WE CLEAN BEFORE WE FEAST
In case you weren’t already aware, my last post was written on Saturday while waiting for an internet hookup, which I still don’t really have. I arrived in Sweden on Friday afternoon, not yesterday… Though the difference, to me, is negligible.
I’m not one for mass postings or group emails, but as you can imagine things are pretty hectic, and as I’m using Ida’s internet to post, I’m trying to minimize my time. I figured this was a good solution. Plus, writing gives me something to do in my barren apartment when I’m bored & lonely. I have to get a personnummer before I can get a phone, internet, or bank account, so it might be a bit before any of those things happen.
As I mentioned before, my school’s facility was not intended for academia. Nej, it was once a textile factory and had lived many lives before becoming Internationella Engelska Skolan 5 years ago. It’s an interesting building in a very convenient location, and really it looks quite impressive from the outside—very large and brick… in fact, they’re those sepia-toned bricks you see quite often in Southern Ontario, which is comfy for me.
However, the inside is a different story altogether. There are… 4 floors… I think. There are 3 staircases, though only two go from top to bottom, and they’re on the far ends of the building… And the second floor creates a huge dilemma because it is not accessible from all sides. What I mean by this is that it’s got a quad of classrooms right in the middle of the floor, blocking access from one side to another. So, quite often, if you need to get from one side of the floor to the other, you need to hike up or down the stairs, cross over that floor, then go back up/down and around again. This may sound only mildly annoying, but what you need to know is that there are 1 or 2 staircases that only go up one floor (and not the right one), the hallways are like labyrinths that are nearly innavigable (not a word, but it works), and the whole process is a nightmare, even once you’ve finally figured out the snarl of halls and stairs that we call home. Which I have not, as you may have inferred.
And, of course, you guessed it—I’m split between two departments, and their offices are on opposite sides of the second floor. And yes, you nailed it again; my schedule includes room changes that follow this stinkin route quite often… One more for the team, Ebie… One more. At least I should build a nice set of stems, just getting between offices and classrooms… I’ll have to try not to raise my arms to write on the board… (“Why does Ms. Bingham always stink?”)
All that aside, the facility is quite nice. (Apart from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the show?) As I mentioned, the lunchroom is really quite amazing, and the food is really good! The classrooms are adequately furnished, bright, and clean, but no SMARTboards like back home in Ontario (no internet-based lessons for Ms. B… boohoo). My office is in the math and sciences department, which is great for me because it seems larger, brighter, and a little more lively than the English department.
School is somewhat different here in Sweden, as our school is the equivalent of the Canadian “intermediate” or the US “junior high,” but the grades are 6-9. The kids seem to have a lot more freedom (which means we do too); for example they don’t have to come in until their first class (which may be as late as 10:30), and they can leave as soon as they are finished (as early as 1:30). This also means that I have a lot more freedom with my schedule—namely, I can LEAVE in the middle of the day if I am free. Take THAT, Ontario.
Given I’m in Europe, there seem to be far less rules regarding physical contact, which is challenging for me… I never know whether to pull the boys off the girls in the halls or just let them go… On the other hand, they seem a far more intimate and less self-conscious culture, which may be attributable to this difference. I find it sweet that grade 8 girls will still walk down the hall holding hands, and boys are unafraid to hug or throw an arm around each other– which is very European and seems so innocent & nice. There’s so much less of that typical North American awkwardness surrounding sex, sexual identity, and intimacy. It’s quite inspiring to see kids more comfortable in their own skin and comfortable with each other.
On the flipside of that, they are (perhaps) a bit too comfortable questioning authority for my liking. The kids are raised to expect explanations and to question authority, which I think is great… but (so far) they lack a basic respect for authority that I feel is necessary for a productive learning environment. I know, I never thought I’d say that either, but the old teacher snarl and stink eye just don’t work on these kids– and sometimes I just wish they’d poop their little britches and hop –to!! I prefer to teach, not discipline, and I fear there may be too much of that here… Perhaps it’s just a start of the year thing, but I’m finding it a bit of a struggle thus far…
As for the basics, the union agreement maxes us out at 35 hours a week, and I have a number of breaks throughout the day with which to plan—which makes my schedule seem quite nice (so far). We have a really great system called SchoolSoft, which allows us to post homework, class notes, lesson plans, etc., all online—and it’s the kids’ responsibility to check every day and make sure they are up to date. What that means is that I don’t have to type those obnoxious Ontario lesson (etc) plans, I don’t have to write down homework on the board, and no one can ever say “I forgot my agenda,” or “I didn’t know it was due,” etc. They have more responsibility, which means less work for me.
HAHA, kiddies, HAHA.
I’m teaching 3 math (grades 8 &9) and 3 English classes (grades 7 & 9), but I only have to plan for 2 math and 2 English because some of the classes are repeats. And really, I don’t have a whole lot of planning anyhow. Unlike in Ontario, the English department here has pretty much given me lessons in a can. We all do the same thing at the same time in basically the same way—which is bad for creativity and my level of excitement/challenge, but really good for my personal life and sanity. Math is basically mapped out, but I have the freedom to teach it how I like… and since math is fun & easy anyhow (another thing I never thought I’d say), the planning should really be quite easy.
Aside from those classes, I have what is called a mentor class. It’s a grade 8 class of 31 kids that a woman named Barbara Lundin & I share. We meet with these kids twice a week, their parents at least bi-weekly, and basically serve as their advisors. They seem a pretty good lot; though they’re talkative to an extreme and one of the girls is so histrionic and self-absorbed I’d like to smack her already. I know that’s awful to say, but we’ve just spent the full two day orientation with them, and I’ve already seen some behaviour from her (towards Mrs. Lundin) that I will NOT tolerate—even for an instant. I have no patience for little girls who talk back and storm out. (Isn’t that a little hypocritical, you say? BAH! I say!)
If you take one thing away from this, it should be that teaching in a school where the kids speak another language is very, very strange. They say things to you sometimes, and you’re not sure they’re speaking English, thanks to the accents. They say things that are obviously about you, and you have no idea what they’re saying… In co-taught classes, they talk to the other teacher in Swedish, and you are left clueless… Everywhere I go I have no idea what is being said around me… It’s strange, but I’m getting used to having a dumb smile plastered on my face & saying “engelska..?” often.
But enough of the teacher babble… Very few of you are interested in it, I’m sure, but it’s my life & I’m trying to tell you about my life here.
On the other side of life, Ida has given me a number of things for my apartment, so now I have sheets for my tiny little IKEA bed and curtains for my windows. She also gave me some towels, candles, matches, etc… It was a really thoughtful little package she put together, really. She is super nice & has shown me the ropes here in town. Her office is with mine, and she lives next door, so I think we ought to be friends. In fact, I am headed over to her place to use the internet and talk about math in just a few minutes. Also, Barbara has offered me a set of leather furniture (sectional couch, recliner, ottoman), and Mousafa (the school custodian) is going to drop it off this weekend sometime. So, by this time next week I should be fully furnished for next to nothing! No more echoes in my apartment! Woo!
I’ve rambled too much, so I’ll sign off for now. I’ve been far too busy to take any pictures, really, but I’ll go on a hike around the city this weekend and snap some to post– so hopefully I’ll have some good ones soon.
I hope you are all well, as I know many of you are traveling across countries yourself, and I hope that this post hasn’t bored you to death. They should be shorter & more interesting from now on. I miss you all very much, and I hope to actually SPEAK to some of you relatively soon. You’re all in my heart (if not my continent) always.
Ebie!
