Monday, February 4th:
Today didn't get off to the best start and ended up being hard all around.
5B was a little noisier today. I tried to have a game to keep up their spirits, but it was "Multiplication Mania" for Mathematical Monday and even though they enjoyed winning points, it didn't have quite the same effect as Simon Says.
5A was good. Prissy is setting herself up for another attack. I can always tell because she starts to alienate the girls one-by-one and I can see a shift in who is passing notes to whom. What she doesn't realize is that the more she alienates the class, the more attentive they become to me. Today she wavered between participating in the lesson/games and holding out as the defiant one.
When I walked in to 6B I wrote their instructions on the board, which were the same as yesterday. At the end of the class, I told them that they needed to write a contract if they wanted me to come back and teach. I want them to learn the value of the services they are given. Half of the students didn't stay for the meeting with their class president, and said they preferred teaching themselves. I honestly don't blame them. If I couldn't concentrate because everyone was talking so much, I'd rather read the lesson for myself and have the teacher act as classroom monitor. It was sad to see that they are divided about this ... this is my class that plays family together and decides whether or not they'll all do their homework on the same day.
Half of 6A was gone, working on a program with the music teacher. It gave me time to focus the lesson on the students who are usually a little bit further behind. They did fairly well and seemed to understand the lesson ... although in their usual, "let's do this the quick way" fashion, several of them had to show me another way to accomplish the same thing. I explained that both methods work, but it is like learning to write with your non-dominant hand, you might need to use the less efficient way someday, so you might as well practice now (at least that is what Dad and I think!)
After I finished my classes, I was grading papers in the teacher room when the c.c. asked how sixth grade was doing. He asked me if I would begin teaching them again. I told him about the contract, that they were supposed to meet during the break to figure it out, and that half of 6B didn't want me to continue teaching ... and then he got upset. He asked me to come with him to their classroom and proceeded to chew them out. He warned them that there would be "black days" ahead of them if they continued down this path. I HATE when my kids get yelled at. It feels like I'm being yelled at too ... or at least makes me wish I was being yelled at instead of them. The c.c. also chewed out 6A, though they have been better than 6B. We'll see how this all plays out tomorrow... praying for wisdom to know what to say to them.
Around 2, I went to the market and met up with an expat friend who is going back to Mexico. She has mixed feelings about going. It was hard to know what to say to her, but I tried to be an encouragement and ask questions to see how she sees God working through this. After we separated, I walked home, taking advantage of the clear skies and sunny weather. I felt heavy-hearted on her behalf, thinking of the difficulties on the path that lie ahead of her. As I walked up the dirt staircase that connects the market with the main road up above, a group of boys at a cafe yelled out obscenities at me. Their words contrasted strangely with the thoughts I was thinking and the beautify of the life around me that I was in the midst of admiring. While a father or brother would be expected to defend my honor in this culture, I called out to my Heavenly Father to protect my reputation. "Let me not be ashamed for I put my trust in Thee."
When I got home, I went up to the roof to pray and read. It was a refreshing moment, especially as time finally slowed down for a moment. Lately, it seems to be rushing by in a whirlwind and I hardly have time to breathe or think. After an hour, I descended to my room and was able to get some grading done before Andy and Lisa picked us up for dinner. We went to Texas Chicken and I was encouraged by the team, though my heart was heavy with the events of the day.
When I got home, I finished the schoolwork, responded to emails, and headed off to bed.
Tuesday, February 5th:
Today was a much more cheerful day! I actually caught myself humming as I walked into 5B. We had Tasty Tuesday today and the kids were allowed to eat in class. We also played a game where they had to give me the name of a food as we worked our way through the alphabet. We took an oral quiz in each class. Fifth grade needs to practice their listening skills. I ended up writing some of the information on the board, but overall it went well in both classes. Prissy continues to push and poke ... one minute she was making fun of me and the next she was trying to do something sweet for me. My indifference really seems to confuse her.
Sixth grade was much, much better today. 6B handed me a contract with their signatures on it. It took them 7 minutes to get ready to start our lesson, so I told them it would come out of their break afterwards. A couple students complained about the quiz, but when I spoke to them about it, they changed their attitudes. I encouraged them to set a very specific goal for themselves this week. For some, I suggested they work at not complaining, for others, participating, and for most, no talking. As I finished my "lecture," one of the boys cut in, "Miss, can you just get on with the lesson?" I shook my head in disbelief. "You just signed a contract that said you wanted me to teach. This means that if I want to spend 5 minutes lecturing, or telling you about my day, or telling jokes, you need to accept it as part of your instruction." Thankfully the rest of the class did not share his sentiments and scolded him for being disrespectful. The rest of the class went well and I am hopeful that we can push forward together.
Our lesson was about unstated information in a problem. It led into a really interesting conversation about direct and indirect communication. I gave them an example of both and we talked about which style is used in different cultures. (Note: we incorporated art and humanities into our math lesson today - the kids were amazed!) I really enjoyed the lesson and encouraged them to go home and look for examples of unstated information - i.e. knowing what your mother cooked for lunch because of the smell, how her day was by the look on her face, etc.
After school, I graded papers in the teacher room, then taxied home. I finished schoolwork, made lunch/dinner, then Sarah and I had our weekly girl time. A cup of tea, a few more emails, and then off to bed... I cut my thumb this morning, which is normally not a big deal, but because I have to worry about infection (even when I wash my hands) it becomes a bother. Lots of peroxide and antibiotic ointment! (And who would have thought we use our thumbs so much?!) :)
