This & That

First Harry Potter (aka Pothead) and now Twilight. Since J.K. Rowling’s celebrated novel series about British wizardry is completely published (but still being filmed), young adults in secondary schools have flocked to a new genre – vampire romance – and have turned it into the latest fad. The women of Villa Maria can’t get enough of Stephanie Meyer’s story about Isabella Swan falling in love with Edward Cullen (vampire guy), and their notebooks are covered with pictures of Robert Pattinson, the actor who plays Edward Cullen in the 2008 film adaptation.

Mind you, I haven’t read the Twilight series (spread over 4 books) but I did see the movie. It wasn’t bad but could have been better. Watching a vampire romance movie is much better than watching/reading Harry Pothead. I’m too much of a realist to believe in wizard fantasy. That & I find it pathetic that Harry goes back to his abusive step-family after every book and doesn’t use his acquired magic to put them in their place.

The second week of teaching practice has come to an end, with me teaching a total of 4 classes: two history & two social studies. Both history lessons (origins of WWII) received favourable reviews from my associates whereas the social studies were more mixed because they dealt with basic economics. Economics is grouped with the social studies curriculum for Year 9 & 10 before branching off on its own in senior years. Econ was never my favourite subject but since its basic stuff, extra research & practice before the lesson will get me by.

Naturally, I’ll be teaching more & more classes as every week passes. Unfortunately, that means more planning & preparation. I had originally planned to attend a Basic Cadet Barrack Camp this weekend outside of Christchurch but had to cancel because of teaching priorities at Villa Maria. What’s great about this teaching practice is that I get 2 weeks of vacation in between Weeks 4 & 5 – Easter Holidays.

My parents sent me several copies of my Piano Performer's ARCT so that the College of Ed could add it to their records but what surprised me was that the diplomas are printed on really big pieces of paper! I'm talking larger than the standard letter size! It felt like opening a chapter of the Dead Sea Scrolls! What's disappointing is that the diploma itself appears on plain white paper with no elaborate background. I'm guessing Toronto spent all of its money on the graduation ceremony.

Finally, I would like thank my earplugs for coming handy last night, either wise, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep properly. Since it was a Friday night, the flat three floors below mine (ground floor) decided to throw a big party, I’m guessing to celebrate the halfway mark of the term. To have a party at Ilam Village, you need to register with the office in order for them to warn other residents and to prepare the riot gear & tear gas if need be. The earplugs dampened the loud music, & crazy antics of students by 30 decibels; the deep bass sounded like a soft thumping heart. It was all quiet on the Ilam Front by 2 am.

Just Call Me Mister D

When you have a complicated last name to pronounce such as mine, there’s no choice but to compensate with a simpler title. In this case, the first letter. Of course, it’s great to see & hear Kiwis doing their best to get my last name right, but I don’t have the time to judge everyone’s performance.

I have ‘survived’ the first week of TP2 at Villa Maria College, boy free since 1941! Around 700 intermediate & senior girls attend Villa to learn a variety of subjects which will guarantee them a high school diploma. I’m still laughing at the presence of political correctness: cooking is called Food & Technology, and sewing is Materials Technology.

The first week is always awkward, since you’re the new face around campus . . . and part of the male teaching minority. (There are other male teachers). Villa’s teaching facilities are spread out in several buildings, unlike Canadian high schools where everything is in one building. The college is the proud owner of a swimming pool & several tennis courts, something you also won’t find in Canada.

There are four student teachers (including me) at Villa Maria: two science women, an English man, and a male historian (me). Even though I’m a musician, I’ll only be teaching social studies & senior history, but I can still get involved with extra-curricular music activities.

For the first week, I endured a fire drill, greeted my associates and the rest of the faculty, and observed many classes. During TP2, I’ll be working with Year 9 Social Studies, Year 10 Social Studies, and two Year 11 History. I have already been assigned several lessons for next week as well supervise & mark a test! That’s on top of having to learn the names of 90 students, but the two good things are that the attendance lists come with photographs, and there’s at least a Holly, Katie, Emily, Hannah, Amy, & Georgina in every class.

