Bas Siebring's Blog

Tag: engels

  • Maria in New Zealand – part 5 (October 7 – 11)

    Here it is; the final photo blog with pictures of Maria’s stay in New Zealand.

    It was a beautiful sunny day when we were walking part of the Abel Tasman track on October 7th. We had booked the Abel Tasman National Park Discoverer Day package. The boat cruising along the coast dropped us off at Bark Bay around 11.30am and picked us up at Anchorage Bay 12 km further at 3.30pm. It was a gorgeous walk and the views were stunning at times! After that we drove on to Nelson, where we stayed the night.

    The next day we drove from Nelson to Picton, but we did a bit of detour towards Seddon, to visit the Yealands Estate winery. This remarkable vineyard even produces wine for the Dutch market and we had actually had a couple of their wines with our Christmas dinner last year! We had a nice tour and tasting, before returning to Picton. We went to bed early, because we had booked the early (7am) ferry, which meant we had to check in at 6am and therefore get up at 5! Ouch!

    However, this gave us the opportunity to drive from Wellington to Turangi on Tuesday, and arrive there quite early (around 3pm), leaving us some time to relax, go for a beautiful walk around the village, have dinner and sleep before heading back to Auckland on Wednesday the 10th.

    We were back home around 2pm. Since it was Maria’s last day (she had to fly back to the Netherlands on Thursday the 11th of October) we spent the day unpacking and packing, relaxing, going out for dinner in Titirangi (delicious Indian food) and watching Boer zoekt Vrouw on Uitzendinggemist together 🙂 It was difficult to say goodbye on Thursday morning, but we definitely have had some incredible 3 weeks creating many lovely shared memories!

    Bas and I only had a few more days off, before we both had to go ‘back to reality’ (working), which we spent relaxing and preparing for the last term of the school year. Time is flying actually, since this is already Bas’ final term teaching in New Zealand, but we’ll tell you more about our plans for the future in our next blog. Stay tuned!

  • Maria in New Zealand – part 4 (October 4 – 6)

    We are spoiling you with updates! 😉 Here are some more pictures of Maria’s stay in New Zealand / our roadtrip. These are from the drive from Picton to Hamner Springs (with a stop near Kaikoura, marvelling at the seal colony), our stay in Hamner Springs, the drive to Westport through the mountains (unfortunately covered in clouds and with heavy rainfall), via the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki, and finally our drive to Motueka, near Abel Tasman Park, where the sun finally started to shine again after another whole day of rain. Yay!

    We’re almost there; I’ll post one more blog later this week, and then I should be up-to-date again.

  • Teaching in New Zealand

    Something else than just pictures

    In the last few months we have mainly updated our blog with pictures and travel stories. Something that most of the frequent visitors of our blog like: it is a peek into our life, a way of keeping up with what we’re doing, seeing and experiencing. When we were in Canada, I also updated the blog with experience of my teaching, especially in the first year, when everything was new and when I had heaps of time to write updates. I haven’t written a lot on my professional experiences in New Zealand, which may cause many to conclude that teaching here is quite like teaching in The Netherlands or Canada. It definitely isn’t. So apart from the time issue, why haven’t I written about it until now?

     

    New media, new rules

    Especially on the north American content, there have been some recent issues with teachers using social media with regards to friending students / parents, with regards to opinions about students / parents / employers. Bottom line: as a professional teacher you have to be careful. You have to present yourself on media like Twitter and blogs like you would in the school, still leading by example and all the yada yada. Privacy settings aren’t fool proof, they change and sometimes through ways you could not have predicted your personal thoughts can become public. And from what I’ve read and seen of colleagues I know, this can have very negative consequences. So even though I will update you on how my job has been so far this year, I cannot tell you everything and I will be politically correct where needed. If you want to know more about specifics, you are more than welcome to Skype me or ask me otherwise about it. In case I have to make this clear: this blog contains my opinions, my observations and the conclusions I deduce from those observations. I am still learning about the NZ system every day, so it is by no means complete and by no means representing the opinions of my employer.

     

    So what about teaching in New Zealand?

