My first assignment for EAST....

Hi everyone! I just fiished my first assignment for Educators Abroad Student Teaching or EAST. I have to do one of these papers about every other week, which is a little annoying because I also have papers and a portfolio due in Eau Claire. Nevertheless, I thought I would post it here to keep track of it!

Katie Steege

EAST

April 18, 2013

First Impressions

                I arrived in Rome a few days before my placement started. I thought that this would help me and allow me to get familiar with the area, but looking back, I think being here a few days without having a schedule and I place to be was a little scary! Moving for three months to not only a new home, but also a whole new country where you have never been before is terrifying! I can say though, on Monday when I met my students, and socialized and got to know the other teachers, everything became ten times better. On Tuesday I was with the four year old students and it was so comforting when they came and just sat on my lap while I read a story. To them, I was just another person in the room; it didn’t matter what I looked like, or what language I spoke, or if I embarrassed myself. Working with these students made me feel at home in a way, and definitely more normal.

                My first day was overwhelming, as any first day would be. You are getting to know the other teachers, your students, your cooperating teacher, and the school practices. I have been in this situation before, so I know that it gets better over time, but adding on to that a new culture that the school runs on, as well as the Italian culture it gets to be a lot. I think I handled it well and I am so thankful to my host mother. She also works at the school and she has not only been able to help me around in Rome, but also with my questions about the school. She has been a great resource to me and I am very thankful to her! I came to Italy not knowing anyone; she was the first one I met, and we already have a special bond and relationship.

                There are many classroom practices that are very different from the United States, so I am a little nervous about teaching lessons. There are words that teachers have used that I don’t know, and the students are used to their regular routine in their classroom. I believe that by getting to know my cooperating teacher and the students, I can ease my way into the classroom and become a part of their community. One of the days in this first week, the head master was giving a tour, and I was outside helping a teacher with younger students. In the United States, I would be unimportant and the principal probably wouldn’t even have known my name. Instead, Michael, the headmaster, stopped with the parents, introduced me and told them they were lucky to have me all the way from the United States. Michael even asked me if I would like to help run a club after school. In this way, I feel very included in the school community already.

                I have learned about discipline practices, testing, curriculum and other classroom management just in my first week. I know I will learn even more spending time here at Nomentana. I like the fact that they have pre-school in their school. It gives the students many years to become part of the community. Unfortunately, a problem I see at the school is that many of the students move and leave school in the middle of the year based on their parents and what jobs they hold. I would imagine that this would be hard for the students because they need to learn a whole new routine once they move! I could tell in the first days I was there which students had just moved to Rome. I do believe, though, that Nomentana does everything to make themselves welcoming to these types of students.

                What is also unique about my school is that it is part of two other schools that call themselves St. George’s British International School. Nomentana is the inter-city school, while La Storta is more on the outskirts of Rome. I got the sense that Nomentana is often forgotten about and the school functions more on its own. Important decisions and such are made for all three schools, but most teachers do not collaborate with teachers at the La Storta site. I was looking at “The Georgian” which is like a yearbook for St. George’s from last year and found that Nomentana only got about 5 pages out of the 30 or so that the book was made up of.

                Overall, my first week has gone smoothly and I have already been learning a lot. I thank all of the teachers that have welcomed me and look forward to what is to come.