Thanksgiving in the UK

Thanksgiving in the UK? Well, not officially. I spent the day at a professional development workshop in Hereford, which was not the most exciting way to spend the day, but at least I wasn't in a classroom! It was a pleasure, however, to engage in traditional Thanksgiving activities just the same, albeit later than usual.

Many weeks ago I was fortunate to meet an American, Jack Walsh, whose children attend Fairfield. Jack has lived in England for about 25 years. We met at a dinner party at the home of Claire and David Kerby, whose daughter is one of Micaela's friends. Jack and his friend Katherine were also invited and from there Thanksgiving plans took shape. Jack's daughter and son are also Micaela's friends and have spent much time together.

I have taken a keen interest in the Fairfield basketball team, attending what games I could in the past weeks. I am often the only other fan in attendance, other than Jack, his daughter and Micaela. Occasionally there are one or two other parents present. Sport at Fairfield is not well attended by spectators, certainly not what the average high school team at Northbridge would expect for fan attendance. Thursday afternoon there was a game at the nearby rival school of Kingstone High School, as the school is on my way from Hereford to Peterchurch, I attended the game. It wasn't the traditional Thanksgiving football game, but it was sport nonetheless.

Following the game we all headed to the Walsh home for a traditional feast! Roast Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, carrots, green bean casserole (but much better than the recipe used at home) and many other choices of vegetables. We had homemade pumpkin pie, apple pie and ice cream for dessert! The Kerby's and the Beaton's joined the Walsh family, along with myself and Micaela. We watched the Green Bay Packer NFL football game, Skyped with my family and the oldest Walsh son who is attending college in America. All around it was a fabulous feast. I spent the evening in Peterchurch and had a five minute drive to school the next day... the most wonderful thing to be thankful for!

PD...UK Style

The more things change, the more they stay the same. I have experienced three different professional development opportunities...all within the last two weeks. I have determined that professional development in the UK is as exciting, useful and interesting as it is back home.

First, for two hours during class time two weeks ago, I had to be trained in the health and safety laws pertaining to children and teachers in the UK. Basically this was a review of the mandatory reporting process when teachers learn about any abuse that puts a child in danger. Since I work with children, and it is a law that all people who work with children be trained, I needed to participate.

Second, about a week later, from about 5 p.m to 6 p.m. last Wednesday night, Fairfield teaching staff gathered with their departmental counterparts from a nearby school, Webley, to discuss the differing ways things are done in each school. This conversation was followed by a curry buffet - but since the curry man was running late, and I had quite a distance to travel, I skipped the curry and got mine for lunch the following day.

Third, on Thursday this past week I attended an AQA examining board session in Hereford from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Frankly, I was sent on this mission because a) someone from the school is mandated to attend each year to calibrate all schools who are using the mark schemes for coursework, and b) Jayne & Mel have already been in the past- so I drew the short straw! Preparation for this included each member of the department being required to read about 20 student work samples provided in the mark scheme booklet, determining a grade for each and then further determining, as a full department, a consensus mark. Once at the meeting the "correct" marks were provided and each school in attendance was to report their "consensus" scores - for which a +/- of 4 in one category and 7 in the other was acceptable. Fairfield scores were indeed within the acceptable marking criteria.

The majority of this training involved reviewing the entire mark scheme booklet, that I had already read prior to attending... basically the leader of the workshop read the booklet to us. We then went through each individual student work sample and discussed any discrepancies or questions. During these discussions I interposed some questions to further hone my understanding of the differences between the US and the UK. I did determine and perhaps confirm, that the UK is much more test oriented than the US; and, indeed most schools are working within very prescribed guidelines of instruction. Test scores determine placement on the League Table, a ranking of the "best" schools in the area, and something many parents consult when deciding on the school where their children will attend. It is much more "competitive" in the UK as far as where your child can attend a high school. Unlike the US, where a small amount of school choice is available, and where most students attend the publicly funded school in their town or opt to go to a private school at their own expense, people here can choose form among many schools in the catchment area. Students then apply to these schools, visit and are then accepted or rejected. If rejected from a school, a family can appeal to a higher educational body, who can overrule or support the appeal. High test score results are imperative to enticing families to choose a school. Also, the more students in a school, the more funding is available and the higher the salary for the head teacher. This kind of pressure is not as high in the US.

Most teachers in attendance expressed the desire to study individual works of literature in more depth than they do currently, rather than focus on excerpts and bits of chapters. I heard of "theme" based units, where more focus is put on a whole piece of literature and linked videos, where multiple pieces of course work are assigned using that one piece/theme, thereby allowing students to choose their best piece of work and submit that as their coursework. For example, a student may read a piece of dystopian literature and write a literature/reading coursework essay, present a speech on propaganda as their speaking and listening component, watch the film based on the book and write a film review, and write an original piece of writing based on dystopian themes. They then would study another novel with a different theme and do the same, thereby having multiple pieces of coursework to choose from. It was interesting to hear about various ideas of differentiation, from alternative essay topics to selection of literature based on gender preferences. I also appreciated hearing about the many pieces of literature being used throughout Hereford to address coursework assignments, from timeless classics to very modern pieces. Since I have not yet had the opportunity to observe at a different school, this was appreciated as it is nice to know how things are done outside the realm of Fairfield. (I will be going to Hereford Academy this week to observe.)

The remainder of the session consisted of being trained to use the speaking and listening mark schemes by watching video sessions of student presentations of work. New exam guidelines and a review of the new controlled assessment processes was also done in the afternoon. Coursework pieces are evolving from open ended time frames, where the literature, computers and notes can be used to complete the work, to more "controlled" environments, where time limits will be imposed, teacher input will be limited and word processing systems will also be limited if computers are used. Controlled assessment would be much more similiar to what is done in the US regarding exams such as MCAS, AP and SAT.

