graemep

6pm and it was time to head out for the evening activities. All but one student home but that was not an issue as I had confidence in this student catching up with us at our first destination. And so he did. I was so proud of student A arriving only 5 mins late after a 50 min trip, (car lift to Laverton Station, train and then tram). 

Destination one was International House in Parkville for tea. International House is a large s college associated with Uni Melb. Another accommodation option for any of our group who may venture to Melb for tertiary study. Tram 19 stop 15. Arrived just in the nick of time after encountering tram over crowding issues.

A scrabble of activity, gowned students taking their seats, a brief welcome, a few students announcements, a clatter of cutlery and the meal is over, followed by a rapid departure from the dining hall.

This was then followed by a brief tour of the college.

Well! It was now only 8pm and too early to head home so it was the last trick in the bag. The, “Mr P’s mistery tour of Melbourne at night.”

Student reaction: Better than I thought.

Intinery:

Tram to Melb Central. Experience the underground at night. Can be spooky. Not many students use the underground to get to work, so this was a new expereince for many.

Next challenge, catch the first train to Parliament Station.

Alight at Parliament and ride the longest escalators in Melb to Bourke St exit. I don’t think anyone had seen these escalators before. Comments: “are we really that deep underground????”

Walk to top of Parliament House steps and look down Bourke St. A sight to behold. Parliament was sitting but due to the fact that we did not have a booking, were not permitted to enter.

A quick walk to the Old Treasury Building steps at the top end of Collins St and a never ending history lesson from Mr P. ( not too many neg comments)

Next stop. Collins Place/ Hotel Sofitel/toilets and a beautiful stroll down the Paris end of Collins St.

Next, left into Swanston St and a walk along past Fed Square and to South Bank. Fed Square now quite familiar territory for most students.

Next. Just how good were the ice creams from South Bank? Beautiful.

The students by now know the drill for home. It was interesting at this point, with this group as I had not received the usual pleads of, ” my feet are killing me, I am tired, I am sick. Can we go home?  I am bored!!!!!.” The quality and satisfaction of the ice cream must have been working wonders.

  Over the footbridge to Flinders St, to the tram terminal and catch any departing tram for the hostel, arriving at 10-10pm. perfect timing.

Off to bed without the usual rounds of, ” do we have to?, it is far too early to go to bed, I am not tired!!!!!” None of that, how pleasant. This is one of the things you see develop over two consecutive weeks. They start to appreciate body and mind management resulting from sleep.

Wednesday, day three awaits another round of work and adventures.

Well, no dramas associated with students returning to the hostel. Their navigation skills are now getting pretty sharp and by the end of the two weeks will be quite refined.

So where to eat on Monday night? After a little research I checked out one of our old haunts from about 3 years ago, which located very near the hostel. Guess what? This establishment just happened to have the big billboard outside advertising, “everything on the menu for $15 on Mon & Tuesday nights only”. A quick step inside, a chat with the young manager, clarification of the $15 deal and the contract was done. “See you at 7pm for 15 @$15″. The rest is history. What a deal. My $22 lamb rump that I paid $15 for was worth $32. 10/10. Some boys could not eat their large parma’s. All the meals were 10/10 and also in a very upmarket hotel dining environment. Very nice. Where might you ask? At the Castle Hotel in Nth Melb. 150 metres from the hostel. 

After this most delightful dining experience, it was down to King Pin Bowling at the Melb Central. Walked straight in, no booking, no waiting, $14 per head for one game, good value and heaps of fun.Photos to prove it.

Then it was time to return to the hostel to sleep and replenish the body for an early start all round for day two, 6am comes around so quickly, plus the hum of some mechancil device above my room which sounds like a landing jet does not help the situation.

After a little reassurance and clarification of student M’s travel instructions, a phone call to his employer, he was dispatched again in the appropriate direction. After 3 more phone calls, just for travel route clarification, the destination was achieved.  What a relief. Lesson: watch out for that tram 55 that turns off Flemington Rd and does not take you to the same destination as No59.

Student T. 10-30am. Ring ring. MrP, I am in the correct street but cannot find the right place. What number is it? 484. Fine. Thank you.

10 minutes later. Student T. Ring ring. MrP, I have found it. I have written down 448. I am right now, see ya.

After all this it was time for another coffee, a hot shower and time to face the balance of the day.

I wonder what the return journeys, this evening will behold?????

The answer lies in the next instalment.

Well here we are again. Back in the big smoke. This week with 3 less students. One student has not returned due to illness but another student has returned because they had such a good time at their employer last week they decided to ask for an extension and has returned this week. Same old story, I tried to convince student M to attend Melb for 2 week but he knew best and decided that one week would be enough. Well look what has happened. I said to myself, as it was no use saying it to him, ” Told you so”. I hope he has a good week.

Well up at 6am to the tune of 2 mobile phone alarms. Studet M out the door at 6-15am to catch tram 59 to work again.

Be back soon, need some more credit.

Credit now worked out. It is a hungry little machine.

Next challenge this morning was to escort student A out to Altona, which involved out of hostel at 7-05 down to Flinders St on No 57, onto platform 4 Werribee Line to alight at Laverton. Thankgoodness there was a taxi rank within sight. Off to the workplace $12 later. I hope student A can navigate his way home.

Back at the hostel now 10am in walks a person wearing sunglasses and a hoody who come and sits beside me. I think that I have been spotted by an ex student. But low and behold when the disguise comes off it is one of our students who should have been at their workplace at 8am.

“What are you doing here?????”. Response, “I am lost”

As per usual work didn’t disappoint me – it was BAD and I missed my stop again tonight.

