Showed up at work right at 7am! And of course had no idea of what to do or where to go. So I get this huge spreadsheet and it’s all in Arabic. No one explains anything but since I’m intelligent enough to figure it out I was able to find my way. We headed to the “reception” area (one kid called it the reception area) or courtyard for the morning assembly. We stand where our first period is and I was told “the class names are on the ground” and the teacher was right – except they were written in Arabic. Which of course meant nothing to me. The sports teacher (what we know as the physical ed teacher) talked to the kids about who knows what since it was all in Arabic. They sang the national anthem – and even had to do it twice since they didn’t sing good enough the first time. That was pretty awesome to see how they are instilling some national pride in their students. Then a few students read the Quran and then the principal talked. Once he was finished we walked the kids to class.
So I finally get to the room and come to find out – I had the wrong class! Of course! So I get my stuff and my schedule and find the correct room! Period 1 and 2 were my 9th graders. They were attentive and interested in me being there. I even read a book, “First Day Jitters” and I doubt much got across to the kids. But they did say, “Bye Mr. Shawn” when I left at the end of period. We do not have classrooms – the kids stay put and we travel. When the bell rings you just grab your stuff and go to the next class. And we’re used to schedules and times but not here. I had no idea when the bell would ring and neither did the kids. Finally I found the one from last year and it appears to still be the same. And Cycle 2 (like my 9th graders) has a different lunch time than the Cycle 3 kids – which of course no one told us.
I only taught 4 periods today since school was dismissed after 7th period. No idea why other than they feel sorry for the kids for being so tired the first day. But we’re supposed to get our early tomorrow too! Inshallah! And finding out about early dismissal was not a traditional way – say through an email, a memo, or an announcement on the PA system. Kids were talking about it and a few local teachers so we just waiting to see kids leaving so decide that we could leave.
Nothing really surprised me today. Talkative kids but I do not see things being too crazy. Inshallah!
I can now sympathize with immigrants who would come to the United States and get thrown into a classroom and understand little to nothing. I feel like that in many situations now. But I just go on and ask someone so what did I need to know. The problem with that is that they might not find anything that was said important and so I get no info either.
Tomorrow will be interesting – but better – since I’m going to do some more academic things. And we’ll see where their levels are.
After school I picked up Jennifer and we went to the kid’s school. We got uniforms too. They seemed to like their class and school. Caralyn did have a breakdown at some point. She said that she was trying to write something and she didn’t know how to and the teacher wouldn’t help her. We’re pretty sure it was an assessment and of course the teacher wants to see what her skills are like. Cole had to stay in from playing for a little while because he didn’t finish his work. Guess he’ll know tomorrow to get his work done the first time! They did enjoy lunch because they can sit where they want and they sat by friends from our Village. And we had our first dose of the “first day paperwork”! But it was neat because one form was for us to fill out with the kids about things they want to learn and what they want the teacher to know about them. And of course Cole wants to go all in depth on topics on dinosaurs and their extinction and fire fighters and how they get water out of the hydrants. Such a curious boy! Caralyn kept it simple as usual with animals and princesses. And she did add being a better reader! Hopefully this school will be great and they’ll love it! They enjoyed buying school supplies too! And Cole about wet his pants today when he found some Ben 10 pencils and supplies.
Here is Jennifer’s first day summary:
The girls at my school were greeted by Minnie Mouse or Hello Kitty and received a balloon. First hour and a half all girls in grade one went to the auditorium for an assembly. The assembly consisted of finding your name on a list and then sitting. Most girls sat and were fine. Only a few were running. But can you blame them. None of my kids were runners. A few tears but not bad. We then went to our rooms and we made name tags for our desk. Oh I forgot that one mom told me it was too cold, so she hunted down the remote and we turned it off. But it was comfortable. At 10, they took a lunch break. The girls ate in my class. Then they played in the courtyard for about 30 minutes or so. A bell rang and the girls came running back to me. Very interesting. About five minutes after they came back, it was time to go. They all walked out and made it to either a bus or car area. It is amazing how they get to where they need to be, but they do. After the girls left, it was time to work in my room and just hang around. I went to the office to get some copy paper-none to be found. One of my kid’s moms was there. The little girl was not home yet. That was at 1:30. She was very concerned. Thank goodness I knew that the girl left with her cousin and went with an Arabic teacher to the bus area. Come to find out the girl was on the right bus but did not know where to get off. No bus numbers given out. Maybe tomorrow they will come. Overall, very nice girls. I can already tell who are my talkers. Very sweet and shy. Love them in their orange and white uniforms. Can’t wait to see how day two goes. No difficult names either.
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| We get our haircut at the "saloon" (yes - not salon) in the Abella shopping center |
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| Abella's Pork Room |
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| Abella's foyer area |
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| Abella's font |
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| This is an area on the side of The Village where the workers live. It's like a shanty town. Supposedly some people saw then taking our appliance boxes and using them to build more back here. They do have satellite tv though! |
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| The Manor Hall uniforms. Caralyn's pose...hilarious! |
Stay Tuned...
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