Two weeks since my last post means 2 trips to Dubai! Last weekend I went up to visit Cindy. She used to live in Al Ain and I met her at the Al Ain Evangelical Church (AAEC), but she moved to Dubai over the summer. So I hadn't seen her since before I left for the States in August. I had a great visit and it was wonderful to be able to see Cindy (who has been like a mom to me since I've been here) and the rest of her family. Cindy doesn't really live in the city of Dubai, she lives in Mirdif. Which is in the Emirate of Dubai, but it's like a suburb of the city of Dubai. Make sense? So even though I went to the Emirate of Dubai I didn't do any of the typical Dubai type things since I spent the time in Mirdif. We didn't really do anything all that exciting, but I did get to go to church. I haven't been to church here in a long time. There really isn't much choice and AAEC (where I was going) is not doing very well. The only other option is the Catholic Church. I tried it, but it's not a good fit for me. Not what I'm looking for. Anyway, it was a nice relaxing weekend after a long and stressful week.
Last week at school the new LT finally arrived! She teaches 4th grade, so that means I could stop going in twice a week to teach science. Although I did enjoy seeing the other 4th graders I didn't get much done in my classes. I have to keep that in mind because I don't really like her. She's not at all friendly and very difficult to work with. And I have to work with her because we're both 4th grade. I'll have to make it work and be extra thankful that she's here so I don't have to teach extra classes.
In addition to the new LT arriving I had a rough Wed. afternoon with my 4th graders. Afternoons are hard, and I know this, but I still expect certain things. Like putting your assignment in the blue basket instead of waving it in my face. I know it sounds trivial but when you get it from just about every student after you have made a point of asking them where to put their work when they finish and they tell you "put it in the blue basket" it's just frustrating. Funny thing I should be thankful about in the whole situation is that with all my repeating "blue basket" they have stopped calling it "basket blue." At least in that one situation they learned that adjective come before nouns in English! I really think that was just the straw that broke the camel's back that day. So I got upset. I wanted to know why they wouldn't just put it in the blue basket. So I asked them. They didn't have an answer. I asked them if they do that (wave their paper in her face) to Ms. Hibba (their Arabic homeroom teacher) when they are finished with an assignment. They said no they would never do that. I asked why, and I was told that they don't listen to me because I am from America. Shocking. I honestly thought I was past this with my students. We had a discussion, or I should say lecture, about how disrespectful that is and they need to respect everyone regardless of where they're from. I'm not sure how much they got out of it, but they knew I was mad so they were very well behaved for the rest of the day. I know they're hearing it from their parents and I don't really know what to do about it.
Last week was a good week! Uneventful and not very stressful at all. The girls were pretty well behaved, not as much paper waving last week. It didn't all go away, but at least it wasn't a majority of the students. I'm not really sure why this bothers me more with 4th grade than with 3rd grade. I guess it could be because most of them had me for a teacher last year and they should know better. I'm still training 3rd grade. Anyway, we had a good week! Quite thankful:)
This weekend I went to Dubai with Susan because she had a friend who was travelling from Afghanistan back to the States and she had a layover in Dubai. Susan wanted me to meet her friend so we left Thursday after work and stayed at the InterCon. I love that hotel and I have to take advantage of it because once I leave I doubt I'll be staying there ever again. Susan went to Mirdif City Center Mall on Friday while I went to church and then out with Cindy and her family. Side note - I have decided that I will be going to Dubai every weekend for church. Cindy has said that I can stay with them if I need to spend the night. So I'll leave every Thursday after work and spend the night with them. So thankful! After Susan and I met up back at the hotel we had a nice dinner and then I walked along the creek. It was beautiful! The weather is getting much nicer and being on the water there was a nice breeze. Not many stars in the sky and no moon, but it was nice to walk along the water on a clear night. It's still hot during the day, but the mornings and nights are quite pleasant.
