This morning, we all (except for Evi, Lindsay and Ann) joined in in Rugby (even Stef, Ann's boyfriend).
It took place outside, which was very cold but quite alright. When you have crossed the field several times to run after the ball, you will get hot you know...Well, the game started, but I didn’t know any play rule or even what to do, so I decided to have a watch on the field for a moment and see what happens. At the start I was really chocked, because those people really bumped into each other like two bulls getting ready to fight. I didn’t want to be in the middle of the scrum! So during the game, I ran “after the ball” (read: running in its direction), we couldn’t really do anything else, because they were all experienced pupils and they played really tough.
But to make it more easier, Martin our PE teacher, made us a little team and a separate field where we could play at ease ;-)
We really laughed a lot and this game is alright, it only looks a bit tough and hard in the beginning, but I think there are risks in every thing and every sport you do. But now I DO understand why more boys participate than girls (bumping into breasts seems painful to me).
Next we gave 'Citizenship', together with Evi. We talked about Belgium, where it is situated, the capital city, that there is a French part and a Dutch part and that there are loads of tension between them, we also said the language spoken in Belgium is Dutch and not Belgian, talked about our identity card, etc...
Our teacher was really enthusiastic about us and about our help during the lesson, we were a great help, and asked if we could come back, so we are certainly going to do that!
Then we gave 2 lessons of French (busy day pfieuw). They listened very well and spoke a lot of French. The hour flew and it was a pity it was finished.
I also felt at ease with those pupils, we laughed a lot and I actually could be myself! A crazy, funny teacher…
Sometimes, when pupils are explaining something, I misunderstand certain words because of their accent, and as you can imagine, this makes it really funny.
I also didn’t have any problems with class management in this group. I just asked, in a polite way, to be quiet and listen because it really annoyed me that they were talking and they listened. Mutual respect as we say… It was nice :D
Bye bye xxxxx...
Over mij
- Tanja
- Hi everyone, I am going to Leicester and whoohoo I am looking forward to it !
donderdag 26 februari 2009
DAY 18 (25/02)
To start, we gave a French lesson. This was a rather ‘easy’ lesson, because we didn’t have to teach anything. Viv was absent today, so we had to take over her class. Viv made some worksheets (les légumes, les snacks, les fruits) and the pupils had to prepare those ones during this lesson. We just walked around and helped everywhere we could, but there were some very rude boys. They refused to work and they haven’t done anything! I first tried to get them onto work, but they just said ‘no I hate French, I won’t do this, I refuse' and some took their mobile phone.
Next, we taught religion. I never want to teach religion again here. I taught this lesson together with Ann about Hinduism. It actually was the lesson itself we didn’t like. In Belgium, I really love to teach religion, even if the pupils aren’t that interested anymore like earlier times, they do show some respect, compared to the pupils here, they don’t. I can compare them to my pupils in Borgerhout, they had the same attitude…
See you tomorrow folks !
Next, we taught religion. I never want to teach religion again here. I taught this lesson together with Ann about Hinduism. It actually was the lesson itself we didn’t like. In Belgium, I really love to teach religion, even if the pupils aren’t that interested anymore like earlier times, they do show some respect, compared to the pupils here, they don’t. I can compare them to my pupils in Borgerhout, they had the same attitude…
See you tomorrow folks !
DAY 17 (24/02)
Dance was really nice, though we were a bit nervous beforehand. We didn’t totally finished our dance song and I had some parts I always forgot. We practised it several times the evening before. When we entered the dance hall the pupils were rather curious who we were, why we are here,...
The dance teacher divided us into 2 groups. The first group started with the theory about dance styles and the second group joined us. At the start, we didn’t know very well what to do, but then we actually divided our little group into 3 more little groups (one for Ann,Natalia and me) to make the teaching and learning of the dance more easier for all of us. So we started and learnt them the moves step by step and after half an hour each one of them already knew everything, which was fantastic! They learned so quickly!
After 30 minutes our group passed on and then the other group came and we all started all over again. When the lesson had come to its end, the teacher wanted to see us dance all together and so we did; except for us, we filmed everything and it’s so cool to see!!
We really enjoyed teaching dance, it has become one of my favourite subjects !!
Hereafter, I observed a PE lesson, but this lesson wasn’t a practical lesson, but a more theoretical one, which was a pity, because I really want to join in in sports. Normally this is a practical lesson, but because the exams are coming up, other things are a priority...
The pupils had to work on their GCSE analysis, so actually analyse their dance into little steps and write down what went wrong, what could be improved, how you can see whether you have improved,... Martin (PE teacher) said I was allowed to help, so I did, but actually I couldn’t do much even after I asked if I could help. I don’t know what they do exactly, so this made it very difficult. I walked around, checked their spelling and talked a bit about Belgium, because in some way they are SO interested in discovering things about Belgium. We talked about going the different languages in Belgium, the different laws, the school system,...They were really surprised!
At the end of the lesson, I asked Marvin if I could join in in another lesson and I explained it was difficult for me to help, because I have no clue what they are talking about and it’s for their exam, so they really had to work and I didn’t want to bother them too much.So I was allowed to drop this lesson and join the next one. This is a practical lesson, but with another teacher (Mark). I had a chat with him and said I was allowed to come and observe his lesson today, so I did. They did basketball today, nice sport, but it were all boys, only 2 girls!But actually, I don’t mind. I just want to have fun and get to know the system and the pupils better.
