May 11th to 13th
This week is a very short week given that Thursday 14th is the Ascension Day holiday, and Friday 15th is a bridging holiday. Wednesdays in schools here are half days, and the students only have 5 lessons. Monday begins with a day trip up to Mt. Rigi by train, a steep 3-hour trek down the mountain to Weggis, followed by a boat ride to the nearby city of Lucerne and then a train home. This was an interesting opportunity for me to see and interact with the students outside the classroom context. Even though I did not have as many conversations with the students as I would have liked to, it was still worthwhile being on the trip with them, if for nothing else, then to sympathize with them about the various aches in everybody’s legs on the next day!
This week, I got to team teach a few more French lessons, and sat in on Math and Science lessons as well. In the Science lessons, the students were individually giving presentations (in German, of course) on a topic they had researched and had also interviewed a specialist in the field. Some of the presentations I got to see were on The Eye and Blood. Even though I did not understand German, I could follow along with the visuals, and when I was really stuck, I quickly translated some words online so that I could be a part of the presentations. These presentations were very impressive, and I could see that the students had put in a lot of time and effort into them. It also reinforced the notion of scientific literacy. Even though I could not understand the language of communication, I could understand the language of Science the students were trying to convey. I also got to help with a Biology lesson, where the students were looking at plant and animal cells under a microscope. Again, the lesson was in German, but being microscope-literate, I could walk around and help students get the focus right, and even asked and answered questions. It was interesting to see that they used the Elodea plant leaf as a sample for a plant cell, and cheek cells for a sample of animal cells – exactly what we use here for the same lessons!
From this invaluable experience of teaching in Zurich, I intended to uphold the mantra of lifelong learning. I hoped to accumulate a wealth of wisdom and experiences that I can pass on to my students one day. This opportunity also allowed me to travel and live in a country I had not yet had a chance to visit, which in itself is an incredible source of learning. At UBC, as well as in my previous schools, I have come across exceptional teachers and instructors from whom I am trying to emulate the best instructional methods, techniques, skills and efficient use of resources, and I keep on learning.
See what it was like to be in Zurich for the first time!