An Open Letter to the Ladies of Pinewood

An Open Letter to the Ladies of Pinewood

After four long months, I am venturing home to Kentucky from Thessaloniki. Throughout the first 17 hours of my journey, I was reflecting on my experience at the Pinewood American International School.  I met some amazing people and truly talented educators. I had highs and lows but in the end I can see how much I have grown in the last sixteen weeks. I owe most of that growth to the ladies of Pinewood, a wonderful group of women that work together to build up their students. Below is an open letter to five of these women.

Dear Liza:  Thank you, again, for all of the hard work that you do with your rambunctious group of first graders. I know how much time you spend thinking about each child and how it keeps you up at night. You go above and beyond and then a little more. Thank you for being such a wonderful role model to all of the other student teachers, past and present. Also, I have worn the scarf you gave me all the way honme!

Dear Emily: Thank you for letting me sit on your couch, use your wifi, and borrow your electricity. But really—you have been a great friend to me these last few months. I appreciate all of the support and advice you have given me about teaching. Also, you make me much cooler than I actually am.

Dear Dimitra: Thank you for sharing your class with me this semester. I learned so much from you about behavior management and being a support system for students. Thank you for reminding me that it is important to be assertive and to stand up for myself. Also—thanks for taking me to airport! I wasn’t expecting it to be such a bloody experience...

Dear Monica: Thank you for all of the encouraging words and for opening your home to me when I needed it the most. You are an amazing teacher. Your ability to adapt to the range of needs for your students is incredible. Don’t feel bad that no one sends you their naughty students!  That means that you’re the nice teacher!!!

Dear Fay:  I’ll miss our morning chats on the bus each day. Thank you so much for the advice about teaching and for sharing Kalypso with me. You brightened my day each morning and I wish you all the best!

Thank you, everyone. I hope that we will be able to keep in touch. Have a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Elizabeth

Flashback to Athens

Stunning view in Vergina.

 I guess it's time for me to blog about something other than school! A couple of weeks ago my father came to visit me here. I was so excited to have a little piece of home with me for a couple of weeks. He arrived on a Thursday and came straight to school to meet me. I was glad that he had the opportunity to see where I have been working for the last several months and to meet the staff and the students. Unfortunately for him the airline had lost his luggage. So he came straggling in with only his carry-on and one extra set of clothes. His luggage eventually arrived on Saturday--thank goodness! That evening, I took him to one of Thessaloniki's more renowned restaurants, Zythos, right in the water and beneath the White Tower. I was happy to show him what living in Greece is all about – – the food! The next day I had to work so I couldn't go to tour Thessaloniki with him. But I made him an itinerary is that he got to see some of my favorite museums in the city. After school, we met and had a meal together.

On Saturday I took Dad to the outdoor street market in Thessaloniki, Laiki. In Greek, "Laiki" means popular market. It is essentially an enormous farmers' market that sells everything from fruits, vegetables, and fish to clothes, curtains, and shoes. Dad, an expert on farmers' markets in Kentucky, was blown away at the size and the variety that Laiki has to offer. I have to admit that the market is pretty much a sensory overload the first time you go. When I went in August with my professor I could barely keep my head straight. Between the different languages, the shouting, the colors, and the crowd it's hard to stay focused. As we were leaving with my cart full of the week's groceries, we ran into two of the elementary school teachers at Pinewood and shared a coffee outside a café. As we were leaving my father said to me, "It makes me feel so much better to see the people you spend time with every day!" 

That afternoon, Dad and I rented a car and we drove to Vergina, the burial site of King Phillipos, father of Alexander the Great. I had gone to Vergina before with my students on a field trip. Unfortunately the first time I went, I was more focused on keeping the children in line and quiet than on the actual artifacts or the tombs. I wanted to go back to see it for myself and to share the literal hearth of civilization with my father.  It was a quiet and draining day but still lovely out in the countryside of Greece and the perfect kind of day to venture into tomb that has stood for several millennia.  We both really enjoyed the museum and the meal that followed it! For anyone traveling to Northern Greece or Macedonia I highly recommend this tourist site!

Panorama of Thessaloniki from the Byzantine Walls.

