I got paid last night! I just got my salary (1/2 of Aug and all of Sept. less 5,000 from my advance) not my furnniture allowance. The salary is more than the furniture allowance so I will use that to get my apartment ready and just use the furniture allowance for other stuff. So, today is a shopping day! I get to go order my furniture and set up delivery times and get tons of things for the apartment. Getting a car may have to wait until Sunday because it's a huge process and they aren't open at all on the weekends.
What to say about school?? I did not have a good day at all yesterday, even in the morning. The points thing did not work with the group that I had in the morning. Why would they care about getting points when they can sit and talk all morning/afternoon long anyway? I am running out of ideas. I know I should stick to one for longer than a day, but it is so frustrating when it doesn't work. I do not like my job, but I can not let these girls win. I just don't know if I can wait them out. Everyone says it gets better with time, but how long do I have to wait for it to get better? And can I wait that long?
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Morning/Afternoon
I have come to understand that most, if not all of my behavior issues, occur in the afternoon. There is a huge difference in the kids after their recess/breakfast/lunch time. I can get my morning students to do a lot more than I can in the afternoon. I am even able to teach in the morning.
The group that I had yesterday afternoon was wonderful this morning. This was the same group of students who didn't do anything yesterday afternoon because I could not get them to stop talking. This was the same group of students who made me want to quit yesterday. This was the same group of students that wouldn't listen to a word I said yesterday. This morning I taught them some new words which we used in a sentence and a place value lesson. They were so good. I couldn't believe it. I went in with a new behavior strategy. I gave them points for sitting and listening and working quietly. When they got 10 I let them have 5 minutes of talking/bathroom time. They did great! I was so pleased and I couldn't wait to try it on my afternoon group.
Well, the afternoon is a totally different story. The points didn't work at all. They had 2, but lost them very early on and never earned them back. They would not stop talking. At least I got a little bit of teaching/directions in. It took them 2 periods to copy a couple of sentences from the board. I let those that finished early draw a picture, but that didn't seem to motivate the others to work and not talk. I kept giving stickers to those that were working as well, but that didn't motivate the others. I moved some students and made them sit on the floor, but that didn't work either. I finally erased the board and moved on to math. I didn't dare attempt the place value lesson with unifix cubes like I did in the morning so I was just having them do addition facts so I could see what they know. Again lots of talking and not a lot of working. I could not wait for this afternoon to end. That's how I feel most afternoons. It just wears me out. I am so tired, frustrated and stressed by the end of the day I don't want to do anything. It's a good thing that I leave work at work because I wouldn't be getting anything done even if I did bring it back to the hotel with me.
In amongst all of the chaos of the afternoon there was a huge bright spot. There is this little girl who was a huge behavior problem; rolling on the floor, talking very loudly all the time, jumping up and down, running around pinching the other girls, and pretty much doing whatever she could to get my attention and annoy me. Which I must admit she was doing a really good job of annoying me, but I really tried to keep ignoring her. Every once in a while I would go over and move her back to her corner, but not say anything to her. Eventually I decided to try something else. I asked her to come sit by me and do some math. It took me 3/4 of the afternoon to figure out that she was acting up because she was bored. She is so smart. The simple addition problems that I had for them to do would have taken her like 5 minutes if she would have worked. She showed me that she can do 3 digit addition with carrying, 3 digit subtraction (she's not sure about borrowing and I tried to teach her but she didn't quite get it), multiplication, and I was able to teach her division. I would love to see what she knows in reading. She could read a simple sentence (the cat is on the bed) and write it in Arabic as well.
This is why I would love to be able to assess my students, so I know where they are so I can provide instruction based on what they need. I just can't get the rest of the class to behave while I work with one. I can't ignore the whole class, like I did this afternoon when I was working with and assessing one student.
No money yet. I should get paid tomorrow. Should being the key word here. It's the end of the month, but that may not mean anything in this country.
The group that I had yesterday afternoon was wonderful this morning. This was the same group of students who didn't do anything yesterday afternoon because I could not get them to stop talking. This was the same group of students who made me want to quit yesterday. This was the same group of students that wouldn't listen to a word I said yesterday. This morning I taught them some new words which we used in a sentence and a place value lesson. They were so good. I couldn't believe it. I went in with a new behavior strategy. I gave them points for sitting and listening and working quietly. When they got 10 I let them have 5 minutes of talking/bathroom time. They did great! I was so pleased and I couldn't wait to try it on my afternoon group.
