Farwell ISL

What an absolutely amazing experience these last 3 weeks have been.  I will miss these diverse students and welcoming school environment a lot.  Today they all gathered up and surprised me with a book, card, and some Belgian chocolates to say 'goodbye'.  It was very sweet.

Here we have all the students in the school (minus two on holidays), my main host teacher, and me.  I've come to know them all so well and be so excited by their progress - I can't believe my chapter in their learning has come to a close.  10 countries represented in this photo! Talk about an environment that prepares you for real life!

Permission has been granted for public posting of their children's faces associated with ISL (by parents)

Each child & staff member wrote a farewell note. And it is accompanied with photos of everyone! So nice!

My time may be over, but my reputation as "the most organized person in the world" (- my host teacher) will hopefully live on for a while after I'm gone.  Here are some of the systems I was able to put in place in the Grade 1/2 class.  With my teacher's trust, I was able to employ almost any idea that came to my mind!

  

Symbols accompanied text to support students with lower literacy abilities.

Systems of organizing paperwork to help my host teacher.

  

Five different seating groups allows for mixed-ability & single-ability students to interact and learn from one another in different academic settings.

Job charts to increase student responsibility and teamwork skills.

I definitely feel I have had the opportunity to be useful at ISL.  From day one the staff respected my ideas and the different type of expertise I was bringing; I felt comfortable to take initiate wherever I could.  There was an honest and genuine relationship between staff that is unlike anything I have experienced in a school before.

ISL will hold a place in my heart. And to think, it's only been three weeks.

I can't imagine how much I'll value and miss the students and staff I work with over the years as a teacher.

xo