On Sunday morning, Dad and I took and walking tour of the center of Thessaloniki. Some of the locations on the walking tour I had been to before. Others I had not yet had a chance to visit. So it was a perfect way for Dad and me to collect some of the city's history together! Thessaloniki is built on a hill that rises gradually from the water's edge and then inclines steeply. Dad had this lovely picture in his head of us walking up the entire hill, between narrow alleys, through a cemetery, to the old city and the Byzantine wall. Let me emphasize that this was a picture in his head. Halfway up the hill I gave up and hailed a cab. That's how steep that godforsaken hill is!! But the cab got up to the top and we were able to see the walls! What remains of the Byzantine Wall is founded on the crest of the hill that circles Thessaloniki . It was built in the third century BC by the Cassander. The wall was maintained and preserved until about the fourth century A.D. This stretch of the wall is called the Kastra or the Kastra Ano Poli (Ano--meaning upper, and Pol--meaning city). Kastra means castle so the literal translation is the Castle of the Upper City (wall on the hill). The wall defended the city from a series of invaders over several centuries. The walls were adopted and rebuilt by the occupiers of the city over the years. This includes the Romans and the Turks. Today, the wall is surrounded by an old residential neighborhood full of colors, charm, and quiet cafes and restaurants. It gave me a picture of what the old Thessaloniki must have looked like before large developers tore down all of the single-family homes and built high-rises.To me the best part about this adventure, other then the incredible history, was the gorgeous panoramic views of Thessaloniki from the top of the hill.  I have attached pictures to this blog of my view of the city.

Dad and me in Athens climbing up to the Acropolis!

On Sunday evening, Dad and I ventured on a plane to Athens! We stayed in a lovely hotel in a room with a prime view of the Acropolis at night. When we got to the hotel it was already dark and when we came into the room and opened the curtains we could see the Parthenon lit up on a hill just out of our reach. The site was stunning! I wish that I could've captured a picture of the Parthenon at night but none of my photographs do it justice. The next day we spent four hours in the Acropolis museum and visiting the Parthenon itself. The museum is relatively new, with glass floors that give a view of the ruins beneath the building. We could watch the archaeologists are they at the ruins below the building. That's one way to preserve history – – build a national museum over it. The museum itself was a gorgeous! One of the best that I've seen! The only disappointing thing about the exhibits with how many of the statues were reproductions. Unfortunately the majority of the original artifacts reside in the United Kingdom. After our museum visit we ventured up (yet another) hill to the Acropolis. We took a private tour with several other English-speaking tourists. In Greece, you have to be certified to be a tour guide. Anyone giving a tour in Greece has had years of training and is a true historical scholar. That being said, we had our fill of a history lesson that afternoon. The ruins were fascinating. The history was interesting and tragic. And our pictures were awesome. I could pander on for hours about history of Athens and the Acropolis but I'll save everyone some time.

The Parthenon! 

For the next two days, Dad and I wandered around Athens looking at ruins and gardens and soaking up the heart of Greece. I was able to stock up on some more children's literature for my future classroom and get Dad accustomed to Greek eating--something he had very little trouble adjusting to. I had to return Tuesday evening so that I could attend professional development at school on Wednesday. Dad left that Friday (Halloween). I was sad to see him go and I know that he was even more sad to leave Greece and return to work on Monday. But I'm glad that he was able to visit and that we were able to have some adventuring time together. I really wish that Nathan had been able to visit me but the poor thing was too busy with football practice and his freshman year of college (how unreasonable).

Well, I'll be back in the States in 20 days! XO

Too Long!

Hello, After Too Long!

I apologize for my long absence from blogging.  Things have been hectic between my solo week in the fourth grade, switching to the first grade, and my visit from my father a couple of weeks ago.

I have included some pictures from the
Pinewood Halloween Celebration a few
weeks ago!  Students signed waivers allowing me
to photograph them. Enjoy!!

I'll use this post to talk about my experience transitioning from the fourth grade to the first grade at Pinewood.  I want to begin by saying how much I enjoyed my placement in the fourth grade. I honestly had no idea how much I would love it. Fourth grade is the only age group where I had not been placed. I had no clue what to expect and was pretty confident that I would not get on with the older children. I could not have been more wrong. I don't know if it was the group of students, my cooperating teacher, or the stars aligning themselves but my first seven weeks at Pinewood were wonderful. I loved the content covered by the fourth grade curriculum. I loved that I was able to access a higher level of thinking and independence with the fourth graders.  I could ask them questions and they could answer with evidence to support their opinions. Of course, it was easy to love teaching a group of students that love learning as much as they do. These children would BEG me for creative writing homework or to give them extra time to write and share their stories with me. The kids would stack up their pink creative writing notebooks on my desk for me to read and write my comments at the end of the day. Their stories were precious and the strides I saw them making in their language and thinking were incredible. I teared up on my last day with them.

Sweethearts!

