A fortnight ago (that’s two weeks in case you weren’t sure), I was laying in bed wondering what my first day of teaching in Australia would be like. I was a bit nervous, mostly that I would get lost on my way there as Google Maps had lead me in the wrong direction a couple times since moving here! I had only briefly met some of the staff the day we arrived in Canberra but was too jet lagged to engage in too much conversation. Luckily, one of them gave his card and offered his help, so that I could get sorted before day 1. I took him up on it, and he was so helpful, spending 3 hours with me on the Saturday before school started up for term 3.
It was a cold morning, the temperature had dropped below zero overnight and there was frost on my “windscreen”! What was I to do, there are no such things as window scrapers this far south! So I whipped out my new Radford parking pass and promptly scrapped the window, thank goodness for that! I wore my winter coat that morning too (the same one I wear in Red Deer when it’s -35), as luck would have it I would need it for most of the day.
The PE office was a bit cool, but more shocking was the temperature in the gym. I went down to set up for gymnastics with the other teachers on with me that morning and realized there was no way I wearing just the hoodie over a t-shirt that I had planned! The coat was staying on. While I was taking attendance I had a new experience… I could see my breath… inside the gym...I laughed… I am quite sure the kids thought I was nuts!
Did I mention we were doing gymnastics? Now hold on Raider fans, I am not just talking about pulling out the blue mats and building pyramids and routines. I am talking blue mats, balance beams, parallel bars, single bar, mini-tramps, crash mats, vaults, and think way back to your childhood...The Canadian Climber!!! Oh and a massive climbing wall… Not exactly what I am trained for. But we had a brief PD session on a few things after school that day and I have planning through the ying yang, so that I don’t forget about all the safety considerations. Can you say, “just a bit out of my comfort zone?” I know I can!
There are 6 PE staff (including me) that teach all the PE from grades 7-12. There is a spin/rowing classroom just of off the weight room, a massive gymnasium two full size basketball courts, and an area for (what I believe to be) a cricket batting cage (also used for table tennis). There’s also two tennis courts with equipement to split into 4ish, and two huge ovals (aka football, aka gridiron) fields. The campus is beautiful with all classrooms opening to the outdoors. It’s actually nicer teaching outdoors right now (even though it’s “winter”) as it is often warmer outside than in the gymnasium which has no insulation and isn’t completely sealed off from the elements.
I am already falling in love with it here, for as much as it is different from home, it’s the same. The PE staff are really lovely, and freakishly similar to my team at home... that’s another post perhaps. The kids are kids, except when they are rude to teachers here they are so polite about it! For example, I decided to play Speedball for a second day with my year 10’s and one of the boys said “Really? I didn’t think it was that well received last class but OK.” I looked at him and thought to myself, ‘did he just lip me off?’ I was a bit confused as he and his classmates went on to play hard for most of the period without any further complaint... Oh well, I will take it in replace of, “Not that f$%*ing game again!” Sorry for the language, but I am pretty sure that is a direct quote from last year.
That is another thing, I have only heard two kids swear at school. 2!!! That was during an intense game of Oztag. It’s very refreshing to not cringe over the conversations that I hear on my way from class to class. Now I do realize, I am dealing with completely different clientele. I don’t wish to compare them at all. I just realize where all my students come from.
I will leave you with this last little bit (as I can see this is getting long). The best laugh I have had at my expense, was this. I was trying to call someone within the school so I picked up the phone in the PE office, dialed the extension and right away I heard a busy tone (Beep, Beep, you know the one Canada). So I hung up and tried again as I thought maybe I did it wrong, same thing, Beep, Beep. So I waited about 10 seconds (obviously sufficient time for this person to end their conversation), double checked with my department head that I was dialing it out right, and let her try doing it. So she dialed, and says “oh it’s ringing,” and passes me the phone. Again I hear this Beep, Beep, but then someone says “hello!” I quickly realize, duh, that was the ringtone, which sounds exactly like our busy tone, except with a slight gap between the Beep, Beep….Beep, Beep... I have just hung up on this poor guy like 3 times in a the last 30 seconds, I am such an idiot. So I start laughing into the phone, “Um hello Glen, I think I just hung up on you 3 times, this is Jamie Siler, from Canada, apparently I don’t know how to use a phone!” Luckily he laughed too…”Yes hello Jamie, how ya goin’?” And more laughter ensued.
1 Fortnight down, 19 to go, slow down time, slow down...
