Zes weken lang zijn we intensief aan het swappen, bloggen en skypen geweest, in New York en in Amsterdam. Ik voelde me leeg en moe toen hij eenmaal langs de douane heen verdween.

Mijn herfstvakantie begint nu. Dan kan ik heerlijk lezen, dromen en rustig nadenken. Over een mogelijke uitwisseling met kinderen uit New York en Amsterdam. Het zou prachtig zijn als onze leerlingen het vergeten hoofdstuk uit de geschiedenisboeken zouden kunnen gaan schrijven.   

Over het VOC in Amsterdam, kapitein Henri Hudson, zijn schip de Halve Maen, de ontdekkingstocht naar het westen, het eiland Manna Hatta dat Nieuw Amsterdam werd. 

Ja en dan met hulp van Geert Mak en Russell Shorto!

He likes his coffee with milk and sugar. I give him a couple of bastogne cookies from the cookie jar.

This morning again a dent was made in one of the apartment blocks. I really like the paintings on the inner walls that get exposed because of this. It gives me joy but also makes me a little sad when they’re already gone in the afternoon.

Today is the last day of the ‘children’s book week’. The past ten days, pupils have been reading and bringing books with them about food.

Several kids gave presentations in the gym.

In one of her classes, Marjolein, one of our teacher showed how we at the Amstelmeerschool try to enrich the vocabulary of our pupils. She semantisized the word cluster ‘doing dishes’ using the three e’s (enact, explain and expound).

Michael had a short skype session with his own class just before the end of classes (15.15 in Amsterdam, 9.15 in New York).

It’s great to see how useful well-practiced class rules can be. Initially the kids in Manhattan were a bit rowdy. Then, when Michael starting counting  down on his fingers (without speaking!) from four to zero, everyone went silent at the other end of the ocean.

Towards the end of the lesson, the teacher asks the children if they remember some of the word that they have learned.  You can see how eager the children are to participate.

Second Video

Afterwards, the teacher introduces a poster with the new words.  You can see the main word (in the umbrella) and all the words that are related to it underneath.

Third Video

After the lesson, Alex explained to me the theory behind this method of teaching vocabulary to children and how his school uses it through in all classrooms (grades K through 6).  Walking through the school, I was able to see evidence of this.  Each class had a variety of posters with new vocabulary that has been taught.

On the flight over to Amsterdam I began reading Explorers, Fortunes and Love Letters: A Window on New Netherland.  I was pleased to discover that the first essay was written by Russell Shorto.

In this essay, Shorto talks about how he came to be so interested in New Netherland.  He also mentions that he currently works at the Dutch West India House and that when his children were little enjoyed playing in the playground behind the building.  Here are photos of the building and the playground:

I arrived before school started so I was able to join all the other teachers in the staff room.  I had enough time to have a cup of coffee with Eveline, the Group 5 (Third Grade) teacher with whom I would be spending most of the day.  As her 33 students started to enter the room, I quickly realized that the population was very similar to that of P.S. 89.

The children settled in and Eveline introduced me to her class.  They had a bunch of questions about New York.  Some of which I answered then and the rest later when I showed them a slideshow of New York City.  There was also a child that spoke fluent English.  He offered to be my translator when I needed one.
Math was first on the agenda and I noticed that the children were pulling out textbooks.  I asked Eveline if all of the subjects had textbooks.  She said that most did.

The Math period began with a short demonstration on how to get started (kids came up to the SmartBoard to demonstrate ways to solve an addition problem using a number line).  Then the children were asked to complete one page in their workbooks and two pages in their textbooks.

I also had an opportunity to sit and talk with Mr. de Witt later that morning.  I started our conversation by telling him many of the things that I saw and thought were great about the Kramerschool. Every class was neatly organized and the kids really seemed to have a clear sense of what was expected of them.  When I was visiting a younger class, I actually had a five year old explain to me in detail how their choice time worked, what they were allowed to choose from and how many kids could choose that activity (she spoke English).