That being said, I was not totally prepared for the transition into the first grade. I was going from a class of independent readers and writers to nineteen six-year olds who can't tie their shoes.  First grade is a totally different ballgame. I was expecting a bunch of needy babies with snotty noses and band aids on their knees (presumably from tripping on their untied shoes). And I was right. They are very needy.  They do have snotty noses. They chit chat over me. There are tears. There is blood. There is quite a bit of hand holding and hugging. BUT I have been blown away by this group's outstanding passion for learning and their overwhelming compassion for helping one another. The acts of kindness and service that I have had the privilege to witness in the last few weeks has been more than a reminder of why I want to be a teacher. There are students in the first grade that have adopted one another and are constantly ready to stand to each other's defense. Half of the students in first grade have been identified to need ESL support. Their friends have decided to stand by them to support their language development and help them practice their English. When one student is crying or hurt on the playground, five students are on the ground with them hugging them or encouraging them. If a student is sick, their desk is covered in a stack of drawings from their classmates. Students walk in every day with drawings or gifts for their classmates. Who knew six-year olds could be so thoughtful? It reminds me that empathy cannot be taught. It is something that must be experienced. It makes all of the hard work, blisters from cutting (yes, the scissors gave me blisters), snot and glitter on my pants (different sources, same kid), and nightmares about being unprepared worth it. I am really starting to love the first grade as much as I love the fourth grade.

I was Where's Waldo! Sorry about the quality
of the pictures. It was dark and I was using my cell phone.

The last few weeks at Pinewood have reminded me just how important support from fellow staff members is within a school. Of all of the lessons I have learned thus far in my student teaching experience, this is the most significant. Pinewood is unique in its family atmosphere. You can tell as an outsider, at least in the elementary department, that all of the staff members genuinely like, respect, and trust one another. Teachers can lean on one another to get through the difficult parts of teaching. And then they can laugh about it all together later. I really feel that the relationships between the faculty and their willingness to collaborate to solve problems (whether that be helping an individual student or resolving a school-wide issue) is the foundation to what makes Pinewood work. Out of all of the schools that I have attended, observed, or been placed in, the elementary staff at Pinewood is the most in-sync and supportive that I have seen.  I am so fortunate that they have extended this relationship to me throughout my internship.  I am so blessed and happy!

11 Things You Should Not Say to Redhead On a First Date (Or To Anyone...Ever...)

11 Things You Should Not Say to Redhead On a First Date (Or To Anyone...Ever...)

A list of things that have actually been said to me or said to one of my redheaded friends..

  1.  “Are you a natural redhead?  Is your hair real?”  Okay, whether or not you are natural redhead—which I’m not—no girl wants to be asked if she is “real” or not. My hair was red as a child and then darkened as I got older—not that that’s any of your business! Every redhead has heard this one before.

  

What a stud.

        2.  “Are you worried that your children will have red hair?”     Um, first of all we JUST established that I am not a natural redhead so my chances of having redheaded babies are slim. But also, screw you! Red hair is beautiful! And redheaded babies are precious!

  3. “Oh, so you must be Irish.” This generalization gets to me. There are lots of redheads from all over the world. Including Asia and Africa

       4. “Sooo, is it true what they say about redheads?” What do they say? That I am a freaking majestic unicorn? Because then yes, “they” would be correct.

       5.  “You’re a redhead so you must be _________________ (insert stereotype here—bad tempered, wild, kinky).” No. Just no.

This woman is a goddess among men.

       6. “Does the carpet match the drapes?” Oh, I am so glad you asked because at this rate you won’t be finding out.

  7. “May I call you ______________ (Red, Ging, Ginger, Carrottop...)?” Only if you are trying to die.

“      8. Do you have a soul?” A guy I had just met actually asked me this recently. Take note: asking someone if they have a soul is the worst pick-up line ever and I will most likely try to shank you.

  9.  “Redheads aren’t attractive.” Yes, I have heard this before. If this is how you feel then get out of my face. Also, I am attaching a few photos of why this is absolutely false.

       10. “Can you go out in the sun?” Actually, thank you for the concern. I get burned pretty easily. BUT WHY WOULD YOU BRING THAT UP ON A DATE?

This is literally the opposite
of being unattractive.

        11. “Have you ever been told that you look like [insert famous redhead here]?” I usually get Emma Stone. I take that as a compliment. But we don’t all look alike. I know for a fact that I do not look anything like Julia Roberts, Molly Ringwald, or Amy Adams.

Look, redheads, natural or not, only make up about 1% of the world’s population. So stop trying to ask the most obnoxious questions possible, stop what you are doing, and worship us as the demigods that we are. Stereotypes are stupid and saying them out loud won’t get you anywhere with me or any other self-respecting redhead. So, gentleman, be a pal and just say things like, “Wow! Your hair is gorgeous!” or “Whatever the color of your hair may be I would love to get to know you as a person!” Xo.

