new friends and extraordinary parents

And so friends, it is true.  I have made some new friends that I should probably introduce you to.  Their names are Kleenex, C-Vitamin, and Zicam.  We met last Sunday.  Ironically, I never got sick during my practicum or student teaching experience back in the States; but, three days into my teaching adventures in Sweden, wham.  It must be the Swedish germs.

My new friends...Kleenex, C-Vitamin, Zicam.
I'm not sure that Swedes believe in tissues.  That is
the largest box of Kleenex I have been able to find.

Aside from my runny nose and mild case of laryngitis, classes are continuing to go pretty well.  In science, students are exploring cells and tissues.  As students peered through the microscopes to view various samples of cells, it was fun to hear their reactions—exclamations of awe about matter so small.   And to be honest, it was kind of handy to be sick this past week because my Kleenex box became a good prop to distinguish tissues in science from tissues for everyday use. 

When I went to find slides for my science class, I was
met with the challenge of deciphering Swedish labels.  

In math, we are venturing into a world where, as one of my students so nicely observed, there can be “less than nothing.”  We are adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing positive and negative integers.  Students have especially been enjoying the use of technology in this class—some of it being more high tech and some of it being more low tech.  On the high tech end of the spectrum, I have been experimenting with using my iPad as a document camera.  Basically, I connect the iPad to the LCD projector and switch it on camera mode.  Then, anything I put under the camera is projected onto the screen.   On the low tech end of the spectrum, I have introduced “clickers.”  Rather than those fancy little electronic devices that allow students to click in their responses to questions, I have given each student a set of laminated A, B, C D cards which they use to flash up responses to questions I ask. 

Here is my homemade document camera.

Here are my low-tech homemade "clickers."

In other news, I should let you know that I have the best parents in the world.  Yes, it’s official.  And yes, I have always known it, but what they did this past week is icing on the cake.  About midweek, I arrived home to find a large package sitting outside my door.  I may have mentioned once or twice over Skype that I was having trouble getting basic supplies for my class.  So what did my parents do?  They went back-to-school shopping for me and sent me a whole box of goodies.  I now have a class set of markers, a class set of glue sticks, a class set of scissors, a dozen or so whiteboard markers in various exotic colors, and an assortment of science supplies (activated charcoal, turkey basters, green food dye, peppermint extract, eye droppers, film canisters, etc.)  Best parents in the world.  No, yours can’t even compete.

My parents packed up Target and sent it to me in a box. 

It has been a good week.  A bit rainy, but good.  Nothing a rain jacket and rain pants can’t handle.