Nicole has very generously allowed me to participate in this blog.
I'll start with an introduction....My name is Lisa and I am a teacher from Glasgow, Scotland. You might be familiar with Gordon Ramsey, Billy Connelly, Gerald Butler (*swoon*), Lulu or Sharleen Spiteri - they are a few celebrities that share my hometown.
My teaching experience includes five years in international preschools in Osaka, Japan. Two years teaching in a British international primary (elementary) school in Madrid, Spain as well as two years in public primary (elementary) schools in Scotland. I've permanently relocated to Okinawa, Japan with my Japanese husband and two year old son.
We live in a tiny fishing village. Below is a picture of the beach directly across the road from our home.
Before anyone thinks about getting jealous I must inform that you our house is Japanese style (i.e. tiny) and our garden is home to large crabs, geckos, frogs, various varieties of noisy birds and POISONOUS SNAKES! My husband encountered a poisonous snake a few weeks ago whilst gardening and informed the local authorities. Some snake experts came by and found not one, but two nests of snake eggs....argh! They are continuing to monitor our garden and have set traps with live mice. I try not to think about it...
Below is a picture of our son, Nicolas. Nicolas was born in Madrid and is our main reason for permanently relocating to Japan. We want him to be bilingual (English/Japanese) and are delighted that it seems to be working out so far!
I'm currently on a career break in order to spend time homeschooling Nicolas to prepare him for kinder and primary (elementary) school. I love creating and designing resources and have therefore been devoting my free time in the evenings to establishing a store on Teachers Pay Teachers. I just started in July this year however I'm pleased with my progress so far.
I love teaching because I don't believe there will ever be a point when I can sit back, relax and exclaim, "I'm a perfect teacher!". I find being a teacher to be a constant learning experience and I hope to share some of my experiences and ideas here, as well as learn from you all.
I guess I should finish with a picture of myself (*cringe*). Don't worry, I hate photos of myself so I shan't inflict anymore on you in future! This was taken last year in Madrid Zoo (little Nicolas is just one).
If you have any questions or suggestions for inclusion in this blog please leave a comment below.
Best wishes,
Lisa
