Last Wednesday, Brenda and I went to see Les Mis. Know this is hard to believe, but I'm 21 X 2 +3 and have never seen this classic. This was my first movie in the UAE. It costs 30 dirhams (about $8) to buy the ticket and you pick your seat. An usher escorts you to the assigned seat. The chairs are a little wider and the rows have more leg room than in the USA. Didn't partake of the snacks or popcorn because I was full from dinner....next time. Let's just say....Les Mis was a very long movie, but it made me cry two times. I won't spoil the movie if you've never seen it, but the ending is a real tear jerker. Anne Hathaway had a beautiful voice and made me love this movie. Saw she won an award just this week.
About middle of the movie, I started to feel funny. Head started swimming and feeling dizzy. At first thought it might have been something I ate, but later that evening, discovered that sickness was right around the corner. Stayed in the bed Thurs, Fri, and Saturday (earache, nausea, coughing, runny nose, and lightheadedness). On Sunday, I went to work convincing myself that I was better. Well, about 10:00 that morning, figured out that all this positive thinking wasn't working....felt like dirt! Then, one of my students helped me make it through the day....we will call him "A".
We were at centers and I was working with my lowest reading group. Had a few minutes before it was time to switch to the next group, so decided to review letters and sight words. I flashed the letter to one student and asked to identify the letter. If he/she could identify the letter, he/she would get to keep the card. The one with the most cards wins....Well, usually students are able to recognize the first letter of their name or letters in it. "A" was first, and I showed him the first card in my stack....the letter was "A". His name begins with A, so felt good about it. Flashed the card and he said, "Bye Bye!". I said, "No, honey. What letter?" He said, "Bye Bye!" again and looked at me as if to say I've already told you once lady! I looked at the ground, shook my head, and laughed. Showed the letter to the next child and she didn't know it. Showed the next child and he didn't know. I'm thinking....yep...Teacher of the Year! Then Hanaa looked over at me and asked why I had that look on my face. Told her and we both enjoyed a good laugh and moved on. Note to self.....don't take yourself so serious. Good news is he has learned at least one English word. Bad news...lots of work to do. Every opportunity I had for the next few hours, I flashed the A at "A" and asked him "What letter?". By the end of the day, all the students knew A except for "A"....always tomorrow :)
"A" has a problem that a lot of students have here...attendance. There is no mandatory attendance in kindergarten. Some students only come a few days a week. At my old school, when a student was absent for 3 days, someone called to check and see why the child was absent. Parents go to jail in America if their children don't go to school. To my knowledge, attendance is not monitored in the same fashion here. Communication with my parents is difficult because I speak very little Arabic and most parents speak little to no English. Hanaa helps by calling parents and fielding questions. I feel truly blessed to have her in my life....wouldn't have made it without her! :)
By the end of the day on Sunday, the EMT (English Medium Teacher) room was filled with illness. 4/9 were not feeling well. The weather has been very inconsistent. Children and adults alike have all been sick for the past week. By Tuesday, I hadn't slept but a couple of hours each night due to coughing, congested nose, and fever. Went to school, but came home and went to the doctor. Verdict was laryngitis and severe congestion. 4 medications and doctor said to stay home tomorrow and rest. Well, those of you who know me well, know that school cannot continue unless I'm at work. No teaching will happen if I'm not there. Note to self...life goes on. 1 day at home is not going to ruin the education of these students....took a lot to say that for me. So, I stayed home and slept for 20 straight hours. Felt like a different woman when waking up.
My students were happy to see me back...made me smile :) Thursday brought about big changes in our life at Al Wagan. All the English teachers ride to school on either buses or vans because we live @ 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes away from our school. There are no housing options for us in Al Wagan. The buses are like our home away from home. Everyone has their bus seat (kind of like church) which is filled with pillows, blankets, and personal items. We sleep a lot on the way to and from work because we leave so early and get home so late.
Upon arriving at school, we were greeted with news that our busing situation would change as of this afternoon. The buses are contracted and ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) decided to contract with another company. At the end of the day, we gathered our pillows, blankets, and personal items and were sent home on our new bus....it's yellow and short....Yes, I ride the short bus....j/k. The bus was nice, but will take time to get used to a new driver and my new seat... Change can be good or bad, but need to go in with an open mind. At least someone else does the driving and I can rest whenever needed.
