School based work

This is the week I have been slightly worried about since the day I arrived here in Belfast….The start of our school placement, the first of six weeks of working at a primary school. The reasons for my worries were mostly related to the fact that there was absolutely no information about this placement what so ever. Every person I asked about what the school would expect from me could tell me exactly nothing about it.

The conclusion was that I just had to go to the school on the first day of the placement and from there find out what was going to happen. And I must say that, now, a week into the placement, I still don’t really know what is expected of me. My guess is that I will be a classroom assistant and help the teacher where I can. So, this week I have been helping children with their reading, writing and math exercises.

For my home university I will have to teach a few lessons about The Netherlands, the country, the school system, national holidays and maybe even a few words and phrases. I know that the children in my P7 class will be very interested in these things. I have had a few questions from them about my little country. With the first question: Do you know Arjen Robben? Yes I know who he is (for some reason the children think I actually know famous Dutch people). Do you have windmills in The Netherlands? Yes we do. Do you eat the same as we do here? Sometimes. Does everything look the same as here in Belfast? No it doesn’t. So for my lessons I will bring a lot of pictures and videos to show the children what the world looks like on the mainland of Europe.

A few of the differences between the Dutch and the Northern Irish ways in the school I have noticed so far are:
* On Mondays there is a morning assembly where all the children and teachers come together and talk about what they stand for and say a prayer.
* On Wednesdays there is a singing assembly where, as the name might say, everybody comes together to sing.
* The children have to line up before entering and leaving the classroom and after the bell rings at the end of the break.
* The children thank the teachers at the end of the day for teaching them.
* The children hold the door for everybody.
* The children account each other for their behaviour.
And last but not least. I have not seen a book or a workbook in the classroom.

There are many more differences to find off course, but these are the ones that I have to get used to the most. So far I enjoy the class I work with and I am curious to see the reactions on my lessons. But more of that in the coming weeks.

Have a nice weekend and until the next one!