ذهبت الى المكتبة و بوادي مول و مدرسة اليوم
thahabtoo ila almaktaba wa Bawadi Mall wa madrasa ilyoom - I went to the book shop, and Bawadi Mall, and school today.
Maybe one day I'll be able to do an entire post in Arabic! Well, that is my goal, maybe by next August. I am sure I could do more, but it wouldn't necessarily be anything that actually happened this week.
Another pretty quiet week. I had some things to write about, but I can't remember all of them now. So I'll just write what I can remember.
School
Lots of expectations. I now have to make a portfolio for each of my 50 students. No problem, other than my faculty head wants us to use these super huge binders that ADEC gave us. I have nowhere to put 50 huge binders. Isn't the focus of a portfolio supposed to be what is inside the portfolio, not the actual portfolio? That's what I'm thinking, but not Andrea. So as of right now, I am using two expandable files; one for each class. They are easily stored in the filing cabinet that I share with Elizabeth. I have to do running records. OK that really shouldn't be a big deal, but there isn't time. Plus the fact that my students, especially 3/1, have a very hard time working independently and quietly enough for me to listen to a student to read. It took me 40 minutes (1 period) to do 4. Now these aren't super long books; I'm talking level C. It's not that it takes them that long to read, it's that I had to keep telling the class to be quiet. A lot of wasted time. RtI. Yes, we're starting a scaled down version of RtI (Response to Intervention/Instruction). Yes, this is a good thing, but it's just another thing added to my already full plate. ADEC isn't calling for this addition; it's Andrea. I don't think she understands what we have to deal with on a daily basis. Mapping. I have to map (code each student based on the curriculum outcomes) all 50 of my students. There are 11 pages of curriculum outcomes that have to be mapped. 11 pages for 50 students. That's a lot of work. I was told that I wouldn't have to do it for the first trimester, but guess who changed her mind! You are right, Andrea. So, now I have to go back and do the first trimester. But, Esis isn't showing me what I marked for each student. I can't do trimester 2, until I do trimester 1 so I can correctly show their growth. All of these are very good things, they all help teachers to know what their students are learning, to show growth, and to help move students forward, but hey it's a lot all at once. Also knowing that I am dealing with limited resources, language issues, lack of time, and behavior issues all on a daily basis. I just want to go home and sleep, not do all of this other stuff. It will get done, but I just needed to vent.
Testing. I am sick of test prep. One of the main reasons I left NC was due to the focus on testing. I guess I just can't get away from it. I was given a copy of the test that we gave in Sept and told to use that to teach them how to take a test and to review! Who knows what March's EMSA will look like, but I just hope they change the questions. Or maybe I shouldn't hope that because maybe my students would do pretty good on it. Oh, who am I kidding, even if they did reuse the same test most of my students wouldn't remember doing the review and a majority of them wouldn't remember the answer. The math and science portions shouldn't be that bad because they are in English and Arabic. Other than the fact that I have to teach the content in English. They just aren't getting a deep understanding of the concepts. It's hard when they don't have the language to understand. One huge reason there needs to be both an Arabic and English teacher in both rooms.
The girls did their first science experiment last week. They were trying to find out which dissolved faster; salt or sugar and if the temperature of the water made any difference. I should be very pleased because they got the concept; sugar dissolves faster than salt, and they didn't make a huge mess. But, there was lots of fighting. Fighting over silly, ok stupid, stuff. I kept hearing over and over
انا ملح - ana milh - I am salt
انا سكر - ana sukar - I am sugar
انا ماء حار - ana ma'a har - I am hot water
انا ماء بارد - ana ma'a barid - I am cold water
For some reason they wouldn't say it in English, even to me. Their Arabic doesn't even make sense, unless they were using broken Arabic so I could understand them. Hey, that's a thought! Anyway. There were 4 cups; 2 for salt and 2 for sugar. There are 4 girls at a table. I thought there wouldn't be any issues because each girl would get a cup, and be able to put either salt or sugar and hot or cold water in it. It's not like I was really asking them to work together. They just had to compare results. Nope, they had to fight over what they got to put in their cup. It took us 2 periods (80 minutes) to do this science experiement. A huge headache. But, I guess it was worth it. And, it was their first experiement. I had done them before, but this was the first time they actually got to carry one out. I will be trying again! Am I crazy? Probably, but who knows they may be better. We'll be doing magnetism and mass this week.
The girls have been making me read their names in Arabic. Their names are posted on the door and as they are lined up ready to leave they ask me to find their name and read it. Read all 5 names of their name. It's quite difficult because there are no vowel marks. I know their first name and their second name (their father's name), but other than that it's just a guessing game. They love this game though! They have also started writing me notes in Arabic. One girl wrote
انا احبج وايديا سارة انت قمر - ana oohebij (spoken word, she shouldn't have written it this way) wa yahdeyah Sara ante qemar - I love you (something) Sara, you are the moon! Very sweet! She made me read it as well. I did a fairly decent job reading, other than I got caught up on oohebij because when writing "I love you" it should be ooheebokey (احبك). That's another one of the major difficulties with this language; there is a spoken language and a written language. I guess that's true of English as well. I could make out most of it other than the middle word. I guess that's the comparison. I can't remember. But, it was very sweet of her to write that note. I will save that. Maybe she'll be a poet one day!
Arabic
I guess you could say I'm practicing! The girls are making me practice. I am trying to work at home as well. It's just review. I am really not learning anything new. I will be going to class on Monday. We'll see if it's right for me. I think I will be too advanced for level 2, but who knows.
Still trying to patch things up wtih Najwa. Last I heard, 2 weeks ago, she had accpeted my apology. Nothing since then. Waiting, praying, and hoping things will be ok.
I got clothes! Mom, Amy, and Ann went shopping for me and bought me a lot of new clothes! I also had did some online shopping. I can't wait to wear my new outfits!
That's really all I can remember, plus it's after 11pm and I'm tired. It's a school day tomorrow. Time for bed.
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