Here is a photo of the “choice time” board.  The top row is the schedule for the day.  The pictures below are the choices and each dot represents how many kids can do that activity.

I also walked in on a lesson in an older grade that had the whole class jotting down ideas, sharing in small groups and as a whole group.  Every child was enthusiastic about creating a web of words to describe the word “King”.

Mr. de Witt explained to me that I walked in on an introduction to the schools next “theme”.  There is a curriculum titled “Heaven and Earth”.  (I learned earlier that schools in Amsterdam are able to have a religious affiliation). This program comes with books that teachers use to plan lessons for their students.  It is my understanding that the curriculum aims to promote ethical behavior among the students.

I immediately thought that it might be something like our Social Studies curriculum at PS 89 and explained one of our studies to Mr. de Witt.  I did mention though that there is not “teacher book”, and that all the teachers had to create lessons together based on what needed to be taught and the children’s interests.
He restated that the program comes with books and that it is not a project based curriculum.  He said that the children at the Kramerschool study geography, history, writing, etc. as individual pieces of the overall curriculum.  Mr. de Witt has 40 years of experience and finds that there is more accountability with textbooks.  He knows exactly what will be taught from year to year and can trust that there will be no gaps in his students learning.

I can definitely see his point of view, but I have to admit, most of the excitement I get from teaching is discovering new ways to deliver information to my students.  One example would be how I love the challenge of finding ways to teach kids how to use geography to find out about history.

A number of swappers met in cafe ´t Blaauwhooft on Bickers Island to say hi to Michael.

It felt very comfortable for Michael and I to see Ilona, Hille, Alexandra, Isabelle, Leo and Khoi again. We discussed a walk we could take in the Kennemer Dunes with Jowien, and an impossible reunion with the Americans on Iceland.

The cafe used to be the office of Hendrik Jonker´s machinery factory. Behind the bar, there´s a stained glass window with old pictures. These pictures stirred our imagination.

Jan Bicker

After a couple of beers we’re pretty sure that an old family member of Jonker boarded a Manhattan-bound ship in 1647, made by boat builder Jan Bicker. And he then became the forefather of the Yonkers neighbourhood in New York.

Also, I didn’t mention that on the morning I arrived, Alex gave me breakfast at his house.  We had bread and an assortment of toppings to put on it.  For my first piece I kept it safe with butter and jam.  Then I noticed his wife, Stephany, putting these little pink and white things on her bread and butter.  I asked what it was and she told me that it was a sweet anisette candy.  I LOVE ANISETTE!  So I sprinkled a little bit on my bread.  She told me I should really load it on…so I did.  Delicious!  I learned that it comes in pink/white and blue/white and is usually eaten when someone has a baby.  I found it at the grocery store today.  I have a box already packed!

Michael taught American class and simultaneously, Kerin taught English class. They taught the kids words like banana, butter, strawberry and organge. But also words like yawning, sad, and phrases like “I’m hungry”.

From time to time it was hilarious. Kerin speaks the Queen’s English. She audibly pronounces almost every letter. When she says ‘singing’, you can almost discern a ‘k’ at the end of the word. Little English kids sometimes write ‘singink’.

Michael really uses the New York dialect. It’s a shorter, lazier and easier kind of English. It sounds harder and rougher. It’s the language we see on TV all the time

I spoke perfect English during my first days in New York. Almost nobody understood me. I started to roughen up my English and spoke American. And what do you know: everybody understood me from then on.

]]> http://www.jobswap.org/2009/10/jij-zegt-banaan-en-ik-zeg-banana/feed/ http://www.jobswap.org/2009/10/wednesday-half-day/ http://www.jobswap.org/2009/10/wednesday-half-day/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:40:31 +0000 Michael Parrish newpost24 Children have a half day of school on Wednesdays in Amsterdam.  The remainder of the day is for the teachers to use as a planning time.  Alex and I met with journalists at this time, but afterwards we went on an amazing bicycle ride to Ransdorp, Durgerdam and all over East Amsterdam.  Here are a few photos I took along the way.
Ransdorp

Durgerdam

East Amsterdam