Well, the afternoon is a totally different story. The points didn't work at all. They had 2, but lost them very early on and never earned them back. They would not stop talking. At least I got a little bit of teaching/directions in. It took them 2 periods to copy a couple of sentences from the board. I let those that finished early draw a picture, but that didn't seem to motivate the others to work and not talk. I kept giving stickers to those that were working as well, but that didn't motivate the others. I moved some students and made them sit on the floor, but that didn't work either. I finally erased the board and moved on to math. I didn't dare attempt the place value lesson with unifix cubes like I did in the morning so I was just having them do addition facts so I could see what they know. Again lots of talking and not a lot of working. I could not wait for this afternoon to end. That's how I feel most afternoons. It just wears me out. I am so tired, frustrated and stressed by the end of the day I don't want to do anything. It's a good thing that I leave work at work because I wouldn't be getting anything done even if I did bring it back to the hotel with me.
In amongst all of the chaos of the afternoon there was a huge bright spot. There is this little girl who was a huge behavior problem; rolling on the floor, talking very loudly all the time, jumping up and down, running around pinching the other girls, and pretty much doing whatever she could to get my attention and annoy me. Which I must admit she was doing a really good job of annoying me, but I really tried to keep ignoring her. Every once in a while I would go over and move her back to her corner, but not say anything to her. Eventually I decided to try something else. I asked her to come sit by me and do some math. It took me 3/4 of the afternoon to figure out that she was acting up because she was bored. She is so smart. The simple addition problems that I had for them to do would have taken her like 5 minutes if she would have worked. She showed me that she can do 3 digit addition with carrying, 3 digit subtraction (she's not sure about borrowing and I tried to teach her but she didn't quite get it), multiplication, and I was able to teach her division. I would love to see what she knows in reading. She could read a simple sentence (the cat is on the bed) and write it in Arabic as well.
This is why I would love to be able to assess my students, so I know where they are so I can provide instruction based on what they need. I just can't get the rest of the class to behave while I work with one. I can't ignore the whole class, like I did this afternoon when I was working with and assessing one student.
No money yet. I should get paid tomorrow. Should being the key word here. It's the end of the month, but that may not mean anything in this country.
Monday, September 27, 2010
EMSA
The 3rd grade girls took the EMSA (English, math, science, Arabic) test yesterday and today. This was the first time that the girls had to take a standardized test and the results are going to be terrible and totally unreliable.
Yesterday they took the Arabic and math portions. An Arabic teacher was going to come in and give the test while I stayed to try to "help" the girls and keep them quiet. There really wasn't any help I could give them on the Arabic part although the girls asked me to read some words for them. I didn't help during the math test, because it's a test and I shouldn't help them.
So the Arabic teacher brought the test and then she was going to leave. The names were written in Arabic so I couldn't even pass them out. I told her that I couldn't give the test since it was in Arabic. She figured it out and stayed. She passed out the test and gave directions which seemed confusing to the girls. Why wouldn't they be, they had no practice taking a test before. Poor little girls. The Arabic teacher was getting frustrated at them for not understanding her directions. I did what I could to help, but I'm not sure they really understood me either. Eventually the Arabic teacher just read the test to them. Yes, read it to them. I think she even asked the girls what they were putting for their answer. I figured this out because the girls were giving her answers that were sounds which were the answer choices. The ABCD answer choices on the Arabic test are their characters which are sounds not letters. So much for letting the girls take the test themselves.
The math part was very interesting. There was Arabic on one side and English on the other side. This totally threw the kids. They thought they had to do both. I tried to explain that the questions were the same just written in Arabic and English "see, same, same" as I pointed to both pages. Many of the girls asked me to read the English to them. I pointed to the Arabic side and told them to read that. Although I'm not sure they could read it and understand because the language used was quite intense math vocabulary (symmetry, equivalent, unit...). Words they should know, but their education hasn't been the best. I ended up having to sit by a student and continually tell her to read and choose an answer. That's all I think most of them did, just choose answers. No reading, just picking. Yikes; it's scary that the results are going to be used for teaching purposes.
