Last Day

Yesterday was my last day with the children at CPIMS and today was my last day at work. We had a final class party with an 'American' theme. The children all dressed up, the parents brought the most wonderful 'American' food and we had a great time. Some of the children were upset when it was time to leave, I told them we have had a fantastic year together and I will remember each and every one of them for the rest of my life. The Fulbright exchange is all about being a teacher in another country and without doubt, I have enjoyed every moment of my teaching experience. As Dr Seuss said, Don't cry because it's over, smile because it's happened. Hopefully the children in my class will always remember their eccentric British teacher and will continue to call the garbage can a bin and the closet a cupboard for many years to come. Seriously though, I hope I have broadened their horizons and touched their lives, as they have mine! In 2 sleeps we fly back to the UK. We are packed and ready, in more ways than one. We have had a wonderful, terrible, extraordinary year. But now it is time to go home.

A Dream Come True.

Apart from the teaching, the best part of my time in America came a few weeks ago when Ron and I spent the weekend in Woodstock. Woodstock is in New York State, it is only a couple of hours away from us but we wanted to wait until the weather was warmer before we visited. We picked the best weekend ever for the weather. The converted barn we stayed in was fabulous and we loved the small town of Woodstock. Full of eclectic shops and boutiques, restaurants and bars. We even managed to have our first Indian meal since last July! We enjoyed strolling round taking in the sights until Saturday night and the reason for our visit... a Levon Helm concert. Levon was the singer / drummer in The Band, without doubt mine and Ron's favourite band EVER! He plays a 'Midnight Ramble' most Saturdays in the studio of his home in Woodstock. This was such an amazing experience. We sat one row back from the great man. Literally close enough to tough. Ron actually shook his hand. For 3 hours we heard some fantastic music and loved every second of it. Everyone there was so friendly and the staff were fantastic, mostly volunteers who travel there every Saturday for the love of Levon and the music. As if things couldn't get any better than that, the next day we rented bikes and went off into the Catskill mountains in search of Big Pink. This is the house The Band lived when they wrote the albums 'Music From Big Pink' and Bob Dylan's 'Basement Tapes'. The ride itself was unbelievable. We had the winding mountain roads to ourselves as we passed deer, snakes and chipmunks. There are bears in the Catskills and at one point I was fairly scared a bear would jump out of the woods and eat me! The scenery was some of the most beautiful I have ever encountered and we had such an adventure (18 miles, only got totally lost twice, Ron stopping at one point to tell me he was dieing and we weren't going another inch!) When we arrived outside Big Pink (which is still a private residence) we took our photos and then one of the neighbours pulled up, but rather than telling us to push off and stop trespassing, he couldn't have been friendlier, asking us where we were from and telling us to 'hang and chill' for as long as we wanted! To know that we were standing at the epicentre of all that great music, on the same spot as Robertson, Danko, Dylan. Helm, Hudson and Manuel was awe inspiring. Without doubt the best experience of our lives. Like the whole year, more proof that with effort, Faith and luck - dreams do come true!

The Regulars Are Coming (Look it up Sarah Palin)!

Maybe I'm alone in this but I was never taught about the USA Revolutionary War at school. To the English, it is just another colony revolting. To Americans it is the birth of their nation. Is has definitely been interesting 'teaching' New York State in the Revolutionary War to my 4th graders. We have enjoyed learning about it together. They often feel they are being disloyal in showing support for the Patriots! When we heard there was to be a Revolutionary War re-enactment in our small town there was only one thing to do. Attend. In a Union Jack t-shirt! Yet they were (as all Americans are) so kind and welcoming to us. I was glad I had left my red coat at home.

Memorial Day Parade and BBQ

In England we have Remembrance Sunday to honor our soldiers, in the USA they have 2 days. Veteran's Day which is 11th November, as is ours, and Memorial Day. Americans love the armed forces. People 'in service' over here get all kinds of discounts and free entry to things. The number one tv show over here, NCIS is about Navel Criminal Investigation Services. You often see men and women in full military dress wandering around shopping malls and the like. If I was born an American , hell even now, I would be tempted to join up myself. To be in the military seems to be as close to being perfect as you can get. They are automatically 'heros' just from their job choice. Nearly everyone you meet seems to have a family member over in Afghanistan or 'Eye'rak. Personally, I feel the glorification of the military cannot ever be a good thing. If troops are 'drafted' that is one thing but people are rarely totally altruistic and the army is a job, with pay, as any other. Especially nowadays when the 'enemy' is such a media led device. However, Memorial Day is a big deal. We went down to Scotia for the parade and blow me if even a hardened liberal as myself didn't shed a tear to some of the old timey solders being driven past. The parade was VERY America. Cheerleaders, Little Leaguers, Classic Cars, Darth Vader. They were all there. I loved the fact that bringing up the rear were a group of pacifists with peace signs. That was my favourite part. We had a day off school for Memorial Day and attended a BBQ. This was fantastic, a 'real' American holiday. The sun beat down ferociously and we ate hot dogs and burgers. Americans are a very proud nation and sometimes I wonder if with all my liberal cynicism, I am not missing out on some good clean fun!

