Our Stories: A Jornada dos Alunos com a Treinadora Canadense Leigh Howard

00:00 Speaker 1: Podbear
00:10 Speaker 2: Hello, and welcome to Maple Bear podcast called Pod Bear. My name is Leigh Howard, and I am a trainer working with Maple Bear Global Schools in Canada. My home is in Vancouver on the Pacific Ocean, and it's very interesting because I live on the Pacific Ocean and Brazil is on the Atlantic Ocean, so we're far away.
00:38 Speaker 2: I was in Marilia in May, and it was so nice to come back and be welcomed here and recognize some of the children who have grown a lot. Being a Maple Bear trainer is very amazing because I have so many different experiences that keep me learning new things all the time. In June when I was here, I did my first podcast where I was interviewed by grade 7 student Julia. It was very interesting, but now I'm back and today I've been asked to interview these three wonderful students from year 6. And I'm very excited. It's our first time. Working together, it's basically our first time working on a podcast, but we're going to do it as a team. And so let's go. Right?
01:33 Speaker 2: Okay. So this is G. And this is Bia and Kyle. And I'm going to be asking them questions. And I think it's so great that they will be answering me in English. So first of all, I was wondering how long you have attended Maple Bear Marilia.
01:57 Speaker 1: I've been in Maple Bear for four years. I entered when I was in year two. This is my second year in Maple Bear because I entered here last year. This is to my fourth year here and I love so much.
02:16 Speaker 2: And so you were here in year two, and you came two years ago. No, one year. One year ago, sorry. How difficult was it to come into a school when you didn't maybe know much English?
02:35 Speaker 1: I always studied in the... traditional Brazilian school. So when I entered here, I was like, whoa, it's very different. And I knew a little bit of English because I was doing Fisk for five years. And my friends had been very nice to me. So it was...
03:13 Speaker 1: easier to learn.
03:14 Speaker 2: So it was okay for you? You came in and you already had some English? Yes. Well done. What about for you girls when you
03:23 Speaker 1: came in? So when I came here, I already knew a little bit of English because I studied in other schools that had English, but now at Maple Bear I learn more and I think I improved my English a lot. And, yeah, that's it. I think, like, the English was not so much a problem. And also because when I came, I came with a lot of friends. Friends who were here. Friends who studied in other schools with me and came together. Very nice, Sanji.
04:16 Speaker 1: with my English I had studied already with Bia but wasn't the same class but we know each other nice
04:30 Speaker 2: so You had a positive experience coming into Maple Bear and much different than the traditional Brazilian schools. Yes. Okay. So just thinking about the years that you've been here in Maple Bear, Marília, what's one activity in this school that you really like? One thing that you do?
04:53 Speaker 1: This year we started Maker. And I love working with... machines, tools, so it's an activity that I really like to do.
05:09 Speaker 2: And which teacher helps you with Maker? Mr.
05:12 Speaker 1: Marcos and Mr. Jobs. Nice, nice. I also like Maker because of the tools and the machines, but the events that we have in Maple Bear, like Arrayar. Terry Fox, all the events are very nice, and we get to learn more about everything. And I like it very much. Thank you, Bia. She?
05:52 Speaker 1: I also like to be in all the events, like Bia said, that Arraya, I love it. Terry
06:08 Speaker 2: Fox, Carnival. You had a big Halloween
06:12 Speaker 1: party. Lots
06:14 Speaker 2: of nice things. Great, thank you. So can you just tell me for a minute, other than maker, do you have another favorite subject in school? And we'll start with G this time.
06:40 Speaker 2: Don't know? You like them all? Yes.
06:44 Speaker 1: Okay. Pia? I like PE because I love sports and like activities that happen in PE, but I also like LA because I love speaking English. LA,
06:55 Speaker 2: ah, speaking in English, yes. Yes. I
06:58 Speaker 1: like to... the PE too, but music I love to play too. I had played viola caipira and now I am learning electric guitar and I did a little bit of drums.
07:17 Speaker 2: Very nice, and you have a beautiful music room here, don't you? Yes. Yes, it's lovely. Well, that's great. So did you rethink or you still like everything?
07:44 Speaker 1: I don't know, but I like it so much. Well,
07:47 Speaker 2: we talked before, and I think you like to travel. Yes, so much. So geography would fit in with your traveling. So much. Yes. I hope you come to Canada someday. In Maple Bear, literacy and reading is a very important part of the curriculum. Is there a book that you have read at school, and if not at school, at home, that has really been important to you?
