(e)X(citing) Factor

One of the things I look forward to the most here in England – lame as it sounds – is watching X Factor. This show freaking rocks. And the talent is incredible – SO much better than American and Canadian Idol in my opinion. I was so excited for Boot Camp this weekend, where the judges will pick the Top 25. Before the results, here’s my faves so far (lets see how many of my picks make it):

• Danyl Johnson: Three words: OH-MY-GOD. This guy has it all and then some! He is a teacher, for one, which scores him crazy-points. On top of that he is super cute, has awesome stage-presence, a great personality, and MAN – can he sing?! Simon actually told him he had the best first audition he had ever heard. That says something.
• Miss Frank: This group of three ladies were originally soloists and were cut, but were told by the judges that if they went in as a group they could move on. I really like them together.
• Jamie Archer: Also known as Big-Hair-Dude (or Jamie Afro). This 34-year-old wowed me with his version of Kings of Leon’s “Sex is on Fire.” Very good performer; great stage presence. I just hope he can sing ballads too.
• Lucy Jones: This 18 year old beauty can sing Whitney, Mariah, and Christina unlike anyone I’ve ever heard (apart from the singers themselves obviously). I’m just waiting for Celine.
• Nicole Lawrence: After her dad passed away, this 30-some-odd year old lounge singer is determined to go further. Simon isn’t a huge fan yet, but her rendition of “I’m Not Goin” gave me goosebumps.
• Daniel Pearce: Daniel is one of the winners of the show Popstars: The Rivals – I was a bit turned off by that at first, but then I heard him sing. Great voice. Great face, too.
• Olly Murs: Love love love him! Sooooo freaking cute, and SUCH a good singer. Very charismatic…and I love his hats!

Ok -- lets watch the results!    ............*watching*............

I am awesome.  Truly.  All of my faves are in the Top 25!  I simply cannot wait for this show to really begin!

Key...Lime Pie?

For the past few days I have been trying really hard to wrap my head around England's education system, but it is a very challenging task.  The problem is with assessment -- it is TOTALLY different here than it is in Canada.  Here's a basic outline:

Years 7, 8, and 9 are grouped into what is called Key Stage 3.  They are assessed using a number system (kind of like our Levels 1-4 at home), but a little more complicated than that.  Level 3c is the lowest level, and level 7a is the highest -- "a" is bacially "+", and "c" is like "-".  So if a student got a 5a that's about a C+ at home.  Likewise, if a student got a 7c that would be like an A-.  So basically there are just a few more levels than what we have...for THIS stage. 

Years 10 and 11 are Key Stage 4, and these students are preparing for their GCSE exams.  They are assessed using a letter-grading system: A, B, C, D, E, F (oh - it doesn't stop here), G, and U (meaning Ungradeable).  So, a grade of F is NOT a failing grade like I'm used to, which is a little strange. 

So that's the grading system, but that isn't even half of it.  First of all, students never fail here -- they cannot be held back EVER - so even if they produce absolutely nothing all year, they will still progress to the next grade.  Seems a little strange, no?  Also, students are only marked on two things: their "Coursework" (which is a [one] Speaking and Listening activity and an [one] essay, a Reading and Writing activity, AND their final test of the term).  Each of these things (the Coursework and the Test - or "Assessment") take place in the final two weeks of each term.  So NOTHING that the students do during the class over the first four weeks of the term count towards their grade (which might explain why they are so unmotivated to do their work and why homework never gets done and why they don't pay attention in class, etc).  I look at the work that they produce in class and formatively assess it for their benefit only - basically to say, "This is where you are now, and if you do this, you will be here." 

Another thing: students do not get to choose what strand they take in each class.  In other words -- in Canada, if I am amazing at science, I can choose to take Academic or University science classes.  Similarly, if I am horrible at English I can take Applied or College English classes so they aren't as difficult.  Here, however, students are placed in a strand based on the combined results of their grades per year.  SO - if a student does really well in English but not so well in Maths and Science (the only three subjects that determine the strand), the school averages out their marks and places them in the same strand for all three.  So essentially a student could be in a strand way below their ability level in one subject and way above their ability level in another.  Kind of silly if you ask me.  The strands are as follows: Upper Strands are E, J, and K; Middle Strands are L, M, and N; and the Lower Strand is P.  This kind of levelling also kind of promotes segregation as well as low self-esteem, as the students in the middle and lower strands consider themselves to be "stupid."  It's quite sad, actually, and a difficult job for the teachers to prove the students otherwise.

Also, when students are 8 years old, they take this massive exam (kind of like an IQ test) called The Fisher Family Trust, and it takes all the figures and comes up with what grades these students should get on their GCSE exam (which doesn't happen until Year 11)!  So, when a child is 8, their GCSE exam results, eight years in the future, are already decided for them.  And basically all these grades are put into a big "grade bank" - and if a secondary school's GCSE results don't match up to what The Fisher Family Trust predicted eight years in the past, they are in BIG TROUBLE.
So this is it - at least what I can understand (and semi-decently explain) up to this point.  Confused yet?  So am I.