Today they had the English and science parts. I was told that I was allowed to stay in the room as long as I didn't help the girls. Yeah, like I would do that. It's been ingrained in me for the past 8 years to not help students on a test. Too many scary stories about teachers losing their jobs. But that was the States and this is the UAE, so maybe I should have relaxed a little. No, a test is a test wherever you are and if you want to use the results correctly the students need to take it without help. An Arabic teacher came in to give the test and she asked me to help them. I told her that the principal told me I couldn't read it or help them. Her English is good enough so she started reading it to the kids! I told her that the principal said we couldn't help. She then told me I could leave and she would give the test and get me when she was done. Yeah, she wanted me to leave so she could read the test to them. As I was leaving I reminded her what the principal said about not helping them. Now, I don't know what happened but I do know that the teacher in Natalie's class read it to them. She told me that much. I was brought back when they were finished so she could go get the science part. I have no idea what happened during that test because as soon as they were passed out (the kids started working as soon as they got the test, no directions or timing or anything), I was told I could leave. I asked if she was sure and again reminded her about what the principal said about not helping them. and left the classroom and went upstairs and got a lot of planning, preparing, and organizing done.
I am still dealing with talking. I am trying not to let it bother me, but it does. I have to stop quite frequently during my lessons and ask them to be quiet and then wait for them to actually be quiet. If I start handing out stickers, it takes too long and they start talking again. I am trying to keep my lessons short, but they are getting quite long because I have to keep stopping and telling them to be quiet. There are a few girls who really want to learn and are quiet and respectful when I'm teaching, but they're the minority. I found myself asking if I could really do this for a whole year, or two. I mean keep telling the girls to stop talking. It's very tiring. It's very frustrating. It's a waste of time. Yeah, maybe, hopefully they'll get better. I tried taking sticker cards away today if they were talking or playing. That's something I would never have done because they earned that sticker, but I am at a loss for ideas and I have to teach them. And, I can't teach when they are talking. I tried to play ABC BINGO today, but they just wouldn't stop talking and I wasn't going to talk over them so we had to stop. What to do, what to do? I am praying for patience, ideas, and that the girls would listen.
No money yet, but that's a good thing. I really didn't want to have to deal with getting stuff ready for the apt. tonight. I just wanted to come home and relax. Which I did! I took a nap, did some laundry (ok not relaxing but it needed to be done), read, and watched some TV. It felt good to just stay in the room and relax. Tomorrow Susan and I are taking things to the apt. and we are going to start some cleaning.
Yesterday they took the Arabic and math portions. An Arabic teacher was going to come in and give the test while I stayed to try to "help" the girls and keep them quiet. There really wasn't any help I could give them on the Arabic part although the girls asked me to read some words for them. I didn't help during the math test, because it's a test and I shouldn't help them.
So the Arabic teacher brought the test and then she was going to leave. The names were written in Arabic so I couldn't even pass them out. I told her that I couldn't give the test since it was in Arabic. She figured it out and stayed. She passed out the test and gave directions which seemed confusing to the girls. Why wouldn't they be, they had no practice taking a test before. Poor little girls. The Arabic teacher was getting frustrated at them for not understanding her directions. I did what I could to help, but I'm not sure they really understood me either. Eventually the Arabic teacher just read the test to them. Yes, read it to them. I think she even asked the girls what they were putting for their answer. I figured this out because the girls were giving her answers that were sounds which were the answer choices. The ABCD answer choices on the Arabic test are their characters which are sounds not letters. So much for letting the girls take the test themselves.
The math part was very interesting. There was Arabic on one side and English on the other side. This totally threw the kids. They thought they had to do both. I tried to explain that the questions were the same just written in Arabic and English "see, same, same" as I pointed to both pages. Many of the girls asked me to read the English to them. I pointed to the Arabic side and told them to read that. Although I'm not sure they could read it and understand because the language used was quite intense math vocabulary (symmetry, equivalent, unit...). Words they should know, but their education hasn't been the best. I ended up having to sit by a student and continually tell her to read and choose an answer. That's all I think most of them did, just choose answers. No reading, just picking. Yikes; it's scary that the results are going to be used for teaching purposes.