As my weekend begins, life has become "normal" again and looking forward to a quiet, restful weekend....a sure sign that I'm getting older. Dan, wish we could watch the Super Bowl together. Know you enjoy the drama of the game so much....I watch it just for the commercials :) No matter who you're pulling for, enjoy the time with your family and friends! Even though I'm far away, my friends and family are very close in my heart! Until we meet again :)
About middle of the movie, I started to feel funny. Head started swimming and feeling dizzy. At first thought it might have been something I ate, but later that evening, discovered that sickness was right around the corner. Stayed in the bed Thurs, Fri, and Saturday (earache, nausea, coughing, runny nose, and lightheadedness). On Sunday, I went to work convincing myself that I was better. Well, about 10:00 that morning, figured out that all this positive thinking wasn't working....felt like dirt! Then, one of my students helped me make it through the day....we will call him "A".
We were at centers and I was working with my lowest reading group. Had a few minutes before it was time to switch to the next group, so decided to review letters and sight words. I flashed the letter to one student and asked to identify the letter. If he/she could identify the letter, he/she would get to keep the card. The one with the most cards wins....Well, usually students are able to recognize the first letter of their name or letters in it. "A" was first, and I showed him the first card in my stack....the letter was "A". His name begins with A, so felt good about it. Flashed the card and he said, "Bye Bye!". I said, "No, honey. What letter?" He said, "Bye Bye!" again and looked at me as if to say I've already told you once lady! I looked at the ground, shook my head, and laughed. Showed the letter to the next child and she didn't know it. Showed the next child and he didn't know. I'm thinking....yep...Teacher of the Year! Then Hanaa looked over at me and asked why I had that look on my face. Told her and we both enjoyed a good laugh and moved on. Note to self.....don't take yourself so serious. Good news is he has learned at least one English word. Bad news...lots of work to do. Every opportunity I had for the next few hours, I flashed the A at "A" and asked him "What letter?". By the end of the day, all the students knew A except for "A"....always tomorrow :)
"A" has a problem that a lot of students have here...attendance. There is no mandatory attendance in kindergarten. Some students only come a few days a week. At my old school, when a student was absent for 3 days, someone called to check and see why the child was absent. Parents go to jail in America if their children don't go to school. To my knowledge, attendance is not monitored in the same fashion here. Communication with my parents is difficult because I speak very little Arabic and most parents speak little to no English. Hanaa helps by calling parents and fielding questions. I feel truly blessed to have her in my life....wouldn't have made it without her! :)
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| This is Hanaa teaching Islamic Studies. 40 minutes per day students have religious studies. |
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| Hanaa is teaching her Arabic letter for the week. Arabic letters are beautiful and very difficult to learn. |
My students were happy to see me back...made me smile :) Thursday brought about big changes in our life at Al Wagan. All the English teachers ride to school on either buses or vans because we live @ 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes away from our school. There are no housing options for us in Al Wagan. The buses are like our home away from home. Everyone has their bus seat (kind of like church) which is filled with pillows, blankets, and personal items. We sleep a lot on the way to and from work because we leave so early and get home so late.
Upon arriving at school, we were greeted with news that our busing situation would change as of this afternoon. The buses are contracted and ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) decided to contract with another company. At the end of the day, we gathered our pillows, blankets, and personal items and were sent home on our new bus....it's yellow and short....Yes, I ride the short bus....j/k. The bus was nice, but will take time to get used to a new driver and my new seat... Change can be good or bad, but need to go in with an open mind. At least someone else does the driving and I can rest whenever needed.
As my weekend begins, life has become "normal" again and looking forward to a quiet, restful weekend....a sure sign that I'm getting older. Dan, wish we could watch the Super Bowl together. Know you enjoy the drama of the game so much....I watch it just for the commercials :) No matter who you're pulling for, enjoy the time with your family and friends! Even though I'm far away, my friends and family are very close in my heart! Until we meet again :)
the attendance issue was very hard for me to figure out when I was there. I had several girls (and I taught high school) who were out at least two days,sometimes three, every week.
ReplyDeleteI am so very sorry you got sick. Have you had the air conditioner cleaned? If I had stayed that was the next task on my list. Might not be causing illness, but when you do get sick it can't be helping. I love the stories of "your kids". I can tell you really love them!! Miss you, Gravy Lady.