Student Teaching in London-Fall 2007
 Week 2:  October 29-November 3

Dr. McDonald and a group of CMU student teachers are currently in the Enfield, England area.  Dr. McDonald is sharing his diary and pictures of the students as they experience student teaching in England.

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October 29 - We had a full day of orientation at the George Spicer Professional Development Centre (PDC) in Enfield.  Our agenda included:

It was a good active day of learning put on by the PDC staff.  I would like to thank Keith, Linda, Will, and Penny for a marvelous day of professional development.

October 30 - Everyone reported to schools for their first day.  This week will be full of observation, getting a teaching schedule, and getting to know the students.

October 31 - I visited Amber and Cynthia at Galliard and then went on to Raglan Infant and Junior School to see Andrea, Kate, and Shannon.

November 1 - I visited Trevor at Mount Grace School in Potters Bar where he is settling in nicely.  Then I went over to Turnford School in Hertford to see Kayla who will be teaching English.  To end the day I walked over to see Jenna and Tara at Enfield County School.

November 2 - This was the last day of student teaching for the first week of the placement.  Everyone seems to be adjusting nicely.

November 3 - Today we went on a tour of Bath, Stonehenge, and Salisbury Cathedral.  The highlights of our tour were: 
Bath
The Roman Baths and Temple of Sulis Minerva are among the finest Roman remains in Britain. At their heart is Britain’s only hot spring, where the Celtic and Classical worlds met in a magnificent complex of stone buildings used for worship, cleansing and healing. The museum, below the 18th century Pump Room, contains the monumental remains of these buildings and evidence of the people who used them.

Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury. One of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. Archaeologists believe the standing stones were erected around 2200 BC and the surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC. The site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1986.

Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral is one of the finest Medieval buildings in Britain today. Set in 80 Acres, Salisbury has the largest Cathedral Cloisters in Britain.

Dating back to 1220 the Cathedral building work commenced on Salisbury Water Meadows with the Foundation Stone laid by Bishop Poore. It took just 38 years to build using 60,000 tons of Chilmark Stone and 10,000 tons of Purbeck Stone. It boasts Britain’s tallest spire (123metres or 404ft) which was built between AD1310 – 13333. The Spire now leans 27.5 inches to the South and 17.5 inches to the West.

Of only 4 surviving original Magna Carta, the best preserved is on display in the Chapter House. Magna Carta is Latin for “The Great Charter” the famous agreement made between King John and his barons at Runneymede in 1215. It is beautifully written in Latin on vellum (animal skin) and contains some 3,500 words, many of which have been abbreviated.