Today they had the English and science parts. I was told that I was allowed to stay in the room as long as I didn't help the girls. Yeah, like I would do that. It's been ingrained in me for the past 8 years to not help students on a test. Too many scary stories about teachers losing their jobs. But that was the States and this is the UAE, so maybe I should have relaxed a little. No, a test is a test wherever you are and if you want to use the results correctly the students need to take it without help. An Arabic teacher came in to give the test and she asked me to help them. I told her that the principal told me I couldn't read it or help them. Her English is good enough so she started reading it to the kids! I told her that the principal said we couldn't help. She then told me I could leave and she would give the test and get me when she was done. Yeah, she wanted me to leave so she could read the test to them. As I was leaving I reminded her what the principal said about not helping them. Now, I don't know what happened but I do know that the teacher in Natalie's class read it to them. She told me that much. I was brought back when they were finished so she could go get the science part. I have no idea what happened during that test because as soon as they were passed out (the kids started working as soon as they got the test, no directions or timing or anything), I was told I could leave. I asked if she was sure and again reminded her about what the principal said about not helping them. and left the classroom and went upstairs and got a lot of planning, preparing, and organizing done.
I am still dealing with talking. I am trying not to let it bother me, but it does. I have to stop quite frequently during my lessons and ask them to be quiet and then wait for them to actually be quiet. If I start handing out stickers, it takes too long and they start talking again. I am trying to keep my lessons short, but they are getting quite long because I have to keep stopping and telling them to be quiet. There are a few girls who really want to learn and are quiet and respectful when I'm teaching, but they're the minority. I found myself asking if I could really do this for a whole year, or two. I mean keep telling the girls to stop talking. It's very tiring. It's very frustrating. It's a waste of time. Yeah, maybe, hopefully they'll get better. I tried taking sticker cards away today if they were talking or playing. That's something I would never have done because they earned that sticker, but I am at a loss for ideas and I have to teach them. And, I can't teach when they are talking. I tried to play ABC BINGO today, but they just wouldn't stop talking and I wasn't going to talk over them so we had to stop. What to do, what to do? I am praying for patience, ideas, and that the girls would listen.
No money yet, but that's a good thing. I really didn't want to have to deal with getting stuff ready for the apt. tonight. I just wanted to come home and relax. Which I did! I took a nap, did some laundry (ok not relaxing but it needed to be done), read, and watched some TV. It felt good to just stay in the room and relax. Tomorrow Susan and I are taking things to the apt. and we are going to start some cleaning.
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| my classroom - white board and desk on other side |
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| outdoor area for recess and morning assembly |
Friday, September 24, 2010
KEYS!!!
I got my keys! What a wonderful feeling! Things are happening. It's very exciting, but it's also a little scary. I am really going to be living here.
Susan called at 3:30 and told me that Nirvana (the travel agency that ADEC is working with) was downstairs and they were going to take us to Hili at 4:30. This was a totally unplanned meeting; well that shouldn't surprise me based on what I have learned about this country the past 6 weeks. So we boarded a bus and went to Hili and got our keys and passport. It was a wonderful afternoon and early evening! Everyone on the bus going over was full of excitement. Things are falling into place. Let the adventure truly begin!
Susan called at 3:30 and told me that Nirvana (the travel agency that ADEC is working with) was downstairs and they were going to take us to Hili at 4:30. This was a totally unplanned meeting; well that shouldn't surprise me based on what I have learned about this country the past 6 weeks. So we boarded a bus and went to Hili and got our keys and passport. It was a wonderful afternoon and early evening! Everyone on the bus going over was full of excitement. Things are falling into place. Let the adventure truly begin!
I am on the 3rd floor and right across the hall from Susan!!!! Yeah:) We had a little mini party in the lobby of the 3rd floor when we found out that we were the only 2 on that floor (there are only 2 apts. per floor, but we didn't know that at the time). The apartment is huge! It has 2 bedrooms and a maid's quarters. The maid's quarters is really small, but it does have its own bathroom. So there are 2 1/2 bathrooms! What do I need 2 1/2 bathrooms for?! The kitchen is a very good size with a lot of cupboard space. The fridge even goes in its own little area so it doesn't take up space in the kitchen. Neat. The view from my bedroom is of Oman!!! Not many people can say that they can see Oman from their bedroom. The view from my living room is of the mall and hotel that they are building and a field with some palm trees. I will just have to make sure I look at the palm trees instead of the construction. Now I just need money so I can get the electricity and water turned on and start making this apartment feel like home:)
I got my passport too! Now I can walk to Oman! Wow, walk to Oman pretty amazing.
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| Oman - view from my room |
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| construction of new mall - view from living room |
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| my front door |
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| view from living room |
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| 3rd floor lobby |
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| apartment complex |
Thursday, September 23, 2010
It's the Weekend:)
I made it! I made it through the first full week of school! It was a very long, stressful, tiring, challenging, exciting, and frustrating week, but I got through it. I will be ready to start a new week on Sunday.