Saturday started out quite stressful. We needed to pick Elinor up at the Holiday Inn Express near the airport. I put Holidy Inn Express into my GPS and got one in Jumeria. I had no idea if that was near the airport so we went there. Wrong one. Jumeria isn't near the airport. Only thing is that was the only Holiday Inn Express in the GPS so I put in the airport and we eventually got to the airpot. I mean literally to the airport. I didn't want to go to the airport, I just wanted to go in the general direction. Thing is I could see the hotel, I just couldn't get to it. So frustrating. I called the hotel, but no one answered. So I called Craig, Cindy's husband, and he didn't answer. So I called Cindy. She answered, but I had a hard time telling her where I was and where the hotel was since I don't know Dubai and I am totally directionally challenged. I drove around the airport getting more and more frustrated and pretty near tears. I do not like getting lost and I was getting pretty scared. I had no idea where I was. I shouldn't have been that scared because I do have a GPS and I could get home, but I had to get to the hotel to pick up Elinor. I ended up driving through a parking garage and got out on the road to the hotel. Thank God! We drove to Dubai Mall and had a nice lunch and did some shopping. Turns out Elinor is from Grand Rapids and she graduated from MSU! And she lived in Holden, which is right by Wonders where I lived for 2 years. No way! Small world. So, we had a nice discussion about how well the Spartans are doing this year! The afternoon was nice and Susan and I headed back to Al Ain at about 3.
Just one more week and then Eid! Oh funny story about Eid. It's an Islamic holiday and I'm not saying it right when I say it Eid, but I can't pronounce the letter that it starts with (same one as Al Ain). We're doing letter writing in 4th grade and as I was modeling writing a letter I wrote that I was excited about Eid because I would be out of school for a week. One of my students raised her hand (yes, she actually raised her hand!!!) and asked "What is this Eid?" I just had to laugh. Not at her, but at my pronounciation. One of the other students said the word in Arabic and she totally understood what I was talking about. It was quite funny! We had a nice discussion about how I can't say that letter, just like they can't say /p/. So I practiced for a bit, like I make them practice /p/, but I can't get it. I got it once last year in the word for honey, which I forgot, but I can't do it often. I am looking forward to the week off! I don't think I'll be travelling anywhere, other than Dubai, since I need to save for Australia. It will be nice to have the week off regardless. I can go to the Rotana and sit by the pool since it's not that hot.
90 degrees at 8:30.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
خريف في العين - Fall in Al Ain
So, it's October and that means fall. Leaves are changing color. I'm going to cider mills and eating fresh picked apples. The smell of cider and pumpkins and leaves is in the air! OK so only in my dreams, but still it is fall. I was at LuLu Hypermarket (kind of like Walmart) doing my grocery shopping and there in the produce section (which I absolutely hate going to) were red delicious apples from USA. I guess that's what brought this whole topic on. Oh how I crave a fresh picked red delicious apple. I didn't buy one because I am very picky about my apples. They have to be crisp and juicy and I just couldn't take the chance that it would be soft and mushy. That would ruin everything. So I walked by and got my fresh cut pineapple from the Philippines, cucumbers from Oman, peppers from Egypt, and a peach from Turkey. I do think it is kind of weird that they tell you where your produce is coming from, but it is interesting to know that I am eating a peach that was grown in Turkey. So back to fall. I got some cider smelling candles at Bath and Body Works (which is opening up in the Al Ain Mall extension so I'll be able to go much more frequently) in Dubai and I have them lit so there really is the smell of fall in the air in my living room. I have a pot of chili simmering on the stove, which is adding a nice aroma to the apartment. It is getting cooler (93 at 7pm) and it is actually quite pleasant in the mornings and evenings. The afternoons are still hot, but not hot like in August and September. So I guess fall is really coming:)
The rain on Wed. was heavenly! It wasn't just a few sprinkles like usual. It was a nice rain shower. Thunder and lightning included. I opened my window and stuck my head out to enjoy the cool breeze and the drops of rain. If I wasn't in the middle of lesson planning in my pjs I probably would have been out running in the rain!
Things are changing at school. Last week marked the first week that I had to go into the other 4th grade classes to teach science. We are still short an LT and parents are complaining so the principal reached this solution: I will teach science twice a week, Andrea will teach English twice a week, and Haila (an Arabic teacher) will teach math twice a week. Not a great solution if you ask me, but I guess it's better than what they were getting. Hopefully Terry (the LT we are supposed to have) will come soon, although she's not going to be welcomed very nicely by either the LTs or the Arabic teachers. Going in the other classes and teaching is no problem it's the leaving my classes that creates the issues. They get all riled up and want to know who's coming and what they're going to do and I don't know the answers to those questions. Then there's the fact that the Arabic teachers don't make them clean up so the room is left a mess. Because I guess what happened is they sent a bus lady in to watch them and she let them play and then the bell rang for fussha (recess) or dismissal and the girls left. Not much I can do about that.
