Week Six Term Four

Our library.

The houses built behind my neighbours house.

Remembrance Day assembly.

3/4 sport, basketball.

The girl's superstar, Alice, throwing in and making a rush.

Vincent playing handball with his kids.

November 7-11^th

This week for professional learning on both Monday and Tuesday we listened to the French Inspector who talked about the merits of bilingualism entirely in French! She didn't speak English well enough and had to be translated by one of our office staff. A tiring and tedious process. Another example of not practising what you preach.

The school library was dismantled after semester one to replace the carpet tiles, but has yet to be put back together. I think that admin is planning to move it elsewhere over the summer, but in the meantime it is not a very useful or friendly place to be. Plus the computer lab that it housed, has also been dismantled and the computers distributed to classrooms, despite the recommendation of our IT maintainance man. I think most teachers find a computer lab to be better use of computers because then a teacher can teach a concept on the screen and all the students can try it, as opposed to cycling students through four classroom computers. What are the others doing at that time and when will they catch up on that? Just logistics and management.

Friday was Remembrance Day. Although it is marked here in Australia, ANZAC Day is a much more patriotic celebration. Held annually on April 25^th it marks the World War I campaign where thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers were slaughtered in a losing cause at Galipoli, Turkey. The Remembrance Day assembly was held outside and was quite low key, just a short intro, In Flander's Fields, Taps and the Australian National anthem led by Joel. I was happy to hear John McRae's poem here in Australia, obviously it is truly international.

I included a photo of the houses built behind my neighbour's house. Instead of dividing lots like Toronto, here they build smaller houses, or units in the back of the property. Neighbourhoods are full of these smaller houses. I live in one, where a house had been knocked down and five units were put on the one lot. They provide cheaper, smaller houses for starters or people down scaling. Just what I need. I wonder how the sewers accommodate the extra water flow.

For grade 3 and 4 sport on Friday I was assigned to basketball along with Gilles. Last week he had this group of kids arranged in four teams, two of boys and two of girls. This week he had them play off against each other. As expected the boys beat the girls and were not very sporting in beating the girls. They were rough and taunted them. But, one of my girls, Alice, really showed me what she was made of. She plays basketball in a house league after school. In one ten minute game the girls lost 8-10 but Alice scored all the girl's points. She was everywhere, mixing it up, marking rushes, getting rebounds and not being afraid to take on any of the boys.

On the topic of sport, the kids here are into four square but use the court for handball with small rubber balls or tennis balls. There are also handball courts here and the kids play it like tennis. One of the French teachers likes to play with his grade 6 students most recesses and they have a great time.

I was away when Toronto elected Rob Ford and now I'm away and the US has elected Donald Trump. Somehow I think the world has become a more dangerous place.