Thank you, dear readers, for your ongoing readership. I thought I may lose a few of you as I recounted our journey through Vietnam but it appears that my posts have generated interest. I had hoped that, even if you aren't planning a trip to Vietnam, they may provide some insight into the country, its cuisine and its people. I had also hoped that my posts were varied enough.
It's only about eight weeks since we embarked on our trip and six weeks since our return but it seems as though we've slipped back in to the daily routines, the overwhelming domestic duties and an underwhelming sense of the mundane.
Conversely we've bonded more closely as a family unit and our weekly meal plan has been enriched by the many culinary experiences we had in Vietnam. Our children no longer make 'cubby houses' in the lounge with any number of cushions and blankets. Instead they form the Cu Chi Tunnels. Of course!
In other news I have returned to work in the school where I taught before I went on maternity leave when my son was born four years ago. I am ready now (in previous years when I could have returned I wasn't ready). Teaching is an all-consuming job. Any of you with teachers friends and relatives will know this. I have returned one day a week as a teacher librarian and I am teaching across the grades - Kindergarten, Year Four and Year Five.
So many physical changes have occurred at my school - new buildings, a new staff room, the changing of classrooms etc,. and most of the staff I taught with have moved on and been promoted at other schools. Many of the teachers who've stayed have gained executive positions and those who prefer to 'just' teach are doing just that! It's a very dynamic school and an exceptional example of a government school. I'm prouder than ever to be a public school teacher and a public school advocate. With the new Australian National Curriculum comes changes, new pressures (on teachers and students) and incredible opportunities.
I believe that the role of teaching and learning is to prepare our students for the world ahead of them. While we can't predict what the world will be like we can equip our students with the tools and skills to think, to question, to explore the world that has been before them, to form views and to experience the many dimensions of life with joy.
Many of my Year Five students are the darlings I had in Kindergarten before I went on leave. A few of the girls came bounding up to me on my first day and wrapped their arms around me like they had four years ago. Teaching is, if nothing else, an incredible privilege.
It is fascinating to see how these children have grown and really, in essence, they haven't changed at all. They are just bigger versions of their younger selves.
So, my posts may teeter off a little as I establish new routines but I will be sharing a few things with you from the weeks since December.
Thank you, again, for spending time here. I hope I continue to provide a little something of interest in the coming posts. Wishing you all the very best that 2013 can offer!
Miss May Blossom
It's only about eight weeks since we embarked on our trip and six weeks since our return but it seems as though we've slipped back in to the daily routines, the overwhelming domestic duties and an underwhelming sense of the mundane.
Conversely we've bonded more closely as a family unit and our weekly meal plan has been enriched by the many culinary experiences we had in Vietnam. Our children no longer make 'cubby houses' in the lounge with any number of cushions and blankets. Instead they form the Cu Chi Tunnels. Of course!
In other news I have returned to work in the school where I taught before I went on maternity leave when my son was born four years ago. I am ready now (in previous years when I could have returned I wasn't ready). Teaching is an all-consuming job. Any of you with teachers friends and relatives will know this. I have returned one day a week as a teacher librarian and I am teaching across the grades - Kindergarten, Year Four and Year Five.
So many physical changes have occurred at my school - new buildings, a new staff room, the changing of classrooms etc,. and most of the staff I taught with have moved on and been promoted at other schools. Many of the teachers who've stayed have gained executive positions and those who prefer to 'just' teach are doing just that! It's a very dynamic school and an exceptional example of a government school. I'm prouder than ever to be a public school teacher and a public school advocate. With the new Australian National Curriculum comes changes, new pressures (on teachers and students) and incredible opportunities.
I believe that the role of teaching and learning is to prepare our students for the world ahead of them. While we can't predict what the world will be like we can equip our students with the tools and skills to think, to question, to explore the world that has been before them, to form views and to experience the many dimensions of life with joy.
Many of my Year Five students are the darlings I had in Kindergarten before I went on leave. A few of the girls came bounding up to me on my first day and wrapped their arms around me like they had four years ago. Teaching is, if nothing else, an incredible privilege.
It is fascinating to see how these children have grown and really, in essence, they haven't changed at all. They are just bigger versions of their younger selves.
So, my posts may teeter off a little as I establish new routines but I will be sharing a few things with you from the weeks since December.
Thank you, again, for spending time here. I hope I continue to provide a little something of interest in the coming posts. Wishing you all the very best that 2013 can offer!
Miss May Blossom
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