Overall, the best kind of strategy is to always plan ahead, practice, and never teach just to make it to the end of the day. Doing so will zap out the quality of teaching and put me in danger of failing.

Outside of teaching, my writing abilities has impressed the editors of CANTA Magazine and in their latest issue, they published two of my CD reviews, Fabriclive.44 and Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6.

To make it easier for everyone, Ben purchased two old refrigerators (on auction) for our flat, at a cost of $10. Now we have tons of space to store our food & alcohol, as well as, find everything we need. When we were cleaning out the original fridge last month we found several yogurts that had expired last September.

Back home, I finally received my Performer’s ARCT Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. ARCT stands for Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto and the diploma is a step below a university music degree but just as important. Due to my overseas commitment, I was unable to attend the January graduation ceremony, but now I’m able to say that I have another diploma hanging in my room in Canada.

Godley Head

Fitting in to their General Knowledge training, twenty-five army cadets from the City of Christchurch Cadet Unit (CCCU) participated in a field day excursion to the Godley Head Defence Battery. The trip was planned by Private Douglas, a Canadian living in Middle Earth for the past 8 years, and recently enlisted in the New Zealand Defence Forces. She was a little nervous because this was her first time planning & taking command of a cadet excursion.

The Sunday (March 15^th) began very early, having to wake up & arrive at the cadet unit by 0740 hours. I was forced to walk to the unit, taking 45 minutes, because of the laid back bus schedule but still arrived in time to do last minute preparation before teaching the background history of the Defence Battery.

The battery was built in 1939 at a cost of (excluding guns & ammunition) to defend the entrance to Lyttleton Harbour against German & Japanese warships during the Second World War. Adjusting for inflation, £145,581 in 1939 is around£6,469,080.25 or $17,523,861.18 NZD today! She was armed with three 6" breech loading Mark XXIV Coastal Defence Guns, and a mobile anti-aircraft battery. Supporting structures included radar, barracks, searchlights, a mess hall, & 3 shell magazines that stored a total of 2400 shells. Until its decommissioning in 1963, the battery maintained a staff of 400 men & women. In the end, the battery never had to fire on an enemy warship during the war and only suffered 4 accidental deaths. Unfortunately, the guns were removed & dismantled in 1963 meaning the cadets wouldn’t be firing off any rounds to pass the time.

When my lesson was complete, the cadets were huddled into several waiting vehicles and we were on our way. Myself & three other cadets were riding in Private Douglas’s car when she made a wrong turn. Because she was the convoy leader, everyone else followed, with confused faces. After making a U-turn, the convoy rode into Lyttleton via a long tunnel before slowly heading up the winding roads up the mountains. The roads are pretty tight & there aren’t any guardrails to protect your car from going over the edge. Even though it was morning, the mountain range was bustling with mountain bikers, runners, and paragliders.

The first half of the day was devoted to teaching bushcraft and map & compass. Officers & myself were given walkie-talkies for communication. We spent several minutes trying to come up with cool call signs, and I settled on Canuck after flatly rejecting Moose. The 360-degree views are great to photograph but the weather is kind of chilly so bring some warm clothing. As well, you have to watch where you step because the area is covered with sheep faeces – that’s what happens when the land is used for animal grazing.

After lunch, we explored the concrete remains of the battery, examining the deep dark passages and the pits where the guns once stood. There aren’t any lights so you need a flashlight when exploring the passageways. Even though there is a caretaker at Godley Head, the place still falls victim to vandalism, most notably spray painted walls.

At the end of the day, the convoy made a pit stop to Sumner Beach where we devoured mounds of French Fries & hash browns. Of course, while we were waiting for the food to arrive, the cadets were treated to some good old beach exercise, with running, push-ups, & jumping jacks. The sun was setting by the time we arrived back at the unit to put away equipment and supervise the cadets until they were picked up by their parents.

