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!