Kiss
The dance teacher divided us into 2 groups. The first group started with the theory about dance styles and the second group joined us. At the start, we didn’t know very well what to do, but then we actually divided our little group into 3 more little groups (one for Ann,Natalia and me) to make the teaching and learning of the dance more easier for all of us. So we started and learnt them the moves step by step and after half an hour each one of them already knew everything, which was fantastic! They learned so quickly!
After 30 minutes our group passed on and then the other group came and we all started all over again. When the lesson had come to its end, the teacher wanted to see us dance all together and so we did; except for us, we filmed everything and it’s so cool to see!!
We really enjoyed teaching dance, it has become one of my favourite subjects !!
Hereafter, I observed a PE lesson, but this lesson wasn’t a practical lesson, but a more theoretical one, which was a pity, because I really want to join in in sports. Normally this is a practical lesson, but because the exams are coming up, other things are a priority...
The pupils had to work on their GCSE analysis, so actually analyse their dance into little steps and write down what went wrong, what could be improved, how you can see whether you have improved,... Martin (PE teacher) said I was allowed to help, so I did, but actually I couldn’t do much even after I asked if I could help. I don’t know what they do exactly, so this made it very difficult. I walked around, checked their spelling and talked a bit about Belgium, because in some way they are SO interested in discovering things about Belgium. We talked about going the different languages in Belgium, the different laws, the school system,...They were really surprised!
At the end of the lesson, I asked Marvin if I could join in in another lesson and I explained it was difficult for me to help, because I have no clue what they are talking about and it’s for their exam, so they really had to work and I didn’t want to bother them too much.So I was allowed to drop this lesson and join the next one. This is a practical lesson, but with another teacher (Mark). I had a chat with him and said I was allowed to come and observe his lesson today, so I did. They did basketball today, nice sport, but it were all boys, only 2 girls!But actually, I don’t mind. I just want to have fun and get to know the system and the pupils better.
Kiss
maandag 23 februari 2009
DAY 16 (23/02)
I gave my first lesson today, isn’t that great?!
I must admit I was a bit nervous, it has been a long time you see..
I had to teach French, but actually it wasn’t really difficult, but rather fun, because the pupils were divided into small groups and we (Evi, Lindsay, Natalia and I) had to sit in one group and ask questions like: Quel âge as-tu? Que fait ton père? … and after 10 minutes we had to move on to the next group and ask those questions again… I felt a bit tense in the beginning, but after a while I really was at ease! It were wonderful and very friendly students!
Everything went well and we laughed a lot!
Something important to say; my timetable has changed again, because I took one hour of French extra together with Natalia (that makes 6 hours now) and one hour of sport (practical part) extra. So this means I will be giving 15 hours, which is nice heih !
My second lesson was PE (physical education) but the theory and we didn’t really teach. It seemed as if our teacher had totally forgotten about us. We tried to participate as much as possible, but he said we will be doing some nice things next week, like a discussion and it’s up to us to prepare this.
After school, we quickly passed by Sainsbury’s to buy a writing case, a portfolio,… I had totally forgotten to bring this kind of stuff, so now all my papers are a bit chaotic. But after today, the chaos will disappear ;-) hihi*
Our lesson about religion needs some adaptations (I’ve really had enough of it) I feel like a dog running after his … J Oh well… It will be fine I hope…
Today’s planning:
- take care of my blog (check)
- practice our dance
- search basic information about Hinduism
- write down what we would like to do for citizenship
- get my sports outfit for PE tomorrow ;-)
That’s all folks !!
Bye Bye xxxx
I must admit I was a bit nervous, it has been a long time you see..
I had to teach French, but actually it wasn’t really difficult, but rather fun, because the pupils were divided into small groups and we (Evi, Lindsay, Natalia and I) had to sit in one group and ask questions like: Quel âge as-tu? Que fait ton père? … and after 10 minutes we had to move on to the next group and ask those questions again… I felt a bit tense in the beginning, but after a while I really was at ease! It were wonderful and very friendly students!
Everything went well and we laughed a lot!
Something important to say; my timetable has changed again, because I took one hour of French extra together with Natalia (that makes 6 hours now) and one hour of sport (practical part) extra. So this means I will be giving 15 hours, which is nice heih !
My second lesson was PE (physical education) but the theory and we didn’t really teach. It seemed as if our teacher had totally forgotten about us. We tried to participate as much as possible, but he said we will be doing some nice things next week, like a discussion and it’s up to us to prepare this.
After school, we quickly passed by Sainsbury’s to buy a writing case, a portfolio,… I had totally forgotten to bring this kind of stuff, so now all my papers are a bit chaotic. But after today, the chaos will disappear ;-) hihi*
Our lesson about religion needs some adaptations (I’ve really had enough of it) I feel like a dog running after his … J Oh well… It will be fine I hope…
Today’s planning:
- take care of my blog (check)
- practice our dance
- search basic information about Hinduism
- write down what we would like to do for citizenship
- get my sports outfit for PE tomorrow ;-)
That’s all folks !!
Bye Bye xxxx
DAY 15 (22/02)
I finished my travel and tourism subject about the Ardennes! And I was glad to have it finished, because I was tired of always doing the same thing.
Next, Ann and I have done some religion, but actually we were very pissed off, because every time I see that teacher he has no time or he’s too busy or I should come back later and then he isn’t there anymore,etc… So today, we were sitting here thinking ‘What the *** do we have to do?’
So we decided to have a kind of plan B, to let him se we definitely did something!