Overall, professional development in the UK is not that much different than what is often provided in the US. Some are mandated by law and still others can be a mix of useful information and boring routine. In the end, I still believe that a healthy session of teachers teaching teachers, where best practices and instructional modalities are shared with each other, is the very best form of relevant professional development. Add a curry buffet to this and it could be perfect!

Christmas Shopping in Worcester...

Worcester, England - the twin city to Worcester, Massachusetts. Having come 3000 miles from my home, and Worcester, Mass, being the closest major city to my Northbridge home, it seemed only appropriate that I make the journey at least once to this twin city before returning home. Several ladies from Fairfield plan an annual Christmas shopping journey to Worcester each year, and I was kindly invited to join them. I am glad I was able to spend some time with these ladies outside of school - it was quite fun.

The city of Worcester, England is a mix of Victorian factory architecture, modern architecture and Tudor style architecture. The city was the home to the final battle in the English Civil war where Oliver Cromwell emerged victorious. Like the sister city in Massachusetts it has a major river running through it, the River Severn, which supported its industry and occasionally floods its banks. On this day, the river was quite high, as there has been about 30 days of straight rain in the area.

This particular shopping weekend also found us visiting during the annual Victorian Christmas Fayre ( the spelling of this word is not in error). There were many street stalls selling cheeses, meats, vegetables, wines, clothing, gloves, jewelry, and, of course, roasted chestnuts and mulled wine. Ware mongers were dressed in traditional Victorian costume and there were carnival rides, especially a beautiful carousel. There were street performers, including dancers and the Salvation Army band playing Christmas carols. It was a festive atmosphere and the weather was crisp and chilled - perfect to get one in the mood for the holidays.

I had much fun, bought a few bits and bobs for my family and friends at home and enjoyed the day very much. Thank you, ladies, especially Kath, for thinking of inviting me along.

Lost Treasures...

One of the bright sides of teaching in an older building are the surprising things that can be learned about the uses of the building as the history is revealed, for example, my current classroom used to serve as the children's playroom. Another is the amazing treasures that can be discovered throughout the building. This week, as Jo Parson's was preparing to put up a new display of student work in the corridor outside the library, she discovered a fabulous jungle mural underneath some old bulletin board paper, which had been painted some years ago by a former Fairfield student. Who knew...

My 44th in the UK!

I've never been one to be embarrassed about my age... I think teaching high school students and spending so much time involved in their activities, in and out of the classroom, along with having children of my own who are high school age or just starting college, has always kept me young in mind and spirit. I also never thought I'd ever be so far away from home celebrating a birthday. Combine my birthday with the Thanksgiving holiday, and I've had a bit of homesickness this week, because this week is traditionally quite a busy and fun-filled one for me. Short week at school, pub hopping at home and seeing all the old friends from high school, Northbridge Rams football game, turkey dinner with friends & family, Christmas shopping and decorating the tree are all traditions for me, so I was pleasantly surprised today when so many people at Fairfield remembered my birthday.

I had cards from many friends, and two signed by all the faculty and staff. I had a few gifts from the ladies in the English department and even my form sang Happy Birthday to me, as well as my Year 8 students. At break, when I went downstairs to get a cuppa and a flapjack, I entered the staff room to find just about all the staff gathered, the room decorated with American flag and birthday decorations, a chocolate cake decorated in a New England Patriots theme, complete with mini replica #12 jersey with "DeJong" on it, a likeness of myself as a football player (photo taken off my blog or facebook) and candles, other cakes and a CD mix of Bruce Springsteen playing "Born in the USA"! Everyone sang happy birthday and I discovered that one of the ladies who works in the office, Mandy, also had a birthday today - Happy Birthday, Mandy! It was nice to be remembered this way by people and it truly made me feel like part of the Fairfield family.

The day continued with some successful poetry presentations and comparison discussions, along with some "meaning of Thanksgiving" lessons to the younger age groups. They all made their own "thanks" turkeys!

At the end of the day, doing a favor for Ian, I rode the bus with the Year 7 U14 boys to Hereford, where they were scheduled to play in a 5 on 5 football tournament - the winner of this tournament advancing on to the Midlands League tournament in early February. Ian was unable to ride the bus to the tournament, so Micaela and I gladly offered to accompany the boys to and from the match. I am so very glad I did. Three of these very talented players are boys in my form group, and I was able to see a very exciting series of games. It is easy to see that football (soccer) is a sport that children play here, probably from the time they can run, and the spirit of competition and level of talent I was able to watch, even for such young boys, was excellent. Even though they were not my own children, I found myself anxious as the final minutes in the third game ticked off, hoping for the Fairfield boys to hold their lead. Indeed they did...and they are the first group of boys from Fairfield who will advance to the regional Midland's tournament. Well done boys! I am glad I was there to see such excellent team work.

It was a wonderful birthday on the whole... so thank you to everyone here who helped make it special and memorable. Thanks also to all my friends at home who sent messages and well wishes through the email and on my facebook; it is nice to know I have so many people in my life who care about me and I am very thankful for all of you to be in my life.

Year 7 Football team photo printed with permission of Fairfield administration.

Charities Afternoon: The Thanksgiving Challenge!

Part of the Fulbright Experience is to share cultural traditions, in addition to educational experiences. Part of this sharing and exchange process is also meant to culminate in sharing experiences with our school communities once the partners return home. Yesterday was a hole-in-one!

One of the best traditions from America, which is somewhat directly connected to our English ancestors, is the celebration of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in the month of November. It stems from the harsh realities of a New England winter for the Pilgrims and the aid they received from the Native American Indians, specifically the Wampanoag tribe and their adopted brother Squanto. It was a joint celebration of the harvest and the friendship that developed between the Pilgrims, who left England with permission of King James I in search of a place to worship freely and establish their own colony in the New World. They set forth on their way aboard the Mayflower with 102 passengers; in the end only half survived both the journey and the first hard year of settlement. They landed far north of the first settlement in Jamestown, on what is now known as Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and established the first colony known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony and settled in what is now known as Plymouth. Plimouth Plantation, (not a typo, as that is the traditional English spelling) on Cape Cod is a working village which celebrates the original life of the Pilgrims. It also had once served as an Indian settlement. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated on 1621. It was first encouraged to be celebrated nationwide by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 as a way to unify the country. In 1941 it became an official federal holiday. Schools typically have a half holiday on Wednesday afternoon through the entire weekend. Officially known as Thanksgiving Break... please note: I will be working on Thanksgiving Day this year! However, a wonderful family has offered to host a very large Thanksgiving Dinner next week, so I am very much looking forward to it when school is dismissed for the afternoon. Instead of a football game, I will attend a basketball game and then feast on turkey!