In addition to that, the Arabic teachers are now coming into LT's rooms. That should be a good thing because that means the Arabic teachers will get some sort of teaching on how to teach, but it just requires extra work for me. Then there's the fact that they come in during the lesson and leave just as soon as I get the girls ready to do their assignment. That's when I need the help. I don't need someone to observe. They are supposed to be helping in addition to observing. Baby steps I guess.
Then there's the fact that lots of university students are coming to observe. Another good thing, I guess, but they have tons of questions that they ask during the lesson/class so I really have to multi-task. I had one on Thursday tell me that I needed to teach a new lesson. A university student telling me what I need to teach. I don't think so. I really wasn't planning on teaching a lesson anyway. They were finishing up their writing from Wednesday. I told this to the student and she said that she needed to see a new lesson. Oh well honey. Not today!
I did find out that all the Arabic teachers like me. They did not tell me this, Ashley told me. Reason they like me: I'm quiet. Kind of funny because they kicked us out of the teachers' lounge for being too loud!!! They didn't tell me I could stay because I was quiet. Honestly I didn't think that was one of my better qualities!
Time for dinner. The chili smells delicious. Enjoy the fall!
The rain on Wed. was heavenly! It wasn't just a few sprinkles like usual. It was a nice rain shower. Thunder and lightning included. I opened my window and stuck my head out to enjoy the cool breeze and the drops of rain. If I wasn't in the middle of lesson planning in my pjs I probably would have been out running in the rain!
Things are changing at school. Last week marked the first week that I had to go into the other 4th grade classes to teach science. We are still short an LT and parents are complaining so the principal reached this solution: I will teach science twice a week, Andrea will teach English twice a week, and Haila (an Arabic teacher) will teach math twice a week. Not a great solution if you ask me, but I guess it's better than what they were getting. Hopefully Terry (the LT we are supposed to have) will come soon, although she's not going to be welcomed very nicely by either the LTs or the Arabic teachers. Going in the other classes and teaching is no problem it's the leaving my classes that creates the issues. They get all riled up and want to know who's coming and what they're going to do and I don't know the answers to those questions. Then there's the fact that the Arabic teachers don't make them clean up so the room is left a mess. Because I guess what happened is they sent a bus lady in to watch them and she let them play and then the bell rang for fussha (recess) or dismissal and the girls left. Not much I can do about that.
In addition to that, the Arabic teachers are now coming into LT's rooms. That should be a good thing because that means the Arabic teachers will get some sort of teaching on how to teach, but it just requires extra work for me. Then there's the fact that they come in during the lesson and leave just as soon as I get the girls ready to do their assignment. That's when I need the help. I don't need someone to observe. They are supposed to be helping in addition to observing. Baby steps I guess.
Then there's the fact that lots of university students are coming to observe. Another good thing, I guess, but they have tons of questions that they ask during the lesson/class so I really have to multi-task. I had one on Thursday tell me that I needed to teach a new lesson. A university student telling me what I need to teach. I don't think so. I really wasn't planning on teaching a lesson anyway. They were finishing up their writing from Wednesday. I told this to the student and she said that she needed to see a new lesson. Oh well honey. Not today!
I did find out that all the Arabic teachers like me. They did not tell me this, Ashley told me. Reason they like me: I'm quiet. Kind of funny because they kicked us out of the teachers' lounge for being too loud!!! They didn't tell me I could stay because I was quiet. Honestly I didn't think that was one of my better qualities!
Time for dinner. The chili smells delicious. Enjoy the fall!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Time to go
OK, I know, it's been a while since I've posted. Sorry to my readers. But, in my defense, I did go almost a week without Internet. Kind of makes it hard to update a blog without Internet.
I guess the biggest news would be that I have come to a decision. I CANNOT and WILL NOT be back here next year. I have to find somewhere else to work. As of right now I'm kind of thinking Alaska. Who knows. I'll definitely be looking in and around MI, but I'm also exploring other options. I came to this decision last week and it was mostly based on the fact that I don't like my job. Or at least I don't like where I have to do my job. I am tired of all the ridiculously high and unrealistic expections for LTs and students, I am tired of the discrimination between the Emirati teachers and the LTs, I'm tired of the fact that the LTs are expected to do so much while the Emirati teachers aren't expected to change, and this program is not working and that's kind of sad to say that I'm working for something that will fail. Yes, the money is good and I am able to do a lot of things that I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise like travel, live in a nice apartment, spend the day at the pool, see amazing sights and meet lots of new people, but it has to be more than just that. I'm really not happy here. So I am praying that I will find a job. Please keep your eyes and ears open for anything and pass the word along.