There was also a story about the Banyan tree (about Hinduism) but we couldn’t figure out what it was about, we searched on the internet, Molly called her friends, went to the neighbours, but apparently there’s not one story about this tree, but millions, so yeah… We decided to give it a rest and move on to the next part, so we made a quiz about Hinduism in order to find the IDS of the pupils and next, the pupils have to tell whether the gods (shown on the powerpoint) are male or female (not easy!) and then we wanted to tell them the story and do something on the internet… But I’m going to stop talking about religion because I can keep on talking about that subject!
At the evening, we were here with 13 people (Molly and Dave’s children were there too) and we ate Brussels sprouts (bah) and other vegetables and some meet…njammieee…
She always cooks delicious food you know!
Then we borrowed, as a matter of fact bought, a DVD ‘White Noise’ and saw him downstairs with the rest of us. Naturally, I got too scared and asked Natalia and Ann if I could sleep in their room or bed. But nevertheless, I was the first one to fell asleep, so I wasn't so scared then after all?!
I went to bed at about 11 ‘o clock, little bit too late, but for the first day it’s ok.
Greetings,
Mum and Dad, miss you :)
Next, Ann and I have done some religion, but actually we were very pissed off, because every time I see that teacher he has no time or he’s too busy or I should come back later and then he isn’t there anymore,etc… So today, we were sitting here thinking ‘What the *** do we have to do?’
So we decided to have a kind of plan B, to let him se we definitely did something!
There was also a story about the Banyan tree (about Hinduism) but we couldn’t figure out what it was about, we searched on the internet, Molly called her friends, went to the neighbours, but apparently there’s not one story about this tree, but millions, so yeah… We decided to give it a rest and move on to the next part, so we made a quiz about Hinduism in order to find the IDS of the pupils and next, the pupils have to tell whether the gods (shown on the powerpoint) are male or female (not easy!) and then we wanted to tell them the story and do something on the internet… But I’m going to stop talking about religion because I can keep on talking about that subject!
At the evening, we were here with 13 people (Molly and Dave’s children were there too) and we ate Brussels sprouts (bah) and other vegetables and some meet…njammieee…
She always cooks delicious food you know!
Then we borrowed, as a matter of fact bought, a DVD ‘White Noise’ and saw him downstairs with the rest of us. Naturally, I got too scared and asked Natalia and Ann if I could sleep in their room or bed. But nevertheless, I was the first one to fell asleep, so I wasn't so scared then after all?!
I went to bed at about 11 ‘o clock, little bit too late, but for the first day it’s ok.
Greetings,
Mum and Dad, miss you :)
DAY 14 (21/02)
Because we have to teach our first lessons on Monday, and because not every lesson was finished yet, we were a slightly stressed!
Today, I prepared travel and tourism together with Natalia, we are going to give a lesson about Belgium’s most famous places and worth to visit. I have Ghent and the Ardennes… I had no real inspiration, because in my opinion we started a bit too late… I love to work on time and in advance and preferably at least one week before the TP begins… That might be the reason why I didn’t have any inspiration, I was more thinking about the pressure for being finished than thinking about something creative...
At the end of the day, my lesson about Ghent was finished (creative yeps!) and I was happy, but still loads of work to do and to prepare…
But because we all worked so well today, we left at around 4.30h to go shopping in BORDERS as a reward! Borders is a famous book store, well known in every village here… It’s FULL of books on democratic prices, but there are also DVD’s and a Starbucks whiiii… So we first choose some books we liked and then drunk a nice coffee at Starbucks!
Before we drove home again, we took a quick look at Sainsbury’s, but I didn’t buy anything. I only bought a book in Borders: The Notebook for only 7 pounds and that's also my favourite movie, so I can compare the book with the movie.
For diner we ate Spanish rice dish, made by Molly, and it was really NICE !!
Then I spoke my parents and read in my book ;-)
Another lovely day !
Kisses Tannie xxx
Today, I prepared travel and tourism together with Natalia, we are going to give a lesson about Belgium’s most famous places and worth to visit. I have Ghent and the Ardennes… I had no real inspiration, because in my opinion we started a bit too late… I love to work on time and in advance and preferably at least one week before the TP begins… That might be the reason why I didn’t have any inspiration, I was more thinking about the pressure for being finished than thinking about something creative...
At the end of the day, my lesson about Ghent was finished (creative yeps!) and I was happy, but still loads of work to do and to prepare…
But because we all worked so well today, we left at around 4.30h to go shopping in BORDERS as a reward! Borders is a famous book store, well known in every village here… It’s FULL of books on democratic prices, but there are also DVD’s and a Starbucks whiiii… So we first choose some books we liked and then drunk a nice coffee at Starbucks!
Before we drove home again, we took a quick look at Sainsbury’s, but I didn’t buy anything. I only bought a book in Borders: The Notebook for only 7 pounds and that's also my favourite movie, so I can compare the book with the movie.
For diner we ate Spanish rice dish, made by Molly, and it was really NICE !!
Then I spoke my parents and read in my book ;-)
Another lovely day !
Kisses Tannie xxx
zaterdag 21 februari 2009
DAY 13 (20/02)
We went to Nottingham today (the place where Robin Hood is based on as you all should know...)
We visited the castle and there were beautiful, maintained gardens and inside the castle were clothes from the earlier times, remnants,...
Then we took a look in the town and we suddenly discovered: Nottingham City of Caves and Crime and Punishment. We asked whether it was worth it and finally went to the second thing (Crime& Punishment), so we came in the building and there was a kind of skeleton thing (in steel with bars) hanging on the ceiling... It gave us the creeps!!
This "thing" hanging on the ceiling was meant for example for murderers. A murderer was hung inside, one inside you weren't able to move anymore and you just had to wait until you die and feel the birds picking and tearing apart your skin... BRRRR !!
