Sarah and I have been lamenting the fact that we are missing all things FALL - Monday night football, spiced lattes, and leaves changing colors.
This morning was tough for my students. I warned them that anyone talking during the test would receive a zero. Apparently they didn't believe me. Three of the students were sent outside to "reflect" on their behavior. Instead of staying outside, they came back in and distracted the other students. I took their tests and tore them in half. Though the three acted undaunted, the other students in the class realized I was serious, and we had a fairly quiet class afterwards. When students finished their test, they had to write an apology note to Miss Sarah. "Miss, why do you keep saying, 'Miss Sarah, Miss Sarah?' We don't want to talk about it anymore." They actually noticed! I explained that it is very important that they treat guests respectfully and that we will continue to talk about "Miss Sarah" until they realize that their behavior was disrespectful.
My second class went well and I didn't have to give anyone zeroes. After they finished, they wrote thank you notes to Miss Mary. My other classes wrote notes as well. During morning devotions, I had prayed that my students would learn to love others and I realized how much they needed it when each class would ask, "But, Miss, what do we say?" Many of them copied down what I had intended to be a suggestion, "Thank them for being here while I was gone since you wouldn't have had anyone to teach you."
In sixth grade, I waited for the students to quiet down before handing out their tests. In the meantime, I wrote “minus points” on the whiteboard and wrote down a tally mark each time they started talking. In the end, both classes lost 3 points off their tests.
Stayed after school with Sarah and graded papers. For the walk home, we bought ice cream bars and enjoyed an after school treat. When we got home, Mary invited us over for tea. It was a nice time to catch up and relax together. I was able to get some grading done before we went back to their place for dinner. Mary made falafel, which we ate on flatbread with cucumber-yogurt dressing, tomatoes, and onions. Yummy! It was nice to eat an early dinner as I had lots of time afterwards to finish grading tests and homework. I had my first class tell me on the back of their test papers something about their class I should know. One student wrote, “Miss they hate you because last year you didn't teach the lesson you just put X’s next to names. But this year you are better.” Ouch! Hard words to swallow, making me doubt my discipline policy and wonder what I ought to do better. I wasn't able to see that I could do anything differently considering that no one hears the lesson when the students are misbehaving, but I did ask the Lord to help me learn and stay focused on teaching each lesson.
Tuesday, September 18th:
Mary is not feeling well, so Sarah subbed for her class. We enjoyed a nice walk to school and noticed that it was actually "chilly" (not Grants Pass chilly, but Iraqi chilly).
My first class went fairly well. It is a challenge to be
consistent with discipline, especially when it doesn't seem to have much
effect. Three of the boys continue to cause problems on a daily basis, but the
boys who are “on the fringe” are doing a little better. In my first and second class, we made it through two chapters in the book, which was a feat in itself. I was thankful to catch up after missing a day when there wasn't any paper for my tests. The students seemed to understand the material, which made it a double blessing.
Sixth grade went well. They were not pleased when they
realized that I actually subtracted points for talking. When they complained,
“But it wasn't me, Miss,” I told them that I was serious about no talking
during tests and that their entire class had to take responsibility since one
person wouldn't be talking unless others were listening. Most of the students had turned in extra homework problems, so their grades were largely unaffected. I hope it served as a reminder that I mean what I say and will follow through. Before looking at our lesson, I
told them I needed two minutes outside the text. In each class, I explained that math was not simply writing answers on the board for them to copy. I even went on to say that writing up answers was a terrible way to teach math. My goal was not to have them know the right answers, but to understand the ideas. Those ideas would affect the way they looked at the world around them for the rest of their lives. The students responded to my enthusiasm and agreed to be patient and "stick with it" even if my teaching method was different. "It may feel uncomfortable, but that's how you know you are growing." Those words have been ringing in my head since I got here. I actually took the idea from a workout article - "adapting to a set routine is what stalls progress." And I've been applying that concept to the way life works here. We strive to stay in our comfort zone, but God calls us out to teach us and grow us. I often react like my students - complaining, goofing off, or asking why without any trust.
During the long break, I took “Pedro” aside and talked to him. I felt like I gave the same spiel about consequences for bad behavior, but this time he seemed more attentive since we were talking one-on-one. It turns out he wants to earn a "Your student was TERRIFIC today" more than anything. I told him it was not very difficult. He simply needed to listen, do his work, and not distract the other students. I was encouraged by his reaction and tried to show through my words and actions that I care about him. "If you were the best student in my class, 'Pedro', I would be thrilled!" He looked at me questioningly, then beamed. "Really, Miss?"
Just after that, one of my fifth-grade students
came up to me and told me that another student had made obscene gestures behind
my back during class. I was shocked and didn't know how to respond. I knew I couldn't deal with the situation as it was too personal, and I was too stunned to even address it. I didn't doubt what the student said since I have noticed more perverse behavior and jokes in that class. Thankfully, Mr. B (the curriculum coordinator) walked by at that moment, and I asked him for his help. The student explained the situation. Mr. B was appalled, and went to talk to the student. I learned later that the accused-student denied doing it and even started crying. (It doesn't sound like either student denied that it had happened.) When the other student got side-tracked with how the class had been mistreating him, Mr. B didn't press it any further. He told the class that if anything like that was reported again, the student responsible would leave the school and not come back. Without anyone else knowing, he put the accused-student in charge of reporting any offenses to him...
It was a disheartening way to end the day. I was really heartbroken that my students would know something so obscene, let alone do something so obscene in front of everyone. Sarah also had a difficult last class. We talked on the way home about the frustration and discouragement of trying to be different from the local teachers, then being treated differently in a negative way. We want to discipline in love and teach in truth, but then we are treated with contempt and disrespect in ways that the local teachers would never be treated. We encouraged one another that Jesus also faced contempt and ridicule for coming in a lowlier state than the Jews had expected and for teaching hard lessons.
After scoring Multiple Intelligences tests for a little while, Sarah and I walked to Pizza Hot and ordered pizzas and french fries for dinner with John and Mary. Mary was still not feeling well, but better than before. We didn't stay long, since we wanted to pick up some food for tomorrow night's team dinner. Got home around 6:30, took showers, then finished paperwork while watching Swiss Family Robinson. Brought back good memories of acting it out with Hannah when we were kids.
Internet failure, so I spent part of the night uninstalling everything to try it again in the morning.
It was a disheartening way to end the day. I was really heartbroken that my students would know something so obscene, let alone do something so obscene in front of everyone. Sarah also had a difficult last class. We talked on the way home about the frustration and discouragement of trying to be different from the local teachers, then being treated differently in a negative way. We want to discipline in love and teach in truth, but then we are treated with contempt and disrespect in ways that the local teachers would never be treated. We encouraged one another that Jesus also faced contempt and ridicule for coming in a lowlier state than the Jews had expected and for teaching hard lessons.
After scoring Multiple Intelligences tests for a little while, Sarah and I walked to Pizza Hot and ordered pizzas and french fries for dinner with John and Mary. Mary was still not feeling well, but better than before. We didn't stay long, since we wanted to pick up some food for tomorrow night's team dinner. Got home around 6:30, took showers, then finished paperwork while watching Swiss Family Robinson. Brought back good memories of acting it out with Hannah when we were kids.
Internet failure, so I spent part of the night uninstalling everything to try it again in the morning.