08:13 Speaker 1: I like the book Wonder because it says about a kid that suffered bullying because of his appearance and I like the way he got to... What do you mean? Fazer amigos, make friends.
08:37 Speaker 1: No, fight with
08:39 Speaker 2: it. He overcame. He overcame. He overcame. He beat those difficulties he was having. Yes. Yes, it's a very good book, isn't it? Yes.
08:49 Speaker 1: I like Talk Everlasting that we read this year. We recently finished it. We also saw the movie and I loved the book. The movie was not very good as the book. It's the story about a girl that gets to know a family who is immortal.
09:11 Speaker 2: And what is the title? Tuck Everlasting. Oh, Tuck Everlasting. Yes, that's a lovely book. Yes, I loved it. And G?
09:20 Speaker 1: Needs to be in English the book?
09:23 Speaker 2: I would prefer because I don't know Portuguese books. Did you like Georgie? The thing about Georgie? Or no? Okay? A little bit,
09:40 Speaker 1: but the book was with many details. Yes. And I like it a little bit.
09:51 Speaker 2: And that's okay. That's the thing with books. Sometimes we like them and sometimes not so much. and someone else will really like, and that's okay. So what about your book in Portuguese that you like?
10:20 Speaker 1: I like it so much.
10:22 Speaker 2: Is it about magic?
10:23 Speaker 1: Yes. And fantasy? I think the title of the book in English is The Wizard of Oz. Oh, The Wizard of
10:31 Speaker 2: Oz. Oh, beautiful book. Yes, yes. And you've seen the movie?
10:36 Speaker 1: No. I am ready. You have? Yes.
10:40 Speaker 2: It's a great movie and a lovely book. So, in Portuguese and English. Great. Okay, you recently had an opportunity to travel for the Bear Games. Where did you go and what competitions did you take part in? And we'll start with Bia.
11:00 Speaker 1: So we went to Rio Preto. I loved Bear Games and I played in all of the sports. That was basketball, volleyball and futsal.
11:14 Speaker 2: Football. Soccer.
11:17 Speaker 1: I played in all of them and I loved it very much and we got made very good results in all of them. That was in football we got first place, volleyball too, first place, and basketball we got second place.
11:37 Speaker 2: Wow. Very successful. Yes. And Gia, were you on the team with Bia? Yes. Yes.
11:44 Speaker 1: I have been in the same, so it was the same that she says. I liked so much when we went on Bear Games because we met new friends, new people, so they were really nice, and that's all.
12:05 Speaker 2: And you get to meet other students from other Maple Bear. Yes. And Kyle, the boys are still working. The boys didn't get
12:14 Speaker 1: a good result, but I play just soccer and volleyball, but the boys who played basketball won third place.
12:34 Speaker 1: The rest will lose at all. But in the end, we meet many students, different students and made friends, other friends from other cities. That's
12:53 Speaker 2: great. And that's the nice thing about sports is it's not the winning or losing, it's the... having fun and learning so many other things so that's great did you all have fun yeah a lot then you won yeah yeah um okay so in in maple bear You work a lot in cooperative groups and teams within your classroom. You do projects together and that type of thing. How do you think helping the teamwork and cooperation that you learned in the classroom helps you with your team sports? Do you think it connects?
13:33 Speaker 1: I think it connects because in sports... Some sports don't have this, but most of the sports we play in teams. And it's very important to know how to talk with people without like arguing and understand that they did their best.
13:53 Speaker 2: Gee, do you feel the same? Yes. Yes, it's important. And in the classroom when you're working cooperatively, do you like to do that?
14:02 Speaker 1: Yes, I prefer to work on groups than alone. Yes.
14:10 Speaker 2: It gives you more conversation? Yes. Do you think you learn a bit more? So much. Yes, yes. Caio?
14:18 Speaker 1: Yes, the same. Because we can share our thoughts and work together to have a better answer.
14:29 Speaker 2: Exactly. That's what the world needs. We need to work together. changing topics. You have a lot of trainers from Canada come through the year and I'm sure you've seen many of us as your time in Maple Bear. What do you think we do and what is your opinion of seeing us in the school?
14:52 Speaker 1: I think you evaluate the classes and give feedbacks about what needs to be improved and what is going well. And I like it because it's something that we work on to be better. I think that you help us to be better students and...
