the day the bus broke

This morning the bus broke down not 15 feet after i had boarded it.
The students were excited about this, asking me and the art technician who rides the bus with me whether they'd miss their first class or not, what was wrong with the bus, and whether they were going to die or not. The bus driver turned around and answered that of course the students would die, but that it probably would have nothing to do with the bus breaking down and would probably be a good bit in the future.
When I was a junior higher, I wander if I saw my teachers the way the students see the art technician and I: all-knowing and instantly on top of every situation. I must admit, I know very little about cars, or 20 year old buses for that matter. However, that seemingly obvious fact is a little less obvious to students.
The bus broke down and a cluster of 15 students looked to a 22 year old art teacher in training and a 21 year old art technician as the solution to their questions.
Luckily the bus driver was on top of things, though he had an admittedly strange approach as you can gather from the above quote. He phoned a back-up bus and sat with us as we waited.

As it turns out, we strolled in right on time for school to start.

Its nice knowing that if the bus broke down every day, i'd still make it to school on time.

Sparky

I am going to paint you a picture of the cozy moment I am enjoying right this very second...

I am practically buried in pillows on a comfy leather couch. My socks are still dry and my toes are warm. I just finished a cup of hot apple cider that traveled all the way from America to reach my little mug.
I'm not sitting in my usual seat on the couch because sparky has claimed it for his nap. He's not really allowed on the couch but I will let the dog have his day. :)

School is continuing to go well. The parts that felt so hard and worrisome in the beginning, have all just softened into the routine. I'm beginning to learn who I am as a teacher, and just as importantly, who I am not as a teacher.

In a little more than three weeks, I'll be back in America.
Anyone looking for an art teacher?

pictures!

These are photos from Belfast and Dublin. The wall photo is of the Derry wall, just down the hill from where I live.
(I'd also like to say a special hello to Gary and Sandy Miller! Thanks for reminding me to post photos! :)

mixes

This evening I had my 'Hands for a Bridge' meeting. Hands for a bridge always lifts my spirits and eases whatever stress or exhaustion i might have felt before. Today was a great day, but my last lesson got a bit out of hand. I had to pull a few students aside and give them the sad news that 'Yes, they DID have to do their homework in order for me to give them the good marks they wanted.' I felt pretty good about how I handled, feeling like i'm finally getting the hang of finding my style of discipline, but it's still exhausting to keep hyper students interested in a subject they may not care much for. I remember Dr. Metz talking about how powerful humor can be in keeping students engaged and keeping tense situations from escalating. I definitely think he's right, but even so, it makes for a tiresome day. Thus, it was nice to have a Hands for a Bridge meeting today.

Hands for a Bridge is a group of students who create safe spaces for communication. Sometimes the communication is about the Troubles here in N.Ireland, and other times its about the many other issues important to teens here in Ireland. The students are doing a wonderful job of encouraging each other to get out of their comfort zones, and its a magnificent thing to participate in. It is the type of group I really want to continue to seek out in whatever teaching job I may have.

There are many things from this experience that make me thrilled for what else I may find out there in the future. What other 'Hands for a Bridge' groups are out there?

notes about Halloween in Derry

10 notes about Halloween in Derry

(by Anna and Carrie.)

1.) Some costumes are wonderful, and others are just excuses to buy short skirts in neon colors.

2.) There doesn't seem to be any trick or treating

3.) The parade includes everything from acrobatics to accordions.

4.) The fireworks are amazing, but I can't help but pay more attention to the costumes around me than the fireworks above me.

5.) You become surrounded by vampires with little baby pumpkins, pirates with their arms around their sweet-heart bees, and more walking bananas than you'll ever see again in your life.

6.) Before the festivities even begin, the Christmas lights are put up.

7.) The streets empty at midnight...but only because everyone moves into the bars.

8.) The night is what you make it...which is to say, making carmel apples with a small group of friends is a good alternative to the typical Derry night.  

9.) If you can't find carmel to melt, you can melt toffee and butter together.

10.) If you don't have pumpkins to carve, carve an apple. :)

Notes on Edinburgh

10 things to note about Edinburgh

(by Anna and Carrie)

1.) The accent is very hard to understand, and reminds me of the duck-tales uncle.

2.) Much cheaper than Dublin

3.) Just like Dublin, there is a new city and an old city.  

4.) The town is really just a series of hills and it feels like a giant version of shoots and ladders.

5.) It is very cold

6.) There seem to be just as many Australians around as there are Scots

7.) There are lots of kilts for sale...but no one ever wears them in public

8.) There really is plaid EVERYWHERE!

9.) It gets dark before dinner

10.) The free tour is worth the money :)

my shoes are drying

On this day, one of the windiest days of rain I've experienced yet, I thought to myself, "Why? Why did I wear the pants that fall down with the shoes that leak with the socks that stop at my ankles?" I was all sorts of uncomfortable as I walked home from the bus stop. My toes hadn't been dry since the first five minutes of my waking day. There was a break in the rain, but the wind carried on.

Now i'm deliberating over what to cook. (Those of you who know me well can regain consciousness, pick yourselves up from where you've fallen over backwards on the floor, and fix any other effects your flabbergasted reactions may have had to your composure.)

Yes, that's right. I have been slowly and surely learning how to cook. My roommate Anna Pawsey has been patiently working with me on basics like rice, chicken, burgers, etc. It may sound like a small feat, but I have to admit i'm awfully proud of this new achievement. I can honestly say that I know how to cook chicken in a way that is edible, and even slightly enjoyable. I wouldn't have been able to say that before.

Tonight's meal, however, will not be a good example of my new-found abilities, as we will probably just make scrambled eggs.

Off I go to our tiny little microwave-less kitchen.

Wish me luck!