Hello out there in computer land!!! I am alive. Who would have thunk it? Sorry I've been MIA lately online but I've had a bit going on and then when I am at home I am just beat.
I am now in the middle of week three of school. I am teaching Grade 2 this year (so I do have a good chunk of kids from last year in my class this year.) I am enjoying things a bit more this year already (although the year is still early). It is nice to actually have students who can understand some english and communicate with me. They are actually quite cute when they are telling me their stories and see me in the mornings. Last year they were shy and would barely look at you, but this year, they can yell your name and tell you, "good morning," It's awesome.
Today we even had a little bit of p.e. in class as we counted to 100. I had a couple boys doing a set of 10 push ups (to die for funny as one just moved his bum up and down and the other just his head), they did some sit ups (ha-larious!), and jumping jacks they got a kick out of. Oh... and the arm wrestling. Amusing as all get out watching two alpha males try and be the best. Learned a few new arabic words (two of which I forgot already so I'll have to go back tomorrow and re-learn them). Emsa (yesterday) and bukarah (tomorrow). I forgot today (and it's so simple!) and sport. Tomorrow (or bukarah) I shall have this down.
Our school is going haywire trying to prepare for Irtiqa'a (think of this as a school-wide evaluation... so if the Superintendent walked in with 6 of his colleagues and went anywhere in the school unannounced for four straight days). Needless to say, it's a bit of chaos around the school now. They're running around trying to put on a great show for these guys and it's a little entertaining to watch because everything is lost in translation - if we're even lucky to have a translation provided to us! Good times, good times. I shall hopefully have an update of what this madness looked like next week - as for now, I have to learn a new lesson plan format (for Irtiqa'a) and come up with some 'skit' type performance for some our our kiddos to do at some point next week (for Irtiqa'a). Today I wracked my fried little brain to create 2 unit plans for english, math, and science (half of which I did not know what I was putting on the paper because we were never given proper instructions and didn't have the resource to finish the other half).
Should also be exciting times tomorrow morning when I walk into my classroom... tonight they are hanging two brand spankin' new bulletin boards on my walls (in which I had to take everything off the wall that I had put up two weeks ago) and hopefully my cabinets and all of their contents have been put back in their rightful place.
Did I mention it was a show? If not, it is very much so.
I am now in the middle of week three of school. I am teaching Grade 2 this year (so I do have a good chunk of kids from last year in my class this year.) I am enjoying things a bit more this year already (although the year is still early). It is nice to actually have students who can understand some english and communicate with me. They are actually quite cute when they are telling me their stories and see me in the mornings. Last year they were shy and would barely look at you, but this year, they can yell your name and tell you, "good morning," It's awesome.
Today we even had a little bit of p.e. in class as we counted to 100. I had a couple boys doing a set of 10 push ups (to die for funny as one just moved his bum up and down and the other just his head), they did some sit ups (ha-larious!), and jumping jacks they got a kick out of. Oh... and the arm wrestling. Amusing as all get out watching two alpha males try and be the best. Learned a few new arabic words (two of which I forgot already so I'll have to go back tomorrow and re-learn them). Emsa (yesterday) and bukarah (tomorrow). I forgot today (and it's so simple!) and sport. Tomorrow (or bukarah) I shall have this down.
Our school is going haywire trying to prepare for Irtiqa'a (think of this as a school-wide evaluation... so if the Superintendent walked in with 6 of his colleagues and went anywhere in the school unannounced for four straight days). Needless to say, it's a bit of chaos around the school now. They're running around trying to put on a great show for these guys and it's a little entertaining to watch because everything is lost in translation - if we're even lucky to have a translation provided to us! Good times, good times. I shall hopefully have an update of what this madness looked like next week - as for now, I have to learn a new lesson plan format (for Irtiqa'a) and come up with some 'skit' type performance for some our our kiddos to do at some point next week (for Irtiqa'a). Today I wracked my fried little brain to create 2 unit plans for english, math, and science (half of which I did not know what I was putting on the paper because we were never given proper instructions and didn't have the resource to finish the other half).
Should also be exciting times tomorrow morning when I walk into my classroom... tonight they are hanging two brand spankin' new bulletin boards on my walls (in which I had to take everything off the wall that I had put up two weeks ago) and hopefully my cabinets and all of their contents have been put back in their rightful place.
Did I mention it was a show? If not, it is very much so.
