Regent's Park

I took a stroll around Regent's Park today. It's about 20 minutes from my house and is absolutely huge (487 acres or 2 km²). People often play cricket and football there, or just go to walk around. It borders the London Zoo so you can peer over a fence and see some of the animals for free, rather than paying the $30.00 fee to get in. I saw a groundhog and what I think may have been a sleeping kangaroo.

It was a pretty cloudy day today, so only a few pictures turned out when the sun finally came out.





The above picture is actually in Primrose Park adjoining Regent's. It looks a lot like parks in Ottawa, especially the arboretum by Carleton.




Lots of people were playing cricket. I think about 4 games were going. Other people were playing football with skills that were astounding.



This place sells organic food and seems to be only one of two restaurants in the park. Consequently prices are high.




Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It's owned by the royal family and was originally reserved for the recreation of the family, usually meaning hunting. Even today, the public has no legal right to use the parks. Legal-speak says that people are allowed in the park "on the grace and favor of the Crown", but practically speaking the public has been using the park for about a hundred years. I guess in theory the royal family could shut all the parks down for their own uses, though that probably wouldn't go over too well in London.

Decisions, decisions

The Ghetto

What's great about my job is that every week I'm sent somewhere new. That might not be ideal for everyone, but I like it. I get to see so much to the point where my flatmate has said I'm seeing parts of the city that he's never been to in 30 years of living here.

However, it has to be said that the parts I'm seeing are pretty dodgy. Somehow they are getting progressively dodgier. The first couple of schools I was sent to were in neighborhoods where I felt uncomfortable. I wasn't scared exactly, but I was looking over my shoulder. I definitely wasn't taking out my camera.

Then, after a week, I went to the next neighborhood where I was actually nervous walking around at eight o'clock in the morning and surrounded by people. It got a little worse when school let out. A popular local pass time seemed to be to form gangs in front of the bookies.

Then there was today. I was supposed to go to the 'roughest' school, but the classes I got were full of relatively good kids. By relatively good I mean that after they started to misbehave I was slowly able to reign them in. This is in contrast to a class last week that, more or less, refused to listen no matter what I did.



The neighborhood was run down. Shops were boarded up, or dilapidated. There wasn't a smile on anyone's face. Some very drunk people were on the bus (3:45pm) and one guy just decided to light up a cigarette in the middle of the aisle. But this 'roughest' school was easy. This is the school where I heard about a 9-year-old girl smashing another in the face during lunch time. There was also the time when one student repeatedly stabbed another in class with a pencil because the stabbee didn't like the stabbers drawing.

When I walked into the school I was ready. I had two momentary setbacks. The first was when the teacher I was replacing forgot that she was supposed to be on a training course...meaning she had prepared no instructions for me. The second setback was when the teacher told me that she had been planning on giving the kids saws -- yes, saws -- so that they could make picture frames. They were 7 years old.

But somehow the day went well. No thumbs were lost. The only slip was when the kids were going crazy just before the final bell rang and I said "God, you guys are loud!" There were some gasps and a quick silence.

It's a Catholic school. They did not approve of my language. I guess everyone has their own version of acceptable and non-acceptable.

Some Pictures

Here are some quick shots from around my neighborhood I took yesterday coming home from work.









...and this is a shot of some work one of my kids did.

First Week

I waited a week before updating because after the second day of work I realized I needed more perspective before commenting on teaching in London. I though it would be interesting to do a Q&A-style entry. If you have any additional questions you know where to reach me. I’ll post them without naming names.

Q: So how are things going generally?

A: Great! The job is easy, I live in a great neighborhood, and I enjoy what I’m doing.

Q: Is London as expensive as they say?

A: It is. But there is a difference between living well and living recklessly. I don’t go out (too busy really), I shop at grocery stores where prices are the same as Canada’s, I have all the possessions I need, and I’m rooming with a good friend who is giving me a more than fair price on my room. I also have a tube/bus pass.

Q: What’s a tube?

A: Tube is the slang term for the subway system.

Q: Have you run into any lessons you couldn’t handle?

A: No. But I have had to teach a cricket lesson.

Q: But you don’t know how to play cricket. What did you do?

A: Standard teacher move. First, be honest. Second, solve the problem. The first thing I did was tell the kids I didn’t know anything about cricket. The second thing was to recruit a student (8 years old) to lead the class in the lesson.

Q: Did it work?

A: In a way. The only problem was when students complained to me that someone had broken the rules. I solved this problem by telling the other team that they could now do whatever the other team had done, one time.

Q: What do the schools look like?

A: With a population of 7.5 million (7 times the size of Ottawa) there are many schools. I usually work at schools that are similar to those in Ottawa. The one difference is the ceilings. For some reason they are very high. We’re talking almost church-like. I have no idea why.

Q: Are the students OK?

A: Yes. I have not had serious problems with any student. If you take the standard Canadian group of students it’s the same thing here. You have students that worry, please, gossip, laugh, cry, push, help, fight, babble…they are the same.

Q: What are some funny things kids have said?

A: “You speak like the people from Scotland.”

“Don’t you have trainers (sneakers)?” (I wear dress shoes to work)

“What football team do you support?” (said on first meeting with class before I even said a single word)

“Are you from Chicago?”