This holiday has always been one of my favorite, not the least reason being that I was actually born on a Thanksgiving Thursday! It is fitting, being a native New Englander, that this would be a culturally rich tradition that I would seek to share with students and staff from Fairfield. Not many of these students were familiar with Thanksgiving, so Mel and I decided that we would use "Charities Afternoon" to introduce two house groups of Year 11 students to the experience of feasting on turkey,mashed potatoes, corn, peas, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie and apple pie & ice cream! (Usually, people here do not eat turkey until Christmas, but there were af few whole, frozen birds to be found.) The students also watched several videos, courtesy of United Streaming - a resource I have been very happy to have at my disposal on this exchange,as my full bag of tricks is safely abiding in a cabinet in a classroom back home - which taught them about the history of Thanksgiving, the traditions and foods involved from the first Thanksgiving to the present day, and also an animated feature on Squanto and Governor William Bradford. Students also made their own turkey craft and colored cornucopias pictures. It was a pretty fun time. It also was typical of many Thanksgiving dinners - from arguing relatives, food that was gobbled far too quickly in relation to the preparation for such dinner, loud dinner talk, overstuffed bellies, and a giant mess to clean up afterwards! The only thing lacking was a good American football game to watch on the telly!

Charities Afternoon is a tradition at Fairfield. It involves a full day of students wearing their street clothes - no uniforms- but they must pay one pound to have the privilege of doing so. This also raises money for the various charities that benefit from the afternoon activities. For the first time I almost felt like I was in an American high school - with all the kids dressed to match their personalities. After lunch, students are taken off timetable and are put into house groups, by year (form groups) and they are guided by faculty in some fun activity, for which they have raised money from sponsors to be donated to various local charities - hence the name of the day. I like the concept of this day, and it reminded me a bit of the full weekend of activities put together by the National Honor Society at NHS last year when they were raising money and locked in themselves in the field house for the 30 Hour Famine. There was no fasting involved, but it was all in the name of charity.

With the turkeys roasting in the ovens and Mel peeling all the potatoes (sorry about that Mel) - I joined the Fairfield female faculty in a traditional British game of Netball vs Fairfield girls. This is a sport played by only girls in this country. (They don't have any laws here requiring matching girls and boys sports.) It is a game somewhat similar to basketball. It is played 7 on 7 - there are only certain areas of the court (divided into thirds) that certain positions can play in. Only two people on each team are designated as shooters and the nets are about the height of regulation basketball nets, but do not have backboards. It is a fast paced game, as you only have three seconds to pass the ball, no further than one third of the court. There is no dribbling and no running with ball. You are allowed only one step on a pivot foot, or can throw the ball while you are still in the air. Defenders are allowed only to be within one meter of the person with the ball, allowing for room for a person to run in between a defender and a teammate in order to get the ball.

The rain let up, Ellie swept the water off the court and the teams gathered during the lunch hour. The faculty ladies blew the trousers off the girls,with a score of 7-2. Somehow I ended up being a designated shooter, and for a rookie, did not play too badly- scoring 2 of the seven shots. We also played short handed for 1/2 the game, and then recruited an injured Year 10 student to help us out...we still won! It was great fun! It is also a game I would be interested in bringing back to NHS - even if only as a physical education activity, an intramural sport or a spirit day activity- it will be a piece of England to bring home.

I think that the concept of Charities Afternoon would work well back home at NHS, as community service projects are part of the fabric of our school culture - and it is a way to ensure participation by the entire school. There were very few students who could not participate because they had not raised the minimal amount of donations required - which was 3 pounds per student.

It was a really fun afternoon and I enjoyed sharing a bit of home with all the students!

Writing Class Sonnets: Here & There

One activity that both my colleague, Matt Reilly, and I do when teaching our sophomores at NHS about sonnets, is to write "class sonnets". Several years ago Matt introduced this idea to me and since then both of us guide our full, individual classes into creating class sonnets - usually a parody of a Shakespeare sonnet. I have started keeping a record of these sonnets and a very funny collection is starting to take shape.

This week, during a lesson on sonnets with my Year 8 students at Fairfield I decided to try this same activity. At first, I divided the class into small groups of five, mixed boy and girl groups, and directed them to try to create their own. They were instructed to do the best they could to keep to the iambic pentameter rhythm of a sonnet, but more importantly they should follow the rhyme scheme. I opted for the small group, rather than the full class group, as emphasis is placed on cooperative learning in small groups of mixed genders and abilities. This task, however, proved too difficult for this set up, coupled with the fact that these students are three years younger than the students at home - so I returned to the first philosophy of the large, whole class group.

I decided to give them the first line - a similar one to that used by one group of students from home. I wanted to see if any similarities would arise from the two groups. From there the ideas flew around the room, and as we repeated the lines out loud we eventually were able to edit the sonnet to a pretty close rendition of iambic pentameter and a correct English sonnet rhyme scheme - complete with rhyming couplet. As with any piece of writing, editing can always improve it, but neither are bad for a first try in a short lesson. Below you will read a Year 8 Monnow original sonnet, and a sonnet written by a group of 2008 Year 10 students at NHS, who happen to be Seniors this year- some of them may recognize their work.