Overall, the day excursion turned out quite well, thanks to planning & preparation. I overheard that the unit is talking with city officials about acquiring a portion of the Godley Head property in order to turn it into a training site and field trip destination for schools (as long as the sheep faeces are removed). Unfortunately, the portion that’s up for sale is the one that doesn’t contain the gun bunkers, armour magazines, and underground tunnels.

Farewell Party

To celebrate the final days of classes & the beginning of teaching practice 2, a farewell party was organized last Thursday at Alex’s apartment. Actually, the main basis for the party was to celebrate her birthday but since many would be leaving the following day, why not kill two birds with one stone? Arriving with a six pack & party munchies, I correctly assumed this would be a night to remember considering the next time we’d all see each other would be 9 weeks in the future.

The party was alive & jumping by the time night had settled and everyone was filling themselves up with alcoholic drinks, chips, & candy, as well as predicting how their second practice will turn out. From what I can remember, everyone sounded confident & a little anxious because we’re closer to obtaining the important teaching diploma.

Several students such as myself are staying in Christchurch while others are being deployed to Auckland, Gibson, Wellington, & Nelson. Those travelling outside of Christchurch are given transportation money from the College.

To lighten the mood, Emily, a science major, arrived wearing a short black wig, confusing us at first because she’s a brunette. Over the course of the night, the wig sat on many heads, its hidden power alternating the moods & actions of many, thus becoming one of the main highlights of the night.

The other was the colourful piñata bought for Alex to bash it with a police club. Following tradition, she was blindfolded, spun several times, and then given the club to take risky swings. The original plan was to hang the piñata from a tree branch but there weren’t any strong enough prompting Ried, a gingerhead Kiwi, to hold it from a broom. Yeah, well, the obvious happened, with him being hit in the arm. After that, Alex removed the blindfold and busted the piñata open, spilling its sugary guts onto the floor. She’s got quite a strong vicious swing for an English teacher so her future pupils better be nice to her.

One of Alex's roommates has a collection of large map posters, surprisingly a large map of Canada displaying the main Canadian National Railway lines. Ried was even more surprised to learn there’s a Canadian city named Regina. He spent the next several minutes telling all the non-Canadians about his revelation while us Canadians shook our heads thinking, “It’s 3^rd grade all over again.”

A lot more entertaining comedies happened that night but like the old saying goes, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Despite being, um, ‘empowered’ by alcohol, I managed to capture some great moments on my digital camera.

The Road Ahead

The calm before the storm is nearing its end as March 16^th gets closer with every passing day. My classmates & I received our teaching practice packages that include final teaching assessment sheets, section logs, and lesson feedback forms. The packages send the message that you’re about to re-entre the academic front lines. The stakes will be higher for my classmates & I because we’ve survived the first 7 week deployment, meaning that we’re able to control classrooms and plan units & lessons efficiently. The college expects us to begin teaching near the end of the first week so best to be prepared.

The last Maori Alive presentation in Professional Studies class, organized by Kane (Maori) & Andrew (Samoan), was a simulated meeting at the Whare Tipuna (community home). This is where a Maori tribe or tribes met to discuss a variety of things. Since the classroom acted as the Whare Tipuna, shoes had to remain in the hallway so that no dirt or 'diseases' (as the belief goes) were brought into the "place of our ancestors." There are 6 points to the programme:
1. Mihi Mihi/Official Greeting
2. Karakia/Prayer
3. Brief Explanation of Tikanga Maori (Customs & Traditions)
4. Student Mihi Mihi Greetings
5. Waiata (Song) &
6. Final Karakia

If you'd like to learn more, visit these two websites that focus on Tikanga & Maori Education.

Despite teaching practice beginning next week, I recently taught a lesson at cadets, the subject being 5 decorations that are currently in use by the New Zealand Defence Force. My next lesson will be this Sunday; the corps is having a field trip to the Godley Head Defence Battery & I have the honour of opening the festivities by going over the background history of the place. In depth coverage will follow in my next post.

My roommate Rebecca decided to fly back to Australia and study Mass Communications in Brisbane. Equally painful was that she took her DVD player as well. Luckily, I was able to buy one for $60NZD at a nearby Kmart (now a faded memory in Canada). Her reason for the sudden leave was that she didn’t like the BA program she was enrolled in. So far, a new roommate hasn’t arrived, leaving Heather with her own bathroom.

