I’m getting into the swing of the Victorian education system, and while it’s pretty similar to Manitoba’s, there are some distinct differences. Here are the first things I noticed:
Embracing the outdoors
All the campuses I’ve been on have felt more like a university campus than the schools in Manitoba. They are a collection of individual buildings, separated by sidewalks. Hallways are minimal, and students often have their lockers outside the buildings in covered areas. As a result, the classrooms have no shortage of windows!
What’s a bell?
I’ve seen a wide variety: some schools have auditory markers for each period, others have none whatsoever, and some just have to mark the beginning and end of the day. I say ‘auditory marker’ because two schools I’ve worked at play about 10 seconds of a song to let you know it’s time to move on. I LOVE it. I’ve heard Rock You Like a Hurricane, Back in Black, All the Small Things, My Sharona, and so many more great tunes. It really has a way of changing your mood in just a moment.
No opening exercises
If a school has bells, the morning starts with the warning bell. A few minutes later the start of the day bell rings, and you do just that. They don’t do a land acknowledgement, play the national anthem (listen to it here), nor have any announcements. I’m divided on the issue, as it’s nice to not have to nag the kids to stand and remove their hats, but the day doesn’t have a feeling of an official “start” like it does at home.
Hi, my name is Miss!
My name is irrelevant. The students are perfectly content to call me “Miss”. I guess it’s better than “bro”? The staff will do it too, as I may not have had a chance to introduce myself and they’ll direct the student(s) to “see Miss”. I still introduce myself fully, cause it just feels wrong to be fully anonymous when I’m trying to build rapport with the students, even if I’m only going to be seeing them for a period.
This is only a handful of the differences I’ve noticed, but my original draft was getting too long. There will be more to come!
– Kate
Love the idea of the song bell!!!
I too love the idea of a song! I wonder how they get chosen. I’d love it if they played ‘School’s out for summer’ at the end of term. In the UK schools don’t play the national anthem or anything like that. In my day it was form time with the attendance register then straight to lessons.
That’s so interesting to hear about the songs being played at school. I also find it interesting that the national anthem isn’t played in Australia or the Uk ( see Jane’s comment above). I like hearing about all the differences, can I call you Miss from now on? Mum
Love the idea of a song to switch classes. How uplifting😊
Sounds like you are getting into the groove.
I am really enjoying your Blog. Travel is an education in itself. I like “O Canada” in our schools. When will they hear it otherwise.
Gran
Playing songs is what the Hutterites do over the PA to call members for meals and church. Sounds like a similar idea!