Week 1
It has been a busy
week here at Convent High School. Monday was a full day with the
students. Devotions, which are led by the literacy, numeracy,
special education, visual and performing arts or information and
communication technology group, occur every morning at 8 sharp.
Devotions conclude at 8:15. Devotions are held in the open area of
the school. Each group decides what will be done. Generally there
is a prayer, a reading or poem and two or three songs. The visual
and performing arts group danced to a song.
Teacher participants continue to
filter in for class that begins at 8:30. Some of the participants arrive
a bit later because they are coming from distances that require up to
a two hour commute on public transit. Fortunately the union pays for
their transport for the distance from their school to their home, or
mid-distance between home and school if their school is close to
Roseau.
The bell for
break/snack rings at 10:30, but when the caterer is behind schedule
the bell may not ring until 11 a.m. This is the time that
participants and instructors alike demonstrate patience and
flexibility. By 10:30 everyone is ready for a break, especially in
the computer lab because no food or beverages are allowed. Break
goes for 15 minutes and then we are back to class until 1 p.m. After
class we spend anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours planning with our
co-tutors and organizing photocopying. This is done at the school or
the DAT office.
The ICT class has
almost 50 people signed up, but many will not attend because there is
another ICT workshop being offered elsewhere by someone from Alberta.
There are 35 computers in the lab. Monday we did not have enough
computers. By Friday, we had 2 or 3 extra computers. The official
number on the attendance list is 42, but 5 have not come at all. So,
the concern of having to share computers is no longer an issue.
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| Entrance to Computer Lab |
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| Teachers Working in Lab |
My partner had I
have an agenda, but we are using it as guide more than a strict
agenda. This week we have looked at the basics of a word processor,
spreadsheets and slide shows. When we got to slide shows, the class
was working so diligently creating that we put off the spreadsheets
and let them experiment on their own, creating slide shows and
interactive tests. They were helping each other and asking
questions. Some of the advanced students were asked to create an
interactive curriculum based slide show to use in the classroom with
students and others were asked to start a blog about the workshops.
They were given the most basic instructions. One slide show group
lost their show and could not retrieve it. Another group did
different types of families and another did global warming. The
slide shows and the blog were shared with the class on Friday and are
accessible to everyone on Google Drive. Next week we will look at
using the Internet one day and leave the remaining days for viewing
and creating integrated lessons both individually and in grade teams.
One of the
afternoons was dedicated to the Public Service Commission. A
representative came to talk to the teachers about the commission,
transfers, pay, upgrades, etc.
Friday afternoon was Canada-Dominica
Day where all teachers rotated through 5 stations. Most of the
students came dressed in red and white. We, the CTF teachers, wore
our team shirts which were blue. One of the participants suggested
that in the future the shirts be red or white. Brilliant! We led
the activities with our co-tutors. We had a stations with dance,
singing, Jeopardy, games and hiking across Canada. Each station was
about 10 minutes. At the end of the activities we ate cake and
watched Canada videos. There were requests for Justin Bieber. Love
it!
Once work was finished for the day we zipped over to Fort Young Hotel where we
spent the remainder of the afternoon by the pool relaxing and sipping rum punch (came with the
entrance fee).
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| Sunset at the Fort Young Pool |
One afternoon we got back early to the hotel and
decided to go to Mero beach. Getting there was interesting. We
walked to the bus stop by the bridge and as we were walking to the
stop 3 different drivers approached us trying to get us in their
vans. One van did not have enough seats, so we got in the van beside
that one because there were already people in it. We were going on
the theory that the vehicle won't leave until it is full. When we
got in the van, the two people who were in it got out. Hmmm. So
then we moved to another that had room for 4 people, but we were 5.
No problem. The two small children were squished in between the
adults. Off we went. Well, I got into a bit of pinch with another
passenger after I asked the price and said that we didn't want to be
overcharged. One gentleman's response was that I need to believe in
honesty and that Dominican drivers would not cheat us. Shortly after
the bus driver chimes in and tells us that he does not overcharge.
Yikes! Not making a good impression. I continued to banter with the
man and shared that I had no intention of offending. With that, the
older gentleman acknowledged that there are some drivers at the
airport who overcharge. With that, all was in harmony again. Phew!
The beach was great.
There were very few people there since it was a weekday. The water
was cool, calm and clear and the sand was piping hot. The ride back
to town was easy. An empty van rolled by just as we got to the main
road.
Evenings were spent
in restaurants. Dining can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours.
Rarely is it less than a one hour affair. Fortunately the food is
good and worth waiting for. Only once have I had food that was not
tasty. Our favorite restaurants are Fusion and Fort Young. Service
may be slow, but the food is great and there is some selection for
vegetarians. There is also a shawarma/falafel restaurant that we
like for take out. When we do take out we sit on the fifth floor of
the hotel looking out at the stars and the lights. Life doesn't get
much better! Thank you ETFO and CTF for this amazing opportunity.
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