How do you spell isosceles?

Well...not much has been going on lately. So I thought I'd share some things that make me laugh everyday as I teach little British kids. Teaching really makes you conscious of the things you don't know. Like how to spell isosceles. I'm pretty sure this week I have put isosoles, isoceles, iscoseles and isosceles on the board. I'm pretty good with spelling, but that one has never stuck.

The hardest is trying to remember that England is not Canada, and words I use at home are interpreted differently. For example, when I ask the students to 'quickly get your shirts and pants off' for PE, to them literally means, 'get your shirts and underwear off'. Hmm...pants = underwear....got it. Also, I have to remember that they do handwriting differently than home. So the kids thought they were to write the words enase, ellow, and elony, rather than erase, elbow and ebony. it's crazy i tell you.

Oh...and apparently, holding two fingers up with the backs toward someone is equivalent to the finger.....as I was informed by the head teacher at my school when I asked her if I was teaching Year 2 tomorrow. She said, 'yes, but i hope you don't do that to them' when she saw my hand. Oops.

These and other things occur daily and make me laugh. Sometimes it's so hard to keep a straight face and pretend you know everything, when it's so hilarious. Like, how am I meant to teach Tudor history and British geography. I do a lot of google searches. And why must they call a trapezoid a trapezium here. Keeps me on my toes anyways.

That's it for now. I am thinking of you who are in teacher's college and in placements right now. Stick with it. Work hard now, it'll pay off. And a word to the wise. Figure out the classroom management strategies that work for you. It's worth it.

Rachel