Sunday, September 13, 2009

My First Weeks Teaching

Sorry I have neglected you blog....it has been a crazy two weeks since school started as I have been trying to cram my head full of new information; how to memorize 100 students names, how to make a lesson plan, how to teach effectively, how to make learning fun and how to manage a class. Not to mention that waking up at 6:00 am definitely takes some getting used to! Those who know me are aware that waking up at 6:00 is not something I'm a big fan of. If I wake up around 8 or 9 I usually need about 15 minutes before I'm coherent enough to speak. Waking up at 6 means I need about a half hour. Luckily Gretchen seems to be the same way so we're happy just mumbling a good morning to each other when we wake up and the conversation doesn't start until we've left the house after 7.

Before I was complaining about Ramadan because I can't go to a cafe or eat out before 7. Plus the bars are closed. I have since slightly changed my mind about Ramadan due to the fact that I will most likely be getting a nine day holiday directly following the end of Ramadan. And I sure could use the 9 day break after the lack of sleep and constant work. I've also more or less put my Arabic studies on the back burner as I immerse myself in figuring out the whole teaching thing. This vacation time will be a time for sleeping in, finally getting back into Arabic and doing some pleasure reading. As well as doing more reading on how to teach effectively, etc.

Although the last 2 weeks have been a bit stressful, there have been a fair share of things at school that brought a smile to my face or made me laugh. One of my students told me that I look like Pink, which at first confused me because I wan't wearing anything pink that day and I wasn't sunburned. Another student raised her hand to ask me a question after receiving instructions for an in class exercise. I walked over expecting to clear go over the instructions but I was met with a 'teacher, why are you wearing a headband on your neck?' That day I was wearing a big silver necklace that lies low on the neck and I guess could be easily mistaken as a headband. The best was when a student raised her hand and asked me why I wore the same skirt every day.....I guess three days in a row is when people start to wonder about your fashion sensibilities; even fourth graders! Next time I should ask why the student wears the same clothes every day.....the obvious answer being that they have a uniform. I don't know how well that would actually go over though. Maybe I'll just actually have to switch up my wardrobe.

6 comments:

  1. i hope u had a good dinner at pizza compnay today :)
    i never expected to see someone who i read her\his blog .. i wanted to say hi but i was in a rush .... sory
    .. u look very american in person :)

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  2. Oh, thats funny....It was a great dinner indeed. I was going to make some dinner at home but due to the fire (read recent blog post) cooking in my kitchen wasn't going to happen. If you saw me with black stuff all over my face, that was because of the smoke.

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  3. so it would take a fire to get u out for a dinner :)
    and no black stuff.. ))

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  4. Ha, no I love going out to eat, especially for cheap schwarma and places like al Quds where you get a ton of good food that doesn't break the bank.

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  5. sahteen :)
    actully the prices in jordan goes up almost every year .. i remeber 3 years ago .. an arabic shawerma cost only 1 jd .. now it up to 3 in some places !!

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  6. (of course, I'm behind in your posts...)
    I totally feel like I have to pay a TON more attention to my fashion while in Jordan. Like- actually styling my hair and putting on make-up, lol

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