Home Sweet Rome!

The Colesseum

The Roman Forum  

Home Sweet Rome!

The Pantheon!

This past weekend Emily and I had the opportunity to go to ROME for a few days!  We flew out from Thessaloniki Friday afternoon and landed in Rome in time to explore the city before dark.  And by explore I mean eat lots of pasta and drink lots of wine. I definitely ate more bruschetta than I saw monuments but I am more than okay with that!

We flew through RyanAir for less that 100 euro per person round trip and stayed in a hostel/B&B on Via Del Corso, a street in the center of the Roman historical district (between Porta del Popolo—the gate to the city---and the Piazza Venezia) for less than 100 euro for two people the ENTIRE weekend.  It was the perfect location and price for two young travelers.  We were able to walk to every monument we wanted to see. Emily and I never even purchased or looked at a map. We just kind of wandered and asked for directions in broken English, Greek, and Italian when necessary.

The piazza opposite the Pantheon!

On our first evening we decided to hop from bistro to bistro to pig out. At our second stop, we sat next two an older couple from Texas in Rome for a cruise. We had a lovely talk about Italy and Greece. They found out I was from Kentucky and it turns out that they raise Arabians and Saddlebreds. They told us that they had been married for over 49 years, have no kids, and are traveling the world. Then they bought our dinner.  What a small sweet world we live in.

What We Saw:

We started out Saturday morning looking for the Trevi Fountain. Emily was convinced that this was her opportunity to throw in a coin for true love. Unfortunately for her, and every other tourist in Rome it seemed by the size of the crowd, the Trevi Fountain is under construction and has been completely dried up and blocked off for tourists. Emily was devastated. She had planned her entire trip around going to this one site only to be left disappointed.

The oculus of the rotunda.

Inside the Pantheon

After being let down by the fountain, I navigated our way to the Pantheon. I’ve always been a big nerd for historical churches and after reading Dan Brown’s conspiracy theories involving the site I knew I had to see it. For those that don’t know, the Pantheon was originally built around 100 AD as a temple for all of the Roman Gods to replace another more ancient temple. The columns and the inscription from the first structure still stands and the rotunda was added in the remodel. After 600AD the Byzantine emperor converted the building into a church and removed all of the sculptures and carvings glorifying the Roman Gods. The structure of the building looks very similar to the Rotunda in the center of Thessaloniki although it was build several hundred years later. I read that one of the most unique and fascinating things about the building’s architecture is that if the dome were flipped upside down, it would fit exactly into the sanctuary.  Also, the oculus at the top of the building was never closed so rain would fall directly into the building and was then drained into pipes. I was definitely geeking out about the math involved in constructing a building as symmetrical and complex as the Pantheon.

The Venezia Palace in Piazza de Venezia.

The Pantheon still functions as a church and is also the burial site of THE Raphael and the first Italian king Vittorio Emanuele II. And it was free admission!

Later we walked to the Piazza Venezia next to Trajan’s Forum. The piazza is named after the palace built by Cardinal Venezia. The building was finished in the 15^th century and belonged to Pope Paul II.  It was the home of the popes until Pope Pius IV. Then it was an embassy and eventually taken over by Mussolini. I read that Mussolini would give speeches from the palace balcony. Now it’s a museum.

Next we strolled past Trajan’s Forum on a quest to acquire more pasta and wine. This used to be Rome’s central area of trade and lawmaking in the second century AD. I wish we had spent more time reading about the forum but pasta and bruschetta were really our priority at the time.

Outside of the Palace Venezia.

After eating a small mountain of bread, pasta, mushrooms, and gelato, Emily and I rolled on down to the Colosseum. Most people know that the Colosseum hosted live entertainment for the Romans and their emperors like bullfighting, gladiator fighting, races, and executions. Staged hunts took place using live animals and convicts. It was also the site of many staged dramas or reproductions of battle scenes. The structure is enormous—the largest amphitheatre in the world. The stage floor has been removed and the “backstage” (holding cells) are exposed. The seating at the Colosseum was constructed based on the Roman class system. The closer to the stage, the more important you were. Now the Colosseum is part of the Roman Catholic Church and is still used for religious ceremonies—the more you know...

Next we went to the Palantine Hill, the supposed site of the cave that Romulus and Remus were raised by a she-wolf. We also went to the Roman Forum in the valley between Venezia and the Colosseum. This area was the urban center and central square of Rome. The entire area was full of markets, temples, inns, and government buildings. This is one of places that the Senate would gather, making it one of the hearths of democracy. When you picture Ancient Rome this is what you imagine. Now all that remains are ruins and a few Corinthian columns. You have to use your imagination to fill in the blanks.

