I know some time has past and I do apologize. Alot has happened over the past four weeks and I will try to catch you up. Well, for starters, I was finally given my placement. Thankfully, I was given 2nd grade girls. I was very relieved. The only stressors I face with this demographic is the fact that I have never taught, at least full time, anything lower than 4th grade! The majority of my teaching experience has been within the middle school grades. So, now I am to teach 2nd grade? Go figure. It would cause a sane person to lose their mind just trying to second guess the way things are done here. Inshallah...this is the favorite saying of the local people. Or for the non-Arabic speaking people-If God wills it. It is the go to answer for everything. When will I get my housing allowance? Inshallah, within two weeks. Will I be getting paid this month? Inshallah...When in doubt as to what to say, this is the response. Oh, and if you are a person who likes to know time frames, or deadlines, everything here is at least 24 hours. When will my cable be connected? 24 hours. When will my online banking be available? 24 hours. Of course, that is what is said, but chances are it will be longer than the 24 hours you have been quoted. Inshallah.
Arriving at the school for my first day, I was, quite frankly, a little nervous. What would I be getting into? Will there be behavior problems? Will they speak any English? How behind or ahead of the curriculum would they be? In addition to these and many other questions swirling around in my head, I knew that I would be considered an intruder. I would in a sense be removing their former teacher they had worked with for the previous part of the school year. I would have to do something to win them over. At least, that is what I thought!
It turns out, the girls are very open and loving. They welcomed me with open arms and hugs. Of course, they were sad to see their previous teacher leave, but they adjusted well. Speaking about hugging. In the U.S. it is pretty much frowned upon for any kind of hugging. Here, it is pretty much accepted. However, I do not go out of my way to hug without the child initiating it. It is still hard to do, but it is refreshing to allow a child's feelings of love and acceptance to be reciprocated.
My school is very nice. It is a two story school with the primary grades on the ground floor. It's structure forms a square. Within this square is a very large courtyard. It is within the courtyard that the students line up for morning assembly, eat lunch, have recess, and line up for afternoon buses. As you can see by the pictures, each classroom has an outside bulletin board. I know, this is very different! It makes perfect sense here in the U.A.E. It is difficult to remember that I am living in a desert. I have been here for over six weeks and there hasn't been a drop of rain. The only moisture I have seen is a single morning fog that did not last very long. So, why not have outside bulletin boards, they will not get ruined by rain or snow. The only things that cause problems are wind and the sun. There seems to be an almost perpetual breeze/wind here. Well, at least from my time here. The wind can blow the sand through the air leaving everything dusty in it's path. It can do a number on your eyeglasses if you forget to clean them with water before wiping them with a cloth. I found that out the hard way. My glasses already have a few scratches that were not there when I arrived. Inshallah, my glasses will last until I can get a new pair.
I am teaching Science, Math, and English to two sections of second graders. Here are pictures of my two classes. As you can see, they wear uniforms. In my school, pink is the color. I have seen other schools wearing a light purple. You can definately see which school is a girl school. The colors are a dead give away. The only student not wearing the pink, is wearing a uniform for the Girl Guides. This is comparable to the U.S.' Girl Scouts. The Girl Guides in our school help to lead the morning assemblys and assist in keeping the girls in strait lines. They are also role models for many of the young ladies.
On another note, the morning assemblies are very interesting. Every morning the students of each grade line up in a strait line. The Girl Guides march out with the flag and the whole school sings the National Anthem. During the singing, there are girls playing the drums and many Xylaphones. Although, I do not know what they are singing (it is in Arabic) it is very moving to hear such strong singing voices. After the anthem, all of the students are led through a brief Calisthenics routine. It is after the calisthenics when things become something new. Everyday, one class performs some kind of mini-program. I have seen some truly extravegant programs. Many of which have included, expensive costumes/dresses, flowers, chocolates, singing and dancing routines! When I watch these perfomances, I sometimes wonder if it is all about out doing the other classes, and not passing on some tidbit of information to the rest of the school. Here is a picture of some of my girls after a morning assembly conducted by their Arabic teacher. I wish I could have taken photos during the assembly, but taking photos is not allowed--especially by a Western teacher. The main reason for this is that Arabic women do not want their faces photographed, and if a Westerner takes pictures they can never be to sure if their wishes have been followed. Although not as good, I was able to snap a couple of pictures of my girls after the assembly before they changed back into their uniform.
