"When you're safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you're having an adventure, you wish you were safe at home." (Thornton Wilder)

Last weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving, which is my favourite family holiday. I enjoy it even more than Christmas; instead of being distracted by consumer-driven expectations like gift exchanges, wasting electricity by covering our yards with more lights than we need, over-decorating the tree with tacky yet “sentimental” crafts that we made in elementary school, and listening to the same carols over and over and over (Celine Dion Christmas in my house!), Thanksgiving is a holiday which allows us to fully appreciate time with the people we love.

My Mom always cooks an incredible feast: turkey, gravy (that I have never burned, regardless of what anyone tells you), stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots, peas, cranberry sauce, pie (hopefully ones made by Brian!), squash, turnips, and of course, lots of wine. She is also an amazing host and invites as many people as she can possibly squeeze into our “little” cottage. It is funny that I was in England for Thanksgiving this year, as last year, two of my friends from England celebrated Thanksgiving with us at the cottage!

Another component of Thanksgiving that I love is the quirky family traditions. For example, my family also goes on an annual “Busman Walk”, while the turkey is cooking in the oven. A big group of my relatives partakes in this potentially dangerous event, where we walk on the dirt road behind the Norway Bay Golf Course towards the Bristol Mines (while trying to avoid being hunting targets), with the final destination being the property of a man who lives in his bus. We do not attempt to make contact with the man, but rather observe the bus’ status as compared to previous years. A weird tradition, I know, but it adds a bit of excitement to the holiday, and the crisp fall air always seems to stimulate our appetites. The weekend also involves the much dreaded routine of putting our bodies at risk of hypothermia to remove docks and boat hoists, which should have been taken out on Labor Day (when no one had the heart to accept that summer was over). Oddly, in recent years my daily exercise (run or bike ride) has conflicted with this wonderful chore (which is usually completed by my Dad and uncles)…don’t know how that happened…


Since Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated in England, I was feeling a bit homesick last weekend. I tried to remedy the problem by cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for some of the Canadians I have met in London. It ended up being a great meal of roast chicken (it is too hard to find a turkey here!), stuffing, potatoes, asparagus, carrots, rice, and amazing desserts. As wonderful as it was to celebrate a Canadian holiday abroad, I missed my family and friends a lot and wished that I was at the cottage with them (or maybe it was just the lack of turkey…).

I suppose the yearning for the comforts of home led me to question why I left in the first place. Why did I choose to leave behind everything that I know and love to come to a big city where I often feel like just another Oyster Card swiping in at Goodge Street and out at whatever station I end up at (usually Waterloo where I take the train to my next destination)? Truthfully, I have difficulty identifying exactly why I feel such a strong pull to travel and explore the world. I wish that I could just stay at home and be able to spend holidays with the people I love. Perhaps I am attracted to the mystery of the unknown, a thirst for knowledge and experience that can’t fully be satisfied by the comforts of home. Reading about places and seeing them in movies just isn’t as exciting (or scary) as actually being there (and London is probably one of the cities that is documented most in fiction…it IS an amazing place).

When you are travelling, each day brings the possibility of adventure. I suppose such escapades can occur at home as well, as life itself is a great journey- it is impossible to predict exactly how the day’s events might unfold and how you will react to them- but people tend to limit exploration at home. While there, we don’t often seek opportunities to step outside our comfort zones. I know I don’t. It is so easy to live within the boundaries of the comfortable monotony of your daily routine. I guess I left home to seek new experiences, meet new people, and learn as much as I possibly can about life and the world.


Here is an example of a recent spontaneous adventure: I had the day off and went to Charing Cross train station with my bike, with absolutely no destination. I got on the next available train, bought a map at the gas station when I got there, and explored. It was amazing because by pure accident, I ended up stumbling upon Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. As I was cycling through the countryside from Tonbridge to Edenbridge, I had been thinking about how much the landscape reminded me of the farmlands in the Pontiac (where my cottage is). All of a sudden, I saw a sign that indicated that there was a castle 1 mile to the left, and I was quickly reminded that I was in England and not Quebec.

Perhaps this lust I have for excitement and adventure will prove to be a big waste of time (and money…yikes, I try not to think about my dwindling bank account), as it is not really that “productive” to be constantly bouncing around from one place to the next with no real direction or purpose. However, I have learned a lot about the history and culture of a new city and country, and have met some incredible people. I have been lucky to have met a great group of Canadian teachers and have joined the most welcoming and fun rugby team (the Harlequins)! Deciding to come out of retirement and play rugby has been an invaluable part of my experience so far. The girls are wonderful and have introduced me to many aspects of British culture that I would not have been exposed to otherwise, such as teaching me slang, bringing me to some good pubs, going to a professional rugby match, and introducing me to their friends and family. Without these social connections, it would be so easy to feel lost in such a big city.

Most importantly, by being away from home, I have gained much insight into myself and what I value…like being able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family at the cottage! I guess I did, in fact, participate in the most important element of Thanksgiving this year- taking the time to appreciate the people I love, but unfortunately, it was not in the way I would have liked. Hopefully, I’ll be able to join them on the Busman walk next year!

Is my life going down ‘The Tube'*?: Despairs and Delights of Supply Teaching in London

Year 9 Student: Miss, why didn’t you aspire to do more with your life?

Me: Uhhh (awkward) like what?

