Week 2 Comparisons

Since my video is not uploading, I am going to compare and contrast the differences between the Ireland school system and the American school system (according to my experiences) through writing. This is n ot exciting, I know, as seeing my face, but  the blog site won't let me upload that long of a video...

So it has been three weeks in the school at this point. Though, when I did my comparison blog, it was at the end of last week.
There are a lot of differences that immediately come to mind, but first I will address the similarities...

{Similarities}
The classroom setup is pretty similar to American classroom setups. There are desks and the walls are covered in word walls. There are also Smartboards and whiteboards in most classrooms, too. The students have bins to keep their own personal items, much like in the American schools where there is a bin for each table to keep crayons, pencils, glue sticks, etc. There are also computers in the classrooms in Ireland, though not as many.

For math and language arts, students are pulled from classes if they need remedial help. There are resource teachers that have their own individual rooms to work with these students.

The day is broken up into similar subjects; math, language arts, geography or history, etc. But these students also take a language (Gaelic) - which I was really surprised to see how young these students start to use this language in classrooms. My friend Courtney, who works with junior infants (4-5 years olds) says that the students are already practicing their Gaelic with simple commands and directions.

Onto some immediate differences :

I do not see a nurse in the school building. Holy Family has a junior infant school that is held within a different building (I'm unsure). The cafeteria and gym/auditorium are different buildings as well, all on one fenced in campus.

The library here is composed of six bookshelves at the end of a hallway with a plethora of books, though not many that fall under the American Accelerated Reader Program (which is what the school is trying to improve upon). I am currently trying to categorize the entire library into genres and levels of readers (which I am finding VERY difficult)

A difference that has posed a problem for me, personally, is that there is no carpet in any of the classrooms. The teachers do not typically do Read-Alouds...which is something very prominent in American schools. In my own "student" experience - I was read books/novels until 5th grade and possibly beyond. I think it is a great way to let students practice their auditory skills and explore different genres of books that they would not typically read. the carpet is also a pivotal part in the classroom because it allows for some kind of change-up in seating throughout the day. The kids in Ireland have to sit in the chairs from the start of the day, until the end. I would get fidgety if it were me in those seats!

Another difference is that the kids are allotted textbooks and notebooks for each of their subjects. It is their responsibility to take care of their books and write their homework or classwork in the proper "copies" book. This responsibility runs all the way down until junior infants! Amazing!

I have also found that hugs and high-fives are not used regularly in the classroom. I am all about positive reinforcement, and find nothing better than to get a high-five in acknowledgement of my work...so I expected the same of the teachers/students here - which is not the case.

There are probably tons more comparisons that I could make - but I must be honest, there is a lot that I am still trying to let sink in - even on week three.