We are allowed back in the teachers' lounge. The other teachers, not Shamsa and the other one who started the whole thing, realized that they did something wrong and have welcomed us back in. Although I have yet to eat in there. I guess I know I should since it was only 2 people who kicked us out, but I feel as if they made their point clear. I've also been quite busy in the room so I've been able to use that as an excuse.
Water is still iffy, as usual, but they haven't cancelled anymore school. Which leaves me still wondering why that one day in September?
Eid is coming up in a month and I think I am just going to do something local so I can save money for my trip to Australia, which is going to be expensive. I won't have to pay for a hotel, but the flight is about 1/2 of a month's salary. It will be worth it though. Kisha and I have been talking about going to Fujeriah, one of the other Emirates. I guess since I plan on leaving in 9 1/2 months I need to see the rest of this country!!!
I have gotten more organized in the classroom, which is helping. I bought a shelf so I can have 3rd grade stuff ready on one shelf and 4th grade stuff on the other. I am still loving 4th grade. Although I did get quite angry with them Wednesday afternoon when it took us more than 40 minutes to do one page in their science book which consisted of 3 questions!! They had been bothering me to go to the bathroom and I told them that we would go when the bell rings, like we usually do. So the bell rang and we weren't finished with science yet (I was hoping we would be finished by then) and I got very frustrated and said "We're not even finished with science yet and it's only 3 questions. We have 40 minutes for science and you won't stop talking so we can get it finished. Go to the bathroom and we'll finish when you get back and you better stop talking!!" I think they got my message because it was very quiet and math went quite smoothly! At the end of the day we have closing circle and I ask them what they did "What did you do today besides drive Miss Sara crazy?!" Now if only the same would work for 3rd grade!! They are still a nightmare. Well, not really a nightmare because that was last years 3/1, but they are much worse than 4th grade. I spend a lot more time waiting for them and we have to take more breaks because I have them in the afternoon and they drive me crazy. I don't feel as if I get as much done with them as I do in 4th grade.
I have worn my abayah to school a few times and I must admit it isn't any hotter than all the layers I have to wear. It's comfortable and I like just wearing shorts and a tank top underneath. I got a lot of compliments from teachers and students and Salha (a teahcer) even said that I was now Emirati! Horror of horrors!!! I was relating this story to Susan and she asked if I was getting Emirati privileges and pay as well!! I wish!
So I guess that's about it. Hopefully I'll be better about posting.
106 degrees at 4:30, it's getting cooler!!!
I guess the biggest news would be that I have come to a decision. I CANNOT and WILL NOT be back here next year. I have to find somewhere else to work. As of right now I'm kind of thinking Alaska. Who knows. I'll definitely be looking in and around MI, but I'm also exploring other options. I came to this decision last week and it was mostly based on the fact that I don't like my job. Or at least I don't like where I have to do my job. I am tired of all the ridiculously high and unrealistic expections for LTs and students, I am tired of the discrimination between the Emirati teachers and the LTs, I'm tired of the fact that the LTs are expected to do so much while the Emirati teachers aren't expected to change, and this program is not working and that's kind of sad to say that I'm working for something that will fail. Yes, the money is good and I am able to do a lot of things that I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise like travel, live in a nice apartment, spend the day at the pool, see amazing sights and meet lots of new people, but it has to be more than just that. I'm really not happy here. So I am praying that I will find a job. Please keep your eyes and ears open for anything and pass the word along.
We are allowed back in the teachers' lounge. The other teachers, not Shamsa and the other one who started the whole thing, realized that they did something wrong and have welcomed us back in. Although I have yet to eat in there. I guess I know I should since it was only 2 people who kicked us out, but I feel as if they made their point clear. I've also been quite busy in the room so I've been able to use that as an excuse.
Water is still iffy, as usual, but they haven't cancelled anymore school. Which leaves me still wondering why that one day in September?
Eid is coming up in a month and I think I am just going to do something local so I can save money for my trip to Australia, which is going to be expensive. I won't have to pay for a hotel, but the flight is about 1/2 of a month's salary. It will be worth it though. Kisha and I have been talking about going to Fujeriah, one of the other Emirates. I guess since I plan on leaving in 9 1/2 months I need to see the rest of this country!!!
