After a very exciting and busy week in Paris, I am now back in Ireland. Our travels were safe and Paris was unforgettable.
My host family is fabulous. I missed them when I was in Paris. I was very happy to see them when I arrived yesterday morning.
TEACHING: Today was my first day at Kill O' the Grange School and it was absolutely lovely. I made a list of all the differences I noticed. The differences follow.
-The students are allowed talk and wiggle much more here than in America.
-The English language is taught the way it is spoken; therefore, it's very different from American English.
-Teachers get an additional break for coffee and tea (essential of course).
-The average number of students in a classroom is thirty-seven. I have thirty-one in my class.
-Because of the Irish spoken English, every subject has its subtle differences. For example, they use the term "bundle" for an amount of ten. I've used the word bundle before but did not know it was an official word given to a specific amount. These are just subtleties that I noticed today.
-They also teach the traditional Irish Language. I found this particularly interesting because I've never heard it spoken or seen it in writing. With my background in English I hope to learn as much as I can in five weeks about their language.
Things are off to a brilliant start. I am so happy to be here and to have been given this opportunity. It is a truly mind opening experience and I know I will bring these influences into my own classroom. I have uploaded just a few pictured I took in Paris, but I have not taken any in Ireland. I will upload those soon.