    Teaching in New Zealand is yet again very different from teaching in Canada or The Netherlands. A short list of differences / uniques:

      1. NZ students are more like the Dutch students, which means they are direct, frank and less polite than Canadian students. It has been a bit of an adjustment for me, but like in every country you meet interesting individuals and you get to add to their development in becoming a (hopefully) responsible and educated adult. Teaching them, as I have found in Canada and The Netherlands, is rewarding. I really like my job most of the days. 🙂
      2. Year levels / class numbers are different again *sigh*. A comparison:
        New Zealand Canada The Netherlands
        IS, YR 8 MS, YR 7 HS, class 1
        HS, Year 9 MS, Year 8 HS, class 2
        HS, Year 10 HS, Year 9 HS, class 3
        HS, Year 11 HS, Year 10 HS, class 4
        HS, Year 12 HS, Year 11 HS, class 5
        HS, Year 13 HS, Year 12 HS, class 6
        Abbreviations used:
        HS: High School
        IS: Intermediate (School)
        MS: Middle School
        Leaving High School

        • In New Zealand, you can leave High School after gaining enough credits at Level 1 (Yr 11) or Level 2 (Yr 12). Not all students will continue until the end (Level 3, year 13)
        • In The Netherlands, depending on level you started High School, you can leave High school after Class 4, 5 or 6, after you have passed the final examination of your school level
        • In Canada, at least in the NWT / Albertan system, the goal seems to be to have everybody in HS until year 12 (the longest) You can pick different levels within a subject (dash 1, 2 or 3) in Year 11 and 12
        Start and duration of High School
        The Netherlands: Age 12, 6 years
        New Zealand: Age 13, 5 years
        Canada: Age 14, 4 years
      3. The system in NZ is mostly inclusive, quite like the Canadian system, with a small twist. This means that in Years 9 and 10 the classes are mixed: all levels are present. There is a “low band” class with students that really have a low level or other severe learning disabilities, there is a “high band” class with a lot of more academic students that get a bit more challenge, but the majority of the classes have a mixed level (especially for the Dutch: from VMBO KB to high HAVO / low VWO students)
      4. The way of assessing learning is completely different. The way of giving feedback on learning reminds me of my time teaching in a Montessori High School. Depending on how well students do in the assessment, they can get an Achieved, Achieved with Merit  or an Achieved with Excellence. Of course there is also the Not Achieved for those who fail to pass a test. What I found very refreshing is that, unlike the system in the Montessori school (or like the old school American system), the categories are not attached to a percentage based mark. Rather than that, questions can have different outcomes, that are very specifically mentioned in a marking schedule. Not all questions will have an “Excellence” outcome, or even a “Merit” outcome. So there are easy questions that get you Achieved, somewhat harder questions with an Achieved and a Merit outcome, and even harder questions with an Achieved, a Merit and an Excellence outcome.
        The advantages:

        • Students with a lot of easy answers will not get an inflated score: all teachers know what I mean. That kind of student that doesn’t really show the 75% or even 80% work, but by scraping a lot of little points gets there anyways. Is the work of Excellence level? Is it quality? No, it is quantity that gets them the mark. So is it really excellent / far above average? Nah…. So with the NZ system you can have like 15 achieved answers out of 18 questions. But without scoring the Merit components of the harder questions, you will not very likely get a Merit score. Your score really reflects the quality of your work and although quantity does matter, it doesn’t influence the mark in an unfair way.
        • The tests allow all levels to do well. All levels write the same test. Some classes will be prepared to the level that they can answer only the “Achieved” questions, some will be taught everything needed to do Achieved and Merit questions and some classes will be taught to have a shot at all the questions. Students can pass if they only do questions to an achieved level, which I like a lot. It makes class hopping easy as well: you can show your work is on a high level, since all students write the same test.

        The disadvantages:

        • High level students achieve too easily. There is almost no challenge in getting an achieved if you’re bright.
        • Low level students often cannot get more than Achieved. I like this better in the Dutch system: if you’re in a VMBO TL class (mid level), you can get a good mark when being compared with achieved, merit and excellence outcomes on your working level. So you can get a 90% score on a test that tests your own curriculum. I feel this is often perceived by students as more rewarding.
        • Working hard in class gets less rewarded. Closely connected with an advantage, you cannot get a Merit if you don’t get Merit answers. Even if you get all questions right on the achieved level! I mean, in Canada and The Netherlands that would easily give you a 75% score! What is the difference between getting 10 out 20 answers at an achieved level and 20 out of 20 at an achieved level? Both tests get an “Achieved”. Unfair? I could see how you could think so.
      5. The amount of Science per student per year:
        • The Netherlands: 40 weeks x 2 classes x 60 minutes = 4800 minutes = 80 hours (last school I taught in the Netherlands)
        • Canada: 20 weeks x 5 classes x 80 minutes = 8300 minutes = 138 hours (last school in Yellowknife)
        • New Zealand: 40 weeks x 3 classes x 60 minutes = 7200 minutes = 120 hours (current school in New Zealand)
      6. The amount of time at teacher spends in front of a classroom with students:
        • The Netherlands: 40 weeks x 25 classes x 60 minutes = 60000 minutes = 1000 hours (last school I taught in the Netherlands) (may even be higher)
        • Canada: 40 weeks x 17,5 classes x 80 minutes = 56000 minutes = 933 hours (last school in Yellowknife)
        • New Zealand: 40 weeks x 20 classes x 60 minutes = 48000 minutes = 800 hours (current school in New Zealand)
      7. Average amount of students a Science teacher teaches on a weekly basis at max class sizes
        • The Netherlands: 300 students
        • Canada: 120 students
        • New Zealand: 210 students
      8. To say something about work pressure: New Zealand feels as busy as a 75% job in The Netherlands (I have never worked fulltime in The Netherlands). Then again, in The Netherlands I have always been busy with studying next to teaching. I have felt that the work pressure in Canada was the least for me for the following reasons:
        • Least amount of students, less marking (even with more formative assessment)
        • Same students / classes every day of the week

