CARDS AND TRAVELLING AND TRAVELLING AND CARDS

For some reason, my entire time in Australia has been very nostalgic. There are many times that good memories pop up in my head and I am able to reflect on that time in my life and how I felt. It's funny that travelling and living abroad had brought these memories and feelings all back to me. I would say that living in Australia has changed me in many ways, but one thing that has always remained constant is my love of a good card game. 

The other day I had another nostalgic moment where I was thinking of a time when I was surrounding a picnic table with some friends and family in a campsite back at home. The fire was crackling in the dark and we each held a hand of cards which we could only see by nonchalantly shifting our hands into the stream of the propane light. This memory flooded my brain with other memories where I would be holding a hand of cards and it brought a feeling of warmth to me. As I reflected on these experiences, I came to realize how important playing cards are to me in my lived experiences and who I am as a person. 

Like I mentioned, travelling and living abroad has changed me in many ways. Not to be egotistical, but I feel like it has benefited me by making me a better person - more awesome, if you will. I have become more social, confident, adaptable, adventurous and perhaps even a little smarter. The more I travel, the more universal my thoughts, ideas and conversations become. Like playing cards, travelling has a large influence on my everyday learning and who I have become not only as a person but also as a teacher. It just so happens that travelling and playing cards have almost always gone hand in hand.

Through my travels around Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, I have come to realize that travelling, and in particular - staying in hostels, is the best way to meet new people each and every day. These people come from all around the world, all with stories just as unique as mine to share. There is something so profound about sitting at a table surrounded by people who came from each edge of the Earth with a willingness to share their stories and listen to others. I'm sure that a hand of cards is one of the best ways to be able to connect and get to know new friends. 

More often than not while we were travelling, we would find ourselves sitting around a table each with a hand of cards that had been dealt to us. In everyone's hand - a different combination of cards. I like to think of the cards as metaphor of our lives; possibly representing our pasts, our presents, or our futures. Whether they represent one thing or another, the truth is, those very cards are what brought everyone sitting around the table together. The cards engaged everyone in conversation and sparked the enthusiasm of some to lay their cards on the table for everyone else to see. 

Whether my metaphoric interpretation of playing cards engages you or not - the fact is that I realized that playing cards - a standard pile of 52 plastic-coated, distinguishably marked pieces of paper - have come to mean a whole lot more to me that I ever expected and have been a part of my own learning experiences since the very beginning. Now that I have looked back on many different memories, I have come to the realization that for the most part, playing cards have been the foundation for much of my learning. It’s not one specific place that has taught me some of the most valuable lessons in life; rather, it is the numerous hands of cards that I have held in different spaces that has guided my learning. These lessons have shaped my learning, molded me as a teacher, constructed me into a lifelong learner, and guided me as a curriculum-maker.

This friendship all started with a game of cards!

Besides the obvious, such as learning how to count and to add numbers, playing cards have taught me some bigger life lessons. Allow me  to put this into perspective.

Sense of Belonging

I said it earlier and I’ll say it again: playing cards brings people together. Looking back, I don’t think there was ever a family gathering where the good old casino quality deck of cards wasn’t brought out for a game of some sort. A simple game of cards can bring people together and as I have recently experienced, a game can bring people from all over the world together. The cards give you a sense of belonging or a reason why you are suddenly surrounded by the people around you. Whether I played cards on the red marble covered table at my grandparents, on a plane meal tray flying over Africa, on a rickety picnic table somewhere in Australia or gathered around a coffee table in a cozy cabin nestled by a creek in New Zealand; a deck of cards has always given me a sense of belonging and a reason to believe that I am where I am for a purpose.

Don’t Expect an Easy Way Out

If you’ve ever played cards with me, perhaps you have witnessed me with a hand full of jokers – for some reason they always wind up in my hand (I swear I don’t cheat), sometimes allowing me to easily win a round – or two. BUT, you aren’t always dealt the jokers or the wild cards, so there isn’t always going to be an easy way out. My Grandpa taught me this lesson best. Even though I was his granddaughter and he loved me, there was no way he would ever let me win. I never realized at the time (and maybe he didn’t either) but my grandpa was teaching me a whole lot about life in a single card game. There were times, I wanted to give up and not play cards against him because the probability of me winning a hand was never in my favour! He played to win and he was merciless when there were cards on the table. However, he taught me that it is alright to lose as long as I continue to give it my best the next time to try and win. Even when things are hard, don’t throw in your cards and give up. Just try again.