Today I taught many different year levels…It was great the people are starting to let me run the classes a bit more now and I’m really starting  to enjoy myself. Also most of the girls are starting to realise who I am, and it feels good to hear “Hi Mr K……”as I walk around the building.

I cleaned guitars and pianos today.

Well it is Friday morning and it is time to get organised for my return to Melbourne on Sunday 17th Aug to commence a week of supervision.
Next week we are at a different YHA hostel but still in Nth Melb.Changing hostels gives the students another new experience and challenge.

I have set all my extras for next week, made a couple of phone calls to parents of children returning to Melb next week and checked some travel arrangements on Metlink.

The students do their own thing for the weekend with several staying in Melb but most returning home to fulfil weekend sporting committments in their local rural community.

It is always interesting to meet the students again in Melb at the hostel Sunday afternoon and witness their new found self confidence relating to public transport and the attitude of, “I know where I am going this week and how to get there.”  What a contrast to last Sunday evening when they were all nerves and some full of fear. Not any more. This is one of the major strengths of the two week program verses just a one week wonder or experience. 

It does not matter how much pre Melb public transport research you do at school with Google Maps, Metlink etc, it all means very little when confronted with reality, standing in front of Flinders St Station or tram stop 18 route 57 on Sunday night. But to witness the level of achievement and smug satisfaction on the faces of the students on Monday night after work is a sight to behold.  But the good old Melways is still my most accurate and reliable resource, particularly when you receive a phone call from a lost student who you then need to walk them to their destination via the mobile phone. Eg “have you walked past Gentle St on your left?”

The question is often asked of us:- “What do staff do all day, whilst the students are working” Well, here is part of the answer..

New Found Experiences

Students arrived home from their first day of work and summarised their day in one sentence:-

• From the Howard Florey Medical Research Institute…”I observed a surgery during the morning, and then got to genotype in the afternoon. It was really good and would rate it a 7 out of 10 and am looking forward the rest of the week. “
• From the Carlton police station….”I went to the court house today for the morning and then I went and ate food and then I went and then i help the cops do some paper work stuff.”
• From Melbourne Girls College….”Today was very interesting, everyone was very friendly and the students were all nice to me. I had a great day teaching and learning about the teaching industry. “
• “I worked at Billy Hyde’s music and tuned guitars and made some labels for the instruments and we had to restock.”
• Essendon airport…..”I worked at general aviation maintenance. I helped build a motor for a piper Cherokee .   8/10”
• Maintenance at St Hildas……” made a kit shine and stack chairs “
  From a sports retail shop….”Went to Triggers and did some vacuuming, also i waxed some snow boards which was new and exciting”
• Financial pIanning….. “worked at JM Financial planning, I was on the 7th floor, had a very nice view of the river. I sat at the computer all day, filing and scanning, and listening to the radio, it was great!”
• Horticultural Research….”I got off the tram at the right stop and had no idea where the uni I was working at was. It was just across the road! I met all the people and did things in the nursery all day like planting rose cuttings. It was pretty good overall.”

Students were asked how they were feeling about their first day of work! This was then converted to a word cloud using wordle.

Year 11 are in Melbourne for two weeks work experience - one of our school’s most successful programs.  It gives students an insight into city life, exposure to different cultures and access to work experiences  that are not readily available in our local country area.

The first day coincides with the open day for RMIT university, so students spend time looking at the many displays and demonstrations for possible tertiary study opportunities.  These balloons were given out as part of the open day.

Once back at the YHA, students are given time to unpack and commence the domestics eg the do’s, don’ts, shoulds and coulds associated with communal living in a youth hostel. The bombardment of questions regarding “how do I get to work?” commence, even after hours of research, googling, metlinking and melwaying back at school. But when reality strikes, the virtual world of satellite images, online maps etc means nothing 

After an evening meal, students and staff travelled into the CBD to physically experience and follow public  transport modes of travel and steps for morning number one - trying to read those obscure railway timetables, gain a sense of direction and develop a level of confidence or a greater level of anxiety!

Group supermarket shopping enabled us to get provisions for supper, cut lunches and to add to the food kitty. Our delightful group of girls demonstrated their consumer proficiency, taste for a balanced diet including more gourmet type products than previous years, with the staff allowing yoghurt, snack packs and muesli bars for increased variety.

The level of entertainment on Melbourne’s public transport after dark never ceases to amaze the staff and in particular the students. Tonight’s entertainment included the Mr Bean impersonator who was in reality looking for donations of shrapnel. When unsuccessful with each group of students and passengers, it was time for him to depart the tram. This was after the students had encountered a beggar on the Flinders Street railway steps, the police interviewing one very unhappy lady at the side entrance of the railway station, followed by the guy with a hairstyle that contained more colour and shapes than the Beijing Olympic fireworks!!!

 An early night back at the hostel with the intention of going to bed also has its falsehoods! Adrenalin unfortunately takes over the great feeling of tiredness, sore feet, headaches and aching muscles. So, after separating the new found colleagues from another visiting school on our floor level and below,   collecting phones, patrolling the corridors, lights out, it will soon be morning and the excitement and anxiety returns, with the perpetual questions of ‘how do I get to work”,” which way to I go”, “when will I know how to get off”, “what happens if I go past my stop”, “what happens if no one speaks English?” etc etc

Students are working in all types of careers and they include the following:-.

• Small motor mechanic
• Building
• Football administration
• Aeronautical engineering
• Police force
• Animal research
• Horticulture
• Laboratory scientist
• Teaching
• Physiotherapist
• Financial planning
• Music and retail sales
• Hair and beauty

Well….. the grand morning has now arrived - Monday 11th August and this is hot of the press!!! We are lost already and it is not even 8:30am.