Living in Liverpool

---

Hello everyone,



It’s been awhile since my last post. I am currently in my full-time student teaching, so I am very busy. The month of March has been a bit more challenging for me. Even though I am in another country (and loving being here) I am still trying to have a very successful student teaching placement. They warned us that student teaching was going to be a draining semester and I am discovering that it doesn’t matter where you are in the world; it is a major time commitment. I find myself laying in bed thinking about ideas I could incorporate in a lesson. As I walk around the city, I now keep a paper and pen with me so I can jot down any ideas that may come to mind. But, for the most part my life consists of school and lesson planning.



I was recently told by one of my students that I am no longer “the American teacher.” Instead, he told me that I am just simply “Miss Fry.” Since students in England do not typically say the teacher’s full name (instead they say Miss or Sir) I was taken back at the name “Miss Fry.” Suddenly, it hit me that in a little over a month’s time I will be a fully qualified teacher. The student then proceeded to tell me that since I am no longer “cool for being American” I should step up my game. He suggested another lesson that involves food (he wanted MnMs this time). While I do not have food in any of my upcoming lesson plans, I do have a lot of death and destruction.



This coming week I am teaching on Adolf Hitler, the slave trade, and the Black Death. While most people may find this completely disturbing, I happen to enjoy all of these topics very much. In America, we do not spend a lot of time on the rise of Hitler. However, in England they dwell upon the conditions in Germany post-World War I and how Hitler rose to power. This area of study has particularly been interesting for me to look at from the British perspective. Especially when they discuss the failure of the League of Nations and how the US refused to join. The slave trade is also interesting from the Liverpool perspective because Liverpool was once the center of the slave trade. The beautiful buildings down by the docks and around the city are a living testimony to the wealth that once flowed through the city.



Since I have been unable to travel this past month, I have spent a lot of time wandering around Liverpool. I have been through the museums (again), wandered around Mathews Street and other famous Beatles sites, and enjoyed some nice suppers at local pubs. I have continued to spend time with the history student teachers I met at Liverpool Hope. The bus system has become second nature to me and I have discovered the best places to get deals on food. I have become much more familiar and comfortable in Liverpool. I even gave directions to a man the other day.



I have one more week here before I leave for my Easter holiday to Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, and Amsterdam. I am very excited!! While this month has been long and tiresome, I value every moment I am here. Every day I learn something more about England, America, and myself that I did not know before. I owe this city so much. It is where I knew for sure that I wanted to be a teacher. Miss you all, I will see you soon.

---