Pass Your Knowledge onto Others

If you’re a frequent card player, or frequently find yourself around card players, you’ll notice that each person knows different rules to some games, such as Rummy, where there are many versions to be played. You’ll hear, “We play it this way,” or “I’ve never heard of those rules before!” I enjoy the diversity each player is able to bring to the table. It allows for us to pass along our knowledge of the game while being able to absorb others knowledge of the same game. It’s fun to sometimes combine rules of different games to make a new game, as long as all the players agree on the rules! There are also times when some people may not know a particular game and you have to opportunity to teach them the rules and how to play the game. It’s all about collaboration and passing on what you know to others.

Always Be Present or You’ll Miss Something

In my early days of playing cards, I’m sure my family can testify to me never really being present in a game. I was off making sounds that annoyed them, I wasn’t thinking of how to play my cards before it got to my turn and I would have to be reminded that, in fact, it is my turn and so on. I would miss the fact that someone laid a wild card for me as they simply had too many or I would unknowingly have my opponents take advantage of me because I was not present in the game. I would miss something that was right in front of my eyes. Over time, I ditched the sound making and the wandering eyes and mind and learned how to focus on a game and to strategize, planning out my next move. In the long run, this has taught me about life. To live in the present. To not dwell on the past and to not worry about what may or may not happen in the future. Just to simply be present, where you are in each moment of the day. To look where your feet are planted, love every minute of it and don't miss out on the little things. 

You Can Still Win With a Bad Hand

The funny thing about playing cards is that you can be dealt really, really bad hands. You might not have anything you can work with or you might have nothing at all to play. This can go one of two ways. No matter what strategy you have in place or how strong your strategy might be - sometimes the cards just don't go your way. This happens in life too. You could have the best laid plan in the world, but things don't always turn out the way you imagined. And just like in a game of cards, you find out it's going to all be all right in the end. The same situation can go the other way as well. Maybe you're dealt a poor hand but there still a chance, even just a small chance, that if you play your cards right, you can come out winning - even against all odds. And really, is there a better feeling than being able to win with a bad hand?

DON'T WANNA LEAVE BUT I GOT A JOB!

It's crazy to think that this is my last week left of my year long stay in Australia. It has gone by so fast and to be honest, I am slightly nervous to move back to Canada. My life and experiences have been so incredible here that, at the moment, I don't want to begin picturing how everything will change when I move back. I am really going to miss my life in Melbourne. I love this city!

These last two month has been amazing for work! I have only had four days where I went without working. It has been very busy but I am grateful to have the opportunity to experience different classrooms and connect with so many people. 

Yesterday I was at a school that I have been to quite regularly. I've always enjoyed going to this school as the staff is absolutely amazing! I found it strange how a bulletin didn't make it to me before the first break so I went into the staffroom to check out if I had a yard duty. As I was checking the bulletin, the vice principal spotted me looking and added , "Nope, no duties for you today Kaitlyn!" This came as quite a surprise because as a CRT, you almost always have at least one yard duty a day, if not two. This is because we are paid to do a yard duty, so the school will swap us places with a teacher who would normally be on duty. I don't mind at all because I know the regular teachers would have heaps of things they could accomplish in their break whereas I don't have much to do.

I grabbed a seat in the staffroom, made a coffee and was ready to settle in for the next 40 minutes. There were mini muffins set out on a plate in front of each seat at the table. I began talking to the vice principal about my plans for next year as a kindergarten teacher and how I have so much enjoyed teaching in Australia, especially at this school. Once more of the staff had settled into their seats, the vice principal got up and began to explain why they were having a morning tea with mini muffins. One of the teachers got a full time job so they were celebrating, then he mention the two high school boys (who I was working with in PE) who had been volunteering their time in the sport program and that it was their last day at the school. All three of them were presented with big shortbread smiley face cookies. Then he continued as he brought out a massive jam and custard filled Lamington, "And, I have this typical Aussie dessert for our Canadian friend who has been a great addition to our school on occasion and is returning home shortly." I was completely shocked! I had no idea and I nearly cried out of the genuine gesture and for realizing my time here is down to the last few days. He said so many other kind, meaningful words to me but I forget most of them as I was completely surprised by all this happening. He explained to the rest of the staff where I come from and what the weather was doing there and then had me explain what I would be doing when I get back home. 

