So we've been here for a couple of weeks now. We've been really busy, and my usual 6 week holiday has been reduced to just 4 days. On top of that, we get no half-terms, so I'm working straight through to Christmas for the next 15 weeks. That's more work than I've ever done in a row, almost as much as non teachers do. My banking wife has displayed exactly the right amount of sympathy: none! (well, a little.)
We've bought a car; a Dodge Caravan (minivan/mpv type of thing). The gearstick is on the steering wheel!! old school American. It's a V6, but so old and clunky it feels like only 1 of those cylinders is working. Still, we're getting around in comfort, if not style.
In our splendid new chariot (who I have named Felicity), we've been to Banff to paddle the Bow river, surrounded by towering peaks and abundant wildlife. We went up the Lake Louise Mountain gondola to see where the skiing will be.
We visited the fable and beautiful Lake Louise itself, its azure waters turned a lovely milky blue by the rock flour: bits of silt ground up and trapped for millenia by the Glacier that feeds it from above, finally released in the melting river. It makes for a cold river as well, let me tell you. Careful when you're canoeing, this is not one to fall in on!
On our travels we saw Elk, a Hoary Marmot, a Muskrat, Chipmunks, Columbia Squirrels,
an Osprey carrying a fish to it's young and the longest train EVER! All in all it was a lovely outdoorsy weekend. Great steak too, quite unbelievable. Reallt tasty. I'm not sure what a New York cut is in English terms, but it rocks and i'll be having more of my Alberta AAA beef that way.
School is fine so far, but seeing as it's just training week with no kids yet that's to be expected. The department are all really supportive (and everyone seems really Catholic). When we go to school mass (yes, we all go) they al know the words and can list Saints I have never heard of. It's good that they are all so helpfull as I have a lot of questions. Some about the system and various educational acronyms, some about the Math(s). I haven't taught at this level for a while; it's much higher than even the A* stuff I was doing last year, definitely A-level equivalent. It's all coming back but I feel like the numerical stabilisers are on my maths bike!
I'll put some photos on a separate post, its a lot easier that way.
I'm sure I've missed stuff, so I'll fill in the cultural blanks over the coming year.
Ciao for now, and as they say
"here increase the peace."
(and they are not being "ironic," just cheesy and with poor "grammar" and use of "these things")
We've bought a car; a Dodge Caravan (minivan/mpv type of thing). The gearstick is on the steering wheel!! old school American. It's a V6, but so old and clunky it feels like only 1 of those cylinders is working. Still, we're getting around in comfort, if not style.
In our splendid new chariot (who I have named Felicity), we've been to Banff to paddle the Bow river, surrounded by towering peaks and abundant wildlife. We went up the Lake Louise Mountain gondola to see where the skiing will be.
We visited the fable and beautiful Lake Louise itself, its azure waters turned a lovely milky blue by the rock flour: bits of silt ground up and trapped for millenia by the Glacier that feeds it from above, finally released in the melting river. It makes for a cold river as well, let me tell you. Careful when you're canoeing, this is not one to fall in on!
On our travels we saw Elk, a Hoary Marmot, a Muskrat, Chipmunks, Columbia Squirrels,
an Osprey carrying a fish to it's young and the longest train EVER! All in all it was a lovely outdoorsy weekend. Great steak too, quite unbelievable. Reallt tasty. I'm not sure what a New York cut is in English terms, but it rocks and i'll be having more of my Alberta AAA beef that way.
School is fine so far, but seeing as it's just training week with no kids yet that's to be expected. The department are all really supportive (and everyone seems really Catholic). When we go to school mass (yes, we all go) they al know the words and can list Saints I have never heard of. It's good that they are all so helpfull as I have a lot of questions. Some about the system and various educational acronyms, some about the Math(s). I haven't taught at this level for a while; it's much higher than even the A* stuff I was doing last year, definitely A-level equivalent. It's all coming back but I feel like the numerical stabilisers are on my maths bike!
I'll put some photos on a separate post, its a lot easier that way.
I'm sure I've missed stuff, so I'll fill in the cultural blanks over the coming year.
Ciao for now, and as they say
"here increase the peace."
(and they are not being "ironic," just cheesy and with poor "grammar" and use of "these things")
1 comment:
In my considered opinion the education system in this country since the war has been aimed at the white male middle classes, and as until argueably recent times the majority of the populus was white working class, the curriculam and the teaching of it niether made sence nor was very interesting to the majority of pupils who until only 20 years previously ( the 20's) were expected to and were ready to become excellent factory fodder with an endless stream of physically demanding skilled,semi-skilled and un-skilled labour opportunities. This changed somewhat in the 60's and 70's. Again in my view the loss of all the endless streams of labour opportunities through the abandonment of the traditional trades has moved the working classess to a new lower class with a sence of hopelessness that the current education system in Britain fails to recognise or address. to those that have shall more receive never mind the rest,This leaves self motivication for learning up crap creek without a paddle. Your mom and i both invested heavily in your early years learning which resulted in your own determination to avoid the black hole that is Tynings Lane school but your mom always told me that you and Sarah were hard to get to do any work at home around exam time yet i reckon ownership of learning was evidenced by all the success you have both achieved.In summary society and its accepted norms change quickly and constantly and is driven by the advantaged, inate behaviour and unaccepted norms change very slowly and isnt driven by anyone
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