Elfcapades!

On Tuesday morning I was informed our Elf had arrived while I was out Monday! He was earlier than last year!

Monday

He rose the noise level on the first day!

Tuesday

When he came back on Tuesday, he had built a tree! Blocks are the favorite choosing activity in our class!

Wednesday

We had been sooo noisy on Tuesday he had to put in a report to Santa! The North Pole Elves sent us an email to say he needed some time out to sleep! We found him in the Christmas Tree outside the cafeteria (as did half the school!!)

He disappeared and then reappeared with our Global friends!

Thursday

Our Elf is very playful!

He started bringing us a daily treat and a kindness challenge, I found the idea here and I really liked how it encouraged the children to experience the joy of giving too!

I found the idea here -
http://www.teachingmaddeness.com/2013/12/elfcapades-elf-in-classroom-random-acts.html

 I love that there was a pre-made card for everyday.

Today he bought us Candy Canes and a Candy Cane decoration kit but we had to share the love!

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Friday he came bringing my birthday balloon...

The following Monday he rode in on a Kangaroo...

Then tried to hide among the Pukeko's

On Wednesday he ziplined in on a Candy Cane...

And we found him in the Candy bucket on Thursday...

He told us to write thank you letters to our Custodian Ms. Ray on stickies and left them in a trail for her to find

On Friday he was a lot harder to find here!

On Monday he got a bit sillier!

On Tuesday we found him in our tree

Wednesday - Do you want to build a snowman?

Thursday - he watched from my desk... we had to write thank yous for our Cafeteria Ladies (it made their days!)

On Friday it was our last day of school - he got all tangled up in lights for the occasion! I think I had more fun with this than the kids did and a great way for a global tie- in.

We had a lot of fun this holiday season!

Coming soon... The Adventures of the Elf...

Have you ever heard of the American tradition of the 'Elf on the Shelf'? I fell in love with this my first year in the South!

So basically there is this elf sent by Santa to help him keep an eye on children leading up to Christmas, when he is at his busiest! They report back to Santa nightly on whether you have been naughty or nice.  They have been instructed by Santa not to be seen to move and they lose their magic if they are touched. But this is a new elf, and he is still learning himself, so he gets up to mischief too.

I'm ready to fun some fun with my class! Check out all the fun ideas on Pinterest (I'm totally addicted!)

Check out the elf here:
http://www.elfontheshelf.com/content/about-us

Why be a Global Educator?

'Be the change you want to see in this world' -Ghandi

This quote has spoken to me more than any other over the years, and was part of the motivation to choosing a career in Education. I cannot explain why I feel drawn to travel and explore, but I can explain why I wanted to be a teacher... I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children. 

That is the single motivating factor that gets me through endless paperwork, politics and the growing demands on my pay check. It was also a driving force to teaching overseas.

'O the world is far, 

And the world is wide,

But there are many ways

To see the other side.'

-Ella Jenkins

Being a Global Educator is about teaching different points of view, and opening up new worlds to children. As a Global Educator, I can pass on not only what I know about different parts of the world, but also how it feels to take yourself out of the nest and into the Great-wide-world.

I asked my students this week why they loved global learning. The least likely student gave me the best answer, they said 'I love being a global learner because you bring the whole world into our classroom'.

Why be a global educator? It's simple, most of you, like myself, became an educator to make a difference. Thinking Globally opens doors to the world, not just to tolerance and understanding, but to the ever changing world. The world is big, agreed, but it is also very small (and technology is making it smaller:) The business world is International. The Internet is EVERYWHERE. The accessibility to travel is increasing, and it is getting, faster, cheaper, and a part of everyday life. 

I am a Global Educator because I want to make a difference in the world ahead, a world I can't yet imagine, and I want to prepare our children to succeed in it.

So I leave you with one final quote...

'I may only be one person, but I can be one person that makes a difference' - Anon

Kiwi - One word, three meanings...

When I started this adventure 2 years ago, I had one instruction, to bring Kiwi culture to an American classroom. Excited by a challenge and always ready to travel, I signed on with great enthusiasm. It was only later that it struck me...what is a Kiwi?
I was blessed (yes, I now use Southern sayings with ease) from an early age with the travel bug. A generous gift from my equally, adventurous parents. And embrace this bug I did, both with them and independently, making my inaugural solo-flight overseas at 19. Ten years later, I have discovered I am definitely another flying Kiwi, but defining 'Kiwi' is a little harder. 
Yes, it is mostly commonly known as a type of brown and green fruit, also called a Chinese gooseberry. If you look a little deeper, you will also discover it is the name of a rare, and adorable, flightless bird, native to New Zealand. But in my neck of the woods, it refers to a New Zealander or New Zealand culture. These first two definitions are easy to convey, the last one, a wee bit harder.
Being a native 'Kiwi', I have jumped off a bridge while attached to a rubber band, and created solutions from next to nothing. I have watched the All Blacks tackle, ruck and fit into increasingly smaller uniforms, and I attempt to speak Maori on a daily basis. I have eaten my weight in 'fish and chips', adore pineapple lumps and am definitely a marmite girl! But it goes a little deeper than that. As my adventure continues, my national pride increases, and I understand more what a unique, and magical place it is. Although we may be a small country, in hindsight, we are not small-minded. 
What I have learnt about Kiwi culture, from my travels is we have an adaptability to work with different people, blend different cultures, and create an impression, good or bad, where ever we pass through. The simple fact that the 'can-do' attitude, will get you out of many a problem, and the sheer excitement of meeting a fellow member of the exclusive 'Kiwi club', will brighten any day. 'Kiwi' is very much part of my identity, but being 'Kiwi' means that it doesn't have to stop there. The more Southern Country girl that creeps into my identity, the more 'Kiwi', I become. Being 'Kiwi' isn't about having national pride in one culture, is it the ability to blend a variety of culture and experience, constantly embracing the new culture created. Agreed, not all 'Kiwis' are alike or even this way, but again, it is my belief, that is what makes us all 'Kiwi'.
I hope I have been able to convey that spirit to the sweet 6 year old's I have taught over the last 2 years, and will continue in the year ahead. I come from a place we I have been able to grow to be a little 'out of the box' and encouraged to spread my wings just to see how far I could go.

Kiwis are not meant to fly, but the fact that so many of us do, just goes to show what we are capable of. From a country not many have heard or and less know where it is, we have  top actors/actresses, film directors, writers, comedians, Grammy award winners, and even a country music star. We have world class innovators and inventors, top business personnel, and simple ideas that have turned big dreams into reality. We are a nation that punches well above our weight on the global stage creating Gold medal winners, and  rugby coaches all around the world.
If you have not ventured down to the southern most part of the world, add it to your bucket list, and see what 'Kiwi' means to you. 

Some Kiwis do fly... and I am glad I did.