The Colosseum

After that, Emily and I decided that we should probably eat more pasta soon so we returned to the hostel to change and set out looking for a place to gorge on all that Italy had to offer. So we ate. A LOT. And were in bed by ten like the old maids that we are.

In the morning we packed up and drank coffee and ate pizza for breakfast. We shopped and walked around, looking at fountains and wishing that we lived in Rome instead of Greece.  We ended up at the Villa Borghese Gardens where we put roses in our hair and laid in the sun while I read a book aloud. Then we headed back to airport for our flight back to Thessaloniki. It was a wonderful trip and a great punctuation on our first month student teaching.  I would love to go back and have time to tour the Vatican City or take a trip to Florence or Naples. Emily has decided to start applying to international schools in and around Rome. Maybe I’ll do that too when I finish at UK!

Villa Borghese Gardens

The Italian flag.

Fine Italian dining right here.

Learning More in Grade Four! (Yes, I Meant to Make That Rhyme)

Goodness! My last week and a half have been crazy! I haven't had anytime to blog about school or my visit in Greece. At last I have some down time to sit and relax!

I am really enjoying my time student teaching in the fourth grade at Pinewood. I have an incredible group of students that work together really well. You can tell that they have created a sense of community with each other and have really invested in each others' success. All of my students are performing at different academic and English-speaking levels but they don't let their differences hinder their relationships. I love how they try to keep each other accountable and make sure that those around them are following directions before Mrs. Bentioulis or I catch them off task. I see my English-speaking students stop what they are doing to make sure that their international friends know which colored notebook needs to be out and when it is time to line up. My bilingual Russian student jumps up at every opportunity to translate math from English to Russian for my student that doesn't know any English. (I think I have learned more Russian math terms than I have Greek!) I think that it is so important that students support each other through the challenges of being in school and learning a new language. It makes me so sad that I only have a month left with these sweet children before I go to my first grade placement.

I have been teaching more and more independently in these last weeks. Mrs. Bentioulis has been generous enough to let me take over teaching language arts and social studies (my favorites!) while she works with a smaller group of English Language Learners or grades the students' homework. Last week I worked with students on sequencing a story and identifying story elements. We read A Train to Somewhere, a short story about an orphan train taking children from an orphanage in New York to be adopted by farmers in the midwest in the nineteenth century. I realized from the horrified shock on my students' faces that they had never encountered the concept of adoption. I told them about how my own grandmother was adopted as a baby and how my grandfather was raised by his aunt in his teens due to the poor economic climate. The sympathy and sadness on these affluent children's faces were heartbreaking. They had so many questions about when and why children would be given up by their parents. I realized several things: 1. Teaching empathy can be incorporated at any time 2. Sometimes its more important to address a "teachable moment" than finishing the day's content and 3.  Children want to desperately want to change the world.

This week I started series of lessons centered around the book Sarah, Plain and Tall. I have been focusing on building student vocabulary and comprehension. The kids really love the book and have been very enthusiastic about participating in class. I have never seen so many student volunteer to read aloud to their peers. Even my ELLs and struggling readers are some of the first to beg to read! I have restrict how much they read each night so that no one gets too far ahead. I was fortunate that this was the series of lessons that my university supervisor came to observe yesterday. I told my students that I would have visitor that would be coming to watch me, not them, and not to get distracted by her visit. I told them that she would be coming to grade me and that if I got a good grade I could become a teacher when I grow up. Their response was PRECIOUS. "Oh, Miss Elizabeth! We will be extra good!" "Or maybe we should be really bad so she can see that you know how to handle us!" "No, Katerina! We can't be bad! Miss Elizabeth won't get to be a teacher!" Those sweet babies we golden little angels for forty-five minutes. I hardly recognized them. God bless them. After my supervisor had left, my soft-spoken Kiara runs up and whispers, "Did you get a good grade, Miss Elizabeth?! Do you get to be a REAL teacher now?!!" I told her that yes, Miss Soula was pleased with my lesson and Kiara jumped up and hugged me. Then she invited me over for a play date.

Not all of my lessons have gone smoothly, of course. I have been attempting to teach my students how to write a cause and effect essay. When I started teaching, I hadn't realized that my students had never written a paper before. When I was in the fourth grade, we had already been writing letters and informational papers for two years. After teaching what a cause and effect relationship was I jumped right into writing a paper about cause and effect. I didn't think to model a complete paper or show work from a student the previous year. It was a flop. The students didn't understand. I didn't understand that they didn't understand. They didn't know how to indent a paragraph. I wasn't explaining it very well. The whole thing crashed and burned. I took some time to shake it off and the next day we went back into it and did a reteach. I feel like they have some kind of a grasp on what to do now.  I just hope I have more opportunities to teach writing!

