Okay, so the first major thing that happened to me lately was getting teaching contracts here in Charlottetown... yes contracts, plural. One for the mornings and one for the afternoons. In the morning I am at Glen Stewart Elementary School where I am on a grant and I help out the grade 4 and the grade 5 french immersion classes. They are really great kids, but just have huge classes so having another teacher in the room to help out is great. I also get to practice and improve my french. I haven't routinely used it since probably grade 12 so this is great. I'm so shocked at how much comes back and how quickly it comes back. Hopefully having french will help me get a permanent position for next fall!!!
In the afternoons I am at Parkdale Elementary school where I am filling in for a mat leave. I share the position with the reading recovery teacher. We teach grade 4. I mostly teach them math and then when they are at their specialists (gym or music) I do resource and help out in other classes. I LOVE teaching and I LOVE knowing where I am going to be every day and getting to know the kids and other teachers. My obsessive organization and planning really comes in handy :P It is a lot of work and you can't really turn off you brain from thinking about school stuff (kids, planning etc.) but I am so happy that I became a teacher.... it is really what i was meant to do!
Having these contracts are great but I am nervous about next year. I really want to get another contract or to get a permanent position. The biggest issue here in PEI is that we are in the middle of school reorganization.... they want to close 11 schools, one of which being Parkdale. These closure are due to our declining population and such. BUt the process to close these schools has been...... complicated. The school superinentdent wrote the report saying that these 11 schools should close. Then there is 90 days of public meetings and input. But they accused him of not including information in this report and therefor he had to add things to it which restarted the 90 days. So currently public input is being accepted until May 12 then the school trustees have to write a report which is due May 31. Then the government has to have the final say. Then the schools that close will close at the end of June. There are lots of issues for and against. There is also a supreme court hearing next week on whether this whole process is legal. UGH! I understand both sides of the issue. From a really selfish point of view..... if the schools close they have to reassign all those teachers which means less positions for people like me to apply to..... I hate being selfish like that but after having contracts I don;t want to go back to subbing. I will not be able to apply to potential jobs until June 15th at the earliest.
Matt and I went to Florida with my family from April 2 to 12. It was really fun. We had a blast. We spent 3 days in Treasure Island (outside Tampa) for my cousin Kathy's wedding then went to Orlando. We went to Epcot and Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios. Anyways here are a few pictures from my trip. :)
Seb, Lo, Dad, Me, Matt, Aunt Margie and Mom at Magic Kingdom
Seb, Lo, Dad, Mom, Aunt Margie, Me and Matt at Epcot
Dad, Lo and I at Bubba Gump Restaurant
My Dad's Wicked Shirt and my Drink that the Bank of Dad bought me :)
Matt and I at Magic Kingdom
Matt and I on the beach in Treasure Island for Kathy's Wedding
