First Week of School

There definitely is a difference between year 1 and year 2.  Although the girls are not anywhere near where I would expect them to be in the States it's much better than last year.  The girls are still chatty, but I know to expect that and I can compare it to last year when they were completely disrespectful and didn't listen at all.  So far, that is not happening this year.  The girls know me and I think that helps.  Although I think it's just that I have something to compare it to now and they were really awful last year.  I think it also helps that my expectations have dropped, just a bit.  Unfortuantely that's a neccessity here.

We really haven't been doing anything too formal yet, just a lot of procedure stuff.  They are getting better at talking quietly during centers and cleaning up when they're done.  The fourth graders chattiness seems to have dropped as well.  Moza left!!  She was in my class for a few days and it was chaos, like she usually causes.  Now that she's gone things were quieter these past 2 days.  Like I said, I just hope it continues!!

Acadmeically, I am really trying to work on rhyming words, but they don't get it.  They seem to understand better when I write the words down, but then I have some girls that will just add on to the word to make it a compound word and they think that's rhyming.  They'll get it.  In math we've been doing a lot of counting; by 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s.  Most of the third graders get messed up on what comes after 49 (they say 40 10).  Next week starts the real lesson plans.

Remember how I said last week that I felt like I belonged?  Well, that's changed.  As of today we (LTs) are no longer allowed in the teachers' room.  We have to eat in our rooms.  We make too much noise.  Funny thing is that the noise comes from the Arabic teachers.  If you were to walk in the teachers' room you would hear Arabic not English.  There are just more Arabic teachers and they are loud.  Anyway it was just a clear sign that we're not wanted here.  So now the school is going to be more segregated than it already is.  Why did the principal think this was a good idea?  Does she not realize, or care, how this makes us as LTs feel?  I have to walk in on Sunday acting like nothing is different.  I have to get my lunch and full up my water bottle and then leave.  I am just waiting for one of the other teachers to ask me to sit down and eat, so I can reply "I can't.  I'm not allowed to eat in this room anymore."  It's just another clear reminder of my actual place in this country; I'm not Emirati therefore I don't belong and I'm not as good as them.  I came here for a "once in a lifetime experience" and I believe this qualifies.  I have never been kicked out of a teachers' lounge before and I am almost 100% sure it will never happen again.  A true "once in a lifetime experience!"

In other news:

1. I joined the Rotana this year.  The Rotana is a hotel and I joined the gym.  I have been going about 3 times a week to use the gym and then relax in the pool.  I should have gone today!!!
2. Don't try to go the other way at a gas station.  You know how gas stations in the States have a pump on either side and you can approach the pump from either direction?  Well, there are pumps on both sides but you can only approach from one direction.  Beware of the shooters!!!  Evidently there are police watching who will shoot you or the workers.  Yes, I actually tried this and was told that I couldn't because of the shooters.  I just didn't want to wait in the line when there was an avaiable pump right on the other side.  How frustrating.
3. Dr. Mugheer (Ministry of Education head guy) said that the country was spending too much money on expat teachers.  Yikes!  Thanks so much Dr. Mugheer.  That's just what we all needed to hear.