With nearby access to a DVD player, relaxing at home is a lot more enjoyable, that is, when you have the time to relax. I’ve taken a liking to watching bad movies such as Heaven’s Gate, Pluto Nash, & Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever, because the poorly developed plots & bad acting (in some cases) shut down the logical side of your brain, thereby letting it rest and recharge.

The weather has suddenly turned, engulfing Christchurch with strong winds, cold temperatures, and rain. Global warming must be the culprit because the previous day was full of sunny clear skies. One day, your wearing shorts & t-shirt, the next its long trousers & heavy sweaters.

On a political note, I’m glad to see President Barack Obama bringing in universal health care to the USA. The American health care system is the biggest failure in the Free World, with bottled water following close behind. Insured & uninsured Americans can’t get the health care they desperately need and have to pay an insane amount of money for prescription drugs. Michael Moore’s film documentary Sicko perfectly explains the medical crisis. I hope the $634 billion set aside will be properly spent by the Obama administration.

Politics aside, I shall leave you with a music talent video that I showed to my music professor who, in turn, showed it to the entire class. I give you the Inspector Gadget & Axel F (Beverly Hills Cop) themes on flute & beat-boxing.

Fire Hose Rodeo

Kia ora!

Kei te pehea koe? (How are you?)

Kei te pai (I’m fine)

It’s been finally confirmed; I’ll be spending my second teaching practice at Villa Maria College, an all girls high school that’s nearby my residence. Villa Maria is the sister school to St. Thomas of Canterbury College, where I just happened to spend my first teaching practice last year. In short, I’ll be in Christchurch while the majority of my midyear classmates will be teaching all over Middle Earth.

With TP2 just around the corner, a portion of today’s Professional Studies class was spent on how to deal with extreme situations. This was because of a recent news story where at Auckland’s Avondale College a teacher was stabbed in the back by one of his students. Jenna, a classmate of mine that specializes in science, will be teaching at Avondale on her second teaching practice.

The other half of the class was devoted to Māori Alive presentations, and how to make classroom learning more cooperative among students & with the teacher. Knowing the Ukrainian language is an advantage when it comes to speaking Te Reo Māori because you can write out the sounds & syllables using Cyrillic letters, making the pronunciations a lot easier.

Tino pai (Very good.)

At cadets, the juniors paid a visit to the nearby fire station, where they were taught & shown the vehicles & equipment (hoses, Jaws of Life, cutter, etc.) used by NZs fire personnel. Surprisingly, they didn’t have a pet Dalmatian. To show the dangers of driving too quickly, the firemen showed the remains of a car that was found wrapped around a wooden telephone pole. The driver’s side was completely destroyed, and the car had almost been sawed into two equal pieces. The driver & passenger survived, but I’m guessing the driver wished he didn’t because the car belonged to his mother.

To finish off the visit, the backup fire truck was brought out and the cadets got to play around with the fire hoses, spraying powerful streams of water in the air an on the pavement. If I had known earlier, I would have arrived in American football gear and have asked to be sprayed with the hose. (When you’ve survived a 12,000-foot tandem skydive, you feel like you can do anything)! The powerful streams would have knocked me over but the firemen ‘regrettably’ said that even with safety gear, they’re not allowed to spray people, not even rioters like in North America. (People on fire get put out with fire extinguishers).

This week is assignment week meaning I have been feverishly working on history & music lesson plans, making sure that all the ‘t’s are crossed and ‘i’s are dotted so that nothing can go wrong . . . go wrong . . . go wrong . . . go wrong . . . If all goes well, the professors will remain confident of my teaching abilities.

Ka pai! (Great!)

To further improve my English writing, I joined the list of contributors to the free university magazine titled CANTA. My first assignments are to review two music CDs in the styles of Hip Hop Instrumental and Drum & Bass. I hope I don’t disappoint the editors.

Ka Kite ano! (See you again!)