I have gotten more organized in the classroom, which is helping. I bought a shelf so I can have 3rd grade stuff ready on one shelf and 4th grade stuff on the other. I am still loving 4th grade. Although I did get quite angry with them Wednesday afternoon when it took us more than 40 minutes to do one page in their science book which consisted of 3 questions!! They had been bothering me to go to the bathroom and I told them that we would go when the bell rings, like we usually do. So the bell rang and we weren't finished with science yet (I was hoping we would be finished by then) and I got very frustrated and said "We're not even finished with science yet and it's only 3 questions. We have 40 minutes for science and you won't stop talking so we can get it finished. Go to the bathroom and we'll finish when you get back and you better stop talking!!" I think they got my message because it was very quiet and math went quite smoothly! At the end of the day we have closing circle and I ask them what they did "What did you do today besides drive Miss Sara crazy?!" Now if only the same would work for 3rd grade!! They are still a nightmare. Well, not really a nightmare because that was last years 3/1, but they are much worse than 4th grade. I spend a lot more time waiting for them and we have to take more breaks because I have them in the afternoon and they drive me crazy. I don't feel as if I get as much done with them as I do in 4th grade.
I have worn my abayah to school a few times and I must admit it isn't any hotter than all the layers I have to wear. It's comfortable and I like just wearing shorts and a tank top underneath. I got a lot of compliments from teachers and students and Salha (a teahcer) even said that I was now Emirati! Horror of horrors!!! I was relating this story to Susan and she asked if I was getting Emirati privileges and pay as well!! I wish!
So I guess that's about it. Hopefully I'll be better about posting.
106 degrees at 4:30, it's getting cooler!!!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
لا ماء - No Water
I'm not sure if I have explained the water situation at my school yet or not. I guess to "inconsistent" is a good word for it. Some days we have some, and then there are other days when we have none. Not a very sanitary situation if you ask me, but I'm not in charge here. I just can't imagine children going to school without water in the States. And, I don't just mean drinking water!!
Today marked the beginning of the actual school year. The girls had to stay at school until 2:00, unlike last week when they got to leave at 1:00. At 1:50 the dismissal bell rang! I was so not ready for this. I had just gotten the girls started on their math assignment and was giving stickers. The girls weren't ready either and when that happens things get chaotic. They threw their sticker card at me, grabbed their stuff, and ran out of the room. I wasn't even going to try to fight this battle.
Why the 10 minute early dismissal? I'm thinking Salema just pushed the button early. It happens sometimes, but granted never 10 minutes early (unless of course it's the end of break). I was headed back from the bathroom when Alice tells me that Ms. Salama (assistant principal) told everyone to go home because there was no water! When Ms. Salama tells you to go home, you don't argue. I wasn't about to tell her that I just came from the bathroom and flushed the toilet and washed my hands with a good amount of water! I just grabbed my stuff and left!
So, I must ask, why today? Why was it ok to have school all last week without water, but today it's not? I'm not even going to mention all the times last year that we didn't have water, that's way in the past. But, what changed?
The teachers' lounge was very quiet when I went in at breakfast/lunch time today. No wonder, all the LTs weren't there!! Just kidding. I think the Arabic teachers realized they made a huge mistake and they weren't talking to us. Maybe I should say I "hope" the Arabic teachers realized they made a huge mistake. I grabbed my lunch, filled up my water bottle, and quietly left the room. I did find out that they changed their mind and if you pay for the breakfast you can eat in the room. I don't pay for the breakfast anymore so that still excludes me. Not that I would eat in there if I did pay for it. I'm just sick of it.
This teaching 2 grade levels is going to take a lot of time to get used to. I need to come up with a way to stay organized in the classroom. Unfortunately that probably means I will have to buy something. It's like I need 2 desks; one for 3rd grade and one for 4th grade. I have the 2 cabinets in the closet, but I need to organize what I'm using each day in the classroom so I don't always have to be running back to the closet and getting what I need. I'm super organized so I'll come up with something!
Today marked the beginning of the actual school year. The girls had to stay at school until 2:00, unlike last week when they got to leave at 1:00. At 1:50 the dismissal bell rang! I was so not ready for this. I had just gotten the girls started on their math assignment and was giving stickers. The girls weren't ready either and when that happens things get chaotic. They threw their sticker card at me, grabbed their stuff, and ran out of the room. I wasn't even going to try to fight this battle.
