Updates :)

It's been forever since I've updated this, so I thought I'd just write what's been happening lately.

First of all, and the most exciting, is that I got an AMAZING new job for September! It's at an independent prep school (for the Canadians, that means a private primary school), and I'll be teaching Upper School History. The school is in Surrey, which is essentially the countryside where all those quintessential English boarding schools are located - think Kate Winslet's village in "The Holiday", and you've pretty much got the picture.

The school itself it lovely. It's the largest co-ed prep school in the country, and it's also the richest (or so I've been told). That translates into lots of parents with very deep pockets, which can be both good and bad - good because it means that the kids (and thus staff) get loads of privileges that other schools wouldn't necessarily, but bad because it means that these parents have a LOT invested in their kids' education and are, to quote the Deputy Head, "sometimes rather pushy".

Physically, being the richest school means that the school itself is lovely. There's a main building, which is basically an old house, then there're are outlying buildings for specialist subjects. That means there's an Arts building (dance studios, art studios, and a music wing), a Science building (science labs and classrooms, complete with an entirely needless plasma screen TV in the lobby showing scientific videos for God knows what reason), a Humanities building (History and English, I think), a swimming pool, acres of fields (football, rugby, tennis courts, etc), and more.

The kids are angels - the ones I taught in my interview lesson were respectful, quiet, focussed, extremely bright, and sweet. They walked in, sat down, and looked up at me in complete concentration. You could hear a pin drop in the room and, when I asked questions, nearly every hand went up - it was supposed to be an introductory lesson, but they were giving me details and background right from my starter. I had trouble turning on the sound on the projector, so 3 boys jumped up to help and, when I ran out of time on my lesson, the kids ASKED if they could do my worksheet for homework. They then proceeded to thank me for the lesson, individually, as they walked out. What a difference from supply teaching!!!!!!!!!!!!

The staff are also fantastic. I was interviewed by the Deputy Head/Director of Studies and the Head of History. The interview was like a casual conversation - we sat down and joked our way through it! I felt so comfortable, and would you believe that the Head of History defended one of my answers to the Deputy?! lol.

Oh, and I get to take the kids on their annual field trips...to Belgium. And Normandy. And Rome. Plus wherever else I feel like taking them :D. And, in the summer, there's a picnic BBQ on the lawn every Wednesday for lunch. Doesn't it sound insanely idyllic? lol.

So, yes, good news on that end!!! :D

As for the job I'm working right now, it's going pretty well. The kids really know me now and they always say hello or stop for a hug when I pass them in the corridors. There are problem classes, yes, but I do feel a part of the school now, and I feel like I'm well-liked. In any case, it's nice to have the steady work and to not have to do any planning.

Other than teaching, life has been pretty uninteresting! The weather has suddenly gotten gorgeous though, so I'm looking forward to taking advantage of it and walking along the river or going for picnics in the park. Helps that I'm on 2 weeks holiday right now (yay for Easter holidays!!!) :D. I've also become a follower of the Royal Ballet lately - I'm off to see Giselle in a couple of weeks, and I saw Swan Lake a couple of weeks back. Really just trying to enjoy everything London has to offer!

More next time :).