DAYS 19-23: Oh right, that's why I'm here...

Monday through Wednesday- Days 19-21: Class. I haven't done that in 3 months. Oy-a-may-a.

My friend Haley
during our hour Photography session

Haley in front of the church
down the street from our classroom

I'm taking 2 education courses here: one for teaching Math (or Maths as they call it here) and one for Reading. The Math class is seriously boring, but the reading class I might actually learn something. Also, the professor is from Canada, so I don't spend half the class time trying to figure out what the difference is between a Kiwi accent and a British accent is. My roommate laughs every time I try to imitate him. My only comfort is that the only American thing he can say convincingly is "Sup Dude."

Another of my classes is Te Ara Poutama which is a Maori Leadership course. It's actually kind of cool; we are going to learn about all the important past Maori leaders. Also, class is held in the Marae.

FUN FACT #16: A Maori meeting house is known as a Marae (pronouced Mer-aye). The inside is painted with the colors of the rainbow and it has carvings on all of the walls, beams, and pillars. Don't forget to take your shoes off before going inside!

Auckland buildings during Photography hour

In AUT's (Auckland University of Technology) Marae, there is an overhead projector that our professor uses. There are also a bunch of comfy mattresses that we put out on the ground for us to lay down on. Very comfy.

My last class is Photography. I was actually fairly excited to take this class even though I'm only doing it so I can be classified as a student and not get deported. So far my professor pulled up google images for 2 hours and clicked on different photographers and let us walk around campus and "take pictures of different mediums of light" for an hour. Whoop-dee-doo. I'm learning so much, thats 3 hours of my life I'll never get back. Seriously, do not shut the blinds and read off Google to me at 8 in the morning. It's just not going to work out in your favor.

Thursday- Day 22: BEACH BABY! Soakin' up the sun while I still can.

St. Michael's Church

Friday- Day 23: UVM has a special relationship with the Education Department at AUT in that they set up teaching experiences for us. Each UVM El-Ed student will be sent to a school within the Auckland Area. My friend Lizzy Fanning and I were sent to St. Michael's School in Remuera. Not knowing much about the New Zealand school system, I was excited to see what I could learn. Lizzy and I got a bit lost on our way there, but the principal was really nice and understanding. She showed us around the school and explained as much about it as she could before handing us off to a couple of teachers.  The set up was neat: There is the actual church out front which is very big. Then behind it are a series of buildings. The first holds the gymnasium/theatre hall. The second has the secretary, principal, and vice principal's offices, the teachers lounge, and the Year 4, 5, and 6 classrooms. The third building has the Year 1, 2, and 3 classrooms.

I learned some really interesting things on my first day. Such as New Zealand students start school at Year 1, which is the U.S. kindergarten. What they call kindergarten is what we call our pre-school. Keep in mind that the school year in New Zealand starts when the summer ends in February. Kiwi children start school on their 5th birthday, or if their birthday is during the summer, they begin when the school year starts. This makes the Year 1 teachers start with a class size of about 13 students and end the year with about 24. It's really weird; I'm not really sure why they do it that way.

In any case, the classrooms all open up to a patio that overlooks a tennis court, a lawn, a playground, and a shallow swimming pool. At "Morning Tea" a.k.a. Snack Time, the kids just go outside and eat wherever they like. They get an hour for Lunch and Recess where they do the same thing; they eat or play, play or then eat. The kids have a lot of free reign here, I was very surprised. Kids climb the trees, teachers pay no mind. If they fall, they fall. If they get hurt, its their fault. In the States, there is no way that would fly because the school would get sued. But because you can't sue in New Zealand, so it doesn't really matter. Of course, the teachers keep the students as safe as possible, but they do it without smothering the kids. Let's just say "Imaginary Dodgeball" is an o.k. thing here, unlike at Barstow Elementary.

One day a week, the younger grades have a swimming lesson. The pool is only about 2 and a half feet deep, so the kids are always safe. It's nice seeing that the school takes responsibility for making sure its students are safe around water. As an island nation, swimming is a really important thing that unfortunately not enough kids get to learn.

FUN FACT #17: There are usually no guidance counselors or nurses at New Zealand elementary schools. They will bring qualified and trained professionals for any students who need any special needs with medical problems, but there is not actual school nurse. Strange, I know.