Throwing Chairs

So I survived my first week of teaching...

Teaching in Canada didn't really prepare me for the Children of England (this COULD be the title of a new horror film; one where students of different shapes and sizes viciously attack their teachers in various ways, all for their mere pleasure -- seriously consider this Darryl).

I'm teaching at a community school called Holmesdale Technology College - it is actually a nice school to look at -- two years new with all the technology a student or teacher alike could ask for. But don't let the pretty exterior fool you into thinking the students are equally as lovely. I really don't think they have EVER been told to put up their hand before they speak. I'm talking 25 kids yelling over one another at the exact same time, all while you are trying to ask them to be quiet, yet failing because, with all of their own self-generated noise, they can't hear you. Thus, the yelling begins. And it (the yelling) basically consumes you for three one-hundred-minute classes a day. After Monday I really didn't think I would have a voice come Friday. Lucky for me, I do.

Now let me discuss the ATTITUDES of (most of) these children. Three letters should do it: B-A-D.  I mean, they really have absolutely NO desire to learn. Reading this you might say to me, "Sarah, the students don't want to learn where I teach either." Believe me, your students-who-don't-want-to-learn are little learning angels compared to mine. It's like, when I ask them to write something down, I might as well have suggested they lock themselves in a room full of garbage (sorry students, "rubbish"), and spend an entire week sorting through it to find a very small dictionary which they will then have to copy out from front to back. They are DISGUSTED with me for even SUGGESTING that they pick up a pen -- that is, if they brought a pen at all. Oh yes, I am lucky if my students bring supplies with them. In fact, every teacher has to keep their student's workbooks in the classroom, because if we don't, they will be lost within the first week.

Behaviours are also quite crazy. Back-talking, refusal to do work/be quiet, flat-out SCREAMING and swearing at other students in the class who they may not - scratch that - DEFINITELY DO NOT like...the list goes on and on. AND THEN, when I give out detentions, basically one of two things happen:

1) the student argues with me about it until I end up extending their detention time (when they...)

2) walk out, usually cursing along the way

THEN - my experiences of the actual detentions themselves (if the student shows up) consist of students lying on their stomachs sliding themselves around all the desks in the room, or flat-out telling me they wish they could throw a chair at me. Like I said: lovely, right?

Don't get me wrong though - a lot of the students ARE quite nice and likeable. We laugh and learn and genuinely have a good time. So it's not all bad. Except that there is a handlful of these other students who ruin it for everyone -- not just me, but the students who actually don't mind being told to write something down.

The plus side is that I have a very supportive English and Performing Arts department who definitely help me along the way, and who have given me lots of suggestions about how to deal with these things. I probably would have cried every day if it wasn't for them.

So - that was it. My first week of teaching in England. I was so tired after every day that I could barely keep my eyes open past 9pm. BUT, on the bright side, I am learning how to deal with these behaviours, and like my parents said to me, "You'll be able to teach anyone after this." Very true, and so I am happy for this learning experience, even if it does mean I'm going to need an endless supply of honey-tea so I can actually talk to my friends and family when I come home at Christmas. Hahahaha -- what can I do but laugh?

A Little Drink, a Little Moo

So Sabrina and Cara and I were taken out on Saturday night by our friend Britny - a girl who works for TimePlan and who actually had my job last year (and, funny enough, used to live in Sabrina's current room). She's great, and when I told her we were thinking of having a movie night in, she said: "well that honestly doesn't sound like much fun." HAH - at least she's honest! So after she twisted our arms, we took a taxi to her house, had some wine (yes, I drank wine!), and went down to a bar called MuMu's. It's right around the corner from my house (which could potentially be a bad thing...) and is honestly the coolest bar I have ever been to! It has a very burlesque atmosphere - it's decorated with chandeliers and what I would call "royalty chairs" and these very bizarre pictures. All I wanted to do was take pictures of everything!
The dance floor was also awesome - flashing lights everywhere, great mixed music - and ladies -- the guys here DANCE! And I'm not talking grind-up-on-you, grab-your-body-parts, try-to- stick-their-tongue-in-your-mouth dance. I'm talking actual full-out DANCE. Dance-better-than-we-ladies-dance dance. It was incredible to see!
So after a great night of drinking and DANCING (there was also plenty of room on the dance floor, by the way - none of this I-can't-move...I-feel-claustrophobic crap we get at home), we walked down to the Express Taxi place, where basically you just get in line and wait for a cab to come around the corner to pick you up - no calling a cab and getting a busy signal and walking the entire way home crying because your feet are bleeding in your new shoes which you thought you loved but have very quickly grown to hate. Fab-u-lous.

We went to bed at 4am, after eating some nachos with salso, and I slept soundly, dreaming burlesquenificent dreams ;)

Moo