It finally felt like summer today!  Reaching the mid 30s, the weather today was somewhat abnormal; at least compared to what its been like since I’ve been here.  I was told today was a typical summer day in East Gippsland.  This is the weather that I expected when I crossed the equator. 

After school today, I decided to make the most of the good weather, although a little warm, and went for an extended bike ride.  I took the Rail Trail half way to Nicholson and then turned back and took the trail up the Mitchell River passing biker after biker.  I’m sure they all had the same idea as I.

I’ve been thinking about next week all day today.  I will be implementing a lesson that I need in order to complete Miami University’s student teaching program.  I have been building a lesson for my year 11s around their next chapter of study.  I will need to have two pre-assessments and two post-assessments.  I will have to use the data that I gain from these assessments to show student understanding of concepts prior to my lesson and after my lesson.  I am still working on the lesson, so I will have to post about it at a later date.

Also, next week, Rod, my student teaching supervisor, will be coming to observe my teaching next Wednesday.  I’m really excited for him to come so I can get more feedback from another observer.  I’ve been getting great feedback from Pam and Linda, but it will be nice to have feedback from someone who isn’t in my class on a daily basis.  I’m always open to criticism; it certainly helps when I am reflecting on my lessons.

Being a newbie isn't so bad!  I had a very rewarding time today sitting in on meetings with new BSC faculty members.  I was also given all of the paperwork that any new teacher would receive entering into their first year of teaching at the college, including the staff handbook and new staff induction book.  After introductions with the new principal (who happens to look a lot like Ben Kingsley), vice principals, and other members, the new faculty and I were given a tour of the school grounds.  It became apparent soon into the tour that BSC's campus was going to take a few days to get used to.  Unlike many American schools, and typical to this climate, the school was very open and laid out in several buildings connected by covered walkways .  The junior campus, located in the north, houses the main administration, a variety of classrooms, and the canteen.  The senior campus, in the south, contained classrooms, vocational studios, and the new science center.

The science center really struck me, obviously.  Only 6 months young, the center houses 4 open classrooms, a multitude of science technology and a very well designed view of the wetlands, which is only a stone's throw from the back of campus.  The wetlands looked to be a healthy ecosystem with a lot of potential for study and student engagement.  Although this is Australia, so engagement in the wetlands may be quite dangerous! SNAKES!

After the campus tour, we enjoyed morning tea and were taken on a technological tour through the school's attendance software.  I was impressed with the thought that must have been put into designing the system to keep track of student attendance throughout the day.  The software allows the teacher the ability to quickly take attendance without taking much time from the class.  I realize that this may be a dated statement since most schools have this type of software, but it was different.  The whole interface was carefully put together and seemed to flow from task to task, everything from logging maintenance issues to checking for school updates.

Lunch would later be served for the new teachers with the administration at the Main Hotel Bistro in town.  I figured that fish and chips couldn't have been a bad choice, especially in this area!  It wasn't.

After arriving home from the short day at school, I decided to take a short bicycle trip down to Mitchell River to clear my head before diving into all the reading material from BSC.  Even in an overcast day, the Australian sun was brutal and only after a half hour biking, it was a clear decision to head back home.

The handbooks were an easy read and aligned well with my teaching philosophy and classroom management strategies.  I think it will be a great fit here.