Saturday 29 December 2012

The Final Countdown


The Final Countdown

Tonight is the last night in our Canadian home for an entire year. We have spent the entire day getting through the remainder of our still growing "to do" list and anticipate continuing throughout the night.
Anyone who has had a 17 month old can attest to how much more can be accomplished when child is either sleeping or being babysat by others. Our incredible neighbors, Jan and Laura, surprised us today by coming over to play with Fenton while we madly packed everything. We were amazed at how much was accomplished in such a short time and know that we would still be packing late into the night if they had not made such a kind offer.

Fenton must know that something is happening. His toys have slowly disappeared throughout the week as we methodically boxed things up to store in the garage.  Tonight his bath was with only those bath toys that we plan to take with us -  a set of plastic cups that he loves to stack and knock down. It’s actually surprising to see how much fun he had without the typical variety of amusing objects to play with.  Variety is certainly the spice of life, but Fenton was just fine without all of the stuff. Greg played so many songs for Fenton today knowing that he will be without a guitar for an entire year - unless we decide to buy another one (or maybe the Turners have one!).  We received a typed letter that included a gift allegedly from Fenton. We have no idea who cleverly crafted this card but would like to publicly thank the hilarious imposter who mysteriously hooked us up with enough New Zealand currency to get by for the first day of our vacation.

We can safely say that today has been the most exciting day for us yet. The reality has certainly hit. We gave our keys to Alex and Anita who will pick up the Turners from the airport. Most of our belongings are no longer in the house and it is no longer our home. We have put so much effort into making it a warm, inviting place for our exchange partners that we have displaced ourselves. This has not been a sad feeling, rather an exciting one. We are truly on an adventure! Rather than panic or feel melancholy, we have been on cloud nine.

All of our belongings are packed in 4 bags. Heather’s and Greg’s clothes are in one bag, Fenton’s belongings take up two bags, and there is a third bag with Canadiana. Of course we will also bring a Chariot child carrier and a baby carrier backpack. Including another two bags to carry on, we will have 8 items. Yikes! We hope that this will all fit in the camper van that we will rent to tour New Zealand for three weeks after our 3 day chill out session in Rarotonga (Cook Islands).

Tomorrow morning, Fenton will likely wake us up between 5:00 and 6:00 AM as he does every morning. We will need to wash the bed sheets, take apart his crib and convert it into a couch, put a few more items in the garage and pack the rest of our belongings. Kirsten and Darrin will take us to the airport for our 12:30PM flight - thanks so much!!!!! After stops in Calgary and Los Angeles, we will embark on a 10 hour flight to Rarotonga. When we get there, we will begin our vacation and have absolutely nothing to do but relax on a beach and play with our son. Does life get any better?

Thursday 20 December 2012

Summer Vacation

It's hard to believe that at -17 in Edmonton (-25 with the windchill), we're about to start summer vacation. But what's even harder (believe it or not) is saying goodbye to workmates. (I think that's what they call them in Australia!) It seems like just yesterday I returned to work on the CCM project and now, just as my work is taking off, it's off I go to Australia. I wish I could delay my departure!

It won't be the same watching from a distance. I'll miss Tim and John's leadership (and sense of humour) and the absolute brilliance of the BAs and tremendous dedication of the rest of the CCM team. I know people always say this but I really do feel privileged to have worked on CCM.

I hope you will think of me from time to time and keep me in the loop on what's happening in CCM. Have a wonderful year and please keep in touch!

   -Heather


It's no coincidence that both Heather and I had the same idea to post a blog that described our feelings about the last day of work. Friday December 21 has been a date that we have been counting down to for months. Now that it is here, our hearts have become very heavy, and we know that we are leaving people who will be dearly missed. We both felt that we needed to write something for our colleagues.
I have had the privilege of working with a group of master teachers and administrators who have pushed me to be a better educator and have therefore improved my life professionally and personally. To say that the Science department at Londonderry Junior High is impressive is an understatement. In only 3 years, this department has made significant progress at developing a program that caters to those students who typically fail in school. We have developed fun lab activities, projects, and adapted assessments that challenge students to show us what they are capable of. All of the teachers at Londonderry live by the philosophy that "if they can't learn the way we teach, then we must teach the way that they learn". It's a great place to work and it feels scary to leave a place like that to venture into the unknown. The administration at Londonderry trusts us to do a great job and allows us the freedom to take risks and experiment with new ideas to get more students moving towards the finish line. It is such a rewarding place to work.
Over the last three years, many of my colleagues have become true friends who I dearly care about and I will miss them over the next year. I can't wait to get on the plane and head to the southern hemisphere, but I know that I will be just as excited to return. My friends, I hope that you have a great year and I hope that we can stay in touch!

   -Greg

Saturday 15 December 2012

Last week before summer break!!

My last week at school is unlike any other that I have experienced. It is quite unusual to end part way through a year knowing that I will not be there to finish what has been started. Many of my students have made some incredible progress, and with another few months, I believe they can develop the skills they need to be independent learners. These "learning plans" are left unfinished. Although Gary is an exceptional teacher, he does not know them and has not yet had the opportunity to form those relationships necessary to foster change. Although I am confident that Gary will be able to satisfy the needs of some of my highest risk students, it feels like I am abandoning my own kids sometimes.

My classroom will no longer be mine. I have plans to alter it so that it keeps its "teached in" look with student work posted on the walls, yet loses it's "Wondganess". Plans need to be left for Gary so that he can land running and carry on where I left off without too much discomfort. The students are excited to teach him how to use Google Docs through the EPS portal.

We are currently organizing a binder to bring along with all of the important documents such as claim forms, tax receipts, wills, etc. Packing light is an art and although we still have a few weeks before we take off, the organizing has begun. For me (Greg), packing is when I get the most excited. It is the first step in the adventure.

The other part of my mind envisions getting on the airplane with the knowledge that our "to do list" is finally empty. That's right... an empty to do list. I can't even imagine that. We will be going to the Cook Islands for New Year's Eve, spend a couple nights, then head to New Zealand to do a three week tour by camper van. This is a vacation that we are very much looking forward to! I know that I will need to have a break before staring a whole new school year on January 23.

Saturday 8 December 2012

Aussie Bound

Getting ready to leave home for a year is a much bigger undertaking than we had ever imagined. The "to do list" has been enormous and seems to continually get longer the closer we get to our departure date. However, after the big send off on Dec 1, it has become a reality for us that we will be away from our home, families, colleagues, and friends for a long time. Once it hit us that "this is really happening", mixed emotions arise - happy, excited, afraid, and sad.

We have been extremely lucky to be matched with an amazing family (Gary, Karen, Ziggy, and Zane Turner) who - we are certain - will take great care of our home. We have had a fair bit of contact back and forth and we have made many decisions that, though risky, will be beneficial to all. If it weren't for their ability to establish trust with us so quickly, this adventure would be much more challenging.

As I type this I find myself feeling quite excited to live in a place where my mother was born and to teach in a school system with what appears to be a very different educational philosophy. Heather and Fenton will encounter a different set of challenges. We are told that exchange teachers find themselves in need of a lot of support from their partners. I am concerned about the isolation that Heather may encounter without any social networks. All told, we know that this big adventure will have its great moments, discomforts, and unforgettable memories. We look forward to coming back feeling like we have grown from the experience.