The girls have gotten better, their behavior is not where I want it yet, but at least it's better. Could be better, could be worse so I guess I'm happy. I'm glad it's not worse. They aren't ignoring me anymore and they actually listen and participate when I'm teaching. When they go to their tables, well that's a different story. After talking to many teachers, I have decided to relax on that issue. They just talk. I am happy that they don't talk when I'm teaching anymore and I guess I can live with them talking while they are working so long as they are working and talking relatively quietly. That's what I need to work on; the relatively quietly and the working. There are a few that will just sit/stand/walk around all day instead of doing any work. It's amazing to me that they just get up and walk where they want to. That doesn't happen all that often in the States. I also really need to work on the "Miss, Miss..." issue. They are constantly saying that and it is driving me crazy! I know alot of it has to do with the fact that they don't understand, but seriously there's only 1 of me and 24 of them. That's too many "misses" that I'm hearing each day. Then there's the constant "bathroom". I am only allowed to send 1 girl at a time so it seems like my classroom is a revolving door. We have been told to let the girls use the bathroom, just not when we're teaching. They have gotten better about not asking when I'm teaching, which is when they're sitting on the floor. I did figure that out; they are much quieter when I gather them on the floor in front of me versus when they are sitting at their tables. Duh! Seems quite obvious, but it took me a couple of days to figure that one out.
I had a pretty interesting dinner out tonight. I wasn't planning on eating out, but Susan convinced me "It's Thursday, you have to!!!". So I went and enjoyed myself and I'm glad that I went out. We went to this little authentic Arabic restaurant where they serve you a lot of food for a very small price. The meal for the 4 of us cost 67 dirhams, which is about what I pay when I eat at the hotel. Anyway, the food was amazing! The hummus was to die for! You could definitely tell that it was fresh. So smooth and flavorful (no garlic like they sell in the States, but delicious none the less). The service was so fast. They brought soup first which was followed by salad and hummus and rice. The main course came shortly after that. I had grilled chicken. It was a little dry, but good in the hummus. Everyone else had chicken tika which was delicious so when we go back (oh yes, we'll be going back:) I'll be getting the chicken tika. The interesting part of the night was our seating. They seated us upstairs (the women and family area). Our table had a curtain around it that we could close if we wanted to, but since there was no one else upstairs we decided to leave it open. We were almost finished with our meal when a waiter came upstairs and washed his feet in the sink! Yeah! He really did. Cassie and I just stared at each other with our mouths open. Why in the world would he wash his feet in the sink in a restaurant? Susan figured it out; it was prayer time. Before praying they have to wash their feet, hands, and face it's called abolution. So he washed and then proceeded to pray. We thought we should shut the curtain then to give him some privacy, but by the time we had it shut he was finished. We continued our meal and more men came upstairs to wash their feet and pray. We decided that we should leave. They didn't seem bothered by it, but I think we all were a bit uncomfortable. I know I was.
No word on keys, money, or passport. Maybe this weekend, maybe not.
The girls have gotten better, their behavior is not where I want it yet, but at least it's better. Could be better, could be worse so I guess I'm happy. I'm glad it's not worse. They aren't ignoring me anymore and they actually listen and participate when I'm teaching. When they go to their tables, well that's a different story. After talking to many teachers, I have decided to relax on that issue. They just talk. I am happy that they don't talk when I'm teaching anymore and I guess I can live with them talking while they are working so long as they are working and talking relatively quietly. That's what I need to work on; the relatively quietly and the working. There are a few that will just sit/stand/walk around all day instead of doing any work. It's amazing to me that they just get up and walk where they want to. That doesn't happen all that often in the States. I also really need to work on the "Miss, Miss..." issue. They are constantly saying that and it is driving me crazy! I know alot of it has to do with the fact that they don't understand, but seriously there's only 1 of me and 24 of them. That's too many "misses" that I'm hearing each day. Then there's the constant "bathroom". I am only allowed to send 1 girl at a time so it seems like my classroom is a revolving door. We have been told to let the girls use the bathroom, just not when we're teaching. They have gotten better about not asking when I'm teaching, which is when they're sitting on the floor. I did figure that out; they are much quieter when I gather them on the floor in front of me versus when they are sitting at their tables. Duh! Seems quite obvious, but it took me a couple of days to figure that one out.
