So today was billed as the "first day of school" but it's hard for me to feel like that is the correct way to describe what happened today...
Last Friday when we got our schedules (yes, that is when I actually found out what I'm supposed to teach) someone asked, casually, if Tuesday would be a half day like it had been in the past. The response was something along the lines of "hmm, I guess so. We have done that before" (as if this hadn't crossed anyone's mind yet this year). So apparently that was the plan. The students would come in, go in to the auditorium (actually, it's the "amphitheater" - that just seems like a grand description for what this place is) and listen to a little talk by our Superintendent (our new principal is en route from Egypt at the moment). After that the homeroom teachers (not me) would read off their list of students and take them to homeroom where they would get their schedules. The last part of the half day was supposed to be the kids coming around to each of their classes for about 10-15 minutes.
Except, and I guess I should have expected this at this point, that's not what happened.
Last night we got an email with the actual schedule for the day - Welcome presentation in the amphitheater, homeroom teachers - except no student schedules handed out and no shortened classes. No actual teaching required.
So that was day one. *sigh* oh well. I got a lot of organization taken care of in my classroom - which was great since most of yesterday I couldn't even get in there because they were putting in a new carpet. I got my syllabus copies. The carpet glue smell had another day to air out.
This afternoon we got our class lists and I suspect that a large part of my classes will involve me trying to pronounce the students' names and them laughing. Should be great.
Tuesday, September 03, 2013
Sunday, September 01, 2013
The Highlight of my Week
So it's been a long week of, well, not actually accomplishing very much, but doing a lot of things.
At this point I have a pretty good idea of where I live and I can find the stuff that really matters: the grocery store (in fact, two grocery stores), school, the euro store, and ATMs. I'm also able to find places where other teachers live and wander around a smallish area without getting irrevocably lost. I feel like these are all pretty good things, but to call them "accomplishments" seems a bit... of an exaggeration.
I've also met lots of people, about half of whom I have forgotten their names almost immediately. I have a classroom and IDs to log on to the school computers, and I have some supplies to start the year and as of Friday I actually have a schedule of the classes I'll be teaching. Well, probably.
Something that I've been desperate to discover ever since I was hired way back in February is what classes I am teaching. So on Friday we were actually given our schedules. Except that apparently it's not uncommon for people to not even register for school until the first week is already underway. So the schedule I have now could potentially change, but hopefully not too much.
As of right now I am teaching 2 sections of World History (though because "high school" really starts in 10th grade here - and World History is a 10th grade class - it is possible and even likely that they will add another class of World History), 3 sections of US Government (which is actually not even going to be that anymore, at least not exactly, my wonderful department head and I looked at the syllabus from last year and thought that it resembled the US History class far too closely - so we proposed a new curriculum which we are calling "Comparative Government" that will look at different types of government, do some case studies of different countries, talk about civics and citizenship, and changing government through civil and violent means), and 1 section of Geography (which would be fun and a very small class, but if they do have to add another World History this little group will likely be absorbed into another section).
(boy, that was a lot of parenthetical commentary)
BUT - that's not even the highlight of my week. The highlight of my week was that today we went to the mall - which is really like a mall - and I bought a blender. I'm so excited to make myself a smoothie in the morning. :)
At this point I have a pretty good idea of where I live and I can find the stuff that really matters: the grocery store (in fact, two grocery stores), school, the euro store, and ATMs. I'm also able to find places where other teachers live and wander around a smallish area without getting irrevocably lost. I feel like these are all pretty good things, but to call them "accomplishments" seems a bit... of an exaggeration.
I've also met lots of people, about half of whom I have forgotten their names almost immediately. I have a classroom and IDs to log on to the school computers, and I have some supplies to start the year and as of Friday I actually have a schedule of the classes I'll be teaching. Well, probably.
Something that I've been desperate to discover ever since I was hired way back in February is what classes I am teaching. So on Friday we were actually given our schedules. Except that apparently it's not uncommon for people to not even register for school until the first week is already underway. So the schedule I have now could potentially change, but hopefully not too much.
