My Way

September. Normally I would be wishing for more summer vacation before school begins but not this time. School has been happening since July, here in New Zealand, and it won’t stop until October for a short break.

I seem to have finally found my teaching style because my associates were impressed with my lessons this week. My presentation improved greatly they said, no longer afraid to walk to all corners of the classroom, engage with the good & bad students, and appear ridden with stage fright. I just might make it out of here alive. It still would be nice to have a Taser at the ready in case of emergencies but by the end of my Teaching Practice I’ll probably conclude that I don’t need it.

There was this one awkward moment when I was teaching Year 9 Social Studies that I noticed the absence of the original teacher. Only my college observer & I were the leading authorities in the room. But in reality, I was on my own. For 50 minutes, I managed to keep the classroom from erupting into Lord of the Flies by winning many battles against the little Kiwis. No, not physical confrontations, more like stopping them from thinking they can talk whenever, not pay attention, throw paper at each other, and fall asleep. I really should have brought my copy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War as a reference.

At St. Thomas of Canterbury, I hear my abbreviated title everywhere I go. There still are those dedicated few students who try to pronounce my last name to some success. Although some teachers don’t enjoy using abbreviations, I’m turning out to be the exception, when they mention the previous lessons I taught to their students. I’ve glorified the letter ‘D’ – a foreshadowing outcome when I begin teaching as a profession.

Aside from that, most of the classes I taught turned out well. I didn’t have too many of them because this week was some sort of career week where the students engaged in business activities like creating a product & visiting various establishments (bakery, NZ post office, etc.) to give them ideas about the working life. This gave me extra spare periods so I spent them socializing with the staff, preparing my next lessons, & practicing on the piano in the music building.

It’s hard to believe that more than half of my first Teaching Practice is over – the days are just flying by when you’re not paying attention. Feels like just yesterday I was standing on the convocation podium back in Carleton University, receiving my BA in History. That was over a year ago!

Weather speaking – it mostly rained. Yeah . . . the weekends are all nice & sunny but come Monday and it’s grey and wet. I’m glad I invested in a golf umbrella. The new fad around campus is to catch a cold; several of my roommates & colleagues have jumped on the bandwagon with the coughing & nose blowing, whereas my body has chosen to remain fad free. I suppose it’s because I come from the Great White North so my immunity must be high. What’s also good is the non-existence of mosquitoes.

Since the beginning of my stay in July, I started putting together a list of New Zealand lingo – what they call things against what Canadians call them. This list should come in handy for the Canadian travellers who get stuck when asking for assistance. Some of the words you may find shocking, but that’s what Kiwis say. I could lead a nation wide Lingo Revolution but I don’t have time to launch such an endeavour. I should note that this list will continue to grow with every passing day, I just have to seek out the other words.

(*New Zealand words on the left, Canadian words on the right.)

Biscuits – Crackers
Rubber – Eraser
Dart – Paper Airplane
Football – Soccer
Fag – Cigarette
Jandals – Sandals
Fizzy Drinks – Soft Drinks
Kiwi – New Zealander
Tramping - Hiking
Tomato Sauce – Ketchup
Gumboots – Rainboots
Togs – Swimsuit
Waka – Canoe
EFTPOS – Debit Card
Trousers – Pants
Pants – Underwear
Massage Parlour – Brothel
In Town – Downtown
Take Away – Take Out
Tissue – Kleenex
Rubbish – Garbage
Scroggin – Trail Mix
Trolley – Shopping Cart
Twink – Wite Out
Toilet - Washroom
Nappy - Diaper
Letter Box - Mailbox
Post Box - Mailbox
Pigeon Hole - Teacher's Mailbox
Tyre - Tire
Busyness - Business
Savouries - Dumplings

*I always have to fight the urge to laugh when the Kiwi boys call out to their friends, "Hey man! Pass the rubber!"