I had a pretty interesting dinner out tonight. I wasn't planning on eating out, but Susan convinced me "It's Thursday, you have to!!!". So I went and enjoyed myself and I'm glad that I went out. We went to this little authentic Arabic restaurant where they serve you a lot of food for a very small price. The meal for the 4 of us cost 67 dirhams, which is about what I pay when I eat at the hotel. Anyway, the food was amazing! The hummus was to die for! You could definitely tell that it was fresh. So smooth and flavorful (no garlic like they sell in the States, but delicious none the less). The service was so fast. They brought soup first which was followed by salad and hummus and rice. The main course came shortly after that. I had grilled chicken. It was a little dry, but good in the hummus. Everyone else had chicken tika which was delicious so when we go back (oh yes, we'll be going back:) I'll be getting the chicken tika. The interesting part of the night was our seating. They seated us upstairs (the women and family area). Our table had a curtain around it that we could close if we wanted to, but since there was no one else upstairs we decided to leave it open. We were almost finished with our meal when a waiter came upstairs and washed his feet in the sink! Yeah! He really did. Cassie and I just stared at each other with our mouths open. Why in the world would he wash his feet in the sink in a restaurant? Susan figured it out; it was prayer time. Before praying they have to wash their feet, hands, and face it's called abolution. So he washed and then proceeded to pray. We thought we should shut the curtain then to give him some privacy, but by the time we had it shut he was finished. We continued our meal and more men came upstairs to wash their feet and pray. We decided that we should leave. They didn't seem bothered by it, but I think we all were a bit uncomfortable. I know I was.
No word on keys, money, or passport. Maybe this weekend, maybe not.
Wednesday
Almost weekend time!! Just one more day to go. Today was better than yesterday, at least in the morning. The girls have a hard time working independently and even though I would love for them to work with partners they just can’t right now because they talk too much. I am even tired of the translating in Arabic. For the most part they understand what I am saying, or at least what I mean. They may not know exactly what I am saying, but they understand the tone of voice and that they are doing something that they shouldn’t be doing. I don’t want the other girls to translate everything in Arabic all the time. Yes, it’s ok sometimes but I am tired of the constant translating. I can understand the need for it when they are trying to do an assignment, but when I want them to sit down and be quiet; they totally understand that in English.
There was a big HR meeting today. The meeting was scheduled to start at 4:30, but it didn’t start until about 5:30. I am not quite sure what exactly happened at the meeting. I think I will be getting my apartment soon, but I don’t know. I thought that I was going to get the keys tonight, but all I did was sign a piece of paper and fill out a form for my UAE ID card. I think I should be getting my passport back in a week and I should be getting my furniture allowance in a week as well. But I don’t really know. I think I will just have to be satisfied with the hotel until I get my key and money. Whenever that will be!!! I think, I think, I think…
The biggest issue about the meeting was the way the other teachers acted. Lots of questions were repeated, lots of complaining, lots of talking; just plain rude behavior. Things that I expect my students NOT to do when I’m talking, that’s what the teachers were doing. These are my colleagues and it’s very frustrating. I know I have my moments when I complain and talk during meetings, but I try to keep it quiet and I try to listen so if I need to ask a question I don’t repeat a question that has already been asked 3 times. Loudly complaining about the people who are asking the questions is just as bad as being the one who is asking the questions. I totally needed to get away from that room and the people. I tried to go to the gym, but it was packed so Cassie and I just walked around for a while.
It's weekend time!!!!
There was a big HR meeting today. The meeting was scheduled to start at 4:30, but it didn’t start until about 5:30. I am not quite sure what exactly happened at the meeting. I think I will be getting my apartment soon, but I don’t know. I thought that I was going to get the keys tonight, but all I did was sign a piece of paper and fill out a form for my UAE ID card. I think I should be getting my passport back in a week and I should be getting my furniture allowance in a week as well. But I don’t really know. I think I will just have to be satisfied with the hotel until I get my key and money. Whenever that will be!!! I think, I think, I think…
The biggest issue about the meeting was the way the other teachers acted. Lots of questions were repeated, lots of complaining, lots of talking; just plain rude behavior. Things that I expect my students NOT to do when I’m talking, that’s what the teachers were doing. These are my colleagues and it’s very frustrating. I know I have my moments when I complain and talk during meetings, but I try to keep it quiet and I try to listen so if I need to ask a question I don’t repeat a question that has already been asked 3 times. Loudly complaining about the people who are asking the questions is just as bad as being the one who is asking the questions. I totally needed to get away from that room and the people. I tried to go to the gym, but it was packed so Cassie and I just walked around for a while.