We followed our guide, which was a strange person all dressed up and playing angry, and we entered a courtyard from the earlier times. This was funny because our guide immediately divided us into parts! When you were wearing green, had a cap or had curls,... you were guilty and a punishment was said (mostly this ended up in death after cruel punishments or the stake...)
For the rest, we were free to walk around but every time another guide received us and gave us some explanation, but they were really in their roles, so they also got angry when we laughed or something... Because something funny happened... =D
Our next guide was a pretty handsome guy (VERY hihi) and he said "there are some rule you must obey as a prisoner. Rule 1: You do as I say!" And I said: "Well, this is rather kinky", but he saw us laughing and asked: "What did you say? Throw it in the group come on!"
But I didn't dare to say it, because I already felt a bit embarrassed :p LOL...
It was really worth it, because we have seen a lot of cruel things, but also how prisoners have tried to escape, how they washed themselves (20 men in 1 little bath isn't njammie...), so I really learned a lot and it was very interesting.
We were all really dragged into the earlier times, which was exciting !
Everything was done in an interactive way where one another could participate etc...
Really nice !!
The evening was a 'silent' evening --> TIREDNESS again ;-)
Kiss kiss xxxx
We visited the castle and there were beautiful, maintained gardens and inside the castle were clothes from the earlier times, remnants,...
Then we took a look in the town and we suddenly discovered: Nottingham City of Caves and Crime and Punishment. We asked whether it was worth it and finally went to the second thing (Crime& Punishment), so we came in the building and there was a kind of skeleton thing (in steel with bars) hanging on the ceiling... It gave us the creeps!!
This "thing" hanging on the ceiling was meant for example for murderers. A murderer was hung inside, one inside you weren't able to move anymore and you just had to wait until you die and feel the birds picking and tearing apart your skin... BRRRR !!
We followed our guide, which was a strange person all dressed up and playing angry, and we entered a courtyard from the earlier times. This was funny because our guide immediately divided us into parts! When you were wearing green, had a cap or had curls,... you were guilty and a punishment was said (mostly this ended up in death after cruel punishments or the stake...)
For the rest, we were free to walk around but every time another guide received us and gave us some explanation, but they were really in their roles, so they also got angry when we laughed or something... Because something funny happened... =D
Our next guide was a pretty handsome guy (VERY hihi) and he said "there are some rule you must obey as a prisoner. Rule 1: You do as I say!" And I said: "Well, this is rather kinky", but he saw us laughing and asked: "What did you say? Throw it in the group come on!"
But I didn't dare to say it, because I already felt a bit embarrassed :p LOL...
It was really worth it, because we have seen a lot of cruel things, but also how prisoners have tried to escape, how they washed themselves (20 men in 1 little bath isn't njammie...), so I really learned a lot and it was very interesting.
We were all really dragged into the earlier times, which was exciting !
Everything was done in an interactive way where one another could participate etc...
Really nice !!
The evening was a 'silent' evening --> TIREDNESS again ;-)
Kiss kiss xxxx
donderdag 19 februari 2009
DAY 12 (19/02)
(Our first "pub" experience)I spent the night with Natalia and Ann and we talked about certain interesting subjects ... :p
It was funny and I slept well...
This morning, I woke up at about 11 'o clock (woeps still the tiredness I think :D) and we ate a nice prepared breakfast, because this time Natalia pampered us a bit by baking an omelette and mushrooms...MMMM...
Then I got dressed and we all decided to have our first official working day (you know: typing lesson observations, reports, lesson preparations,...) and I have just finished my work for today!
This evening, we have to cook for ourselves, because Molly is away for 2 days, but we don't mind. I'll go downstairs in a moment and lay the table...
Then, hopefully, I will finish my book today (I don't read a lot so it takes daaayys before I've finished a book) LOL... :p
And normally, we're going to practice our dance performance again (I hope) and maybe have a drink in the pub "next doors" as end of the day...
Big Kisses,
Tanniee xxxx
DAY 11 (18/02)
Hi everyone,
Not sooo much to say, because today was a peaceful day...
I slept until 11 'o clock (the tiredness is killing me), I took a shower, washed my hair, hung around, read in my book,...
And at around half past 1, we took the car to Leicester (Timmy, Lindsay and I) and we visited some museums, shops (no I didn't buy anything :p), cathedrals and we ate something in 'The Subway' which is DELICIOUS foooood !! Njammieee ...
It has been a rainy, cold day bleh *
At the evening, we planned to do some dancing, we have to teach dance next week so we'd better get started, and we already have a nice part... It was nice, but I'm sure tomorrow I'm going to be a bit stiff ! :D
Bisou X
Not sooo much to say, because today was a peaceful day...
I slept until 11 'o clock (the tiredness is killing me), I took a shower, washed my hair, hung around, read in my book,...
And at around half past 1, we took the car to Leicester (Timmy, Lindsay and I) and we visited some museums, shops (no I didn't buy anything :p), cathedrals and we ate something in 'The Subway' which is DELICIOUS foooood !! Njammieee ...
It has been a rainy, cold day bleh *
At the evening, we planned to do some dancing, we have to teach dance next week so we'd better get started, and we already have a nice part... It was nice, but I'm sure tomorrow I'm going to be a bit stiff ! :D
Bisou X
dinsdag 17 februari 2009
DAY 10 (17/02)
This morning, my alarm went off at around 8 'o clock pfff * and I felt really tired... We always have very tiring and occupied days...
We visited Warwick Castle, which was worth it, because it was an old medieval castle and everything was very well explained, the kings and queens, what happened,...