Fairfield Year 8 Monnow 2009

Shall I compare thee to a pair of smelly trainers*?
Thou art more stinky and more horrible.
Your rough worn soles do pierce large containers.
Oh, get far from me, thou art so intol'r'ble.
Sometimes too sweaty; sprinting far from you.
Oft your odors worship in the temple of my nose.
If to heaven I with you go, I'd smell eternal poo.
You ne'er will e'er smell of a red, red, rose.
Although thy eternal stench shall not fade
Ne'er the rubbish bin shall you go in.
Etern'lly thankful, I am, you were made.
To throw you away would sure be a sin.
So long as you don't choke my healthy lung
I shan't wheeze or sneeze, nor toss you in the dung.

Period 5 2008 Sophomores

Shall I compare you to a pair of gym socks?
Thou art more lovely and more putrid.
Rough feet are calloused, flaked and hard as rocks
And season's scent is much too hard to rid.
Somtimes too much a toe doth show from holes
And oft the nails do seem untrimm'd,
And every hair and mole do cover o'er the soles;
In their own moist sweat the soles doth swim'd.
But thy eternal scent shall never fade,
Nor lose possession of thy fungi stump,
Nor shall detergent's scent obeyed
As thy forever do remain amid the gym bag dump.
So long as sports are played and socks are worn
So long live gym socks; sweaty, disgusting and torn.


*smelly trainers = smelly sneakers!

Reading in the Graveyard...

Yesterday I took my small class of five Year 10 students to the nearby Peterchurch graveyard to read the first chapter of Great Expectations. It was a brilliant idea, if I do admit it. From the first time I stepped foot in this graveyard I could not help but picture a "small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all" in the character of Pip.

The whipping wind,the damp, cold air, the wet ground, the squawking crows, the briers, nettles and mud we trudged through on the way to the graveyard, all helped provide a 3D experience that could not have been realized in the classroom. Surrounded by tombstones covered in moss, brought Pip's story to life. We practiced deciphering who these buried people might be and what we could learn about them from their tombstones, like Pip does with his father - assuming a square and stout man due to the shape of his tombstone.

The eerie atmosphere and the vulnerability of a young child frightened by a man all "dressed in coarse gray" could truly be experienced by sitting in the graveyard and reading this story...another successful experiment!

A Weekend in Bath: Just for Girls!

I didn't think that I could top my visit to Stratford-Upon-Avon... but my visit to the lovely city of Bath, with my department head, mentor and friend, Jayne Conway, has proven to be the highlight of my visit here to date. Trips to London aside, the female company of a fabulous woman, who enjoyed all the experiences on this trip for the first time alongside me, was great! Thank you so much Jayne for treating me to a lovely overnight stay in such a marvelous city.

Despite having been to Bath before, Jayne has always found herself with her husband and son in tow, so has never had the chance to experience the Roman Baths and the other museums we visited on this trip...so I am so glad I could experience this with her....although my good friend and mentor Nancy Sweeney, back at home in Northbridge, was always at the forefront of my mind as I toured this marvelous city. Nancy is our much beloved and treasured Latin teacher and is also the respected matriarch of the district. She too would have loved to see this wonderful Roman architectural and cultural masterpiece.

The day began with a warning on the BBC news that the stormy weather, wind and rain hitting the UK should be heeded by residents and it was suggested that all day trips be cancelled as the traveling could prove hazardous. Ha.... as Jayne said, "if you heeded all these things in this country you'd never go anywhere" and off we went. The traveling was fine, actually and we managed to arrive at our hotel without incident. Thankfully I had grabbed my fashionable Wellies, as the rain pelted us during our initial exploration of the city.

Our first stop was a cafe for a cuppa and then we proceeded to the Roman Baths. Thankfully, an indoor exhibit for the most part. We grabbed our audio guide and off we went. The tour of this Roman complex - encompassing the fully excavated main bath area, temple, altar and courtyard was magnificently explained on the audio guide, allowing each individual tourist to proceed throughout the museum at their own pace. The artifacts, temple and wall reconstructions using pieces of excavated columns, and figures allowed me to picture how an authentic Roman would have lived.

There were pieces of the exhibit, such as the gems recovered from the drainage systems when excavated that were particularly poignant. It brought home the age of these magnificent structures and also the idea that a young woman may have gotten up from the waters of the bath, looked at the hand only to realize that perhaps the gemstone in a ring given her by a lover was now lost. Each gem had an owner, with a life and story...what must they be?

Our next venture in the rain found us headed to the Fashion Museum and Assembly Rooms. Unfortunately the Assembly Rooms were closed for a private wedding. These rooms were large, grandiose ball rooms used for entertainment in the 18th and 19th century by the rich. There would be balls, gambling and other forms of entertainment where people would gather after their evening supper. The Fashion Museum was well worth the trip - and trying on corsets and crinolines gave both Jane and I a good laugh...something Micaela would have never participated in and would have only classified as "dorkiness." It was good to know that I was with a woman who braved the dress up experience! Quite fun!

Dinner for the evening found us in the Indian Eye - billed as the most authentic Indian food in the city, frequented by the likes of Jane Seymour and the cast of the East Enders - it provided a great venue for my first venture into authentic Indian food. Yummy!!!

On Sunday the sun shone brightly in the sky and seeing Bath by sunlight was a different experience altogether...while no less lovely in the rain, it was nice not to venture forth bundled in coats and Wellies!

This day found us back at the Circus and the Crescent; two architectural structures designed for the wealthiest citizens of Bath in the 18th and 19th centuries. We were able to enter Number One Crescent - an authentically restored regency period townhouse. It was lovely. We also learned that only the facade was designed by the architect John Wood, all the homes behind the facade were individually contracted builds and all are unique and different.

We then ventured to the Jane Austen Center where Jayne and I learned more about one of our mutual favorite authors. On the tour one learns that Miss Austen was not a particular fan of Bath, preferring the quiet of the countryside to the bustle and pretentiousness of the city. She lived in Bath during a time in her life where she and her mother and sister were at the mercy of of the generosity of her brothers to care for them. During their time in Bath they were progressively moving down the hill to the inner areas of the town, as their financial situation dictated. Considering she only lived here for a short five years of her life, they have capitalized on her later fame.