Year 9 Student: An actress! There are heaps of acting jobs in America (of course she assumed I was American).

Me: Hmmm good suggestion, but I don’t act…?

Year 9 Student: Well, didn’t you say you could play basketball? You could be a professional basketball player!

Me: I was an ok player, but not THAT good. It is pretty hard to make the WNBA. I actually like teaching you wonderful people.

Year 9 Student: That’s bollocks. Who would actually be crazy enough to want to teach US?

Meanwhile the rest of the class is cheering because another student successfully hit a pigeon with a paper airplane he threw out the window. This was a few minutes after some boys put a condom (out of the wrapper) on a girl’s assignment.

Not all of my classes have been as crazy as the one I just described. In fact, most of the students that I have taught have been pretty well-behaved (although I have to keep reminding myself that I would probably be acting like a complete goofball if I was a thirteen year old boy and had a supply teacher).

Supply teaching isn’t an easy job, but I wouldn’t describe it as that difficult- you simply have to be able to “go with the flow”. Most mornings I wake up not knowing where I am working (in a city I don’t know that well) or what I will be teaching. However, I always manage to come up with something for the students to do (teaching them about Canada is a great time-filler, and they are actually very intrigued by it…they ask many questions about the cold, winter, and our “national animals”- ex. penguins and polar bears! I was also asked if I could say something for them in “Canadian”)

Of course, like all jobs, supply teaching does have its benefits:

1. No prep or marking:

I usually get to school at 8:20 am (most schools I’ve worked at start at 8:40) and leave by 3:15 pm. Regardless of how wonderful or miserable my day has been, I have the rest of the day to do whatever I want. This means being able to enjoy being in London and take advantage of all the city has to offer!

2. Exposure to a range of schools:

It is a great learning experience for me to see how different schools are organized and work with a variety of staff and students.

3. Flexible schedule:

I can pretty much take time off whenever I want. Right now, I am trying to work as much as possible so that I can afford to maximize travel opportunities…but it would be no problem for me to, say, take a Friday off to go to Paris or something…

4. Exposure to a variety of subjects:

Since I have been here, I have taught Secondary P.E. (one of my subjects), English (other subject), Geography, Food Technology, Religion, Math, Year 5 and Year 6 (Primary School), which has given me some great lesson ideas and taught me some knew information (ex. I taught a lesson about the population trends and demographics of Brazil…which went surprisingly well).

5. Each school is a new and different experience.

If the day has gone terribly, in most cases, I can quickly forget about it, because I’ll be at a new school the next day with a new group of students.


With the pros come the cons:

1. Each school is a new and different experience.

Often, it is hard for me to leave a class or group of students at the end of the day because I want to be around long enough to make a meaningful impact in their lives. Last week, I was lucky to be at one school for the entire week, which was great because I got to know the students really well, but I’ll probably never see them again.

Rewind to Friday when I told my class it was my last day:

Year 10 Student: “Miss, you are my favourite teacher. Can you work here?”

Me: “That’s nice. But I have to go to another school next week.
Why am I your favourite teacher?”

Year 10 Student: “Because you have pretty hair!”

See, not making enough of a meaningful impact…

2. The Unknown

I don’t know the names of staff or students, school and classroom rules, where classrooms are located in the school, school schedule, where I’m going to be working tomorrow…

3. Students abandon all behavior codes and social expectations.

I have been lucky in that students have been pretty responsive to me and I haven’t had to deal with any serious behavioral issues. However, I am alarmed that 13-year-old boys think that it is ok to ask their teacher out on a date?! After reminding them of the inappropriateness of their proposition, I usually tell them that they are 10 years too young and not hardworking enough for me.

4. I don’t know the students.

It is pretty hard to get students’ attention when you don’t know their names! Also, you are often completely oblivious to students who might need special attention. For example, last week, I had a student in my class who couldn’t speak any English and I didn’t even find out until the last 10 minutes of class! I felt so bad for the poor girl because she must not have had a clue as to what was going on.

5. Low expectations of your teaching role.

When I asked a staff member at the school for his opinion on what I intended to do with the class I was covering, he replied, “Do anything you want- as long as everyone goes home safe, we’re happy.” This was pretty disheartening, as it implied that the school was indifferent as to whether or not the students actually learned something while I was there. It is difficult not to perpetuate such attitudes by setting low expectations for yourself in the classroom. Luckily, I am abnormally positive and will continue to make an effort to at least teach the students something in each class I’m in!

To be honest, supply teaching is not something that I want to do for much longer. It is simply not enough of a challenge for me, so I feel that I am not really progressing as a person. Although it is nice to have so much free time (since I don’t have the responsibilities of a regular classroom teacher), I am someone who loves to be over-involved and over-committed. I guess I had anticipated that living in a new country would be harder than it is…but I haven’t lived at home for 6 years, so I suppose I’m used to living on my own.

This being said, I am itching for a more challenging role while I'm in London. Hopefully, a permanent position will come up in the next little while…I still LOVE being here and get excited at each opportunity to explore…but I’ve realized that it’s not enough for me to travel for the sake of travelling. I want to feel more useful.

Oh well, at least if this teaching thing doesn’t work out, I’ll still have my acting career, or the WNBA to fall back on.

*My brother, Pat, made up the clever title. I am not going to pretend to be that witty.