Life at Koondoola School

I am now in my third week of assistant teaching at Koondoola Primary School.  My experience at Koondoola has been fascinating and fun.  Although I spent a bit too much time in the general music room my first two weeks singing little kid songs over and over, I also spent time in other classrooms helping kids and teachers with all sorts of things.  I have also heard kids sing songs in their native languages, and have participated in African drumming circle.  I played a trumpet for all of the music classes which they liked.  Most of them had never seen or heard (or even heard of) a trumpet.  I met about 160 kids in the first two weeks.

I have now settled in to two nice classrooms.  One is a sweet group of about fourteen kids who are about ten years old and are in their first year of learning English.  Some are in their first WEEKS or DAYS of learning English.  They are eager and diverse.  Some are from Burma, some from Africa, some from Thailand, some from the Middle East.  I usually have a groups of about five of them at a time and their teacher rotates them though different learning stations including mine.  Sometimes I help with projects that involve cutting, glueing, counting or measuring.  I often help with reading or writing or play games such as color and shapes bingo, Uno, or memory card games that match words with pictures.

Another class I am helping are the 11/12 year olds who are in their second year of English.  They have made incredible progress as I have been able to see by the stories I have seen them write.  The stories were about the schools they attended in their previous countries.  Some of the stories made me want to cry.  Usually the stories ended with how happy they are to be in Australia and to be going to school here.

Sometimes the kids need to review some really basic things like telling time correctly in English.  They all raise their hands and are eager to answer questions or take a turn reading aloud.  I feel very happy to have this experience and to be able to help.

I also enjoy spending Wednesdays helping in the art room which is a nice change from the other days.

I have been getting car rides to and from school from teachers.  Marie, lives one block from me and is originally from Colorado (she has been here a long time).  I am very grateful for her rides and conversations.  I have taken the bus a few times.

This is long I'll stop.  Thanks for reading!!!