!The King of Prussia Mall was the aim for Tuesday...7 hours later we finally headed home after the ultimate shopping experience. This was my first time being in an American Mall and it happened to be the biggest mall in the US in terms of how many retail stores were available. We spent a long time in stores like Abercrombie and Fitch, Urban Outfitters, Juicy Couture, Ralph Lauren, Heritage, the Cheesecake Factory and many, many...many more! (Cheesecake for lunch is definately the way to go on shopping trips FYI!) So with pockets a little lighter we headed home to crash for the night.
Wednesday was St. Patrick's Day and so I was kitted out in my green t-shirt ready to see the sites of downtown Philly. We took a bus tour around the city, it was a beautiful day to do so and you would hardly have believed it had been flooding at the weekend. I felt like I had actually reached American, it looked so much like the movies, especially the HUGE skyscrapers all around! We hopped off the bus to see different things including, the Love sculpture, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Eastern State Penitentiary- which held criminals like Al Capone- and for lunch we headed to the famous Pat's for a Philly cheese steak. Running up the Rocky steps singing the theme tune at the top of my lungs was definately a highlight, especially when others started to cheer as we ran up!
Kait's house is surrounded by a forest and a creek so we spent Thursday morning walking and scrambling through the creek. After this we lay out in the sun, ate a picnic and caught some rays. Kait's Grandma tooks us out to eat Greek food on Thursday night, I love Greek food and so souvlaki went down well but I must say it was a bit weird eating it in Philadelphia!
On Friday I got the chance to experience the Amish in Lancaster County...wh
at a weird and wonderful experience this was!! We would drive by a normal looking house and the next felt like you'd stepped back in time, there would be 6 horses and a plough on the front lawn, a man in a top hat, holding on, wearing braces with a long beard. His wife next to him feeding chickens and wearing a long black dress, apron and bonnet. I got plenty of photos of the farms and buggies, we visited a natural food store and saw some Amish up close...! We also visited a small town where we experienced Wilbur's chocolate Factory and Stilgurs Pretzel factory...both good times! I was treated to an Irish dinner on Friday night, including cabbage (I love cabbage!) and roast beef, before syaing goodbyes on Saturday morning.It was hard coming back to college after having such an amazing time with friends in Philadelphia especially because my flights got messed up on the way home and they lost my luggage. Thankfully my luggage reappeared on Sunday afternoon with everything in order which was a great relief. Despite this bit of drama I had an amazing Spring break, feeling relaxed, refreshed and ready to get stuck into Ole Miss again.
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