Zombie Attack

So a few weekends ago, now that Winter has finally gone, we were invited for some drinks and dinner in Saratoga Springs. This was also the day of the much anticipated Apocalypse and the CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) has released information on how to prepare for a Zombie Invasion! This was actually tongue in cheek (I hope) to remind people in the US of the need for an emergency plan for more likely problems, tornado, flood etc. Saratoga Springs is a very well to do Spa town. There is horse racing there throughout the summer. Don Maclean wrote 'American Pie' here and it is immortalised in the Carly Simon song, 'You're so Vain' with the lyrics, "I hear you went up to Saratoga, And your horse naturally won". It is a lovely place. As I may have mentioned before, America can often seem like a giant parking lot. Last week in Woodstock ( blog to follow!) we heard a song about "strip malls from sea to shining sea" and that is not wrong! It is desolate and depressing. However there do exist pockets of lovely and Saratoga is one of these. Lively, artistic and lots of shops and bars! We sampled the (disgusting sulphuric) spring then found a rooftop bar at Apocalypse time, safest place in a Zombie invasion!

Maine and Mr Alfie Kohn.

I flew straight from Chicago to Portland, Maine. I say 'straight' but actually *shame* I missed my first flight. How did this happen? I am normally the person who arrives 2 hours early. Unfortunately I had not reckoned on Chicago rush hour and was stuck at the airport for 4 hours until I managed to get another flight!


Drama over, Portland is a fantastic city. It reminded me of Whitby, Bridlington etc. I was beside myself with excitement to find actual streets with shops, bars, restaurants. Not a strip mall in sight! The sound of seagulls also made me feel very much at home. I was all by myself in Maine. I have never stayed anywhere alone before and it was a strange experience, especially eating alone! The first night I tracked down a Maine lobster and it was FANTASTIC although not having anyone to share the fun with gave me new found respect for the majority of the Fulbrighters who have been alone for the whole year! The reason for my stay was the incredibly generous Fulbright exchange people had given me the opportunity for 'Professional Development'. This could be whatever I wanted (within limits - no Disneyland- not that I'd want to!) I had been to some training in the UK based on the writings of Alfie Kohn. An American educationalist, speaker and author. He is quite controversial. He is in favor of 'Progressive' schools. These would be schools that abandon 'official' testing in favor of teacher assessment, that do not give homework or grade children and that do not reward children with stickers or prizes. He believes rewards have to be intrinsic. That we should want to do something for the good of others instead of to get something for ourselves - even just praise. When I first heard some of his ideas I was very anti. I have always been very generous with praise and rewards, in fact I have always followed the 'Assertive Discipline' technique of reward good behavior, ignore bad behavior - as much as possible and found it to be very successful. However, in the UK I tried some of his techniques out with my Kindergarten class and they did work. Children did not stop doing the 'right' thing just because they were not getting a sticker for it. When I found out Alfie Kohn was giving a teacher's workshop in Maine, I had to go! The workshop was fantastic. A lot of the teachers there became very emotional as what he says is common sense - missing in so many school administrations. Children do not thrive through testing and labeling but through a rich and creative curriculum, tailored to their interests. It was an honor and a privilege to meet the man in person and I will be trying to implement his ideas throughout the rest of my career. (I am also incredibly lucky to work in a school in the UK where 'progressive' ideas are welcomed and supported).


The workshop was held in a Quaker school and I contacted the Principal and spent the morning in the school. What an incredible place. The Quaker principles are very similar to Alfie Kohn's writings. The teachers are all called by their first names. They are there to facilitate the children's learning. The school is on an island and the children spend a considerable amount of time outdoors. This really was principles into practice. The school had a joyous and calm quality. The children were respectful and intelligent. They were not all Quakers by any means but by being an 'independent' school, they were not held so rigorously to the state requirements. The kindergarten looked a lot like ours (The Parks) with natural furniture and child led activities. The difference being these child led activities could be a driftwood collecting search on the beach!


I loved the workshop, loved the school and loved Maine. Yet again, I am so grateful to Fulbright for these opportunities and experiences.

Chicago - End Of Fulbright Meeting

Re-entry and it's problems was the double-entendre laden subject of last weekends Fulbright meeting in Chicago. We arrived, from various corners of the US, the night of the wedding and spent the night in the hotel bar putting the 'finishing touches' to our end of year presentations. Last time I saw most of the Exchangees was in Seattle back in September and it was fantastic to catch up and compare stories. Just being with a load of British women was such a comfort! The irony, sarcasm and wine flowed freely! We stayed, as usual, in a fantastically posh hotel. Chicago was amazing although I didn't see nearly enough of it. Saturday was presentations and on the night trying a Chicago pizza (rank)! I can't stress enough the joy of being with friends and sharing a frame of reference and fun. Sunday came too soon and we received our certificates and filled in some fantastically interesting tax forms. I was lucky enough to be able to stay on for a n extra night with a couple of other Fulbrighters and we wandered the city and enjoyed cocktails and fantastic Chinese food. Nee How! All the Fulbrighters are bound by sharing such an amazing opportunity and while our personal experiences vary widely, we all agree that we would not change a second of this unbelievable year. We vowed to fight the re-entry worm and meet up back in the UK. I cannot wait!