Our time in Bath went all too quickly, and like most other places I have visited, more time was needed to soak it all in, but it will be one I will not soon forget...and hopefully someday I will come back, next time with Nancy, and experience it all again!

The Return of the Natives

Last Thursday evening Fairfield hosted their annual "Speech Night". The easiest way for me to explain this evening is to equate it to the tradition (or what it has evolved to be in the last ten years at Northbridge) of Class Night for our graduating Seniors.

Last year's Year 11 students, who left Fairfield and have since gone on to Sixth Form College, vocational training or the work force, most of whom are 16 or 17, return to Fairfield for a celebration of their achievements. They listen to speeches by the Headmaster, a guest speaker, and are entertained by musicians currently studying at the school. They receive their GCSE certificates and several little gifts. Highest achievers in each subject level are honored with a special award and gifts, seemingly books pertaining to those particular areas of study.

The evening began with a delicious roast dinner for the staff, lovingly cooked and served by Kath and Josephine, complete with Yorkshire puddings, roasted potatoes and several very yummy puddings to finish off the meal (desserts to all you Americans.) Micaela has determined that all sweets (desserts) are termed puddings here. The meal is provided in an effort to feed all those staff members who desire to stay for the evening activities, but who live too far from the school to return home and come back. It was very much appreciated!

All returning students gathered in the art room to mingle with the staff prior to the start of the night.

I was struck by the absence of student participation in this speech night, other than the musicians performing and the current Year 11 prefects who welcomed the guest speaker and assisted with the presentation of awards. At NHS both graduating and current students play a large role in Class Night ceremonies- making speeches, singing songs, playing instruments, and making presentations. Conversely, I was also surprised that no one from the leaving students stood to thank or recognize the staff for their years of dedication to the departed students' education. I am not certain that the same student/teacher relationships are fostered on this side of the pond as back at home; but that could be a false impression from this one function. I was also struck by the inclusion of hymns into the ceremony, on that token it would be comparable to our ecumenical baccalaureate church service for our seniors. I did like the creativity and uniqueness of the gift given to the guest speaker: a gift basket which included a leg of lamb from a Fairfield sheep, eggs from the Fairfield chickens and a scarf made from the wool of the Fairfield Alpaca's.

Overall, it was a nice evening and I was pleased that I had taken part. I am disappointed however, that I did not win the pool of money associated with a guess of the length of Mr. Barker's speech. Each staff member paid a pound ( a sum I thought should be upped to a tenner- typical American) for a guess,and one member of staff, my friend and PE teacher, Ian, uses a stop watch to time it...person closest wins the pool. Apparently this same tradition continues for Mr. Barker's speech at the Christmas Party...now I have a better idea of how much time to expect perhaps my chances at winning will be better.

I think this could be another tradition I can implement back at home...what,with a new principal and all... seems like a good wager...and everyone pays attention because they are all waiting to see how close they get to the winning time! ...and then behave very badly when they learn that a new teacher trainee actually wins! Good job Vicki!

S4K Macbeth

Last Tuesday, November 11, the English department teachers, (sans our fearless leader, Jayne, who was off being professionally developed) took the entire Year 9 group on a field trip to the city of Birmingham. Our destination: the Alexandra Theater to see a musical version of Shakespeare's Macbeth. The Year 9 students had studied Macbeth last year, so they were somewhat familiar with the basic concept of the play.

While I was looking forward to this trip, I was somewhat skeptical - as my last experience with local musical theater was not the best, having seen the production of A Slice of Saturday Night in the local Hereford theater which was little better than a high school musical; in fact, NHS theatrical productions proved a cut above this production. I had no idea how Macbeth could be adapted to a musical - and specifically for kids - so, quite honestly I was fully expecting this production to be a flop. My friend Jo and I shared our skepticism along the 1 1/2 hour bus journey into Birmingham.

I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by this "graphic novel come to life" interpretation of my favorite Shakespeare tragedy. The production was performed by the theater group known as Shakespeare For Kids (S4K). They adapt Shakespeare's plays to make them accessible to children of all ages. Indeed, our Fairfield students were some of the oldest students among the theatergoers, many of the seats were filled with much younger students.

The set, the costumes and the musical numbers appealed to these children, and yes, even to me. I was impressed by the authenticity of the langauge that was preserved, while at the same time interspersed with modern script to make the soliloquy's and monologues much more comprehensible for such a young audience; even if some had not yet studied it. The portrayal of the witches, in their full stereotypical "wicked witch" garb and cauldron brewing chanting were entertaining.

The characters of the witches, and their service in the role as the exciting force and master manipulators is enhanced by their "invisible" presence on the stage during a variety of group scenes.

The sexual manipulation by Lady Macbeth on Macbeth was carefully and tastefully done for a young audience. There were times where I felt the character of Lady Macbeth could have been more evil; conversely I felt that the role of Lady Macduff was not quite portrayed as "good enough."

The role of the Porter was brilliantly acted - a true jester-like character; complete with physical comedy and some great "knock-knock" jokes.

Truly I was very impressed with the overall performance of this play and look forward to sharing the experience with my students back home, as I purchased a DVD of the stage production - albeit a different cast.

Our Fairfield students were very well behaved and seemed to have been well entertained by the production.

Above photo from the S4K publicity site.

"In Flanders' Fields"

Today, November 11th, is Armistice Day in the UK and Veteran's Day in the United States. Both celebrate the remembrance of the men and women who have protected the right to democracy and freedom for our countries, and in the process lost their lives or sustained life altering injuries.

My first encounter with the differences on this day between the US and the UK came on the way to school today as I stopped at the petrol station. I noticed a sign stating that if you were at the station between 10:55 and 11:05, dispensing petrol from the pump, the dispensation would gradually slow until a complete cessation would be experienced at 11 a.m., for a minute of silence. I thought this was quite good; little did I know that the full poignancy of the day was yet to be experienced during a school wide assembly at Fairfield.

