This would be an apt description for the past few weeks. Work is ramping up and there is truly no shortage of new things to learn and adjust to. Let’s provide some examples and anecdotes to illustrate:
Shortly after starting at school I asked where the hole punch is. (I am a type-A person who likes things printed and colour coded in a binder with organized sections). They presented me with a 2 hole punch. I asked where the 3 hole punch is and everyone looked at me like I was an idiot. Like I had a nipple growing out of my forehead or an additional eye. I opened my binder to present the 3 rings to the staff room and reiterated that I needed a 3 hole punch. I was informed that obtaining a 3-hole punch is like asking for a gold plated Ferrari or unicorn; hard to obtain and expensive. Everyone either uses 2 ring binders or just folders. It’s a small thing, but one my brain struggled to compute. A 3 ring binder is easily superior to its 2 ring counterpart. Less stress and wear and tear on the pages when the force is distributed across three holes. I finally took matters into my own hands after I got fed up with using a single hold punch and trying to line up 3 even holes and put through a purchase order for a 3 hole punch (that finally arrived this week)! It will essentially be my personal hole punch so I’ll just keep it on my desk. It’s been quite the office joke and will be something to remember me by after my contact is over this year.
Another thing I learned was that every Australian kid goes on school camp once a year until they graduate. The length of camp varies, but can be anywhere from 3-18 days depending on the program etc. I have been apprized of the fact that I have been allocated to grade 10 camp this year. It’s a 3 day camp in April where I get a ‘tribe’ of students to look after. We pack all our things for the camp and participate in hiking, rafting and a tree ropes course. I’ve never done a school camping trip before so it shall prove to be interesting.
And, did you know that ‘swimming carnivals’ are a thing here? They have the usual athletics day (track and field), but they also have a day dedicated to swimming events. We spent an entire Friday at an outdoor pool watching kids compete in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and relays. I find that such an oddity!
I’m also starting to see some key differences between the Canadian and Australian curriculum as well as teaching styles and expectations. I find it to be a lot more content heavy, exam results driven and much more regimented in the way teaching and learning looks in the classroom.
The last few weeks of March lead us to the end of term 1 which is quite exciting! Until then I have parent teacher interviews, a baby shower to attend, The Australian Grand Prix (Formula 1 racing) in a couple of weekends and then our Western Australia road trip during term 1 holidays.
Term 2 will commence April 15 and then school camp will span April 17-19 (send me your good vibes as I’m sure I’ll need them after spending 72 hours straight with the kids).
We’ve also looked ahead and re-booked our trip to Bali for term 2 holidays in June/July. We booked our initial trip back in March 2020, but covid had other plans in store for us. We’re really looking forward to the sunshine and going through with our trip 4 years later!
Autumn is creeping up on us and we’ll for sure miss the longer days and sunshine that we’ve been blessed with. We’ve been able to maximize our summertime outside by going to as many festivals as possible, dinner with friends, outdoor movies, rooftop bevvys and chasing sunsets at the summer night market.
I wouldn’t say things feel any more settled or put together, but you start to become more at peace with the uncertainty. You lean into the discomfort and see what surprises you, what serves you and what doesn’t. We will continue to enjoy the small things, look forward to the big things and welcome whatever comes our way.
With love,
Alex & Michael