        In Canada I made long days (in early, out late) and had everything done 95% of the times. In New Zealand, I get in early, out late and felt I had everything done 50% of the time. Mind you that this is my first year in NZ, it is likely this number will improve if I would teach here a second year. In The Netherlands, I wasn’t in that early, out pretty late, though not as late as in NZ or YK, and never done. So maybe with my new work ethic and more experience, I may do better in a next job in The Netherlands, but hey, the numbers speak for themself as well. Keep that in mind Dutchies, the next time you trash a Dutch teacher on his holidays at a birthday party 😉

    I could tell so much more about teaching abroad. I love it. It is what motivates me, it is my drive. Some teachers have a drive to climb up on the ladder in a school: to become (vice-)principals or deans, my aim for now has been to teach in different countries and to learn from that. We’ll see what it brings me in the future. For now, I think I have told enough and hopefully haven’t bored you too much. Maybe I should conclude with thanking you, if you’ve managed to read this far. 🙂

  • Maria in New Zealand – part 2 (September 26 – 30)

    More photos below of Maria visiting us in New Zealand. Bas got his holiday on Friday the 28th, so we took off for a roadtrip through this beautiful country. I am now posting this update from our hotel in Wellington. Tomorrow we’ll take the ferry over to the South Island. The pictures below are from the last few days in Auckland (and surroundings, e.g. Waiheke Island) and the start of our trip (Rotorua and Napier). Have fun!

  • Maria in New Zealand – part 1 (September 20 – 25)

    Hello all!

    Sorry for the lack of updates, but we’ve been busy spending time and catching up with Maria (Judith’s mom), who arrived in Auckland last Thursday. She had a good, but long flight. We were very happy to see each other again after such a long time! This week we are doing all kinds of ’touristy’ stuff in Auckland, as well as just showing Maria where and how Bas and Judith live. Next week we’ll be off on a two-week roadtrip through New Zealand, visiting various places on the North Island as well as on the South Island. Here are some pictures of the first few days, including Judith’s birthday party! Enjoy!

  • A weekend in Queenstown!

    Early Friday morning (7 am!) our flight to Queenstown departed. That meant we had to get up quite early, but it was definitely worth it. We had such an awesome weekend! We arrived in Queenstown close to 9 am. A short bus ride later, we were at our hotel (‘Scenic suites’; definitely worth its name!) and we were pleasantly surprised to find our room ready for us! So, we checked in, left our luggage and went on our merry way to the downtown area for a proper breakfast. It was only a short 10 minute walk to the downtown area of this small town (approx. 11,000 inhabitants – plus probably just as many tourists). The breakfast burrito we had at Halo’s was delicious! After that, we decided to check out the rest of the town, walking around and taking in the beautiful views of the mountains and the lake. The weather was nice; a balmy +15 degrees Celsius or so, which made it feel strange that we would be skiing the next day! After a lazy afternoon and roomservice for dinner, we decided to head to bed early.

    Saturday morning we had to be ready by 8 am for our bus ride to the Cardrona Ski Resort, just over an hour Northeast of Queenstown. We kept going upwards; the views (and the ravines) were breathtaking. When we arrived at the Resort we picked up our gear and headed out for our first ski lesson! A Croatian lady taught us well, and after 2 hours, the 8 of us in the group could all more-or-less ski down the Beginners’ hill area. Nice, but exhausting! We definitely needed a lunch break, so we went to the restaurant and took a rest. After that, we had another 2-hour lesson with just 3 pupils (Bas, me and one other guy). We all did quite well, so the teacher decided after an hour, we were advanced enough to go up the ‘big’ hill and try our first real descent. Scary, but cool!! After that our feet/legs were sore, and we had to get back to the bus… the day just flew by! Unfortunately, I (Judith) have not been as car sick in years as I was on the way back to Queenstown… was I ever happy to stumble out of the bus and back in the hotel!! Oh my! A warm, relaxing bath got me back to normal and we headed out for a delicious dinner at the Waterfront bistro. And then it was time for a good sleep!

