It’s time for me to share a bit of my new school 🙂
I don’t know if any of you notice that I often replied my comment a bit late and that goes to visiting your blog too. The reason is none other than my new school.
Since 2001, I have become a teacher of national curriculum. I got used to it so well. National curriculum doesn’t have strict Lesson Plan. We made one but not something we follow, it was merely for administration purpose. I usually copy-pasted it from previous year.
However…this doesn’t apply to my new school.
My new school used two curriculum, IB (International Baccalaureate) and Cambridge. IB for grade 6 to grade 10 and Cambridge for grade 10 to grade 12. Yup, 10th grade has two kinds of assessments, for IB and Cambridge.
Being with Indonesian curriculum for many years made it a bit difficult to adjust to the new curriculum. Teaching the students is never been a problem for me…never was and hopefully never will. It’s the administration that’s killing me (read: taking all my time). Within a week I have to learn how to make a planner with all the IB profile. I have to make my assessment in advance. And IB doesn’t use text-book…I have to find the material and make my own work sheet. To top it all, next Wednesday, we will have 3 Way Conference, it’s a meeting between teacher, student and parent. We will discuss about what we will do to increase student’s weakness in school. First, the students write their own weaknesses and then I have to edit their English and add what I think of their weakness, finally I have to send it to parents so that they can add their own version of their children’s weakness. Trust me…it’s a very tiring and time consuming process!
But…I have no complain because it gives me new things to learn (even though it reduces my blogging time a bit), in fact I quite enjoy all the fuss.
Apart from the administration stuff…I think I need to share about the students too 🙂
I was accepted at that school as Chemistry teacher…since the high school is still new with only 1 class, I have to teach other classes too. I teach Design and Technology at grade 6, Science at grade 8 and Chemistry and Physic at grade 10, in total I teach 28 periods a week. Tiring? Definitely!! But enjoyable.
Design and Technology is quite new for me. I asked my science teacher partner a lot about this. Basically, the lesson is about teaching students to make something and what students make depends on the teacher. There are themes but the detail is up to the teachers. For example, the theme for 6th grade is ICT, so I decided to teach them the one thing I know best…Photoshop. Most 6th graders never use Photoshop and they are happy to learn this new-to-them software. Different unit has different thing to make, there are cooking, gardening, bio fuel, etc.
However…I have to admit that teaching 6th grader is really tough!! They are still children, so noisy and so childish. I am used to bigger kids, smaller kids need a lot of patience.
Science for Grade 8 is quite easy, I have taught this subject before. What I love about 8th graders is they are very critical 🙂 I have never taught such critical class before. It was very fun. All I do, for now, is tell a bit about something, show them a video and they start raising their hands with so many questions…it is so so so heartwarming to have such students. Not only they are curious, they also eager to share what they have learned before. The class is very noisy (all boys, I will teach the all girls class after Eid Fitri holiday) but I look past their noisiness because of their eagerness to answer and ask questions.
Other teachers warn me in jest, it’s still the beginning of semester, those kids are quite notorious 😉 they will tire you down as the semester continues.
I am a bit ‘forced’ to take Physics because they still don’t have physics teacher yet 😦 I hate physics and now I have to teach one 😦 poor me!! I have to learn as quickly as I can before I teach my 10th grade class. Fortunately, for now the subject is still easy…it’ll get difficult soon and I am terribly worried if they can’t find physic teacher soon. My 10th graders are very quiet. There are only 7 students in my class (total students in grade 10 is 14 students)…so the class is a bit quite but they are still eager to answer and ask questions. The main problem is, most of them are not good in English whereas the Cambridge Examination will be full in English and the questions are going to be analytical.
AND…I can teach wearing jeans \(^_^)/
My new school is awesome when it comes to dress code! I have never heard of a school allowing the teachers to wear jeans till I came to this school. Most national school (both private and government) have specific rule that teachers must dress formally with non jeans pants/skirt and blouse. Well, just yesterday, I came to school wearing jeans, a shirt and a jeans jacket, and snickers ….I look like I am going to my college 😉 The school only asks us to wear non jeans pants on Monday…the rest, we can wear jeans 🙂
In general…I think I am going to enjoy this new school 🙂 I have so many to learn and it’s always fun (tho tiring) to learn new things and the students are, so far, enjoyable to teach. And, of course, I love the dress code.
Polychrome Interest 
Sounds great, Novroz. But, there should be a law against having to teach Physics ;-).
Thank you Michael 🙂
Totally agree!! I knew the basic one but when it gets advance…let’s just throw the book away 😉
Woohoo to wearing jeans! I don’t think people realize how much extra work teachers have to do. It doesn’t end when the lecture does. I wish you luck and I hated physics when I was in high school. I feel for you.