15:24 Speaker 2: That's a good answer.
15:27 Speaker 1: I think the same as Bea. You give feedbacks to teachers, the students to get better.
15:35 Speaker 2: Yes, and yes, it's a wonderful job. And for us trainers, we come to the schools and we're very excited to be here because we learn so much from you and from your teachers as well. And you're right, when we come to the school, what we're looking for is the good things because you're all doing so many amazing education things and just all of the activities you do in the school are. are so good so it's it's really fun for us to come
16:05 Speaker 1: um okay
16:07 Speaker 2: so you're finishing up year six so do you have something really special other than bear games uh that you will remember from this year
16:19 Speaker 1: Can it be something from last year? Sure, yes, yes. I loved the graduation and the trip we made to Sitio do Carrossão. It was very fun, and we got to meet the afternoon people that we didn't talk, so we could make new friends.
16:37 Speaker 2: Right, because you had an afternoon group and a morning group, and when you went on the trip, you could be together. Yes. Ah, very nice, very nice. How about you, Jean?
16:49 Speaker 1: I think the trip too, because we meet all together and we could see the other people in the trip. And not only Maple Bear Marília, but also Maple Bear São Paulo, Maple Bear, other Maple Bears, not
17:13 Speaker 2: only us. So there were lots of Maple Bears at all year five. Yes. Oh, wow. And this
17:21 Speaker 1: year we went to Eclusa. And so I like it because we went in a boat and went into the river.
17:33 Speaker 2: The river? And the
17:35 Speaker 1: experience was very nice. And there I made friends that In this school, in our class. But then I didn't talk too much and I started talking more
17:51 Speaker 2: there. So you had an opportunity to share more time. Did you stay overnight on this trip or was it just a day? Just a day. Nice. So it's close by. It was like two, three hours. Okay, great. Okay, so just thinking about Year 7, how are you feeling about moving to Year 7?
18:12 Speaker 1: I think that we'll have not so much difference by Year 6 to Year 7. I expect to... learn more than year six, and I will try to pay more attention on classes and be better on the study. Well,
18:40 Speaker 2: I think your English is good now, so next year it will be even better. Kyle? I
18:47 Speaker 1: expect very good things next year, and I... I think it will be a little bit more difficult because the subjects
18:59 Speaker 2: will... You're getting older. ...will get
19:02 Speaker 1: more difficult. But I know if we study more, it will get more easier. Yes,
19:14 Speaker 2: yes. And you'll just work... It's just a way to
19:16 Speaker 1: think. Exactly, yes. So... I think we won't have so much difference like we had when we was in year five and we came to year six. And also what she said, that is, I think I'll try to pay more attention in class and study more, pay more attention. And I think it will be a little difficult, but... I will try to do my best. Of course.
19:49 Speaker 2: And I think you're right. I think last year was the change from grade five to middle school, and now you're staying in the middle school program, so it won't be as much of a change. Okay. Well, thank you very much. Now, I think you each had a question to ask me. Does someone have a question to ask me? I have. Okay.
20:09 Speaker 1: So, you meet... So much kids from another school that is Maple Bear. What was your experience?
20:26 Speaker 2: My experience in meeting children in Maple Bear is that I am just... I'm just so happy when I go to a new school and I see all the new children because Maple Bear students are exciting. You have a love for learning and you... You are polite, and you always speak English to me. That's nice. In all the schools, the children know I don't speak Portuguese, so it's nice to be able to speak in English, but it's always a wonderful experience. Every school is a little bit different, but the children are always perfect. Thank you. I
21:11 Speaker 1: also have a question. Did you work with anything else about being a trainer or you just was
21:19 Speaker 2: a trainer? for 30 years in Canada. I taught grade two and then I taught early childhood. I've taught in the universities. So I have a wide range of experience and many years in education. And that's why I decided that I would love to come to Brazil and see how they educate students here. So that's my background. Good question. Thank you. Kyle, no question? No question. Okay. Well, thank you so much. I think we did a great job. I think that we were amazing. How do you think?
22:02 Speaker 1: I think that, too. I think it was really good, too. I agree.
22:07 Speaker 2: I can't wait to see it. It's on the YouTube channel, right?
22:10 Speaker 1: Yes. I think, yes.
22:12 Speaker 2: Okay. Well, thank you. And thank you to the people who helped us set up. Maybe we'll see you next time.