You were also able to walk on the walls of the castle, it was a bit scary, because they were rather high. There were also men "fighting" with children for fun; in order to let them see how it was during the medieval times.
And at the end of the day, there was a performance of how to use a 'trebuchet' and this was really really nice to see how it really works!!
It was a great day !!
This evening, I am finally going to type my lesson observations and think about our dance lessons. It's about time I know ...
Kisses xxxx
PS: I REALLY DETEST THOSE ROUNDABOUTS WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA......... !!!
We visited Warwick Castle, which was worth it, because it was an old medieval castle and everything was very well explained, the kings and queens, what happened,...
You were also able to walk on the walls of the castle, it was a bit scary, because they were rather high. There were also men "fighting" with children for fun; in order to let them see how it was during the medieval times.
And at the end of the day, there was a performance of how to use a 'trebuchet' and this was really really nice to see how it really works!!
It was a great day !!
This evening, I am finally going to type my lesson observations and think about our dance lessons. It's about time I know ...
Kisses xxxx
PS: I REALLY DETEST THOSE ROUNDABOUTS WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA......... !!!
DAY 9 (16/02)
--> On this picture you can see Shakespeare's house...We went to visit Stratford-upon-Avon (village where Shakespeare was born and also died).
We left home at around 10 'o clock and arrived at around 11 'o clock in Stratford.
First, we went inside a 'Tourism Office' to grab some leaflets, a map of Stratford, etc...
I noticed, Stratford is a very picturesque and little village with lots of real British houses, of course (again) a lot of shops and those little streets where you can walk through. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining (no rain whii) and there was a rather "warm" breeze...
We first wanted to see and visit Shakespeare's house, but it appeared to be very expensive, so we just took some pictures and visited some shops.
Then, Natalia, Timmy and Ann went to visit a kind of Ghost house with witchcraft and wizardry and so Evi, Lindsay and I drunk a cup of coffee outside, which was very pleasant, because the sun was shining on our faces. Mmmm lovely...!
For the rest we went for a walk through the whole village. We were looking for some boats to do a kind of sightseeing on the water, but apparently they're not there during the winter, which was a pity... We also wanted to visit the 'Shakesperience', but is was closed grrrr ! *
Actually, today for the first time, I felt at ease in England and I actually said I could live here...
Everyone is so kind and helpful, the fooooood is delicious (but oh so FAT most of the times!), the villages are so cute and I do like the "Leicester accent" !! They almost "sing" when they speak !!
I can easily see myself living here in a kind of farm with some horses, cows, dogs, cats, some sheep, pigs,... Oh yeah *my dream* !!
Well folks, that's it for today !
I had a quiet evening and a quiet night, but that's good, because tomorrow we're going to visit Warwick Castle (medieval castle with dungeons etc brrrr...) ;-)
So more new tomorrow !
Kisses xxxxx
maandag 16 februari 2009
** All our pictures **
(Little Dan, Ann and I :D Don't we look cute?!)On this site you can find our other pictures (feel free to have a look):
On the left you can see some maps: Ann, Lindsay, Tanja, Evi and Timmy (= more pictures)
DAY 8 (15/02)
Today we didn't do ANYTHING... And it was Niiiiice !!
I woke up at around 11 'o clock and Molly indulged us a bit, because she made us a kind of English breakfast (eggs, bacon and toast,...) which was really delicious!
Afterwards we just hung around in the house, read some pages in my book, spoke to my mum on Skype, went downstairs again, went upstairs again, ate something, took some pictures of the house and its inhabitants (lol) and oh yeah, Sofie was here too (she is from Brasschaat, but she lives here now) and we had a nice chat about Groby, going out, nice places,... and she is going to show us some nice areas and she even invited us to come over for dinner. She's a sweet girl :) Claire, Ann, Dave, Daniel and Scott were also here, so actually this house was crowded today (we were with 13 to eat!) *biep*
I was rather tired from last week, you're always busy here, always doing something...
During the evening we dumped ourselves in the seats and watched an action movie ('Mystic River') which was ok, but not ok enough, because some were STILL falling asleep :p
like every single time we watch a movie... LOL...
Mum and dad, I miss you both :)
(How was the Jazz performance mum?)
Big Kiss,
xxxxxx
I woke up at around 11 'o clock and Molly indulged us a bit, because she made us a kind of English breakfast (eggs, bacon and toast,...) which was really delicious!
Afterwards we just hung around in the house, read some pages in my book, spoke to my mum on Skype, went downstairs again, went upstairs again, ate something, took some pictures of the house and its inhabitants (lol) and oh yeah, Sofie was here too (she is from Brasschaat, but she lives here now) and we had a nice chat about Groby, going out, nice places,... and she is going to show us some nice areas and she even invited us to come over for dinner. She's a sweet girl :) Claire, Ann, Dave, Daniel and Scott were also here, so actually this house was crowded today (we were with 13 to eat!) *biep*
I was rather tired from last week, you're always busy here, always doing something...
During the evening we dumped ourselves in the seats and watched an action movie ('Mystic River') which was ok, but not ok enough, because some were STILL falling asleep :p
like every single time we watch a movie... LOL...
Mum and dad, I miss you both :)
(How was the Jazz performance mum?)
Big Kiss,
xxxxxx
zondag 15 februari 2009
DAY 7 (14/03)
At around 10 'o clock, Molly and Dave arrived from their trip to Australia. I was very curious to meet them and I must say: 'They are LOVELY !!'
Molly is very relaxed and at ease and Dave is very cute! He looks like my own grandfather...