Why the 10 minute early dismissal? I'm thinking Salema just pushed the button early. It happens sometimes, but granted never 10 minutes early (unless of course it's the end of break). I was headed back from the bathroom when Alice tells me that Ms. Salama (assistant principal) told everyone to go home because there was no water! When Ms. Salama tells you to go home, you don't argue. I wasn't about to tell her that I just came from the bathroom and flushed the toilet and washed my hands with a good amount of water! I just grabbed my stuff and left!
So, I must ask, why today? Why was it ok to have school all last week without water, but today it's not? I'm not even going to mention all the times last year that we didn't have water, that's way in the past. But, what changed?
The teachers' lounge was very quiet when I went in at breakfast/lunch time today. No wonder, all the LTs weren't there!! Just kidding. I think the Arabic teachers realized they made a huge mistake and they weren't talking to us. Maybe I should say I "hope" the Arabic teachers realized they made a huge mistake. I grabbed my lunch, filled up my water bottle, and quietly left the room. I did find out that they changed their mind and if you pay for the breakfast you can eat in the room. I don't pay for the breakfast anymore so that still excludes me. Not that I would eat in there if I did pay for it. I'm just sick of it.
This teaching 2 grade levels is going to take a lot of time to get used to. I need to come up with a way to stay organized in the classroom. Unfortunately that probably means I will have to buy something. It's like I need 2 desks; one for 3rd grade and one for 4th grade. I have the 2 cabinets in the closet, but I need to organize what I'm using each day in the classroom so I don't always have to be running back to the closet and getting what I need. I'm super organized so I'll come up with something!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
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!"
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:
- 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!!!
- 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.
- 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.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
بداية - Beginning
My 2nd year teaching in Abu Dhabi began quite nicely! There weren't any major issues and the day went fairly smooth.
It was great seeing my old students! They seemed quite happy to see me and came to give me hugs, hand shakes, and say hi. It was nice! My girls from last year looked so much older today; 4th graders have to wear a shaylah (head scarf). It was weird seeing them wear it, but it made them look so much older. That plus the fact that they had grown over the summer (as all kids tend to do:).
After greeting my students I went to my room, 3/3, to try to get ready for the day but discovered that I couldn't get much done because parents and students kept coming in to see which class they/or their daughter were in. I had one mom who wanted her daughter put in my class and asked if I could do that. I told her she needed to talk to modeera (principal). We'll see. Anyway since I wasn't getting anything done I left and went and chatted with the other LTs.
Everyone seemed ready to start just unsure of how to exactly start. There was no morning assembly which is why we were all confused. The students were told their homeroom (not really sure what this is as their homeroom teacher may not be their Arabic teacher), and then they went to their class.
Once the girls got situated in their class I arrived and began introducing myself to these little 3rd graders. We had a productive morning going over rules and routines. We did some letter games and number games and they made a name tag. I am really going to spend a lot of time going over the rules and routines this year; I do not want the problems I had last year. I had a good morning with about 15 3rd graders. I have some that don't know all their letters and can't count. But that is to be expected. As of right now I'm just not sure how many there are. From the informal assessments I did today with the letter and number games I identified 3 already. They either don't know or they froze, so technically I guess I'll have to wait and see.
I had grade 3 for 3 periods and then it was time for fussha (break). The only issue here was that the girls wouldn't/shouldn't be coming back to the classroom but I didn't know where they would/should be going. So I told them to leave their bags outside. Imagine my surprise when I came back in the room and saw their bags by their desks and chairs pulled out. I know we had pushed them all in before we left! Evidently their Arabic teacher was going to have class in my room, but changed her mind or was told otherwise because the students weren't there. They came back for period 5, but I was supposed to have 4/1. So I had to figure out what to do with these 3rd graders while I tried to supervise the 4th graders in their room (4/1). I had a student go to the teacher room to try to figure out where they needed to be. After 3 tries Fatima finally had a solution. Miss. Nowayer was going to come get them and take them where they needed to be. So I went and told 4/1 that they would be coming over to 3/3 in a minute and gave them instructions (they were chatty, I'll have to stop that). Once we got the whole thing straightened out I had 45 minutes with 4/1 before it was time to go.
