Tuesday, October 23rd:
This morning got off to a slow start as 5B was a little distracted with seating arrangements. After I made the executive decision to move one student to a new seat, the whole class erupted in chaos. Ten minutes later, I finally sent everyone back to their original places...
There is an excitement building among the students as they anticipate the upcoming break. I am little giddy too, but try my best to maintain a calm demeanor and carry on with "business as usual." I had to keep three students during their long break. Two of them have made significant progress since last year. I was disappointed with their behavior, but determined to follow through with the consequences, hoping to prevent further issues. Disciplining wasn't easy since the younger students kept coming up to give me hugs. Stern look at Anthony, then a loving smile for one of the 1st graders ... Switching back and forth at the right times proved challenging.
Because of the short week, we've had to cover two lessons in order to stay on track with the yearly plan. Though I was a little apprehensive about covering so much material, it has been encouraging to see improvement in their ability to stay focused and engaged.
After school, Sarah and I walked to the market for some dried fruit and snacks for our trip. When we got home, I baked a chocolate cheesecake for Lisa’s birthday which we are celebrating at tomorrow's team night. Finished my schoolwork in time to help at an English conversational class for locals and ESL expats. It was fun talk to new people and visit with expats that I don't see very often.
Wednesday, October 24th:
Some of my students started their holiday early, so a couple classrooms were sparse. 5B only had six students. We played math review games, which was a lot of fun and helped reinforce the four lessons that we flew through in the last two days. 6B sang to me as I walked in the door, "Dear Miss Helen, Dear Miss Helen, take us out, take us out" to the tune of Frere Jacque. I offered them "no homework passes" for the team that won our game, so that compensated for not going to the garden.
After school, Sarah and I walked home. The teacher giving us a ride to Erbil asked us if we could leave tomorrow to avoid the Eid traffic. We spent the afternoon packing and called our friends in Erbil to see if we could stay with them until our flight leaves. It was hard to make the mental transition for finishing school to getting ready for a trip, but it helped knowing that this is just how things work here! Made a salad for tonight's team dinner so Lisa wouldn't have to do anything for her birthday meal. I pulled out the dried cranberries and bacon bits for the special occasion. Mary made Stromboli ... Mmmm good!
After dinner and our Skype call we were able to surprise Lisa with the cheesecake (her favorite) and presents (a new watch and artwork for Zephie's room ... It is her birthday today too!) Celebrating birthdays makes me feel more at home, especially since I am missing out on so many in the States. As Zander puts it, "this is a nice big family." Thankful to be part of a loving, supportive team.
It was a late night by the time I finished packing for the trip and preparing things to work on during our down time in Erbil.