Last week was another important first for me--Parent-Teacher Night. On Wednesday, Emily and I stayed at school until 7 to meet and greet parents. Mrs. Bentioulis and I had a presentation about school rules, classroom procedures, and homework. I talked about ClassDojo and how to use it. I have gotten all the parents set up on ClassDojo so that they can monitor their child's behavior, participation, and homework completion each week. Although I didn't think I would, I really enjoyed the face-time with the parents and the opportunity to brag about their children.

I am attaching pictures of the fourth grade classroom to this post so that you can see the size (SMALL) and the environmental print and set up. I'll post later about what I have been up to in and around the city! Also--I am going to ROME this weekend! Yay!

Week Three in Thessaloniki!

Well, my first full week at Pinewood is finished and a new week has begun! Today I started teaching independently in the fourth grade. I will be teaching language arts all week and then add teaching another subject each week until I am teaching the entire day. It makes me extremely grateful that the COST Program student teaching requirements are much more flexible than my counterparts in the States. I can spend less time worrying about complex lesson plans and assessments and more time involved with my students and letting them guide the content we are learning. I fall more in love with the children in the fourth grade class every day. I have always been more inclined to teach little ones but teaching these students (combined with my wonderful practicum experience in the fifth grade last semester) is starting to make me believe that I would be more happy with older students.

In the future I would love to post pictures and stories about my students. The regulations in Greece are much more lenient where privacy in concerned. I will check with the principal of the elementary department to make sure that it is okay and then hopefully I will be able to post about what is going on in the classroom.

Obviously I did not take this picture. I stole it from the internet.
This is a photo of what Valaoritou looks like at night.

Outside of the classroom, I have had more chances to explore the nightlife of Thessaloniki. This weekend Emily and I (along with some of our native friends) went to the Valaoritou District again. This is an area downtown used to be very commercial but is now full of historical buildings that have been turned into pubs and bars blaring all kinds of music throughout the night: jazz, rock, pop, alternative...you name it. The streets are closed off for about three square blocks and the streets and alleys are full of young people.  The bars all have a unique quality about them. One is a Czech Pub, others are Irish, or Greek. Last weekend we went to one rooftop bar. We hiked up five flights of stairs to find a stunning roof garden with bars and tables and twinkly lights. They were projecting an old movie on the side of an adjacent building. You could see the entire Valaoritou District from the top, with the lights of the city surround it, and a full moon above. It was a spectacular view. This weekend we spent half of the time in Valaoritou and then I left with a friend (another Emily) and walked to the Ladadika District about half a kilometer away. Ladadika is a neighborhood that embodies everything I was expecting about coming to Greece. It's an old styled area between Valaoritou and the seaside full of restaurants outside with checkered tablecloths and musicians playing on the corner. In the day, it is the perfect place to lounge with a cappuccino and a book. The night scene in Ladadika is a little bit older and more subdued than its northern counter part. I was much more comfortable sitting and talking well into the night there.  (That's one issue about going out in Thessaloniki--the buses stop running at midnight and don't start up again until 6am. Native partygoers seemed unfazed by this.  Most young Thessalonians don't even leave the house until 2am and stay out until daylight. You have to be COMMITTED to cause. Anyone who knows me is aware that my ideal bedtime is between  8 and 9pm. It takes me two days to recover for the lack of sleep. I would never survive if this was a regular thing. I always grab a cab.)

It's true. Coke Light just does not compare.

I really love Thessaloniki and the Greek people. But I am--and I NEVER thought in a million years that I would say this--getting really sick of eating cheese and bread for every meal. It is usually the only option most of the time for a vegetarian. Even Emily, a carnivore, is getting bored of grilled feta and bread. I would do unspeakable things for a Chipotle burrito bowl right now. Recently I tried to be American and drink a Sprite thinking that I would be comforted by its sugary goodness. I couldn't be more wrong. The drinks here have a completely different flavoring. The Sprite actually tasted like Lemon-Lime instead of bubbly sugar just like the labeling implies (ridiculous!). And since we are on the subject of soda, let's talk about how Diet Coke does not exist in Greece. Instead there is Coke Light--what on Earth is that? It's way too sweet. It's poser Diet Coke and I resent it so much.

I wish I could post pictures of what I have been up to but unfortunately my phone has been broken and I just got it back from the repair shop. I'll spend more time taking photos this week to share!

