Break In Between

The Middle Earth (New Zealand) school year is divided into 4 ten-week Terms, spread across the months between February & November. Students receive two weeks of break in between each term. My teaching program has it that my second teaching practice takes place on the last 4 weeks of Term 2 & the first 3 weeks of Term 3. Not noticing until the last minute, week 4 of TP (week 10 for high school students) came & went, finishing on Thursday because of Easter’s Good Friday. Personally, every Friday is a Good Friday. As well, despite all that I’ve been taught about Easter, I still can’t figure out where the chocolate egg producing bunny fits in?

Before I could rush home, pop open a bottle of expensive champagne, and yell ‘Freedom!’ at the top of my lungs, I visited my four teaching associates & separately planned the next set of lessons for Term 3. It’s only break time for the students because teachers have to prepare for the next term & planning ahead is always encouraged.

For Year 11 History, I’ll be wrapping up the origins of WWII before moving on to NZ during the Cold War. The Year 10s will be looking at the Treaty of Waitangi, and Y9s will be learning about Rwanda before moving on to systems of government. There’s quite a lot material to prepare for but having two weeks makes the tasks much easier. As long as I stay away from procrastination, I’ll be fine.

I had originally planned to travel around but after the first several weeks of practice, it became apparent that I would need this break to rest, ready, and reentre the last three weeks of practice strong & confident. University students are also on break at this time but started last week and finish the same time as I do.

Thursday’s Morning Tea was more of a party because the principal’s secretary was retiring & the faculty were acknowledging & celebrating her years of service & accomplishments. Even if I had my camera with me, it would have been next to impossible to photograph the layout of the snacks & treats because they were devoured within minutes. As well, there were speeches from faculty, wishing the secretary the very best & that she would be missed. Naturally, the secretary had the final say & she thanked everyone for the special morning tea and explained her plans for the future.

Well, that’s pretty much what this week was like. There’s not much else to write because I dedicated my previous post to Tuesday’s Y9 fieldtrip to Ferrymead. So, for the next two weeks, I’ll be preparing my next batch of lessons for Term 3, while reflecting on the true spiritual meaning of Easter – two weeks vacation (paid if I were a certified teacher).