After a while, we decided to go shopping in Leicester and get to know the town a bit more.
We went to the shopping centre (again) and visited some other shops on the streets, it was very pleasant and relaxing. No stress feeling... Just vacaaation ! :D
I bought several things (of course) like a red dress (very nice and only for 3 pounds), 2 other books (The Green Mile and Twilight) and a leather jacket (only for 30 pounds) and I'm veeeery happy with my new things ;-)
Leicester is a big city where you can do lots of things, we also wanted to visited a little church, but unfortunately it was closed. But I would like to witness a choral mass !
I also want to find out more about the comparisons and the differences between the Anglican beliefs and the Catholic beliefs (unfortunately in Kdg we didn't learn about this!)
At the evening (after a tremendous shopping day) it was dinner-time and we went to a Chinese restaurant, which was very njammie*
We filled our bellies very well ! ;-)
Then we drove home, and when home we decided to go -back- to Leicester and GO OUT !! :D
We first searched some things on the internet and picked one club out and off we were...
There are lots of clubs in Leicester and the club we were at had very good music (R&B, hip-hop,...) and we had lots of fun, though there were a lot of 'strange people' staring at us or saying crazy, weird things... :p But we had lots of fun and that's the most important thing !
We were back home at around half past 3 ... and again --> very tired!
It was a greeeaaaat day and evening !! :D
kisses xxxxx
Molly is very relaxed and at ease and Dave is very cute! He looks like my own grandfather...
After a while, we decided to go shopping in Leicester and get to know the town a bit more.
We went to the shopping centre (again) and visited some other shops on the streets, it was very pleasant and relaxing. No stress feeling... Just vacaaation ! :D
I bought several things (of course) like a red dress (very nice and only for 3 pounds), 2 other books (The Green Mile and Twilight) and a leather jacket (only for 30 pounds) and I'm veeeery happy with my new things ;-)
Leicester is a big city where you can do lots of things, we also wanted to visited a little church, but unfortunately it was closed. But I would like to witness a choral mass !
I also want to find out more about the comparisons and the differences between the Anglican beliefs and the Catholic beliefs (unfortunately in Kdg we didn't learn about this!)
At the evening (after a tremendous shopping day) it was dinner-time and we went to a Chinese restaurant, which was very njammie*
We filled our bellies very well ! ;-)
Then we drove home, and when home we decided to go -back- to Leicester and GO OUT !! :D
We first searched some things on the internet and picked one club out and off we were...
There are lots of clubs in Leicester and the club we were at had very good music (R&B, hip-hop,...) and we had lots of fun, though there were a lot of 'strange people' staring at us or saying crazy, weird things... :p But we had lots of fun and that's the most important thing !
We were back home at around half past 3 ... and again --> very tired!
It was a greeeaaaat day and evening !! :D
kisses xxxxx
vrijdag 13 februari 2009
DAY 6 (13/02)
Toedeloe,
Today we finally arranged our timetables and within two weeks I will be teaching 13 lessons, but actually it will be kind of "co-teaching". This means I will be teaching together with another student (Natalia, Ann, Evi, Lindsay or Timmy) or with a teacher or even just guide and help the pupils during class... I don't have any lesson that I will be teaching alone, but that's fine!
These are my subjects I will be teaching:
- French (5 hours)
- Physical Education (2 hours) = sport
- Dance (2 hours)
- Religion (1 hour) = Anglican belief
- Citizenship (1 hour) = cultural background England
- Psychology (1 hour) = will be about 'depression'
- Travel & Tourism (1 hour) = project 'Belgium'
I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO IT !! :D
We also discovered a lot today, because we didn't really know what we were supposed to do. Apparently, we were allowed to help the students during the observations (compared to Belgium we just sit and stay) and co-teaching together with a teacher also counts as TP (teaching practice). It's a pity we didn't know beforehand...
BUT... From now on, we are first going to take a rest and relax, because we have one week off (holiday!) and we are going to visit a lot of things and enjoy every little thing !!
This evening, we will be going to the pub again and also 'try to pool'...
Byyeeee xxxxxx
Today we finally arranged our timetables and within two weeks I will be teaching 13 lessons, but actually it will be kind of "co-teaching". This means I will be teaching together with another student (Natalia, Ann, Evi, Lindsay or Timmy) or with a teacher or even just guide and help the pupils during class... I don't have any lesson that I will be teaching alone, but that's fine!
These are my subjects I will be teaching:
- French (5 hours)
- Physical Education (2 hours) = sport
- Dance (2 hours)
- Religion (1 hour) = Anglican belief
- Citizenship (1 hour) = cultural background England
- Psychology (1 hour) = will be about 'depression'
- Travel & Tourism (1 hour) = project 'Belgium'
I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO IT !! :D
We also discovered a lot today, because we didn't really know what we were supposed to do. Apparently, we were allowed to help the students during the observations (compared to Belgium we just sit and stay) and co-teaching together with a teacher also counts as TP (teaching practice). It's a pity we didn't know beforehand...
BUT... From now on, we are first going to take a rest and relax, because we have one week off (holiday!) and we are going to visit a lot of things and enjoy every little thing !!
This evening, we will be going to the pub again and also 'try to pool'...
Byyeeee xxxxxx
DAY 5 (12/02)
We observed 2 hours of French and a lot of teachers say: "Sorry this might be a bit boring, but we have to go through this material..."
In my opinion, every lesson can be communicative, creative or interactive... But ok... =)
I do know now what was meant by "the first week will be a shocking week" and it's true! There are so many things that are different... I sometimes compare it to my last school in Borgerhout.
