Days Gone By

It’s already the middle of the 3^rd week of classes (first week for my roommates) and the days are flying by at a phenomenal rate. This raises the stakes in handing in lesson plan assignments, and getting ready for the second teaching practice. The College hasn’t received a reply from the schools they applied me to but it looks like I’ll be spending my second teaching practice in Christchurch. Many of my midyear classmates will be sent abroad to teach, as south as Invercargill and as north as Gibson. Lucky for them, the college will cover their transportation & accommodation costs.

On the 23^rd, I took part in supervising the City of Christchurch Cadet Unit’s (CCCU) swim test at Jellie Park. The corps had the entire outdoor pool booked and, despite the cold windy weather, cadets swum 50 metres & learned how to turn camping backpacks into flotation devices. In Canada, cadets are only allowed to swim in togs (swimsuits) but here, cadets are allowed to swim in their combat uniforms (togs being underneath) minus the heavy boots. My duties for the night were to supervise & jump in should a cadet require first aid. Luckily, there were no emergencies, and everyone had a good time in the heated pool. Some cadets even reenacted the blue whale from the famous Internet video Beached Whale.

Jellie Park also happens to be the place where the game show Top Town is filmed but the pool looks a lot bigger on camera. The outdoor pool is turned into an obstacle course, mirroring America’s Wipeout! series.

A trio of professors from Bangladesh sat in my Professional Studies class for several days, observing our presentations of Māori topics & question based activities. They took part in several presentations/activities, took pictures of classroom behaviour, and learned how to play the game Rock, Paper, Scissors. I’m guessing the College is trying to promote its teaching program to potential overseas clients, and if successful, there will be students from Bangladesh studying here in the near future.

In music class today, the professor wanted us to begin learning an instrument that we previously never touched. The choices were acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and drums. I already play piano, drums, & orchestral percussion so why not give the guitar a try? Holding & attempting to play acoustic guitar for the first time felt daring & even impossible but I stuck through it and learnt four major chords: A, D, E7, & G. By the end of the lesson, my left hand & fingers were aching because of the way they had to be placed. My professor emphasized that all music teachers should know basic guitar before teaching because it’s a popular instrument among young students and it helps with orchestration. More chords & techniques are next for tomorrow’s lecture.

On the international stage, I was glad that Australian actor Heath Ledger received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor of 2008 for his phenomenal role as ‘the Joker’ in the Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight. Due to his tragic death last year, his parents accepted the award. I was surprised to see Britain & India sweeping the Oscars with 6 awards going to the critically acclaimed film Slumdog Millionaire. This year, the Oscars were all about the great filming achievements of the Commonwealth.

And lastly, it was nice that the sun decided to appear on a Wednesday bringing warm 17-degree weather. At the end of the day, several students & ducks were tanning in Ilam’s green quad area. Nearby, a cat was tanning as well . . . by choosing to lie on the centre of its owner’s paved driveway. I hope the cat will be awake when the owner’s car arrives.