Gilnahirk Primary School: P6

As I said in an earlier post, I am doing the second half of my student teaching at Gilnahirk Primary School.  I am in a P6 class with 30 students, and the teacher I'm working with is Mrs. Thompson.

I have found myself comparing the school and the students to my first placement at Meriwether Lewis (hi Mrs. Oehler's class!! I miss you!).  Gilnahirk is located in a pretty wealthy neighborhood and does not seem to have very much diversity.  This is similar to Meriwether.  However, I did find differences as well.  Gilnahirk is a little bit smaller in terms of building size.  There is more of the building around the back, but this will give you an idea.

Gilnahirk Primary School 

The entryway into the school

The class sizes are also different.  They are much bigger at Gilnahirk!!  While, there are only two classes for every grade, each class has 30 students in it.  That has been a bit of an adjustment for me.  I went from 23 little six year olds to 30 nine and ten year olds!  Below are pictures of the P6 class that I'm in.

Here are a list of other differences I have noticed:

• ALL of the students wear uniforms ALL of the time!
• Everyone talks with an Irish accent
• The students study religion in school and even practice hymns 
• They say "Maths" instead of "Math"
• The teachers teach every subject, including health, PE, art, and music

While it may seem like there a lot of differences between this class in Belfast and my first class in Charlottesville, I have found some things that are the same.  Students in Northern Ireland have allergies just like students in the United States do!

I have also found that the most important things (the staff and the students) are the same as well.  Everyone at Gilnahirk has been incredibly nice and welcoming, just as they were at Meriwether Lewis.  Most importantly, the students are nice, welcoming, and fun.  And I think they are excited that I am here to teach them!  Below is a sampling of the gifts I was given on my first day in the classroom!

Getting things like these from students is one of my favorite things!

This next week the students have what they call Half-term Break, so they are on vacation for an entire week!  I'm making the most of it by traveling to Dublin in Ireland, Brussels and Bruges in Belgium, and Edinburgh in Scotland.  I'm so excited! I love to travel!!!

Stay tuned for details and pictures of my adventures!