The Headmaster, Chris Barker, spoke to the staff and students beginning at 10:50 which culminated in a moment of silence precisely at 11 a.m., coinciding with the end of his talk. I thought I would paraphrase his talk, but as it progressed it became apparent that paraphrasing would not do it justice, so I asked him if I could post the full entirety of what he said on my blog and he kindly agreed.

I will say that this assembly was one of the most profound emotional moments - a positive one - since I have arrived in the UK, and it is quite worth remembering and making note of it. As I looked around I was impressed with the solemnity of the silence observed by the students, from ages to 11 to 16, they were silent and thoughtful. There were some staff with tears in their eyes as they perhaps remembered loved ones affected by any of the conflicts. I was struck by the fact that the entire nation was at a standstill and it was profound.

Often times, in the US, I think we forget as Americans the full force of what sacrifice was made, and continues to be made, by the men and women of our Armed Forces because we have never had a major conflict fought on our own soil. We have the entire day off, but how many people, especially our young people, have an understanding of why they don't attend school on this day?

Upon returning to the classroom I shared my impressions of the assembly with my Year 11 students and conversation ensued about friends, relatives, loved ones off to war at the moment or grandfathers and great-grandfathers who had been involved in WWI & WWII; I was treated to some good stories of these men's lives and their families.

What follows is the text of Mr. Barker's talk during the moment of silence held today at Fairfield High School. I sincerely thank him for allowing me the privilege of publishing it on my blog.

At 11:00 a.m. on 11th November, the eleventh month of the year, the guns ceased firing all over Europe in 1918. Since then we have remembered those who gave their lives so that we can be free; so that we can live our lives as we choose. The last soldiers from that war have now died and there is no-one left who remembers taking part in that terrible slaughter. In 1915 John McCrea wrote a poem because he noticed poppies growing in the disturbed earth which were the graves of his fellow soldiers who had been killed.

"In Flanders' field the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place: and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw the sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders' fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high,

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders' Fields.

Hence the poppy is the symbol of remembrance and we wear it with pride and all the money raised is spent by The British Legion on looking after injured and sick soldiers.

The men and women who fought in the Second World War are now old too.

There are new conflicts and our soldiers with thousands of American ones and troops from NATO countries are fighting in Afghanistan. In all other wars and conflicts those who have been killed have been buried where they fell but this is the first conflict from which our dead are being brought home. They all arrive back in Wooten Bassett, in Wiltshire. Many are asking should we be in Afghanistan and why are we there? Whatever you may feel, one thing is certain; our politicians believe that the world is a safer place because we are there. Underground trains and buses have been blown up in London, trains have exploded in Madrid, passenger planes have been hijacked and crashed into skyscrapers in New York and countless other atrocities have been carried out around the world by young men trained in camps in Afghanistan. Those camps do not exist at the moment.

On Armistice Sunday, I watched the ceremony from the Cenotaph and at one point there was a list of those, with their ages, who have died in Afghanistan. Most of the soldiers are in their 20's and 30's, but I was struck by three consecutive names who were aged 18, barely two years older than many of you in this room. Whilst thousands of 18 year olds are still at school, some are dying for us in desolate, foreign places.

As Big Ben prepares to strike eleven, without talking,will you stand .... and we will join the rest of the nation in the work-place, on the pavement, in cars pulled over to the side of the road in silence to remember:

"They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them."

I pray to God that none of you are involved in such an awful thing as war.

Sonnet 130 My Mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun

Teaching poetry to really young students... challenge 1million and one. You know how, as a teacher, every so often you have moments in the classroom that really stand out? The kind that if you were keeping a book of all these wonderful moments you would add it in? The kind where you say that you SHOULD be keeping a book of all these wonderful moments? Well today I did indeed have another of those moments.

Ironically, it happened during a lesson with my Year 8 Monnow. A group of children where ability levels and behaviors vary greatly...generally, on the whole most of my lessons with these students have gone smoothly. Inquisitive, shy and very quirky they have been a good group to work with.

Today, while introducing them to the basic rules of sonnets, and having them write them all down in their exercise books, a very philosophical discussion began with simple questions : Why do we have to all these rules, why can't you just write a poem and be done with it? Who gave it this name and these rules? Why do we have all these different types of poems? Can I create my own form of poetry and call it the "jake" ? Who would think that these questions could spark such discussion - to which I felt very ill-equipped to respond, except to cop out with this: Someone much wiser and much smarter than I decided this name and it has existed for a very long time. I learned poetry this way, and now I am teaching it this way to you too. But the discussion just went round and round in a circle...it was quite funny.

I filled them in on my jealousy that they could brag "ownership" of the Bard, to which I was informed I could "have him," and still another comment that I "could buy him." This group brilliantly, and on first pass, fully understood Sonnet 130 on the most basic of levels and could answer all the questions without help! Brilliant!

When talking about the rule for sonnets which require the theme to be one of "love" I had several boys audibly groan and comment: "I suppose we're going to have write our own." Precious. I assured them that not always do sonnets have to be written about "mushy" love - and then I instantly realized my mistake as the lesson then digressed to a conversation about mushy peas and the best fish and chip shop around that I must surely go to, and the driving directions to get there!

The lesson ended with a comment from one student who simply said, "Miss DeJong, do you have to go home to America? You're funny."

One for the books...

Remember, Remember the Fifth of November...

The Gunpowder Treason and plot;

I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason

should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes

'Twas his intent

To Blow up the King and the Parliament.

Three score barrels of powder below.

Poor Old England to overthrow.

By God's providence he was catch'd,

With a dark lantern and a burning match.

It is the 5th of November, and from the hill there are the sights and sounds of fireworks to behold. If not for the cold wind whipping around outside I'd be out there enjoying the view over the valley. Ironically, fireworks here celebrate the retention of the monarch, whereas in America we light fireworks to celebrate our independence from the monarch on the Fourth of July!