The educational system is totally different and I am sure that when we are going to teach (after the holidays), the pupils are going to be thrilled, because we're going to try to make as interactive lessons as possible!
Yesterday, some pupils also told me they are able to choose their own subjects like sports, art, geography, history and so on... But some subjects are though are compulsory like for example science, religious studies, English, French and Maths, but I find this a nice manner. You really choose according to your own interests...
This morning, we were sitting in the 'citizenship class' and we actually participated. We had to tell about Belgian food, sports, music, ... and they were very interested! Although most of them don't know were Belgium is situated (somewhere in German?) and apparently Belgian is the spoken language in Belgium (not...)
They even asked us to teach them Dutch, so this could be something we might do... One girl was even able to sing the song "hoofd, schouders, knie en teen, knie en teen..." which was funny!!!
In general, this school is very loose for their pupils, piercings, short skirts, maquillage, gothic, red haired pupils, eating & drinking in class (after permission), kissing their girl/boy friends,... It will certainly be a big adaptation for us!
And this evening, there will be a parent evening and we are going to participate, I am really curious!
Some pupils also told us some nice places to go out and dance, that class (citizenship) is wonderful ! And I borrowed a book to learn Spanish ! ;-)
Kisses x x x x x
In my opinion, every lesson can be communicative, creative or interactive... But ok... =)
I do know now what was meant by "the first week will be a shocking week" and it's true! There are so many things that are different... I sometimes compare it to my last school in Borgerhout.
The educational system is totally different and I am sure that when we are going to teach (after the holidays), the pupils are going to be thrilled, because we're going to try to make as interactive lessons as possible!
Yesterday, some pupils also told me they are able to choose their own subjects like sports, art, geography, history and so on... But some subjects are though are compulsory like for example science, religious studies, English, French and Maths, but I find this a nice manner. You really choose according to your own interests...
This morning, we were sitting in the 'citizenship class' and we actually participated. We had to tell about Belgian food, sports, music, ... and they were very interested! Although most of them don't know were Belgium is situated (somewhere in German?) and apparently Belgian is the spoken language in Belgium (not...)
They even asked us to teach them Dutch, so this could be something we might do... One girl was even able to sing the song "hoofd, schouders, knie en teen, knie en teen..." which was funny!!!
In general, this school is very loose for their pupils, piercings, short skirts, maquillage, gothic, red haired pupils, eating & drinking in class (after permission), kissing their girl/boy friends,... It will certainly be a big adaptation for us!
And this evening, there will be a parent evening and we are going to participate, I am really curious!
Some pupils also told us some nice places to go out and dance, that class (citizenship) is wonderful ! And I borrowed a book to learn Spanish ! ;-)
Kisses x x x x x
DAY 4 (11/02)
We started the day with 'dance', which was very nice to see. The pupils were working/dancing in little groups and they had to work out their own performance and choreography, because soon they have to do an exam. I observed this together with Natalia and we were immediately interested, so we asked the dance teacher whether it was possible to teach dancing...and it was!!
So next week, Ann, Natalia and I will be teaching some dance lessons and I'm really looking forward to it! The other lessons we observed were kind of monotonous, except for the lesson 'food', during this lesson the pupils had to prepare and practice a dish and because of all those great smells, Natalia and I felt really hungry. It all looked nice and they have to do a kind of portfolio as well... (almost for every subject) pfieuw...
For the rest, nothing new, only that Natalia was getting frustrated sitting at the back and watching those pupils being inattentive and rude. I really had to calm her down...
It also seems the teachers never get mad, they always stay very calm... =)
I was also really shocked when I observed religion!!!! The teacher that teaches religion is actually a Geography teacher and it seemed he didn't like to teach religion at all, but he had to (the school gave him this subject).
Religion here is about 'why do we believe in God?', preaching, praying, 'don't do drugs or otherwise you will go to hell',... so I do think they try, in a way, to convince their pupils or spread the message to be a believer, but I don't know what they pupils' opinion is? Do they also think like that? Because to me, it seemed a lot of pupils weren't interested in what was told. They weren't paying attention.
I would like to teach religion and give it a try and let them see religion can be something fun and nice... =)
As closing: this evening we ate 'wok' (made by mum Evi ;-) ) and afterwards we watched a movie 'The Family Stone' and finally I read a bit in my book... But all this doesn't last long, because we're always sooo tired ! =)
Hear you tomorrow !!
Kisses xxxxx
So next week, Ann, Natalia and I will be teaching some dance lessons and I'm really looking forward to it! The other lessons we observed were kind of monotonous, except for the lesson 'food', during this lesson the pupils had to prepare and practice a dish and because of all those great smells, Natalia and I felt really hungry. It all looked nice and they have to do a kind of portfolio as well... (almost for every subject) pfieuw...
For the rest, nothing new, only that Natalia was getting frustrated sitting at the back and watching those pupils being inattentive and rude. I really had to calm her down...
It also seems the teachers never get mad, they always stay very calm... =)
I was also really shocked when I observed religion!!!! The teacher that teaches religion is actually a Geography teacher and it seemed he didn't like to teach religion at all, but he had to (the school gave him this subject).
Religion here is about 'why do we believe in God?', preaching, praying, 'don't do drugs or otherwise you will go to hell',... so I do think they try, in a way, to convince their pupils or spread the message to be a believer, but I don't know what they pupils' opinion is? Do they also think like that? Because to me, it seemed a lot of pupils weren't interested in what was told. They weren't paying attention.
