Field Placement Time! - Page 2

fireheart · #11 05-02-2012, 12:50 AM

No idea at this stage. I'm going to email them and see if I can arrange to come in on a day well before I'm due out at the school to give me an idea of how long the drive will take, where to park and finding my way around the school.

42_42_42 · #12 05-02-2012, 02:51 AM

Had never heard of Waldorf schooling before. Just scanned through the wikipedia article on it. Sounds very interesting. Wish we had one where I live as the theory behind them seems wonderful. Looks like you'll be doing a lot of moving around during the day. I'd wear slacks and a blouse and nice, but comfy shoes.

fireheart · #13 05-15-2012, 05:07 AM

OK, so here's the things that I was able to clarify today:

Dress Code: generally trying to model the students. So the student dress code applies to me as well (not an issue). Unlike most Steiner schools, where black=evil, this school understands that some items of clothing ONLY come in black for kids (i.e. tights) and just say a "miniimum" of black. The principal this morning had black pants on and the teacher of the class I'll be with had on a sweatshirt, jeans, a black apron and steel-caps

Parking: Again not a problem, they're quite happy for me to use the staff car park without needing a pass or permit or anything. The school is sort of "off the beaten track".

Classroom: I am with Class 3 (which is roughly Year 4). Although because said teacher is due to be a daddy

, we may end up with me doing half my placement in Class 3 and half my placement in another class. I am going to bring this up with my co-ordinator. At least the students can read!

Other things I discovered:

-Teachers are addressed by their first name.
-The sick room is called the "Wellness" room.

-There is no canteen on site, but if I need food and forgot to bring my own, there's a bakery up the road.

Chanlin · #14 05-15-2012, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Quoth fireheart

4

-Teachers are addressed by their first name.

The elementary my dad teaches at does this. Kids address teachers/staff as Mr. Or Miss [first name]

fireheart · #15 05-15-2012, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Quoth Chanlin

The elementary my dad teaches at does this. Kids address teachers/staff as Mr. Or Miss [first name]

They don't even use the "Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms" at this school.

I haven't noticed the respect for the kids drop one iota though around the teacher, although it could be because they stay with the same teacher from Class 1 to Class 7. Instead of the students switching around classrooms each year and the teacher mostly staying in the one spot, the students AND teacher move from room to room.

I should add as well, for the Kindy and Classes 1-4, the rooms are sort of built "Yurt" style, so each class has their own building, rather than being joined together.

The class I'll be with is doing Old Testament stories at the current moment, from the cultural perspective, so the teacher refers to God as "Yahweh" in their "main lesson" (which runs for around 2 hours every morning and covers a particular topic). On top of that, the school allows for a lot more risk-taking, so kids can climb trees and run around in the bushes

Now I'm going to get myself a wool dress for the prac later on in the year (chuck it on over some tights and I'm all set)

Mishi · #16 05-15-2012, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Quoth fireheart

They don't even use the "Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms" at this school.

I haven't noticed the respect for the kids drop one iota though around the teacher, although it could be because they stay with the same teacher from Class 1 to Class 7.
<snippity snip>

On top of that, the school allows for a lot more risk-taking, so kids can climb trees and run around in the bushes

I really like these aspects of the Waldorf method. I know I'm biased, but my kids don't use the standard titles with our friends and various aquaintances but still seem to be much more polite/respectful than their peers. I love that the kids have the opportunity to climb trees and engage in (mild) risktaking situations, they seem to help children to be a little more independant and confident.

fireheart · #17 05-16-2012, 01:18 AM

OK, looks like a few changes have become necessary:

Due to the fact that the Class 3 teacher is going to be a daddy, I have been re-assigned. This time I am in Class 6, which is the Steiner version of Year 7's. This is a little bit nerve-wracking because I have an older class.

That sort of throws my ENTIRE plan off-whack, although I can work on teaching them some bush dances and folk dances at least, since their "Theme" is Australian History.