I thought I would have a huge problem with the shaylah's, as the girls and women tend to take them off and put them on all the time, in essence play with them, but I didn't. The girls just wore them around their neck. That was nice. I really didn't have any huge problems with this class, but they were chattier than the 3rd graders. I think that comes from the fact that most of them knew me from last year, there were only 6 that I didn't have last year. The administration did a good job of separating 3/1 from last year so hopefully I won't have as many problems. I just know that I will have to work on the talking. I should have started today, but I only had 45 minutes with them. I'll see them tomorrow morning so we'll definitely be going over rules and routines then. Before I knew it, it was time to go home.
I noticed a huge difference in English ability between the 3rd and 4th graders. I had the 4th graders coming up with rules for the classroom in complete sentences, whereas the 3rd graders told me read, math, and science. The 4th graders also gave me complete sentences when we went over the calendar, whereas the 3rd graders just told me the day. I know the 4th graders are a year older, but they both have had English for 2 years now. I will bring this new group of 3rd graders to where the 4th graders are now. I did it last year, there's no reason I can't do it again!!
All in all I had a very good first day. I just hope and pray that it continues and doesn't go downhill once the honeymoon period is over!!
It was great seeing my old students! They seemed quite happy to see me and came to give me hugs, hand shakes, and say hi. It was nice! My girls from last year looked so much older today; 4th graders have to wear a shaylah (head scarf). It was weird seeing them wear it, but it made them look so much older. That plus the fact that they had grown over the summer (as all kids tend to do:).
After greeting my students I went to my room, 3/3, to try to get ready for the day but discovered that I couldn't get much done because parents and students kept coming in to see which class they/or their daughter were in. I had one mom who wanted her daughter put in my class and asked if I could do that. I told her she needed to talk to modeera (principal). We'll see. Anyway since I wasn't getting anything done I left and went and chatted with the other LTs.
Everyone seemed ready to start just unsure of how to exactly start. There was no morning assembly which is why we were all confused. The students were told their homeroom (not really sure what this is as their homeroom teacher may not be their Arabic teacher), and then they went to their class.
Once the girls got situated in their class I arrived and began introducing myself to these little 3rd graders. We had a productive morning going over rules and routines. We did some letter games and number games and they made a name tag. I am really going to spend a lot of time going over the rules and routines this year; I do not want the problems I had last year. I had a good morning with about 15 3rd graders. I have some that don't know all their letters and can't count. But that is to be expected. As of right now I'm just not sure how many there are. From the informal assessments I did today with the letter and number games I identified 3 already. They either don't know or they froze, so technically I guess I'll have to wait and see.
I had grade 3 for 3 periods and then it was time for fussha (break). The only issue here was that the girls wouldn't/shouldn't be coming back to the classroom but I didn't know where they would/should be going. So I told them to leave their bags outside. Imagine my surprise when I came back in the room and saw their bags by their desks and chairs pulled out. I know we had pushed them all in before we left! Evidently their Arabic teacher was going to have class in my room, but changed her mind or was told otherwise because the students weren't there. They came back for period 5, but I was supposed to have 4/1. So I had to figure out what to do with these 3rd graders while I tried to supervise the 4th graders in their room (4/1). I had a student go to the teacher room to try to figure out where they needed to be. After 3 tries Fatima finally had a solution. Miss. Nowayer was going to come get them and take them where they needed to be. So I went and told 4/1 that they would be coming over to 3/3 in a minute and gave them instructions (they were chatty, I'll have to stop that). Once we got the whole thing straightened out I had 45 minutes with 4/1 before it was time to go.
I thought I would have a huge problem with the shaylah's, as the girls and women tend to take them off and put them on all the time, in essence play with them, but I didn't. The girls just wore them around their neck. That was nice. I really didn't have any huge problems with this class, but they were chattier than the 3rd graders. I think that comes from the fact that most of them knew me from last year, there were only 6 that I didn't have last year. The administration did a good job of separating 3/1 from last year so hopefully I won't have as many problems. I just know that I will have to work on the talking. I should have started today, but I only had 45 minutes with them. I'll see them tomorrow morning so we'll definitely be going over rules and routines then. Before I knew it, it was time to go home.
I noticed a huge difference in English ability between the 3rd and 4th graders. I had the 4th graders coming up with rules for the classroom in complete sentences, whereas the 3rd graders told me read, math, and science. The 4th graders also gave me complete sentences when we went over the calendar, whereas the 3rd graders just told me the day. I know the 4th graders are a year older, but they both have had English for 2 years now. I will bring this new group of 3rd graders to where the 4th graders are now. I did it last year, there's no reason I can't do it again!!
