Today was the last day of the first term, and a minimum day schedule at St. Columba’s. From an academic standpoint- we're amazingly at the half-way mark. Holiday time at any school is typically filled with an extra level of excitement (and sugar intake) among the students, and usually an increased amount of stress with the teachers. All the kids really want to do is watch movies all week, and the students can’t believe that you have any intention of trying to teach them anything. In fact, I had a student walk into my class yesterday and say “my eyes are sore, I’ve been watching videos in all my classes and I’m feeling a bit dizzy”. Generally the students have been excited about the two-week break and have been in good spirits,. Of course I also had a student yell at me yesterday- “ I hope you have a terrible Christmas!” on the way out the door after being asked to clean up her desk area and push her chair in. Teaching can be up-and-down like that sometimes, no matter what country you’re in. I must admit though, that Christmas comment was a first (and hopefully the last) of its kind.
 |
| The school tree with some potential prizes at the Christmas Concert. |
There have been a number of festive activities here at St. Columba’s during the month of December, ranging from class (year-level) parties, Christmas shows, a Wii Mario Kart Competition, student Candy Cane deliveries, and the big Christmas Mass/Assembly sendoff this afternoon (followed by the staff luncheon!). The school brought in a tree for the foyer a few weeks back, and decorations have been hung throughout the main building. The school has had a nice holiday feel throughout the past few weeks, and staff/students alike have had a spring in their step.
Will and Ainsley have been readying themselves for their class nativity plays this week at school, in addition to class parties. Religion in school is a tricky subject back home, but not during our stay in Scotland. Seeing as I teach at a Catholic school, this is expected, however at Will and Ainsley's public primary school they’ve also been working on nativity plays for their seasonal performances, and nobody seems to think twice about it. From our our experiences here in Scotland, religion is simply a part of life, intertwined so much with the nation's history and culture. It's such an ingrained part of the school's holiday tradition that one dad I spoke to at football training said "I think people would complain if there wasn't a nativity play every December".
Tuesday night was the school Christmas Concert, with performances from a variety of student groups. There was a Junior Choir (1st/2nd years), a multi-school percussion group, Glee Club, Expressive Arts, St. Columba's Pipe Band, Wind Ensemble, String Ensemble, and of course- the Staff Singers. My choir days are long behind me, but I joined in this season and helped sing Barbershop Blues (including a kazoo duet), and a more serious selection of Still Still Still. Attending the show reminded me how fun it is to see the students doing activities outside of class, learning more about their interests and talents. I think the students also enjoy seeing another side of their teachers and are quite keen to share the stage. There are not as many extra-curricular activities outside of the school day as back home, so most all practices take part during the students lunch time. The performances were very impressive, and you could tell that the kids had put in a lot of hours preparing for the show.
Today I also took part in the Christmas Assembly for St. Columba’s, reading a passage about the Wise Men following a star on the way to Bethlehem, and making the connection to stars that are placed on Christmas trees around the world. The Headmaster even read a sweet poem about someone who travels to California for Christmas, appreciating the meaning of the holiday even though they're far from their home and familiar traditions. The St. Columba’s play was a modern take on the Nativity story, followed by a rousing sing-a-long of Christmas songs. Swaying back and forth, belting out White Christmas, Winter Wonderland, and Rudolph the Red Nosed with 500-ish students was quite a fun and touching way to kick off the holiday break.
No comments:
Post a Comment