It has been a while since I last posted, with good reason too, I have been preoccupied with every sort of thing. I am rather preoccupied now too but rather centred on one-thing for now, which is rather pleasant.

I have been placed for my practicum at Avondale Primary School, a year one class. The teacher who is supervising me fell sick with the flu but dragged herself to work so not to leave her student (me) welcomeless. She gave up the fight and went home at midday but in tha time I was there, I could already see that she wasn't the best teacher to learn from. But her absence tomorrow will herald the beginning of my attempt to practice as much teaching as I can. I am in the zone.

I have had my first taste of teaching year one (those turning 6 in this calendar year), which was intriguing. They are undoubtedly adorable but missing some rather basic conceptions. They struggle to write numbers (3's backwards). They cannot guess words. Some don't seem to know their alphabet at all (the one's that don't just guess, <"My. What letter does that start with? Mmmmmmm". The student points to "f", then "c"... etc>.
One of the most fluent orally has little number or letter knowledge (he burst into life telling the whole class about what happens when a woman gives birth, rather vivid!). I also saw some of the potential trouble students did have a thirst to learn. There is also one Ethiopian boy whose reading ability (and apparently his maths ability) are extraordinary, he read a reasonably advanced book for that age group and read it cover to cover aloud with very little prompting.

So anyway, with my supervising teacher ill, and a reliever who is fine with me taking control of some aspects, I have put a fair bit of effort in tonight so I have preparation to be experimenting tomorrow.

Maybe I am in a honeymoon period... Anyway, I will update with how my efforts go.