Any day is a good day to start something new...
The grade two in my class crosses off the number 32 from the hundreds chart below her calendar, reminding me that school has been in session for thirty-two days so far this year. In thirty-two days I have gotten much better at having the four students in the room staggered with different tasks that require (if all goes well) my attention at different times. Thank goodness!
Those of you who are teachers with your own primary calendars in session may notice that thirty-two seems a little low. We are on a four-day school week here; one of the benefits of the job, surely, although being a new teacher I work most Fridays regardless, even if it's just honing my own technology skills in an age when things seem to change as soon as I start to get comfortable. Perhaps I will become a stronger swimmer in this online river of information sharing, more confident in diving into unknown rapids once I have practiced my stroke in the calmer waters first.
I have been meaning to create a little virtual blog space to share my experiences and connect with colleagues and the outside world for some time now. Ever since I first moved here to Gold Bridge in August. Apparently even in a town of 43 one can run out of waking hours. Instead of spending time hunkered over a keyboard in the warmth of my new home I have been outside exploring, and what a fascinating piece of the planet this place is. Lots of images and words to share from darkened winter evenings in my spot beside the wood stove.
This area of BC is called the "Bridge River Valley". It's about five hours straight north of Vancouver if one drives through Lillooet on the mostly paved roads. A logging road called the Hurley, which follows the Hurley River up out of Pemberton, can shave an hour off the travel time, but it's only open while the ground is snowless and a spare tire is a must.
There are four students in the school this year, all in different grades. At first I thought this would make things easier, which in some respects it does (I can fit the whole school in my car to go on field trips), but it certainly makes things like brainstorming sessions and PE a challenge. And then there is technology. What a different world the one-room school is becoming because of it. Of course I don't have any personal experience to compare it to, but I did find a link on the Ministry of Education website about one-room schoolhouses. I found the "treasures" section interesting. Something to share with the kids on the SmartBoard tomorrow. Hopefully this blog can provide some insight into the strengths and challenges of the one-room school setting in current times, or at least some insight on the strengths and challenges of this lone teacher eating up all the wonderful adventures that could only be had with such a unique posting. Happy reading!
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