Got Through the First Week

Things got better with every day.  Not wonderful, just somewhat better.  I found out that I am supposed to have support with every class.  That is not the case by a long shot.  Wednesday was my best day as I had another body in the classroom with me during all classes.  Thursday during my last class was one of the worse.  No one in but me, and the kids kept running out of the classroom trying to fight kids in other classes.  I told the HoF that I was not going to break up any more fights (3 in one period with the same kid) and I was not running after them when they run out of the classroom. I will not yell and scream at them.  I only raised my voice when it was evident they were going to hurt someone (like when they were throwing sharpened pencils at each other instead of doing the work that I had out for them).  I will teach the ones that want to be taught and reward them accordingly. That has helped somewhat.  It is amazing how well the "special needs" class has picked up on what I have been trying to teach them.  I have limited hands on manipulatives, but have been using other ways to show them how to "draw" out math problems and how the moon and Earth rotate and revolve around the sun.  My ego has been stroked by the Arabic Head of Faculty.  She is the Arab teacher that comes in sometimes to help.  She likes the way I teach and asks me questions on how and why I do what I do.  This is what keeps me going everyday.  That, and the kids that actually want to learn.  They are "through" with the others and are "drinking up" what I'm teaching. 

So, for this next week I am getting my lesson plans done.  Have a good idea where to start with them.  The classroom is bare, not really kid friendly, and missing a lot of things (scissors, glue, paper) that I could be using.  Nothing on the walls, and if there is it is just plain bare essentials. Need to remedy that.  I printed out and laminated the Sun, Moon, and Earth and they are already using them to identify with what I'm teaching them.

I have been told that the students are doing better than they were before.  Since I didn't see them before I have no way of knowing.  All I know is that this is unacceptable, but I can only do what I can do to the best of my ability.  I am making very small baby steps, so maybe by the December Holidays I can get them learning.  Then afterwards, will have to start back all over again.

Except for 5

This was one of the worse teaching days of my life.

I was nice.  I knew that being moved to another grade was not my idea, so why punish whoever was going to take over my class?  So I did this weeks lesson plans and sent in most of the activities to do them.  This is me.  This is what I do.

The class I went into wasn't so nice.  The teacher had just been fired.  For what?  Behavior management.  Kids were off the chain crazy and she was not getting any support.  She did a lot of yelling at them.  She was there when I got there before the students got there.  I had met her briefly during orientation.  She wasn't happy.  She was packing up her things to leave.  No lesson plans.  No idea what I am going to be doing with this class.  Actually two classes.  I teach Math, English, and Science to one class, then turn around and do it all over again. An Arab teacher took the students for the first two periods so that I could talk to the Head of Faculties (there are two of them) about what I was supposed to do with these students TODAY.  One gave me something to do for English, then they put me in the classroom.  This was the end of the second period and the Arab teacher was leaving.  The students then proceeded to totally lose their mind! No behavior management was in place, and I couldn't get them to calm down.  Lunch time!  They ran out of the room, all except 5.  I walked those 5 down to where they were to go.  When I went to pick them up, they were gone!  The next class was in the classroom waiting.  They are supposed to be a special needs class.  Not a problem. I can do that.  Not with them!  All, except for about 5, lost their minds!  They would not sit down, they would not be quiet, they would not do anything that I asked them to do!  They were walking on the tables and desks, throwing popcorn all over the place (left over from lunch), breaking pencils, trying to plug in the computer on my desk (and if I tried to stop them they would run out of the room). They took the push pins out of the bulletin board and tried to poke each other with them.  Took some of the math manipulatives and threw them on the floor. When the other Arab teacher came to teach them Arabic, I told her that they couldn't leave until they cleaned the room.  She made them do it, and I had about 30 minutes of peace and quiet.  Then they came back.  Same thing all over again.  I was trying to teach, they were trying not to learn.  The principal comes in.  I tell her what was going on, she yells at them and leaves.  It starts back up.  She comes back and yells some more, hits them over the head, puts them all (except for 5) on a wall and tells them to stay, then leaves.  Those on the wall either sit down and/or start talking.  I did have about 15 minutes where I actually tried to get some teaching done.  Another teacher came in and tried to help, it didn't help. She helped me take them to the buses, after about half just ran out of the door.

So now I need a really good behavior plan that they understand.  Nothing means anything to them.  There is no consequence at school that scares them into wanting to behave. My job for tonight, start on formulating a good behavior plan and something to do tomorrow to teach so I can see what they already know.  I was told today that no teacher lasts in that school longer than a year.  To tell you the truth, they really need to pay more money to be in there.  Hazard pay.  And that's sad.  These are children!

'Bout to "Catch a Case" in the UAE!

Those of you who know me, you know that I'm "easy."  Nothing much excites me, I go with the flow, " glad to be of service" as they say in the robot movies.  I don't get upset that often, and it usually takes me a while to get there.  If I go from 0-100 quickly, then something set me off.

