School/work info.

How ya goin'
We are each trying to create an entry detailing our work/school experience for all you fine folks out there. Mine will be about my experiences so far at Chatham High School in Taree, New South Wales. Try going to Google Earth and typing in that info. and you should get to fly to and get a glimpse of the area. If you type in Taree High you'll see where Kyle goes to High School. Old Bar, is due west on the coast. I'll also attach some photos of my room from inside and out.
Some of the differences I've been getting used to: We have a 6 period day, but the schedule changes and rotates every day. I have 5 classes on most days, but the order is different all the time. We have recess after the second hour and lunch after the 4th. Teachers rotate having recess and lunch duties. I have 3 every fortnight. The schedule rotates back to the beginning every fortnight as well. On Friday's the students go to 1st and 2nd period then go to 'sport' for 3rd and 4th. I walk a 1/4 mile with another teacher and 27 kids to the local gym for basketball. Basketball is not the most common of sports for the Aussie kids to play...Not a lot of experience. After sport they have lunch then 5th period then early dismissal while the teachers have staff meetings during 6th period. I have one class (8th math/4) that I share with another teacher. I teach it 6 times a fortnight and he teaches it 3 times. I'm not sure how that's going to turn out. Each teacher has a group from each grade level (7,8,9,10, and 11/12). They are very equitable in how they disperse the levels. Each has some high level classes, some in the middle, and some low ones. I have 7/1s, 10/2s, 8/4s, 9/6s and 11 general. The first # indicates the grade level and the second # indicates the ranking amoung the 6 groups most classes have. So the 8/4s means that they are all 8th graders that are in the 4th out of 6 levels in their math abilities. It definitely has been a lot different. At times very challenging and at others very fun. I am worn out at the end of each day...Some of the teachers and I try to get some quick golf in after school on Mondays and Fridays. We play 8 or 12 holes. No, that's not a misprint. It's a long and not very interesting story.
I'll cut this short and pass it on to the next writer.
Mike