Week One at Pinewood!

I have successfully completed my first week of student teaching at Pinewood--American International School of Thessaloniki! I am exhausted and more than excited about beginning it all again next week!

Pinewood American International School

Pinewood American International School of Thessaloniki was founded in 1950 as a school for students from the United States. Some years later it was granted permission from the Greek government to admit students from Greece and countries across the globe.  Now it serves over 200 students from

Pre-K through the 12th grade from about 35 different countries. Curriculum is taught in English in addition to Greek for all students and German, French, and Spanish for the upper grades. English as a Second Language services are provided to all non-English speaking students as well. Class sizes are very small by American standards. Some classes only have 3 students. In the elementary division, there is only one classroom per grade level. What I have noticed just in this week is commitment to each other translates into their relationships with their students.  If you want more information about the school, go to www.pinewood.gr.

Emily and I went to Pinewood on Monday and Tuesday to meet the director, the staff, and to help put our classrooms and lessons together. The first day for students was on Wednesday. For the first six weeks on my placement I am working with Dimetra Bentoulis in the fourth grade. Together we have 18 students (a very large class for Pinewood) from Greece, Estonia, Moldova, Russia, Romania, England, China, Holland, Spain, Sweden, the United States, and Turkey. I believe that only three of the students are native English speakers. Although many of the students have been attending Pinewood for years and have excellent language abilities, it is incredibly difficult to give instruction when so many students are speaking in different languages. I have to borrow a student that is fluent in English, Russian, and Greek to translate when I give instructions to a new student from Russia. For my Turkish student, I have to use a lot of hand gestures and pictures to communicate with her.  These are challenges that I faced in small doses when working with Spanish-speaking children but never on this scale or with so many different languages and customs in a single classroom. I feel that this experience alone has been the most valuable lesson I could learn as a future classroom teacher.  The empathy and patience necessary to build a relationship with such a diverse group of children is priceless.

Because of the language barriers, the first thing I taught my students was the SLANT strategy--an attention signal with visual cues to get students on task. Using pictures and modeling, I taught the students the acronym meaning that they needed to Sit up, Lean forward, give their Attention, Nod their heads, and Track the speaker with their eyes. It's hysterical. I had the students practice the strategy and allowed them to slouch and put their heads down. When I yelled, "SLANT!" every child jumped up, leaned in to me, and began to vigorously nod their heads and follow me with their eyes. Most of these children don't know half of the things I tell them but when I say "SLANT" the fear of God strikes them and they are sitting up ready to learn! (Mrs. Probst would be so proud!)

I also implemented a new way to track positive and negative behaviors in the classroom this week. Mrs. Bentoulis asked me if I had any ideas other than just putting stickers on a behavior chart to monitor and rewards behavior. I suggested using ClassDojo on the computer and with my iPad. For those of you that are educators and have not become familiar with ClassDojo, I highly recommend looking into it. There are how to videos and blogs about the best ways to introduce the program on the ClassDojo website. I feel that it is best for grades 2 through 5. I think that it tracks too many behaviors and is too complex for kindergarten or first grade.  ClassDojo creates an avatar or "dojo" for each student in a class for students to see on the projector or an iPad. It allows the teacher to give points to students immediately for good behavior (being on task, helping others, participating during class) or to take away points for being late, disrespectful, or not being on task. (I don't know I feel about the "taking away" part about ClassDojo but I haven't had any issues with that in my experiences using it. Thoughts?) The instructor can add or change behaviors based on class rules and the needs of the students. Students and parents can go home and look (and play!) with ClassDojo. Its a wonderful way to collect data about students and communicate patterns to parents ("Kimmy has not turned in her homework in five days...look at the ClassDojo data."). The site creates a pie chart that shows all of the points earned and taken away according to each behavior. Plus the kids LOVE it!  They can have the option to change their dojo and, if the teacher allows it, to let them give themselves dojo when they are on task or doing good work. I walk around the class with my iPad and when I see students doing good things I let them give themselves the point. I have never seen children so excited about a behavior chart in my life! This was even before I told them that a certain number of points each week would allow them to choose a prize!

In the coming weeks, Mrs. Bentoulis and I will be conducting informal and formal assessments on students' language and math abilities. Many of the new students have transferred schools four or five times all over Europe and the United States. It is hard to gauge their writing, English, and math abilities with a single assessment. Most of the children are more advanced than they can demonstrate due to the language barrier. It is our task to make assessments and then put students into reading groups appropriate for their reading level and English abilities.

