I was warned when I got here, along with all the other new teachers, not to make idle wishes in classes. They told us that often times, students will fulfill those wishes, and that within a day or two you will be presented with the item. You know, we all make little wishes out loud, or in passing that is more a thought than anything else. I wish I had a new belt. I wish I had a good pen that worked. That kind of thing. And bam! "Here you go sir." Always sir. The amount of disposable income these kids have is crazy. I've been told that it's not uncommon to get a brand new iphone or Blackberry, sometimes just because they may think your phone is just too crummy. A woman told me she complimented a woman's broach and the woman gave it to her.
So, the other day I was in class and we were doing a writing assignment about great vacations we had taken. They were kind of groaning about not having real "great" vacations, but rather just kind of dull, ordinary ones. I explained to them that I wouldn't be able to do this assignment with my old students, because many don't have the means to take a vacation, so, more often than not, they have never gone anywhere. "Watch this." my class assistant told me. "How many people have been out of the country?" Everyone raises their hand. "How many have been out of the Gulf?" Again, everyone. "How many people have been to Europe?" Yep, you got it. "When you go to Europe or somewhere else, who stays at the Four Seasons?" A sizable number of students raise their hands. "Wow," I say. "Rough life you guys, maybe next time I should go on vacation with some of you. Who wants to take me on their next vacation with you?" I say without thinking. I quickly realize what I have done as more than a dozen little Arnold Horshacks enthusiastically throw their hands in the air and shout that they want to bring me along with them. Time slows as I think about the dinner conversation that will be happening that night: "My teacher, Mr. A, wants to go on vacation with us. Can we bring him along!?" Shit I think to myself. How literally will they take this? "Or a belt!" I want to say. "I really need a new belt, " as I imagine the parent picking up the phone to ask the school why their teacher is inviting himself on vacation with the student's. It may be me, but it seems like it would be harder to give a poor grade to a student who has put you up in the Four Seasons in Geneva for Christmas break - "Hey, thanks so much, that was fun. Oh, by the way Bobby is getting an F in class, he needs to work to bring that up. Where are we going next?"
So far, and luckily, my vacation calendar remains open. However, I was informed today by a student that she ordered me a power bracelet and it should be here soon. Maybe I need to start working on my Christmas wish list.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Week one done.
I wrapped up my first week of school yesterday, and things are going smoothly. The school is different that what they told me it would be in the interview. I'm not really surprised though. I'm sure that they things many schools tell people are oversold in an effort to attract the best teaches. I don't think it is just my school. I'm sure we are often exaggerated to. For example, our technology was supposed to be top notch, and I'm sure that was probably true - back in the Clinton era. I think that was when my computer was made. It's slow and usually has problems communicating with the office printer which makes life tough. It's funny to watch all the young teachers fresh out of grad school, and in many cases, undergrad. They were raised with all this technology, and used it extensively in their programs, and now they are forced to teach "old school" style, using only a book and a white board.
Really, it's all fine though. I was warned by returning teachers that the kids were behavior problems and that I would really have to put the screws to them. I don't think they understand what behavior problems are. If my Lee coworkers are reading this, you know that you are on the front lines when it comes to behavior management training. We're kind of like the Seal Team Six of teaching. We're implementing CHAMPS (a classroom management strategy), and going about it all ass-backwards. But, it turns out that only two of us (both new to the school have ever used it before), so I am the senior person when it comes to using this program. I volunteered to help the people trying to institute it, and I have become the guru amongst them. They are seeking me out asking for tips on how to run their classes and asking if the school's teachers can come watch me. To be clear, I don't think it's so much that I am any good, it's more that they kids really are good kids and their "behavior problems" are really not problems at all. They are really just rich (and not just kind of rich) kids, with easy lives, that just need a little direction and a firm hand at times.
I was also told that the kids were from all over the world and that we had students from over 30 different countries in the building. Not so much. They are almost exclusively Arab. Kuwaiti, Egyptian, Lebanese, Syrian, and Jordanian, and many hold dual passports, which is where they get their numbers of these foreign kids. There are almost no kids from the US or Europe. For the most part, these kids are very young and naive for their ages. I teach 7th grade, and they are worlds away from the type of lives my previous students led. My current group has no idea that students their own age have such crummy lives and they would fall apart if they had to deal with some of the things my old students did and still do. It's refreshing though to have kids that are really still kids. I now know one big thing that would really help improve teaching in the US. Eliminate all the social problems of the students, and the lives of teachers would be much easier.
My class numbers are between 20 to 26 students, which is outrageous by our school standards, but I know that teachers reading this at home right now would gladly kill to have these numbers. I teach the entire 7th grade, which is about 120 students. I teach 5 out of 8 periods, with a class time of about 45 minutes. I teach 1st and 2nd period. I have 3rd period off, which is when the Arabic teacher uses my room for his class, and then I have lunch. Then I'm back to teaching for 4th and 5th, then off for 6th when the Islamic teacher uses my class and then a prep period 7th. Then, I end my day with on last class for 8th period. Not too shabby of a schedule. My school day lasts from 7-3, which is not too bad, and I think my number of days I have student contact is about 165, which a school year of around 180 days.
