Monday, December 10th:
Another day without rain, thankfully! Each day without rain means my room stays that much drier.
In each class, we worked on a review sheet for the midterm. Several of my students brought MORE belated birthday gifts! It has been so overwhelming, I've almost had to tell them to stop! :)
In 5B, three of the boys were acting up and several times I caught them saying bad words (words I understood in Kurdish). At one point, I even saw (with my own eyes!) one of the boys make an inappropriate gesture. This was the same student that had reportedly done the same thing a month ago ... I just hadn't seen it and so the administrator wasn't able to do anything about it. Today, I called all three boys to the hallway after class. I reminded them of the number of warnings I've given regarding their behavior. I told them to report to me during their break. One student showed up and I took him to the curriculum coordinator (who has been acting as disciplinarian and intermediary between parents and teachers). The student told the c.c. (Mr. B) the names of the other students, and went was sent to go get them. Later in the day, one of the parents came regarding grades. Through the curriculum coordinator, I explained that their student wasn't turning in homework, etc. Afterwards, Mr. B told the parent what her son had done in class. I had to explain the gesture I'd seen him make (which was extremely awkward) and the parent made him apologize.
After school, I went to the market to pick out carpet. Sarah told me I could get some while she was gone (it helps keep the house warmer) and Andy and Lisa told me they'd be available to help me get it home later in the week. I breezed through the second-hand (bala) and found some fabric for the TV room. (We inherited one of John and Mary's red love-seats and a chair, so I am having fun with a new color scheme.)
At four, Mary, Henry and I headed over to Andy and Lisa's (John was stuck at home, fixing the water heater). We spent time praying and singing. By the time we were finished, John was done too. We picked him up and went to dinner at Al Azaim. It was the first time I've eaten inside. They are always very friendly, bringing out extras of everything and giving the kids suckers. After dinner, we went back to Andy and Lisa's for games after the kids went to bed. We are all pretty competitive ... okay, really competitive, so we had a fun time. (And thankfully left with our friendships intact.)
Tuesday, December 11th:
Today was not a very good day with my students ... mostly because I wasn't in a good mood, but also because the kids really didn't want to review for a third day in a row. I was exhausted by the time I got to school (still not feeling very well and not sleeping well at night). In 5A, three of the girls decided to argue with me during class. I told them that if they were disrespectful again, I would take them to the principal. "Fine! We'll go there and tell him ourselves." That was enough for me. After class, I told them to follow me. We walked past the principal's office ... "Where are we going?" When they discovered I was going to make them sit in my sixth grade class, their pride quavered. "No, we won't go." "Very well," I said, "then come here." I walked them to the Mr. B's office (I've been helping him with some extra projects, so I hoped I still had a mark in my favor.) Without going into details, I asked him if the girls could spend their break in his office. He seemed delighted to assist me with the problem. :) Phew! The rest of my classes sensed that I was tired and didn't push too many buttons.
When I got home, I completed a few pressing projects, then took a quick 20 minute nap. A little after 1pm, Lisa called me and I met her at the end of our street. We walked through the market together, looking for miscellaneous things (toddler shoes, warm caps, scarves, etc.). Afterwards, we taxied back to Lisa's. We picked up Zander and then Lisa drove me to "Julie's" new house. Lisa had to go back and take care of Zephie, but Zander got to stay and play while I helped Julie unpack some boxes. We rearranged her living room and unloaded most of the books.
At 9pm, Julie drove Zander and I home. I was half asleep by the time I stumbled into my room.
