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A Day with Mikke Marttinen, SIS Literacy Teacher and Coordinator at SIS Brazil
In 2019, Mikke Marttinen joined SIS Brasília team leading and implementing the Middle Years Programme as well as teaching English and literature with great success. Mikke is a veteran teacher with over 10 years of teaching experience in the US and abroad. In the following he reports a typical work day.
7:00 a.m. As I drive to school in the morning, I listen to my favourite podcast and prepare for the day by making a mental checklist of what I need to accomplish today. Upon entering the school, I greet Denis, our security guard, and any parents waiting in the lobby.
8:00 a.m. My first class of the day is Year 7. We are currently reading a book called “Freak the Mighty,” and discussing the theme of friendship. Today we begin with a discussion about what makes strong friendships and whether we believe the two main characters have a strong friendship or not.
9:30 a.m. Next up is Year 8, where we are talking about the hero’s journey and reading “The Hunger Games.” The students discuss the events from their reading assignment and how they reflect stages in the hero’s journey.
10:15 a.m. Time for our 30-minute morning break. During this time, I usually eat a snack that I brought from home, and make any last-minute preparations for the upcoming classes.
10:45 a.m. After the break Year 8 returns and we finish up our activity by sharing and discussing other stories that follow the hero’s journey story arch.
11:30 a.m. During my planning period I tend to administrative tasks and plan the remaining classes for the week. As our school will be going through the authorization process for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP), I often use this time to communicate with my IB liaison named Over, and provide him with updates about where our school is in the authorization process and what we are working on.
1:00 p.m. I typically eat lunch at the school’s cafeteria with my fellow teachers. We talk about our weekend and things going on around the school.
2:00 p.m. After lunch, it’s off to class with Year 6. We are currently working with mythology and reading a variety of Greek myths. Today, students study the 12 Olympian gods, and create their own Greek god.
"This is the time where we can collaborate with our colleagues to make sure that we are addressing any necessary issues and making sure things are running smoothly."
4:00 p.m. Every Tuesday, I meet with the other middle school teachers for our weekly meeting. This is the time where we can collaborate with our colleagues to make sure that we are addressing any necessary issues and making sure things are running smoothly. At the end of the meeting, I tie up any loose ends before heading back home.
Author
Secondary School Coordinator and English and Literacy Teacher at SIS Brasília
First published in emphaSIS Brazil, 2020