Today Stef and I returned to the United World College International Primary School. Everyone in the program was separated into pairs and we visited 7 different schools. We will be at these schools for two whole days so that we can see a little bit more about everyday activities and class structures. At first, I was a little disappointed to be back at UWC because I was left with such a strange impression. After speaking with the principal and vice-principals more at Rene's party, I was a little more excited to visit again. Although I may not agree with everything about the structure of the school (I think it is the acceptance process that makes me most uneasy) I was looking forward to seeing what a full day for their students looked like, and being back to somewhere that was at least a little familiar. Stef and I were the only two to return to a school we had already visited.
We started the day in Year 5 (our 4th grade) and worked with the students on writing scripts for plays. They are learning about different types of literature and got to practice writing dialogue for a story. I worked with two students from Poland and one student from Slovenia. They decided to write a story about a class trip they had recently taken, and then proceeded to take 15 minutes naming the two characters, only for me to find out later that they had settled on naming the student a 'bad word' in Polish. After Year 5 we joined one of the vice-principals, who is also the school's ESL specialist, for a Year 1 (Kindergarten) ESL class. In their regular classes they are working on a unit about insects so we helped the students draw and label pictures of 'minibeasts' to put into a class book. It was really fascinating to see how they were beginning to process language and how they were all able to make connections. We were able to talk to the main ESL teacher about her students. She said that working with such young students is exciting because they are so eager to be able to figure out what their friends are saying on the playground. They all use their mother tongues to piece together the information that they know and help each other learn the English words. At the beginning of every unit they introduce, they are able to write anything they know about the subject in whatever languages they understand. Even though I am uncomfortable working with such young students, the excitement and immediate gratification from this age is very enjoyable.
After school, we came back to the ho-tospital to touch base and have a quick class. Afterwards, I went grocery shopping to stock up on bread and cheese, and avoiding anything fresh (which is very disappointing). No one seems too alarmed by the E. Coli scare but we are also not getting news on a regular basis. I'm sure it is being taken care of, but we are all too nervous to eat fresh fruit or vegetables since we are uncertain of any protocol in the Netherlands about this type of thing. Oh well, only a few more days and then I can eat a huge salad at home!
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