March 28th:
Busy busy day! Got to school by 8:45, hoping to make copies of the letter to hand out to my class. Unfortunately they were all out of paper, so I simply read the letter out loud and told them I would have it for tomorrow. My second time teaching math seemed to go much better. Still struggling to develop a good routine, but I think the outline of expectations helped. I made an interesting discovery today. My rowdy class is very auditory. As soon as I started reading the letter, they straightened up in their desk and everyone was listening attentively. In the other fourth grade class, they kept interrupting as I read, and even afterwards told me they didn't understand what I was talking about. It got better as I wrote up some of the information on the board. Realizing this helped me understand why the rowdy group had such a hard time with art (yet did so well when I read a book aloud to them). I hope I will be able to take this information and make our lessons more applicable to each group, perhaps asking one group to do more work independently, reading the lesson and working through the problems, and have the other group listen to the solution instead of writing it on the board.
After my first math class, I stayed during the break to give them extra help, then transitioned right into two back-to-back art classes. Even though it was hard to switch gears so quickly, it was fun to go back to teaching art and move at a different pace with the students. I had a half hour lunch break, then off to math again. Afterwards, a 45 minute break (during which Lisa and I tried to clean up the art room a little bit), then into my last art class for the day. Near the end of class, a thunderstorm rolled in and the clap of thunder sounded like it was right above us.
Took a taxi to the bank, hoping to withdraw some funds, but forgot that the ATM is only open from 8am to 2pm! Spent all but my very last hezar to get to Julie's house to cut her hair. Julie had been visiting at Mary's, so the two of them came back to Julie's house together. Mary visited with us while I trimmed Julie's hair. We talked about summer plans, dishes, and books...
Went over to Andy and Lisa's for our make-up Skype call at 5pm. Had a nice time talking with Dave and Lisa and they updated us on some of the tension brewing in Suli. The team there needs a lot of prayer as they face unfounded accusations from all quarters. Talking with Dave and Lisa helped open our eyes to the gravity of the situation and how the effects are stretching towards us as well. All of us went out for dinner at a Turkish restaurant downtown where they roll up meat in flatbread, then sear it on the grill. Each sandwich is only 3000 dinar (about $2.50) and comes with hummus and a variety of salads (apple/yogurt, cucumber/tomato, pasta, etc.) Hit the spot! (Andy and Lisa graciously covered mine until I can either get money from the ATM or we get paid by the school.)
John, Mary, and I walked home. Then off to bed...
March 29th:
A bit chilly as I walked to school this morning. It rained last night, so the weather felt a lot like Southern Oregon - damp, a little nippy, fresh air, and light gray skies. Took some paper with me this morning, so I could get my copies made. They had some paper in the copy as room as well and I was able to print out all the tests I needed in addition to the letter to the parents.
In the 9:15 class it was a challenge to maintain a quiet testing environment. I finally started taking away their tests if they talked, and once they saw I was serious, the students decided to quiet down. After getting a couple questions about who "Farmer McGregror" was and what "commission" meant, I realized that it would be better to write my own tests from now on. The curriculum we use might be helpful for American kids, but I'm afraid it is too unrealistic for our students. The best part of math is that it is practical for everyday use! Hoping I can figure out a way to help the students develop a love for it.
My afternoon art class was a little rowdy, but I was able to talk to the two instigators afterwards and hope that it will be a better class next week. I think the kids were antsy to get off to their three-day weekend. I know I am looking forward to not hearing "Miss, Miss" or "Believe me, Miss!" or "Whaaat?" for the next three days.
When I got home, Mary, John and I went down to the second-hand part of the market and we found some nice long shirts for Mary. (I love my new long skirt - it makes me feel very teacher-ish). For dinner we went to Tutani - the place with the marinated meat in a rolled sandwich. One of my students hangs out around his father's store next door, so I talked to him as we were leaving. It is fun to see my kids outside of school. (They were all very excited that my phone number was on the letter and I had two students text me in the evening.)
I got to do my laundry in Mary's wash machine - oh the luxury of modern appliances! The best part of all was taking them nice and warm out of the dryer! In between loads I made date bread for tomorrow's fellowship time and read a little.
By the time I crawled into bed I was really exhausted. A little stiff too since I slipped at school and banged up my knee on the tile floor (I don't think they have any worker's comp, so I won't be filing any paperwork).