This night, also known as "Bonfire Night," held in the United Kingdom, commemorates the Gunpowder Plot which was partly led by Guy Fawkes; the man in charge of actually carrying out the explosion beneath Parliament. He was arrested a few hours before the planned explosion in the cellars of Parliament in the early hours of November 5, 1605 - prompted by an anonymous letter warning of the danger to the King.

Guy Fawkes belonged to a group of Roman Catholic restorationists from England, whose aim was to displace Parliament rule by blowing up the Houses of Parliament while King James I and the entire Protestant, and even most of the Catholic, aristocracy and nobility were inside.

Upon his arrest Guy Fawkes was tortured for days and ultimately he was found guilty and punished by being hanged, drawn and quartered! Fawkes was 35 years old when he died.

Traditionally this night, and well into the weekend, is celebrated with huge bonfire parties and plenty of fireworks, along with an effigy burning of Fawkes' image.

Currently, as I write this, the sounds of fireworks are pervading the air outside and many local villages will be hosting huge bonfire and fireworks parties tomorrow and Saturday night. I am planning on attending one such celebration, tomorrow evening at Mel's house.

There is etymology behind the word "guy." Students in English class back home, who may be working on their etymology projects, would be interested to learn that the term "guy" originates from the name Guy Fawkes. In 18th century England it became a tradition for children to display a grotesque figure of an effigy (likeness) of Guy Fawkes, termed "a guy," as part of the Bonfire Night celebration. The "guy" would be burned on the bonfire at the end of the evening. "Guy" came to mean a man of odd appearance. In American English, the term "guy" lost its negative connotation and simply became a reference to any man. - source: Wikipedia

Fawkes and his story have long been immortalised in poetry through writers such as Milton. He has often been associated with demons and devils in many pieces of Puritanism literature. Over the years his reputation has been restored and today he is often toasted as the "last man ever to enter Parliament with good intent."

Source for this blog post: Wikipedia & BBC

Buzzing of the Blue Flies...

Those of you that know me well know that Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities is one of my all-time favorite novels. I especially like the metaphor where the buzzing of the blue flies is used to compare the buzzing of the gallery when viewing trials of the 18th century at the Old Bailey. While I have not yet visited the Old Bailey or Tellson's Bank - I have met my very own "blue flies" here in Wales; except not metaphorical...literal.

My last night of term break was spent meeting and having to deal with a little critter known as a "cluster fly"- except I was privileged to meet hundreds upon hundreds of them and it was not fun!

Cluster flies are apparently indigenous to the UK and helpful websites abound with information about their habits and various methods used to combat their infestation. Their name refers to their common habit of "clustering" when hibernating - often in slate roofed buildings - such as the one in which I currently live - during the autumn months. Cluster flies are field flies, and as the weather becomes cooler they seek out shelter in nooks and crannies of buildings and houses. They typically seek out previous hibernating areas year after year.

It is important to note however, that while cluster flies are a nuisance...and I speak first hand about this... they are not considered a risk to human health and are not considered as evidence of poor hygiene. They are simply a fact of life for most people who live in this area of the UK.

It all started with the innocent spraying of one wasp and a fly in the bathroom hovering near the ceiling light, so Micaela could take shower. It was all down hill from there, as I can only guess that the bug spray on the ceiling light penetrated to the attic where the flies were awakened, and... seeking a way to escape the poison, managed to squeeze their way through the attic crawl space gap and enter the house. I sprayed and hoovered hundreds of these critters up and still they kept coming...it was not fun. Finally, after two hours of non-stop buzzing, spraying and hoovering I exhaustedly sought help from the neighbor who was kind enough to provide me with much stronger bug spray and taped up the gap around the attic crawl space in order to keep the flies held captive in the attic.

Thankfully this worked and I was able to vacuum the remainder dead flies and clean the bathroom from all the dead flies that had found their way onto the floor and bathtub. The captive flies were none too happy however, and angry flies do make for noisy flies... and they were trying their hardest to make it out of the attic space and kept us awake most of the night. If not for the visions of a horror movie in the making with flies attacking us in our sleep we may have had a sound sleep; as it was we slept in the same bed that night.

Micaela, thoroughly annoyed and quite frantic over it all, spent the night at a friend's house on Monday, leaving me to face the battle of the buzzing blue flies on my own as I returned from school. Thankfully, there were not too many to be found, most were corpses, but they did manage to break through the tape along the gap of the attic crawl space during the day. Persistent little buggers!

Mercifully the blue flies , aka "cluster flies", have all but disappeared as of today and I may sleep restfully. What an adventure this is!

Twelfth Night & Feste!

What is most wonderful about this entire exchange experience is the ability to "practice what we preach" as teachers - to be a lifelong learner. While I was certainly prepared for a culturally enriching experience with my journey to the home of The Bard, a.k.a. William Shakespeare, I was not prepared for how educationally rich it would also be.

Micaela and I journeyed to this beautiful village by car, a relatively short distance by US standards; only a 1.5 hour journey. The distance to school on a daily basis is just shy of 30 minutes the travel distance to Stratford, so I have more than enough experience driving over English roads to make this journey. Amazingly, a bus ride to this little town was going to take 5 hours and cost me over $130.00 USD for the two of us. It's not rocket science to figure out that driving made more sense. Armed with some fairly decent driving directions, thanks to the UK version of mapquest, I was confident I would make it there easily - and indeed I did.

I opted to spend an extra day and night in Stratford at my own expense, so I splurged on an additional night at the Shakespeare Mercure, directly in the center of Stratford and the same hotel where the British Council was paying for our accommodations the following night. This hotel is a four-star hotel and stays true to its English Tudor style, post-and-beam, white-washed architectural charms. All the rooms are named after characters or places familiar in Shakespeare's plays. Our room was the Antioch room - and was directly next door to the Shylock room. A kingdom run by an incestuous king and a man who demands a pound of flesh as payment for a debt... glorious!