As of right now I am teaching 2 sections of World History (though because "high school" really starts in 10th grade here - and World History is a 10th grade class - it is possible and even likely that they will add another class of World History), 3 sections of US Government (which is actually not even going to be that anymore, at least not exactly, my wonderful department head and I looked at the syllabus from last year and thought that it resembled the US History class far too closely - so we proposed a new curriculum which we are calling "Comparative Government" that will look at different types of government, do some case studies of different countries, talk about civics and citizenship, and changing government through civil and violent means), and 1 section of Geography (which would be fun and a very small class, but if they do have to add another World History this little group will likely be absorbed into another section).
(boy, that was a lot of parenthetical commentary)
BUT - that's not even the highlight of my week. The highlight of my week was that today we went to the mall - which is really like a mall - and I bought a blender. I'm so excited to make myself a smoothie in the morning. :)
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Kosova Lesson #1
After packing way more luggage than I have ever packed in my life (while still feeling like I might like to take more with me) and a long day of traveling on full flights, I finally arrived in Kosova last Sunday.
During my three hour layover in Frankfurt I happened to meet three other ASK teachers, another newbie like me and two returning teachers. We also met another American who was returning to Kosova to continue his craft beer brewing business (which involves brewing IPAs and ambers, which apparently are not readily available here). After what seemed like a crazy-long layover and a crazy-long shuttle ride from the gate to the actual plane we began our short trip to Pristina.
Once we arrived, going through passport control was no trouble and though our brewer friend had some trouble at customs, the whole thing was relatively hassle-free. All except securing hand carts for the luggage. It was the third batch of carts that the guy brought out before I was able to get one for all my bags... every time he showed up a mob surrounded him and took the carts before he could even get to the distribution point.
Outside the very small airport we were met by people with signs and somehow managed to fit all our luggage into the mini-van. The airport is about 20 minutes outside of the city and Kristin, an ASK teacher, gave us the rundown on somethings and tried to help us get our bearings (unsuccessfully, I would say; I still feel a little lost if I'm not on the 4 streets that I know... I need some more time!). I was the first to be dropped off, and we lugged all my bags up 5 flights of stairs to my new apartment.
It's small, but enough. It has an open kitchen-living room area with a small bathroom and bedroom off the main room. I also have an adorable balcony, which I can access from my bedroom or living room. There was lots of light streaming in my windows, I decided to lay down on my couch and stretch out a bit. Kristin and Emily were going to come back in an hour and we'd go get some a little something to eat and some supplies.
After my little nap, I went in my bathroom to wash my face and put in my contacts. I smeared face wash on my hand and flipped open the faucet. sputtering. sputtering. nothing. I tried the kitchen. the same. I sat and fumed a little. and tried again. and again. and again. When Kristin and Emily showed up again, I learned
Kosova Lesson #1: The water gets turned off midday in residential buildings.
So we went to a restaurant where I was able to wash the soap off my hand. We got some food - a delicious yogurty-bread thing with some spreads (amazing), some beers, and a little salad (you know, to be healthy).
When I got back to my place with some basics from the grocery store I tried to unpack. Really, I did. It didn't really work out so well... I slept some more.
During my three hour layover in Frankfurt I happened to meet three other ASK teachers, another newbie like me and two returning teachers. We also met another American who was returning to Kosova to continue his craft beer brewing business (which involves brewing IPAs and ambers, which apparently are not readily available here). After what seemed like a crazy-long layover and a crazy-long shuttle ride from the gate to the actual plane we began our short trip to Pristina.
Once we arrived, going through passport control was no trouble and though our brewer friend had some trouble at customs, the whole thing was relatively hassle-free. All except securing hand carts for the luggage. It was the third batch of carts that the guy brought out before I was able to get one for all my bags... every time he showed up a mob surrounded him and took the carts before he could even get to the distribution point.
Outside the very small airport we were met by people with signs and somehow managed to fit all our luggage into the mini-van. The airport is about 20 minutes outside of the city and Kristin, an ASK teacher, gave us the rundown on somethings and tried to help us get our bearings (unsuccessfully, I would say; I still feel a little lost if I'm not on the 4 streets that I know... I need some more time!). I was the first to be dropped off, and we lugged all my bags up 5 flights of stairs to my new apartment.