It's weekend time!!!!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Hump Day!
WoooHooo!!! It is hump day! The week is almost over; just 2 more days to go! I will make it through this week. Today was better than yesterday, so that's good. Still not what I expect or what I'm used to, but definitely better than yesterday. No tears today, so that's a good thing. If tomorrow is better than today we're on the right track. I think I would even settle for tomorrow being as good as today, just not worse. I do not like yelling and I like to have fun, but unfortunately I can't have fun with these girls right now. Hopefully they will get there. There was no turning their back on me today, but there was still a lot of talking especially in my afternoon class. That group seems to be worse. They just think they can talk all the time no matter what I say or what I expect. That needs to change. I would love to say that it will change, but I have heard stories that this type of behavior goes on all year. I can definitely say that I am glad that the other teachers are nice and friendly because that makes it a lot easier to go to work. If the other teachers were distancing themselves and segregating the LTs, like at some schools, I don't think I could take it. Praise God for that!
Things are so different here. In NC I would get to school early and leave late. You just don't do that here. It is something that I have to get used to. It's a good thing, but very different. Plus we have been told to leave work at work. Very hard. That means I shouldn't take home anything. It's ok because it will be there tomorrow. It's just a totally new mindset. I arrive at school at 7:45 and school starts at 8:30. I don't have to be there until 8:00, but I need some time to get ready and make sure my key works. School gets out at 2:00 and I leave at 2:15. I can leave at 2:00, but I need time to clean up. So I am home by 2:30 or 2:45. It's amazing! It's good too, because I need to get out of there.
Every morning starts with a morning assembly. This is so amazing to watch. I have no idea what they're saying, but I feel inspired! The assembly is led by someone who is yelling something to the girls and they all yell/chant something back. They say a prayer, sing their national anthem, and do some exercises. The girls are so well behaved during assembly it's hard to believe they're the same girls that come to my class and don't listen to a word I say.
I was asked by a parent today why her daughter wasn't doing any science. I had to explain to this parent that school just started and we're not ready to do science yet. We have been doing English and math because that doesn't really involve me teaching a lesson. There is no way I could teach a science lesson right now. She understood that we weren't there yet, so that's good. No complaint, just wondering.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous today! It was even cooler outside than it was in my classroom for part of the day. I was able to eat dinner outside tonight as well. Very nice breeze and cooler temperatures. I am sure that if I hadn't been here since August I would think it was terribly hot, but I definitely noticed a pleasant difference today! Yeah, fall is coming. Well not fall actually, just not as hot.
Things are so different here. In NC I would get to school early and leave late. You just don't do that here. It is something that I have to get used to. It's a good thing, but very different. Plus we have been told to leave work at work. Very hard. That means I shouldn't take home anything. It's ok because it will be there tomorrow. It's just a totally new mindset. I arrive at school at 7:45 and school starts at 8:30. I don't have to be there until 8:00, but I need some time to get ready and make sure my key works. School gets out at 2:00 and I leave at 2:15. I can leave at 2:00, but I need time to clean up. So I am home by 2:30 or 2:45. It's amazing! It's good too, because I need to get out of there.
Every morning starts with a morning assembly. This is so amazing to watch. I have no idea what they're saying, but I feel inspired! The assembly is led by someone who is yelling something to the girls and they all yell/chant something back. They say a prayer, sing their national anthem, and do some exercises. The girls are so well behaved during assembly it's hard to believe they're the same girls that come to my class and don't listen to a word I say.
I was asked by a parent today why her daughter wasn't doing any science. I had to explain to this parent that school just started and we're not ready to do science yet. We have been doing English and math because that doesn't really involve me teaching a lesson. There is no way I could teach a science lesson right now. She understood that we weren't there yet, so that's good. No complaint, just wondering.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous today! It was even cooler outside than it was in my classroom for part of the day. I was able to eat dinner outside tonight as well. Very nice breeze and cooler temperatures. I am sure that if I hadn't been here since August I would think it was terribly hot, but I definitely noticed a pleasant difference today! Yeah, fall is coming. Well not fall actually, just not as hot.
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