nimthiriel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nimthiriel) wrote2013-03-30 09:21 am
nimthiriel) wrote2013-03-30 09:21 am
That's a wrap!
So Group 1 went home on Wednesday afternoon. It has been an incredible first month. There were frustrations and annoyances, but over all it was a very positive experience.
One of the key things that I know about this program is the change that it instills in the students. They come out of it more mature than they came in, and that's huge given it's a noticeable difference in just one month. Having taught year 9 for 4 years, this is not something you get to see happen in any normal school programme. The fascinating part for me was *literally* seeing it happen overnight, and I can tell you exactly when the change occurred: Between day 1 and day 2 of their trip to Shanghai. I did once or twice need to remind them to keep that positive change happening, but only once or twice. It's not something I can describe easily, but it was a clear change in attitude and expectation. They realised that what they were doing wasn't working, we all discussed how to make it better, and they changed. Amazing.
There were a lot of tears on their last day. I cried too, though not nearly as much as the kids. But then, I didn't cry on my last day here as a student, no matter how badly I wanted to. One of the boys gave me a present; it was a little teddy bear money box. Most gorgeous thing ever!
So that's group one over. I'll try to update more regularly over the next 5 groups, but as anyone who's ever started a new job knows: It takes over your life and you have no time for a while. now that I have a better idea of what I'm doing, I should be able to stay in touch more often.
One of the key things that I know about this program is the change that it instills in the students. They come out of it more mature than they came in, and that's huge given it's a noticeable difference in just one month. Having taught year 9 for 4 years, this is not something you get to see happen in any normal school programme. The fascinating part for me was *literally* seeing it happen overnight, and I can tell you exactly when the change occurred: Between day 1 and day 2 of their trip to Shanghai. I did once or twice need to remind them to keep that positive change happening, but only once or twice. It's not something I can describe easily, but it was a clear change in attitude and expectation. They realised that what they were doing wasn't working, we all discussed how to make it better, and they changed. Amazing.
There were a lot of tears on their last day. I cried too, though not nearly as much as the kids. But then, I didn't cry on my last day here as a student, no matter how badly I wanted to. One of the boys gave me a present; it was a little teddy bear money box. Most gorgeous thing ever!
So that's group one over. I'll try to update more regularly over the next 5 groups, but as anyone who's ever started a new job knows: It takes over your life and you have no time for a while. now that I have a better idea of what I'm doing, I should be able to stay in touch more often.