All in all I had a very good first day. I just hope and pray that it continues and doesn't go downhill once the honeymoon period is over!!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
First Week
I survived my first week being back in the UAE and back to work! How many more to go?! Just kidding, I can't start counting down now! Not sure if I can count that high!!
I suppose that first sentence should be read literally since I am pretty sure that I had heat stroke on Tuesday. I had no idea it was heat stroke until Wednesday when Ashley told me that's what I had. Here's what happened. I was dressed in my ankle length skirt and long sleeve sweater (typical attire) and I guess I was just doing too much work. I began moving, unpacking, and walking around from room to room to find people and stuff that I needed. All of a sudden I got very very hot and dizzy. I thought it was one of my dizzy/low blood sugar spells, but this was different. The dizziness went away but my body temperature didn't come down. I was so HOT. HOT on the inside and outside. I stopped working and sat down in the office (one of the cooler places in the school) and drank water and put a water bottle on my forehead. I was still HOT. I couldn't cool off. The strangest thing was that I wasn't sweating (come to find out this is a sign of heat stroke), I was just sweltering. Andrea and Salha finally decided that I needed to go home and Alice took me home. I didn't think I should drive. I finally cooled off when I layed down in my bedroom (the coolest room in my apt). The whole episode started around 9 and I didn't get cooled down until around 11:30. I guess the cool MI temperatures made me forget the desert heat. I'm fine now and I survived the unpacking today. No worries.
Other than that the week was kind of boring. A boring meeting in Abu Dhabi, trying to get my classroom set up for Sunday (which by the way it is not), and a boring meeting with Andrea.
I will be slowly working on getting the classroom in order next week. The girls only have to come from 8-1 instead of 8-2 so I'll have an hour to begin organizing and putting up posters and stuff. Right now they have desks and chairs and books in the reading corner. I guess that's all that's needed. I'm going to make do! I am not going to go in on the weekend to set up my room. I'm just not doing that anymore. It will get done. This is hard for me due to my perfectionist tendencies, but I'm trying to let go and not work all the time. It will get done when it gets done and I'm not stressing over it. Help!!
No class list or schedule yet. They will come on Sunday and we'll see how many additions or changes need to be made before the final ones come out! Par for the course here:) Ready or not the girls come Sunday morning!
109 at 7:00pm
I suppose that first sentence should be read literally since I am pretty sure that I had heat stroke on Tuesday. I had no idea it was heat stroke until Wednesday when Ashley told me that's what I had. Here's what happened. I was dressed in my ankle length skirt and long sleeve sweater (typical attire) and I guess I was just doing too much work. I began moving, unpacking, and walking around from room to room to find people and stuff that I needed. All of a sudden I got very very hot and dizzy. I thought it was one of my dizzy/low blood sugar spells, but this was different. The dizziness went away but my body temperature didn't come down. I was so HOT. HOT on the inside and outside. I stopped working and sat down in the office (one of the cooler places in the school) and drank water and put a water bottle on my forehead. I was still HOT. I couldn't cool off. The strangest thing was that I wasn't sweating (come to find out this is a sign of heat stroke), I was just sweltering. Andrea and Salha finally decided that I needed to go home and Alice took me home. I didn't think I should drive. I finally cooled off when I layed down in my bedroom (the coolest room in my apt). The whole episode started around 9 and I didn't get cooled down until around 11:30. I guess the cool MI temperatures made me forget the desert heat. I'm fine now and I survived the unpacking today. No worries.
Other than that the week was kind of boring. A boring meeting in Abu Dhabi, trying to get my classroom set up for Sunday (which by the way it is not), and a boring meeting with Andrea.
I will be slowly working on getting the classroom in order next week. The girls only have to come from 8-1 instead of 8-2 so I'll have an hour to begin organizing and putting up posters and stuff. Right now they have desks and chairs and books in the reading corner. I guess that's all that's needed. I'm going to make do! I am not going to go in on the weekend to set up my room. I'm just not doing that anymore. It will get done. This is hard for me due to my perfectionist tendencies, but I'm trying to let go and not work all the time. It will get done when it gets done and I'm not stressing over it. Help!!
No class list or schedule yet. They will come on Sunday and we'll see how many additions or changes need to be made before the final ones come out! Par for the course here:) Ready or not the girls come Sunday morning!
109 at 7:00pm
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