Which brings me to my latest news... I GOT A TEACHING JOB FOR THE FALL! Yessss, I woke up one morning at the beginning of the month to a job offer! I was absolutely thrilled because I had been feverishly applying to jobs all over Canada since March! This was another big surprise to me because I did not even interview for the position - I was just offered it. I accepted the offer because it was in Saskatchewan and because it is temporary (I will be covering a maternity leave!) I think it will be the perfect opportunity for when I get home and I will have the chance to move onto another adventure come January when my temporary contract is up! 

Meanwhile, I am so sad that my time here is coming to an end. I keep doing regular things that I have done for the last year and think, "This is the LAST time I will be doing this." It's going to be so hard to leave this place. I already miss it and I haven't even left yet. This Sunday Jenna and I did our last South Melbourne Market trip - something we have done nearly every Sunday for the last year. Today, I went to the Queen Victoria market and just took it all in being it would be last time there. The weather has been rainy and cold, I'm thinking it's mocking my feelings about leaving. 

Before I return home, I will be doing some final Australian travelling. On the first of July, I head off to the Red Centre, the heart of Australia...the OUTBACK and I am going solo! I am so so excited about this because I will get to explore Uluru, Ayers Rock, Kings Canyon and more! I will meet up with Alannah in Sydney where we will continue to do a sailing adventure through the Whitsundays Islands, head up to Magnetic Island, Mission Beach and Cairns! I'm glad I get to end my time off in the warm and tropical areas of Australia.

COOPERATIVE COLLABORATION

Just as I thought I wasn't going to get a call to work this morning, my phone rang and I was happy to accept my assignment for the day. My assignment was to teach Phys. Ed. - something I haven't done since before Christmas, so I was rather excited. 

I was lucky enough to have the first session of the day to have time to plan (and have a cup or two of coffee) and figure out what I should teach for the day. There was no plan left for me and no one seemed to know what the students have been doing in Phys. Ed. Although not having a plan of any kind would normally slightly stress me out, I was excited to have control of what I got to teach. 

It was a 'wet day' today meaning it was very rainy. Generally, schools have all of their Phys. Ed. lessons outside on the ovals or on the courts, but on days like today, we are left with the hall - a small space that is only used for after school care and the odd wet day. After seeing the space, I realized that getting 30 students in grades 5 and 6 could get quite crowded and rowdy. 

The hall is quite a small space.

Instead of planning to do a bunch of games, I thought it would be exciting to focus my lessons on the idea of cooperation and collaboration. As I planned, I thought of games and activities to do (with minimal running due to space constrictions) that would promote working together as a group for the same outcome. The students enjoyed the activities we did and they liked it even more when I added in a little challenge component by recording the time it took to complete the challenge or splitting the students into teams and racing. 

After having a discussion about what cooperation and collaboration is and what it looks like, I began my activities. The first challenge I called Wall Ball. I had the students lay with their backs on the floor and putting their feet up against the wall. Their task was to pass the ball from the first person to the last using only their feet. Not only did I notice that the students were helping each other out (with their feet) while the ball was passed from person to person but also they began motivating each other and positively cheering their classmates on. 

The second challenge was my favourite - The Hula Hoop challenge. To start, the biggest challenge was getting all the students to hold hands. I've never had this problem before since I generally teach preps and the younger grades, so I didn't anticipate this situation with the 3/4 and 5/6 classes. We had a spontaneous, quick lesson on holding hands and once again - the idea of team work. Unfortunately, I had a few students choose to sit out because their fear of holding the hand of an opposite gender was just too much. Basically, the students needed to all hold hands and pass a hula hoop all the way around the circle by going through the hoop and staying connected. It was a lot of fun and the challenge heated up when I split the students into teams of boys and girls. 

I had another game planned out to play, but as it turns out, we were short on hula hoops for this activity. I was so excited to play it so I will have to save it for another day at another school. It's called Caterpillar Riot - the name itself it so exciting! 

With the remaining time, I decided to do a silent vote for which game we should play. I let the students choose the games and we went from there. I despise dogdeball entirely - as a student and as a teacher, but every single student voted for it. There was no way I could skew the results to play a different game so we ended off the day with a game of dodgeball.