Back to Bangkok in November :-D

Bangkok ? November? YES PLEASE!

I love how it sounds like it's going to be SO MUCH FUN and it SHOULD BE

but

I am leaving out some important details;

1) It's for a school trip - 

2) I'm the only teacher going - ohhhh wow!

3) There are a total of 6 kids who are entirely 

MY RESPONSIBILITY!

4) My little heart is palpating out of control already.

Oh yeah....why AM I GOING!?!

Because of the organization called ISTA

International School for Teaching the Arts

ISTA began, in 1978 with just one High School Festival in Europe.
Our first Middle School Festival took place in 1986, along with our first training programme for students and teachers of IB Theatre.
In 1982 we opened up to membership, growing to 50 member schools by 1989. 1992 saw our first Festival in Asia and two years later we hit Australia, by then producing 8 Festivals a year. In 1995 ISTA became a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. 2006 saw us finally establishing our first office and current HQ in Cornwall.
And the rest is history.
Now producing over 30 annual Festivals and training programmes with a membership of more than 200 schools worldwide… and still growing

Oh YEAH - Ms. Wells is also teaching

DRAMA!

(we do a lot of JAZZ hands)

Oh just look at the picture and be jealous people - clearly

that is all that I really wanted to say.

PLUS

I am really missing HOME!

IMAGE: A trip down the Chao Praya river and canals on a charter boat - followed by a visit to the Grand Palace.

Not quite home but I will take it....for now!

Power Box: Step One

What the heck is a power box?

Good question.

I got bored really quickly of doing powerpoints as a form of assessment.

So for my Gr.8 Humanities class

(humanities here means a mix of social studies, geography, politics, economic and history)

we are studying religion which is SCARY because these kids know a LOT

about religion - way more than Ms. Wells.

YIKES!

The power box task was simple.

On each side of the box (six sides total, just in case like me you didn't know)

the student needs to come up with one word (six words total) that best describes

the religion that they have been studying

Each word can have an imagine (if student would like) but JUST THAT!

Meaning, each side should (in theory) have a word and perhaps an image.

Students obviously need to hand in small outline/template/worksheet that explains

1) Why they chose that word?

2) How does it relate to religion -Explain your thinking.

3) How does the imagine illustrate your idea/opinion and why did you use it?

4) What did you find most challenging about this task?

I dunno, put that last question in there for FUN!

I am sure all you wise and well educated teachers are shaking your head and saying - WHAT?!?!

Learning goal?

To demonstrate knowledge and understanding while being concise and

supporting opinion or individual ideas with evidence.

Errrr, just look at pictures!

Clean Bin Project a la Dhaka

If you haven't seen the documentary called

THE CLEAN BIN PROJECT

than look no further...

I NOW OWN THE MOVIE IN DHAKA!!!

(for my Gr. 9 Humanities Class)

Movie date at mine this weekend - who's coming? More importantly, 

how much poppy-corn do I need?

 

I lied. I actually have two copies of this movie.

One here via itunes and another one being sent to my 

mom's address in Toronto...right now as we speak!

SURPRISE MOM!

Happy early Christmas? Merry birthday?

My bad.

Opps - kinda messed up that one up.

What does OVERWHELMED look like?

So far this is all I got.

(in terms of what overwhelmed looks like to me)

Still so much new learning to do.

Why does it have to be such a long way up?

Too many things that I want to go DO and ALL at the same time!

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Being overwhelmed is a freaking workout!

It weighs soooooo much - like heavy chains around your neck.

Being overwhelmed can look like a huge wave - coming to eat you!

Except this wave is made of students, always asking me questions.

Miss...MiSS...MISS - UGH!

I have lots of days where the wave of students clobbers me.

And other days where I sum up the energy to fight back - cleverly of course!

I trying so hard to get to that other side, you know?

The side where you have your lessons plans PLANNED, and units for the year written,

and all students name in your class, school and life memorised.

Just to be able to take a breath in school and not be feel like I am constantly running around

with my head cut off.

*sigh - double *sigh

Whatever I am struggling with now I know it will pay off later.

Right?

Of course, it will. 

No matter how hard things are right now?

Yes-yes and you will be the better for it!

Thanks for coming (being apart of my inner thoughts) - now if you could just leave the way you came in

that would be most appreciated. 

Bah - ha!

Cheeky  Ms.Wells

New Bike Love

Today I will ride my new bike to school.

Of course, I am working towards being able to perform this stunt.

(although I practise good biking habits, SAFETY FIRST PEOPLE!)

(a.k.a. Wear your FREAKING helmets please!)

Perhaps with a rickshaw attached instead?

Not too shabby of an idea Lauren.

Why thank you Lauren.

(cheeky)

;-)

Recipe: Banana Split Friend Sundae

Everyone should have a friend recipe by now.

Correction.

A conscious checklist of the most important things you look for in a friend.

Well, of course I want to hear yours!

But ladies first...smiling.

What I Look For In A Friend

By; Lauren Wells

1) Someone who can make me laugh and I mean LAUGH.

Giggle so hard you lose your breath while
tears start to form and you hold your stomach because it's begun to 

ache...Examples of friends that good?

Enough said.

2) Well....errr?
 How about a little thing called honesty?
If you don't have friends who can keep you honest then BEAT IT!
Trusting people is huge, especially when choosing friends because these are the people
 whom are "supposedly" looking out for you...not easy to find sometimes.
(Because these are the people that will tell you when you look like crap, have something
stuck in your teeth, when to go to bed or what you should and SHOULD NOT wear
e.g. granny earrings)

PEOPLE LIKE THAT ARE NOT EASY TO FIND - BELIEVE ME: I'VE SEARCHED
FAR AND WIDE

Gratefully - I've been lucky in my findings and continue to be spoiled by great friendships.
(these are only just a few ;-)

All I do is laugh...and the laugh some more - think most of my friends know I have a WEAK bladder so they keep making me laugh HaRRRRD until well, you know what!?!?

At least these people make me laugh...that's all I can ask for.

;-)

The School of My Dreams...kinda

The British International Bangkok Patana School.

This was the name of the school I was at for my teaching workshop in Bangkok.

The school was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L although mostly BRITISH based curriculum 

(meaning not the IB curriculum I'm presently learning/trying to teach)

and therefore not my first choice.

But still a remarkable place to learn and simply stunning school grounds.

I knew you would say you needed PROOF!

How did they get this picture of me running?

Huge campus...no?

Yup, that's right. They have a mote.

Killer fish.

Yeah, don't eat where I would be sleeping...
...every flipping lunch I would be passout here.
BOOMMMMMMM!

I guess I'll eat here if I have to...
 Couches are so much better than these cute little tables under the trees -
that are REAL!

Changed my idea of what a lunchroom should look like

forever

(*sigh)