All in all, I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to teach at Pinewood. I could not   ask for a better place to complete my student teaching. I am looking forward to the challenges and fun to come and for the chance to teach my students about Kentucky and where I come from!

It's All Greek To Me

It's All Greek To Me

Greek Sunset

It's been awhile since I've posted but I have had a week jam packed with new experiences and new people. On Wednesday the other student teacher arrived. Emily is from the University of Alabama and is going to be a FANTASTIC teacher.  She's much more of an extrovert than I am and has pushing me out of my comfort zone so that I'll try new things.  It's also been wonderful to have a companion to go out with instead of traveling alone all the time.

Emily and me on the boardwalk!

On Wednesday evening we went out to a fabulous restaurant and enjoyed several dishes and some Greek wine. I took Emily to the boardwalk to see the sea. We watched the sun go down and finally got to see the silhouette of Mt. Olympus across the bay. The next morning we went to the Museum of Byzantine Culture. The collection at the museum was insane. Pieces of history from the last three thousand years were put together in an artistic and eclectic showcase. There were tombs painted with scenes from the Old and New Testaments that we were able to walk into. The museum curators had done a spectacular job restoring the artifacts and the clothing from the first few centuries. Later we took the bus downtown to a restaurant in the central part of the city. 

The spread!

Because Emily is with me now, I finally felt comfortable exploring the Greek nightlife. Thessaloniki is supposedly ranked as the "#1 Hippest City in the World" and as having one of the "Top 15 Most Active Nightlives." We went downtown Friday night to the heart of Thessaloniki and what we found was crazy. The entire city was flooded with young people, lights, and music. There was such a contrast between the youth of the town and the smells, the sounds, and the sights of a young generation against the ancient ruins that were lit up as the background of this enormous party.It was so overwhelming that Emily and I found quieter bar in the corner to sit and observe everything around us.

Emily and me in Ladadika!

On Saturday our professor, Soula, picked the two of us up and took us to one of the city's large open markets. Basically, this was a clean and outdoor flea market combined with a farmers' market on steroids. There was everything from underwear, to electronics, to clothing, to jewelry stretching for blocks and blocks. I found an amazing Eddie Bauer jacket for five euro. FIVE EURO. What a steal! Then we explored about a mile of produce stands from all over Greece. I bought fresh feta, tomatoes, eggplants, and zucchini. The vendors loved that we were from America and gave us free treats! After the market, Soula drove us downtown to a very historical and famous district called Ladadika. We ordered enough food to feed a small country and spent the next two hours talking about the city and teaching. Its hard to believe sometimes that I get to live in this incredible environment.

Perea Beach!

Today Emily and I ventured out to the beach. There is no real beach in the city of Thessaloniki--only the boardwalk. To get to sandy beaches we have to take a bus east for about thirty minutes. It's always a true adventure when you get on a bus to go to a place you've never been, cannot pronounce, or even recognize from the signs.  After about thirty minutes of being confused and using lots of hand gestures and broken Greek, we made it to Perea Beach. It was absolutely gorgeous. Emily and I parked it in lawn chairs right on the water under an umbrella. A young waiter came and brought us drinks and snacks all afternoon while we swam, basked, and read in the sun. Everything around me was a shade of blue. The water a light turquoise with dark patches of seaweed. The blue mountains spread across the horizon, dotted by the white blocks of buildings that make up the city in the distance, and above it all was a wide expanse of light blue sky stretching on forever. Emily and I kept repeating out loud, "I can't believe we are here. I cannot believe that this is our lives now."

Perea Beach!

We met several local people and told them all about Kentucky and Alabama. The Thessalonians did not hesitate to give us mini-lessons in Greek. "Ohi" means no. "Nei" means yes. "EfkariSTO" means thank you. When we were swimming we started to talking to an old "babushka," as she referred to herself (Grandmother in Russian). When we told her we were American she started clapping and yelling to her elderly friends that we were American-i! She pantomimed a story combined with broken English about how the American soldiers saved her life when she was living in the country Georgia. She said that Iraqi's had invaded and killed her family but that the Americans stepped in and evacuated her. She started singing "America the Beautiful" and yelling "Goodbama! Goodbama!" in reference to President Obama. She told us that she loved us, braided our hair in the water, and started singing and dancing and yelling, "Opa!" in the ocean. We sang, danced, and splashed with her and her friends. We taught her how to shimi and called it a night. Today was by far the best time I have had in Greece so far.

Emily and me at the beach!

Now I am home in my tiny apartment, sunburned, warm, and happy. Tomorrow is my first day at Pinewood School. I am a combination of excited and nervous about teaching with such an amazing faculty. Wednesday is the first day for students. I can't wait!!