Micaela and I spent a great evening walking around the town, which was in the process of having its Christmas lights strung up. We tread upon cobblestones walked on by The Bard, himself, ate dinner at the oldest inn in town, the Garrick Inn, and enjoyed an evening of entertainment on a ghost tour...it was, after all the eve before Halloween. We were entertained with stories of witchcraft, murder, fire and deaths all having taken place in and around the home of William Shrieves, an archer to King Henry VIII. The home was once owned by King Henry VII and was bequeathed to the archer for his service to the king. The building has borne witness to plaque, fire, treason, murder and withcraft so it is a prime location for ghost storytelling. The best story we heard had to do with a little girl named Lucy, who died in the house but whose spirit will seek out the hand or jewelry or purses of people involved with children...I kid you not but I got instantly cold and chilled as this story was being told. Micaela was especially freaked out by a story of a rapist and murderer who is said to have followed young attractive women out of the building on occasion unless you ask for William Shrieves' protection!

In the morning we toured the historic homes all involved in the Shakespeare story. The Nash House on the site of New Place, where Shakespeare died; the Hallscroft House, home of his daughter and her husband a renowned physician and we went to the Trinity Church to visit Shakespeare's grave. Later in the afternoon we met up with all our fellow US Fulbrighters for a pre-performance talk and presentation of Twelfth Night, the Royal Shakespeare Company performance we had journeyed to Stratford to see.

It was great to meet up with everyone again and catch up with our experiences; although it was just one more time for me to regret that my experience, while just barely having begun, will be over in a short while, and my fellow teachers will remain for an entire year. (It is the single regret I have and a learning experience I will take away as a Fulbright alumna...follow the advice given you and only do this for a full year. By the time you adjust and feel confident it is time to go home. ) Not to mention all the places in the UK I have yet to be able to visit... and probably won't get a chance to. Bright outlook though - one can always do this again!

The young woman associated with the Shakespeare Center, which adjoins the home of Shakespeare's parents and is now known simply as "the Birthplace", who led our pre-performance discussion was very knowledgeable. The pre-performance talk included everything, from a summary of the play, to a history of its different dramatic presentations and interpretations by multiple directors and actors having taken part in its various productions. I listened to her pose thought provoking questions, challenge us with things to observe in the play and the experience of just listening to her share her knowledge made me feel like I was a student in an Advanced Placement Shakespeare course... it was discussion such as I have not been part of since my university days. It made me eager to see the performance later that evening. It also made me slightly jealous of her knowledge about Shakespeare and seemingly all things Shakespeare related!

After the talk we ventured on our tour of the "Birthplace" which began as interactive video experience. All the homes owned and operated by the Shakespeare Trust are kept in a true state as they would have been furnished and used in the Elizabethan Era. The multiple admission ticket Micaela and I purchased got us in to each home and on Saturday, as we drove out of town we visited Ann Hathaway's Cottage - the place where their courtship would have begun.

The performance of Twelfth Night did not disappoint. The director chose a Turkish marketplace as a main setting for the performance which, while initially surprising, lent the production to an upbeat theatrical and musical production. The character of Feste was especially entertaining, as was the interpretation of the "box tree". Following the performance, Micaela and I enjoyed our first taste of Chinese food since arriving in the UK, as we opted for the take away service across from the hotel. I will say, we were pleasantly surprised by its authenticity and tastiness.

The next morning, we joined our Fulbright friends for breakfast and a post-performance discussion back at the Shakespeare Center, featuring our same instructor from the previous afternoon, and the actor who played the part of Feste from the RSC. Again, this discussion was intellectually stimulating and provided some great information to take back to the classroom when working with Shakespeare's plays. I am now anticipating returning home to teach Macbeth, equipped with some powerful information!

All in all this was a fabulous weekend in another historically rich and quaint English town. The Avon river, and its swans is a sight to behold for any lover of historically rich countryside locations.

Term 2

Term 2 at Fairfield High School began today, although tired and exhausted from a restless night's sleep after engaging in the epic "battle of the flies", Micaela and I made the journey to Peterchurch as if we had been doing it for years. The day began with the cheery smiles of Year 7 students who were very eager to share their exploits of their week off.

My confidence was at a fever pitch with my Year 11 as we began a unit on writing to argue, persuade and advise. This is one of the areas where I feel my talents shine: teaching HOW to write and the process of writing - so I eagerly embraced the opportunity to do my homework on this portion of the GCSE exam and had the task firmly in grasp with powerpoints and lesson plans to get the students prepared for this piece of writing. Overall, I was quite pleased with the progression of the days lessons on this topic.

My Year 9 group was bright eyed and eager to advance with their newspaper unit and we had a great lesson on the use of emotive language in articles, and headlines today. They are eagerly anticipating organizing themselves into groups to create their own newspapers.

I was introduced to a new group of Year 10 students as each set group rotated to a different teacher to study a different piece of literature. This is a bit different than the US system, where students remain with the same teacher all year long and we teach multiple pieces of literature to the same year group over the course of the year. This group of students, all six of them, were quite delightful, inquisitive and very sweet. Although I can see that teaching a small group of six may have as many challenges, albeit different, as teaching the former group of 37 students posed, it is a challenge I will embrace enthusiastically. Repeating a unit on Great Expectations with this smaller group of students will need to be done a bit differently; but I am looking forward to getting to know these young people.

Year 7 students began a unit on poetry in which they will put together an "anthology" and Year 8 students will begin the same thing tomorrow, except different focus and different poetry.

Overall, term 2 began on a good foot. It is hard to believe that we are half way through our exchange experience and will be home by Christmas. BBC Radio One played Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" tonight as I was driving home... are they rushing it? Odd to be in England and hearing the first Christmas tune of the season and its not even Thanksgiving yet... oh wait...they don't celebrate that one here do they??? Never fear, there will be a few Brits who discover the tradition of the Thanksgiving Feast this year!