My continued work efforts!!!

Chris has mentioned most of our recent news on his blog, so I will update you on my committed and continuous effort to find work (honest!).

On Monday 27th Feb I travelled to a school in Berwick (in the south east of Melbourne). I was greeted by a miserable receptionist who looked at her watch disapprovingly when I said I had an appointment with the head at ten o’clock (it was only 9.30 but at least I was early!). Anyway the head couldn’t have been nicer; we had a chat about my teaching experience and skills in the UK (so of course I made it all up Jules and painted a picture of myself as the most hardworking and best teacher in the land!). When he left the room to photocopy my documents he winked and said I would be perfect for the placement- nice one! The job was in the bag. It is for a two week placement in Prep (same as our reception) and could be for a longer period. The teacher I am covering is having some long service leave and boy does she look like she needs it!

Anyway I spent the rest of the day getting to know the little darlings. There are only 18 kids in the class (government targets are 1:21 in a prep class- are you jealous yet Jules!). The head was quite taken a back when I said we have a government target of 1:30 in our reception classes. The kids were lovely and did not have a problem with my Birmingham accent. I told them I had come from England and they thought I had come all that way just to see them! They had a strange collection of names with the only English ones been Amy, Josh and James. The rest seemed to have American names like Caitlin, Madison and Lauree. At the school all adults are called by their first names; it was really strange the kids calling Donna when they needed help.

I met the staff and they were a strange bunch like teachers always are (only joking they were fine). There were a few ex-poms on the team including a lady from Scotland, a girl from Oldham and a lady from Essex (who insisted on calling me a Northern!).

I will be working at the school from the beginning of Term 2 which starts 27th March. Therefore I need to find something else for the three weeks before. I am still waiting for my police check so can’t do any childcare/ kindergarten work yet. I have handed my CV into a couple of clothes shops (something to do before the teaching starts). I also have an interview with a teaching agency tomorrow so I won’t been a lady of leisure for that much longer!

Love Donnie