I'm pretty good pronouncing the first names - though it's weird to go from Hispanic names to Arab ones. No more Jose and Esmerelda, and hello Jassem and Lulwah. It will take me a little while to get the names and faces down, and a little longer to get the last names, but they all seem good humored about it. I am sometimes call Sir, but more often just Mister. "Hey Mister," is about all I hear. Most can't pronounce my last name, but a few can very well. I am making them call me Mr. A if they can't, because if I don't, it feels like I'm just the hired help. "Mister, will you trim the hedges and edge the lawn?" Asking for the name adds a little more respect than just the title alone. Most have been in the school their entire school lives, so they know each other well, and have created a definite school culture. I'll have to shake it up a little bit. I have a couple of girls who have spent a number of years going to school in the US and Canada, so they are fun to talk to about the differences in the school and cultures. I have very few girls that wear a hijab in school. Everyone has to wear a uniform (and frankly, it's pretty damn cute to see the young elementary school kids in theirs), but the hijab
So we'll see if the first week was just a honeymoon phase, or if they will turn out to genuinely be great kids. Hopefully the later. If so, they will help me look like a really good teacher.
Really, it's all fine though. I was warned by returning teachers that the kids were behavior problems and that I would really have to put the screws to them. I don't think they understand what behavior problems are. If my Lee coworkers are reading this, you know that you are on the front lines when it comes to behavior management training. We're kind of like the Seal Team Six of teaching. We're implementing CHAMPS (a classroom management strategy), and going about it all ass-backwards. But, it turns out that only two of us (both new to the school have ever used it before), so I am the senior person when it comes to using this program. I volunteered to help the people trying to institute it, and I have become the guru amongst them. They are seeking me out asking for tips on how to run their classes and asking if the school's teachers can come watch me. To be clear, I don't think it's so much that I am any good, it's more that they kids really are good kids and their "behavior problems" are really not problems at all. They are really just rich (and not just kind of rich) kids, with easy lives, that just need a little direction and a firm hand at times.
I was also told that the kids were from all over the world and that we had students from over 30 different countries in the building. Not so much. They are almost exclusively Arab. Kuwaiti, Egyptian, Lebanese, Syrian, and Jordanian, and many hold dual passports, which is where they get their numbers of these foreign kids. There are almost no kids from the US or Europe. For the most part, these kids are very young and naive for their ages. I teach 7th grade, and they are worlds away from the type of lives my previous students led. My current group has no idea that students their own age have such crummy lives and they would fall apart if they had to deal with some of the things my old students did and still do. It's refreshing though to have kids that are really still kids. I now know one big thing that would really help improve teaching in the US. Eliminate all the social problems of the students, and the lives of teachers would be much easier.
My class numbers are between 20 to 26 students, which is outrageous by our school standards, but I know that teachers reading this at home right now would gladly kill to have these numbers. I teach the entire 7th grade, which is about 120 students. I teach 5 out of 8 periods, with a class time of about 45 minutes. I teach 1st and 2nd period. I have 3rd period off, which is when the Arabic teacher uses my room for his class, and then I have lunch. Then I'm back to teaching for 4th and 5th, then off for 6th when the Islamic teacher uses my class and then a prep period 7th. Then, I end my day with on last class for 8th period. Not too shabby of a schedule. My school day lasts from 7-3, which is not too bad, and I think my number of days I have student contact is about 165, which a school year of around 180 days.
I'm pretty good pronouncing the first names - though it's weird to go from Hispanic names to Arab ones. No more Jose and Esmerelda, and hello Jassem and Lulwah. It will take me a little while to get the names and faces down, and a little longer to get the last names, but they all seem good humored about it. I am sometimes call Sir, but more often just Mister. "Hey Mister," is about all I hear. Most can't pronounce my last name, but a few can very well. I am making them call me Mr. A if they can't, because if I don't, it feels like I'm just the hired help. "Mister, will you trim the hedges and edge the lawn?" Asking for the name adds a little more respect than just the title alone. Most have been in the school their entire school lives, so they know each other well, and have created a definite school culture. I'll have to shake it up a little bit. I have a couple of girls who have spent a number of years going to school in the US and Canada, so they are fun to talk to about the differences in the school and cultures. I have very few girls that wear a hijab in school. Everyone has to wear a uniform (and frankly, it's pretty damn cute to see the young elementary school kids in theirs), but the hijab
So we'll see if the first week was just a honeymoon phase, or if they will turn out to genuinely be great kids. Hopefully the later. If so, they will help me look like a really good teacher.
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