Yeaaa \(^_^)/ It’s so fun to dress as me. I used to bring clothes again if I want to go somewhere after school…now I don’t need to do that again.
Yup, the administration, marking homework and test, preparing for the lesson…I can understand why people who doesn’t love teaching fell burdened by it.
Thank you TBM 🙂 and maybe you can send me a physic teacher from London to replace me 😉
Teach wearing jeans, love it 😀
I love it too 🙂
That way, I can go to the cinema I finish teaching 😉
😀
Good luck! Science was one of my fave subjects (along with art), but I never really get the hang of physics. Hope they will got the physics teacher soon!
Thank you Ranchy 🙂
I love Biology and Chemistry (Chemistry is my true live tho) but I never have feeling for physics.
mb,sapa tau dr sekolah ini someday ada ksempatan dkirim ke luar negeri amin..selalu seneng baca smangat mb novi,really inspiring..moga makin lancar k dpan nya mb!
Amiiin 🙂 memang sebagian guru disana dah pernah dikirim ke Singapore and Hong Kong buat platihan…hehe siapa tau sy juga disuruh platihan nnt ;p
Makasih Fit 🙂
Glad to hear you’re adjusting to your new job Nov, despite the challenges. As I said before, I knew you’d be great in this job and your students are lucky to have you! 😀 That’s a bonus that you can teach wearing jeans, woo hoo! I can wear jeans every day at my work too, a perk of being a graphic designer 😉
Thanks for sharing Nov! Have a great weekend, hope you get to watch some movies!
Thank you Ruth 🙂
I have only been there for two weeks but it already feels like months because everyone is so welcome, students and othe teachers.
Well, you know how it is in Indonesia 😉 teachers should look formal. Some office allows the employers to look casual (like yours) but not school…till I teach where I am now 🙂
I am planning to watch something…I can’t watch anything during school days.
We have the international baccalaureate program here too. They just added it as an option at my dds school.
An option?
So there are two curriculum in one school?
You sound so eager and excited about your new challenges.. good for you Novia! 🙂
Haahaha!! It so so strange to hear you excited about being able to wear jeans at work… with me it is the opposite. I have to wear slacks or long pants at work in the restaurant kitchen all day and I am always so excited to get done so that I can get home and wear a nice light sundress this time of year. I love the feel of the air on my legs…. for me that is Heaven!!
Thank you Miyuki 🙂
Yeah itvis challenging but at the same time I enjoy my learning process…it’s always fun to learn new things. Enrich my knowledge.
Well…I often go out with my friend, it feels so weird going out dressing like teachers. I am happy I can wear what I like to wear….jeans and t-shirt/shirt 🙂
Hahahahaha I also love wearing short and sleeveless shirt at home 😉
Nice to read about a teacher’s perspective. Seven students in a class! From where I’m from, the normal size class is about 30. Luckily I’m done with Physics and will never have to learn that again haha.
Thank you for reading Sidekick 🙂 glad it interest a movie blogger too.
Normal class in most school in Indonesia is 40 students, private schools (especially one with high monthly fee) only allow 24 students max. My school also has 24 students max. The highschool I am teaching at bis the first generation, there are only 14 students, hopefully it’ll grow as years gone by because the lower grades are now reaching 3 classes per grade.
I wish I can say the same as you about physic 😉
Hope all is going well at your new school now! 😀 I agree younger children need more work, haha.. I once taught a group of 7-11 yr olds ballet and though it was only once a week it was still tiresome, it was a Friday afternoon and they were often quite boisterous! But still fun 🙂 Anyway have fun at the new job 😀
Thank you Theresa 🙂
So far so well…hope it’ll be a place I work for years.
No matter how tiresome the kids are, it’s always fun…that’s why I love being a teacher.
That was interesting to hear about your new job and school. It sounds as if you’ve already found your place there, and are going to like it a lot. Good students will make things a whole lot more enjoyable.
And physics is fun! Especially when concerning orbital mechanics and rocket science!
So it seems 🙂
Although it’s only been two weeks but I have already felt like home. Hope things will go just fine from now on.
There’s always something good about students even though they are very active.
Hahaha I still love chemistry more 😉
Chemistry makes rocket propulsion possible, so it’s good too.
You and your rocket science 😉
You’ll make an excellent student, Bink!
I didn’t realise you’re a teacher. How funny I always thought you are a student. You have a young groovy mind, then, is all I can say considering that’s the impression I’ve had.
Great school 🙂
Hahaha many think that I am younger than my age. I remember some of my movir blogger friends were surprised to know that I am older than 30 because of the way I write and design my blog.
I think I have that groovy thing you’ve mentioned because I hang out with teenagers all the time 😉
I love my students and chatting with them is always a fun activity. They are also my friends 🙂