I would like to teach religion and give it a try and let them see religion can be something fun and nice... =)
As closing: this evening we ate 'wok' (made by mum Evi ;-) ) and afterwards we watched a movie 'The Family Stone' and finally I read a bit in my book... But all this doesn't last long, because we're always sooo tired ! =)
Hear you tomorrow !!
Kisses xxxxx
dinsdag 10 februari 2009
DAY 3 (10/02)
We had to observe all day long, which was very tiring and actually sometimes rather boring, because every teacher teaches in a 'traditional way' (we had one teacher who was very creative).
We observed: sports studies, history, travel & tourism and science. And with this information we need to choose which subjects we want to teach and we already have some great ideas like a project about Belgium, dancing,... The teachers, as well as the students, are very helpful and sociable, which is nice, because I always get lost in that school! :D
After observing, we went to Leicester for some shopping and (yes mum and dad, I bought something :p), I bought a kind of t-shirt (to go out) and 2 books 'The Chronicles of Narnia' ! You all know the movie I'm sure!
For the rest nothing new... We just ate lasagne and are now going to watch a movie again and be together ;-)
I like it here :)
Big Kiss xxxx
We observed: sports studies, history, travel & tourism and science. And with this information we need to choose which subjects we want to teach and we already have some great ideas like a project about Belgium, dancing,... The teachers, as well as the students, are very helpful and sociable, which is nice, because I always get lost in that school! :D
After observing, we went to Leicester for some shopping and (yes mum and dad, I bought something :p), I bought a kind of t-shirt (to go out) and 2 books 'The Chronicles of Narnia' ! You all know the movie I'm sure!
For the rest nothing new... We just ate lasagne and are now going to watch a movie again and be together ;-)
I like it here :)
Big Kiss xxxx
maandag 9 februari 2009
DAY 2 (09/02)
We had to be at school (in Groby) at 10 ‘o clock to observe some lessons and to get the information we need, but unfortunately we arrived a bit late, because our GPS couldn’t find any signal (it took a long time!).
After we met Viv (the woman who guides us in school) we immediately had to observe. We observed geography and photography, which was nice (especially photography) but totally different compared to Belgium!! The school is also very big, like a kind of maze, so we all were a bit lost. We received a timetable to observe this week, luckily in pairs…
Today we also went to visit Leicester, we did some shopping and bought some food, vegetables,… for the week. Leicester is a big city with a lot of Asian people! A lot…
This evening we have planned a peaceful evening. Molly's sister has made apple and crumble, which we are going to eat in a moment and watch a real "girly-movie"! Lots of fun!
After we met Viv (the woman who guides us in school) we immediately had to observe. We observed geography and photography, which was nice (especially photography) but totally different compared to Belgium!! The school is also very big, like a kind of maze, so we all were a bit lost. We received a timetable to observe this week, luckily in pairs…
Today we also went to visit Leicester, we did some shopping and bought some food, vegetables,… for the week. Leicester is a big city with a lot of Asian people! A lot…
This evening we have planned a peaceful evening. Molly's sister has made apple and crumble, which we are going to eat in a moment and watch a real "girly-movie"! Lots of fun!
DAY 1 (08/02)
Today we have had a long day! We have been driving from 6.30 until 5 ‘o clock (breaks, lunches,… included). But everything went well, although we sometimes were a bit lost or missed our turn, but we all watched the road and paid attention!
The boat trip was also very nice, but it felt strange, it seemed like we were a bit drunk (seasick) and like some of you may have noticed on the ‘blogs’ of my co-students, my first impression of THE White Cliffs of Dover wasn’t really overwhelming me… They appeared to be very small, I expected them to be bigger I think (we also had more than half an hour to go by boat)?
After the boat trip, the biggest adventure started: “driving on the left side”!!
Natalia and Ann already drove on the on the left side and everything went well, but we do need to pay a lot of attention and cooperate, driving left isn’t as easy as it seems to be…
This evening we ate some home-made lasagne (made by Molly’s sister) and afterwards we kind of packed out our things, watched tv, chatted,… but this only was for a short period, everyone fell asleep and was very tired so we went to bed and I fell asleep at around 12.30 at night...
The boat trip was also very nice, but it felt strange, it seemed like we were a bit drunk (seasick) and like some of you may have noticed on the ‘blogs’ of my co-students, my first impression of THE White Cliffs of Dover wasn’t really overwhelming me… They appeared to be very small, I expected them to be bigger I think (we also had more than half an hour to go by boat)?
After the boat trip, the biggest adventure started: “driving on the left side”!!
Natalia and Ann already drove on the on the left side and everything went well, but we do need to pay a lot of attention and cooperate, driving left isn’t as easy as it seems to be…
This evening we ate some home-made lasagne (made by Molly’s sister) and afterwards we kind of packed out our things, watched tv, chatted,… but this only was for a short period, everyone fell asleep and was very tired so we went to bed and I fell asleep at around 12.30 at night...
vrijdag 6 februari 2009
Hi everyone,
You all know (or maybe not?), I am going to Leicester (England) for 1 month. I will be teaching there together with 5 other students from my class. We are staying in a little village called 'Desford'. Because the school system in England is totally different from ours, this is certainly going to be one great experience!
I made this blog so that every one of you is able to follow our experiences, trips, pictures,... Enjoy !
And see you soon!
Tanja *
You all know (or maybe not?), I am going to Leicester (England) for 1 month. I will be teaching there together with 5 other students from my class. We are staying in a little village called 'Desford'. Because the school system in England is totally different from ours, this is certainly going to be one great experience!
I made this blog so that every one of you is able to follow our experiences, trips, pictures,... Enjoy !
And see you soon!
Tanja *
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