“Ummm, you know, our teacher usually gives us biscuits (cookies) at the end of the day.”

Q: What are British teachers like?

A: It’s difficult to say. The vast majority seem to be apathetic. There is a lot of sighing. But I experienced that in Canada as well. There is certainly a lot of yelling in the schools. “RIGHT! THAT IS VERY DISRESPECFUL!” Again though, I’ve seen that in Canada.

Q: How are the lessons different?

A: No question about it, the rapidity of education in England is higher than Canada. The students understand math at a much higher level than Canadian students. Literacy seems better as well, although not with all schools.

Q: You said you’d be in rough schools. How bad are the neighborhoods?

A: They really aren’t bad. They are a little poorer and more racially mixed. There are bookies on every street and not a lot of high-end shops. But I wouldn’t say they’re dangerous. At night it might be a different story. But I’m there 8-4 pm.

Q: What has surprised you about the physical London?

A: Geographically, it’s odd. It’s not a tall city. The core has high buildings. But most of the city seems to be spread out. Imagine Vancouver where some giant has palmed down all the buildings into a huge radius. You can take the train from one location to another and completely change environments. All of a sudden there are nice fields, trees, and flowers. The next second you’re back to the graffiti and kebab stores.

Q: How is transport?

A: It’s good. The tube, overground trains, and buses all run throughout the city. Getting from A to B is a matter of linking up routes between the three. But all of this is done via an online travelplanner that is a cinch to use.

Q: How much is Strongbow?

A: It’s about 7 dollars for four cans. That’s right.

Q: Any other foreigners?

A: London is ALL foreigners it seems sometime. But yes, my accent impresses nobody. And by that I mean my Canadian accent. And by that I mean, yes, we do have an accent.

Q: Any other Canadian teachers.

A: Quite a few actually. Many from Ontario. They couldn’t find jobs there so guess what? They came to London.

Q: Anything else?

A: Before I left, more than a few people said “You’ll have a great time.” I really have had a great time in the last week. I highly recommend other teachers come and try it.

Q: But didn’t it cost you money to come to London?

A: In the last 4 days of work I’ve made it back. Booyah. Good luck with your sub lists.

Q: What’s in the future?

A: Football game at the pub tomorrow followed by my friend’s housewarming. It’s a rough life.

Preparing

Today is a day of preparation. I've walked the route I need to take to the train. I'll be ironing everything soon. And I'm looking up a description of the school I'll be going to. According to the official governmental report I'll be going here:

"This larger than average inner city primary school provides for a very diverse and multi-ethnic community with the great majority of pupils coming from non British backgrounds. The largest pupil groups are from Black African families and White, often Eastern European, countries. There are 150 refugees and asylum seekers and a much larger than average number of pupils whose first language is not English. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is much higher than average and pupils join and leave the school much more frequently than usual. The number of pupils with speech, language or moderate learning difficulties, is significantly above average, as is the proportion who have a statement of special educational need. There are 11 pupils in the care of the local authority. The school has a designated provision for pupils with statements of special educational need for their autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). The school achieved the Healthy School status in 2005."

Hmmmm...all right. Let's see a bit more detail.

"The school works hard to support the diverse needs of the ever-changing school population. Parents appreciate the school's commitment to their children and the support they receive. One parent, reflecting the views of many, reported, 'My son is very happy in school which has a friendly, calm and positive atmosphere. His additional needs have been met with real care and consideration and I feel well supported as his parent.'"

That's good. Very good!

"Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall, and improving. Relationships are excellent, resulting in pupils behaving well and having positive attitudes."

That translates to: not as tough as it might have seemed at first.

"Pupils are polite, friendly and naturally inquisitive and clearly understand about healthy living and how to keep safe. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils show empathy for each other's differences and support each other well."

Gold, pure gold.

As I read on, the school report showed that the school has difficulties but that they're being handled well. The chief concern seemed to be with the consistency of teaching. That means, some teachers don't teach what/how they are supposed to.

Or, in other words, if I do my job, things should be fine.

(source: Ofsted)

Cajun Squirrel

Times are tough in London. Foodstuffs that would not have otherwise been eaten are commonplace. Squirrels (see picture) are delicacies, and are viciously fought over. Or so I'm led to believe.

The last three days have been great. I arrived on Friday, was sped away through London to my recruiting office where I finished paperwork before being deposited at my friend's house. The flat is in a great area and not too far from my schools. I now have a very expensive SIM card for my phone so I can call people while waiting for the Tube using my very expensive Travelcard. I've just dealt with the basics really, buying food and figuring out how to get around. I don't think there will be much sightseeing for a while. I really prefer to live in this country rather than be a tourist. That said, there's lots to see and do.

Last night for example, a good friend and I went to a pub. One strange phenomenon here is that if there isn't any room in the pub, you just go outside...and stand. Or you can sit on the curb. The first time I saw this I wondered why several dozen people were milling about on a streetcorner with pints of beer and cider. No problem, I was told, this is a normal Saturday afternoon.

I think the best thing for this blog is to write in short bursts. A long blog is just not interesting. So I will stop and try again tomorrow.