Sport Day

I decided to skip my morning walk since today was sport day! Every Wednesday, there is a half day at school and then the second half is dedicated to sports that students sign up for at the beginning of each term. Tarryn and I were assigned power walking so I didn't want to wear myself out.

Since it was a half day, and all but 1 of our courses were in the afternoon, we had tons of prep time. I am still trying to wrap my head around the scope and sequence and curriculum for our courses. I am understanding that they only complete one or two units per term but may complete 5-6 projects per unit. There is a push to cram as much as we can into the first 5 weeks of the term as marks need to be in 3-4 weeks before the end of the school year. It's very overwhelming. Tarryn and I had a very good conversation as she and I are at a similar stage in our lives and have a similar outlook on education. I commended the fact that students were able to explore one theme using several different mediums to see how one subject or idea can be portrayed in a multitude of ways, but the pace they are running at you have to question the idea of quality vs quantity. Tarryn agreed.

Wednesdays are also school assembly days. Today they had a speaker of the Arakwal people to present a Welcome to Country. Welcome to country is an acknowledgement of customary laws. It is part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait. The Arakwal people are one of three groups that are the first people of the Byron Shire. Despite the absence of fences or visible borders, clear boundaries separated groups' Country. Crossing into another group’s Country required a request for permission to enter. Permission gave the visitors safe passage and spiritual protection during the journey. The visitors also had to respect the protocols and rules of the land owner group while on their Country. This was presented to the school on the 17th anniversary of the establishment of the Arakwal National Park which I walk through daily to get to Tallow Beach. (A link to their website).

After assembly, I had the opportunity to introduce myself to one of our classes. I put together a slideshow of pictures from the states so students could get to know me and get to know a little bit of Indiana and American culture. They were totally astounded at the size of Fishers HS. I made sure to make them aware that this isn't typical in all of America. They loved seeing pictures of students with no uniforms and the art rooms. I was asked if I had ever been in a school shooting or in a tornado. It was a fun class and I can't wait to introduce myself to the others!

Then we were off to sport! We were driven to Clarks Beach and dropped off with the students who had signed up for power walking. It was an awfully hot day. No student had brought their hat or sunscreen. I was shocked since I thought they were required to have them. The teachers were not very happy with them. Typical teenagers though. Don't want to wear a hot because they're too cool just like my little brother won't wear a winter coat. This particular sport was perfect for me as I got to explore The Pass and the Rainforest Track. It was a BEAUTIFUL walk. I kept telling students that they better appreciate what they have as my students back in the states would kill to walk with these views in place of P.E. We walked for an hour and then stopped at The Pass Cafe for drinks and snacks. It was a great day!