Okay, a little definition in the Urban Dictionary for those of you who don't know what I mean:

To Catch a Case:

"To physically assault someone. To attack physically, barehanded or with a dangerous weapon." Ron gripped the handle of his cane sword, saying "both of y'all better leave this place," as he slowly unsheathed the blade "or I just may have to catch a case!"    So, you get the picture.  I get up this morning knowing that I need to go to the bookstore by the bank.  This is like an educational supply place and I need a few things for my new position tomorrow.  Being the cash society that it is, I also knew that they wouldn't take my debit card, so needed to go to the ATM machine and get some money.  When I get to the bank, both ATM machines were down, so I go into the bank itself.  Now there are a lot of  workers here that work construction and other utility type stuff.  They were also in the bank trying to cash checks and deposit money.  I got in line behind about 6 or 7 men.  Usually they let ladies go first, but this was not the case, and I was content to wait my turn. Along comes a nice Emerati looking man all dressed  in white.  He goes to the nice banker man in the nice suit and fills out a piece of paper.  Then he goes up to our ONE TELLER, asks the man that is in line next if he can cut in front of him.  Banker man in suit sees the look on my face and tells man in white that there is a long line and that he needs to get to the end of it (there are people now behind me).  All of this is in Arabic, but I read people really well.  Man in white says that he asked if he could go next, man in suit says he needs to ask everyone.  So man in white asks everyone, then stops and asks me.  I just look at him.  Man in suit says to me in English "You don't agree that he should go next ma'am?"  I said "I have been standing in this line for a long time."  That's all I said, but I guess it was the way that I said it.  Of course man in white totally disregards me and gets in the line anyway.  Teller tells me to come to the head of the line.  I really didn't want to because the other men were a head of me.  I was only taking money out, their transactions were taking a while.  I guess the other men didn't have much to say because of their "station."  That means a lot here.  But I don't have a station and I was upset about it.   Although I didn't say it, they saw it on my face.  I guess I need to stay out of the bank. And I was right.  Not only did the bookstore not take debit cards, their electricity was off due to the series of little shops were getting new signs.   I'm back home now, trying to behave.

Good news and bad news...

Good news:  Finally got my post office box:

Marva Fulp
UAE  Ghayathi
Box 79528
0562721394

The long number at the bottom is my cell number, or the "moBILE number" as they call it.  The cranky lady at the post office said that things sent to me will get to me using this address.  I am also working on another way to do this, just waiting on my account number and I will post that one also.

Bad news:  I report to the Boys School on Sunday.

(heavy sigh)

Whew!

Things were really popping around here for a while!

 After I posted the last blog, I jumped in the car with my friends and we went into Abu Dhabi.  They dropped me off at the drivers license place (that didn't close until 8 PM!) and I came out with my drivers license!  Then they took me to the hotel.  This was a Thursday night and I couldn't get the car until Saturday morning (since Friday is the Holy Day and the car place wasn't opened).  Remember, our weekend is Friday and Saturday.   I stayed at the Mercure Hotel, which is part of the Accor Hotel group.  It is now my new favorite hotel!  It is in downtown Abu Dhabi and is very friendly and homey.  Two things won me over:  They had a jazz trio on Friday night and they have oatmeal as a part of their continental breakfast!!!  In all the hotels that I have been in since I've been here, none have oatmeal, and I love oatmeal.  The jazz trio (baby grand, bass guitar, and drums) was wonderful and very de-stressing.  I hope to stay there whenever I go into the city.  Good price, and easy to walk to places downtown.  This tent was set up in the lobby.

I did a lot of shopping on Friday.  The hotel has a shuttle going to Marina Mall and Abu Dhabi Mall.  Abu Dhabi Mall is next to the Beach Rotana Hotel that I stayed in when I first got here, so I already knew what was in that mall.  I bought so much at the Marina Mall that I just took a taxi back to the hotel.  Not a lot of extra stuff, just household stuff (dish drainer, printer, laminater, towels and wash cloths, etc.).  After I got back to the hotel, I walked next door to the Home Centre.  I was looking for a laundry basket that I had seen at another Home Centre, but this one didn't have it.  What I DID buy was this elephant.  Wanted to get the big silver one, but it wouldn't fit in the car:

Just one extravagance.  Didn't need it, but it sure is nice!  It is unfinished wood, so the grain is interesting!

I then took the shuttle to the Abu Dhabi Mall and did things for me.  Got a wonderful pedicure and sat down to some Italian coffee. Went to the Hypermart Co-op to get a few things that I knew I could get there and some things for school.  Caught the shuttle back to the hotel, and that is when I experienced that wonderful Jazz Trio!

Saturday morning found me trying to get my car!  It took me about three hours, but shortly after noon I was the proud recipient of a 2012 Kia Rio!

I am just leasing it.  My son Chris has a 2009 Kia Rio, so I'm used to driving it and already know how it hugs the road.  I just hate the color.  Most of the cars here are silver or white.  Neither one are great in fog, and it gets really foggy here in the morning.  As soon as I got the car, I loaded it up with my "stuff" and drove the two hours back to Ghayathi!  Was an eventful weekend.  I hope to go into the city about once a month if I have things I need to get.  Can't always find things out here.  I found a sling for my shoulder at a pharmacy down the street from the hotel.  Can't find a heating pad here.  May have to wait for that one until I get back to the city in a couple of weeks.

Have heard that I am definitely moving to the Boys School whenever I get a replacement at the Kindergarten.  So I'm just waiting........