    Sunday morning was check-out time, another nice breakfast at Halo’s, another walk around town (to see what we’ll be doing next time!!) and finally back to the airport. Our flight at 2pm came to soon for our liking; we would have loved to stay longer, but we’ll definitely come back.

    And if we haven’t convinced you yet that we had a good time by reading this blog update, you can always have a look at our pictures (as always: click to enlarge and read the captions). Enjoy! 🙂

     

  • Winter holiday – road trip to the South Island – part 3

    We’re back in Auckland after a glorious trip to the South Island. Here’s a third batch of pictures.

    Day 9 – Collingwood to Picton (scenic tour – via Farewell Spit)

    Day 10 – Picton to Wellington ferry

    Day 11 – Driving back from Wellington to Auckland (no pictures worthy of posting, we just drove all day)

     

  • Tramping in the (neighbour)hood…

    So, ok, it’s winter in New Zealand, right? Well, technically it’s fall – the official winter starts of course on June 21st – compare this with December 21st in the Northern hemisphere and you get my point – it should be winter, right?!

    Anyway, it was definitely cold this morning. It had probably come close to freezing overnight and in our house it was only 9 degrees Celsius. Which is very chilly, if you have single glass windows, no heating or isolation and you can see through the cracks of the windows and doors…

    However, the sun was around pretty much all day and it warmed up nicely to a sizzling 16 degrees Celsius. In the sun that would have been around 20!

    In fact, it was so nice that I decided to go tramping (NZ word for hiking) for a bit in our neighbourhood (Bas takes the car to work, so I usually either go by foot or bus if I want to do something). I could almost have put on shorts, cause it was so nice out! No jacket needed for sure!

    I went towards a part of our area, where I hadn’t been before (Oratia). This was the route of the walk I did (click to enlarge):

    It was about 7km which took me just about 1.5 hours. And here are some pictures of views and flora in our area during this walk. At the turning point there was a little orchard with fresh apples for sale, and I had the best apple that I’ve had for ages, for only 20 cents. 🙂

    Oh, by the way, this is winter, right!? 😉

  • Picture update: second big trip in New Zealand!

    School holiday, time for a trip!

    After 10 weeks of hard work, Bas can now enjoy two weeks of holiday. The system in New Zealand is quite straight foward: 4 terms, seperated by two weeks of holiday. Anyways, we have a quite massive picture update, starting of with the visit of Marten and Mirjam and their kids. They came for a housewarming :-). Pretty nice weather and company, nice food. Everything for a good NZ night of fun. After that it is mainly pictures of the first 3 days of our 8 day trip on the North Island of NZ.

    We started of with 3 days in a  spa resort, to relax, get massages, hang out in the sauna and all the pools. Awesome stuff. Anyways, have a look at the pics, more to come!

  • Judith back in NZ

    While Bas worked hard at Green Bay High School, I spent the past 2 weeks in the Netherlands, taking care of some business and arranging lots of things. It was very strange to be in our home in Groningen all by myself. It was very nice to see some friends and family, but I missed Bas and there was lots to arrange and a whole lot of work to do (the reason I was there; working and handing over work to a new communications manager at KDE Energy). At least, it paid the bills (and the plane ticket ;-)) Furthermore, I arranged a lot: selling our car, moving the bunnies from bunnysitter 1 to bunnysitter 2, insurance stuff, finding a temp. renter of our apartment + cleaning it, buying stuff to bring back, etc. Thanks to all who hosted me for dinner, I didn’t have to turn on the fridge 🙂

    I arrived back in Auckland on Sunday morning and I am very happy to be with Bas again. It is finally sinking in now that we’ll actually be able to stay in this beautiful country till January!  This week we’re both still working a lot, but then Bas has two weeks Easter break coming up on Friday, so we decided to treat ourselves to a little holiday. We made some hotel reservations in and around Roturoa, Taupo and Waitomo Caves – yeah, you can look that up, or you can wait for the pictures on our blog when we get back ;-), including a spa treatment in the first luxurious resort-type hotel/spa. Whoohoo! Looking forward to a bit of relaxation!

    We hardly took any pictures last month, so just a few pictures below this time. However, I am sure that we’ll have great shots for you to see after our mini-holiday! We’ll keep you updated!

    Cheers!