Arriving at the school for my first day, I was, quite frankly, a little nervous. What would I be getting into? Will there be behavior problems? Will they speak any English? How behind or ahead of the curriculum would they be? In addition to these and many other questions swirling around in my head, I knew that I would be considered an intruder. I would in a sense be removing their former teacher they had worked with for the previous part of the school year. I would have to do something to win them over. At least, that is what I thought!
It turns out, the girls are very open and loving. They welcomed me with open arms and hugs. Of course, they were sad to see their previous teacher leave, but they adjusted well. Speaking about hugging. In the U.S. it is pretty much frowned upon for any kind of hugging. Here, it is pretty much accepted. However, I do not go out of my way to hug without the child initiating it. It is still hard to do, but it is refreshing to allow a child's feelings of love and acceptance to be reciprocated.
 |
| My side of the courtyard |
 |
| The Courtyard |
My school is very nice. It is a two story school with the primary grades on the ground floor. It's structure forms a square. Within this square is a very large courtyard. It is within the courtyard that the students line up for morning assembly, eat lunch, have recess, and line up for afternoon buses. As you can see by the pictures, each classroom has an outside bulletin board. I know, this is very different! It makes perfect sense here in the U.A.E. It is difficult to remember that I am living in a desert. I have been here for over six weeks and there hasn't been a drop of rain. The only moisture I have seen is a single morning fog that did not last very long. So, why not have outside bulletin boards, they will not get ruined by rain or snow. The only things that cause problems are wind and the sun. There seems to be an almost perpetual breeze/wind here. Well, at least from my time here. The wind can blow the sand through the air leaving everything dusty in it's path. It can do a number on your eyeglasses if you forget to clean them with water before wiping them with a cloth. I found that out the hard way. My glasses already have a few scratches that were not there when I arrived. Inshallah, my glasses will last until I can get a new pair.
I am teaching Science, Math, and English to two sections of second graders. Here are pictures of my two classes. As you can see, they wear uniforms. In my school, pink is the color. I have seen other schools wearing a light purple. You can definately see which school is a girl school. The colors are a dead give away. The only student not wearing the pink, is wearing a uniform for the Girl Guides. This is comparable to the U.S.' Girl Scouts. The Girl Guides in our school help to lead the morning assemblys and assist in keeping the girls in strait lines. They are also role models for many of the young ladies. On another note, the morning assemblies are very interesting. Every morning the students of each grade line up in a strait line. The Girl Guides march out with the flag and the whole school sings the National Anthem. During the singing, there are girls playing the drums and many Xylaphones. Although, I do not know what they are singing (it is in Arabic) it is very moving to hear such strong singing voices. After the anthem, all of the students are led through a brief Calisthenics routine. It is after the calisthenics when things become something new. Everyday, one class performs some kind of mini-program. I have seen some truly extravegant programs. Many of which have included, expensive costumes/dresses, flowers, chocolates, singing and dancing routines! When I watch these perfomances, I sometimes wonder if it is all about out doing the other classes, and not passing on some tidbit of information to the rest of the school. Here is a picture of some of my girls after a morning assembly conducted by their Arabic teacher. I wish I could have taken photos during the assembly, but taking photos is not allowed--especially by a Western teacher. The main reason for this is that Arabic women do not want their faces photographed, and if a Westerner takes pictures they can never be to sure if their wishes have been followed. Although not as good, I was able to snap a couple of pictures of my girls after the assembly before they changed back into their uniform.
I will continue more later. Thank you for following me :-)
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