It's small, but enough. It has an open kitchen-living room area with a small bathroom and bedroom off the main room. I also have an adorable balcony, which I can access from my bedroom or living room. There was lots of light streaming in my windows, I decided to lay down on my couch and stretch out a bit. Kristin and Emily were going to come back in an hour and we'd go get some a little something to eat and some supplies.
After my little nap, I went in my bathroom to wash my face and put in my contacts. I smeared face wash on my hand and flipped open the faucet. sputtering. sputtering. nothing. I tried the kitchen. the same. I sat and fumed a little. and tried again. and again. and again. When Kristin and Emily showed up again, I learned
So we went to a restaurant where I was able to wash the soap off my hand. We got some food - a delicious yogurty-bread thing with some spreads (amazing), some beers, and a little salad (you know, to be healthy).
When I got back to my place with some basics from the grocery store I tried to unpack. Really, I did. It didn't really work out so well... I slept some more.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Tung Kosova!
I'm so excited that I've been hired to teach High School Social Studies... at the American School of Kosova in Prishtina, Kosova!
I suppose a little background is called for... as some of you know, I finished my MAT at Simmons College last year and became certified to teach History to grades 5-12. I spent the summer looking for a teaching job in New England. But it was not to be, so I started working on my thesis to finish up my Liberal Arts Masters in History. However, the thought of another stressful summer of job searching got me thinking about looking at schools abroad instead.
A few weeks ago I went to an Overseas Teaching Recruitment Fair in Iowa (not the greatest place to visit in the middle of winter, if you were wondering). Schools from all over the world attend looking for teachers to fill hundreds of vacancies in all subject areas and grade levels. After the round robin session on Friday morning I had interviews set up with 5 different schools and had left my resume with some other schools I was interested in. By Saturday evening I was signing a contract and having a drink with the other new American School of Kosova teachers!
Kosovo? Kosova? I learned at the information session for my new school that "Kosovo" is the Serbian way of referring to what Albanians call "Kosova". Five years ago, in 2008, the Republic of Kosova declared itself an independent state, though not all countries recognize it as such, including Serbia. 92% of Kosovars are ethnically Albanians and the official languages are Albanian and Serbian. The capital and the place I will be living for the next two years (at least...) is Pristina (also Prishtina), a city of about 198,000 people. Though they are not part of the European Union, Kosova uses the € Euro.
I'm really excited about this new adventure. I'm looking forward to living a little closer to some friends in Europe. I'm also looking forward to my American friends and family visiting me in Kosova or meeting me anywhere in Europe.
So start planning your European adventures now!
I suppose a little background is called for... as some of you know, I finished my MAT at Simmons College last year and became certified to teach History to grades 5-12. I spent the summer looking for a teaching job in New England. But it was not to be, so I started working on my thesis to finish up my Liberal Arts Masters in History. However, the thought of another stressful summer of job searching got me thinking about looking at schools abroad instead.
A few weeks ago I went to an Overseas Teaching Recruitment Fair in Iowa (not the greatest place to visit in the middle of winter, if you were wondering). Schools from all over the world attend looking for teachers to fill hundreds of vacancies in all subject areas and grade levels. After the round robin session on Friday morning I had interviews set up with 5 different schools and had left my resume with some other schools I was interested in. By Saturday evening I was signing a contract and having a drink with the other new American School of Kosova teachers!
Kosovo? Kosova? I learned at the information session for my new school that "Kosovo" is the Serbian way of referring to what Albanians call "Kosova". Five years ago, in 2008, the Republic of Kosova declared itself an independent state, though not all countries recognize it as such, including Serbia. 92% of Kosovars are ethnically Albanians and the official languages are Albanian and Serbian. The capital and the place I will be living for the next two years (at least...) is Pristina (also Prishtina), a city of about 198,000 people. Though they are not part of the European Union, Kosova uses the € Euro.
I'm really excited about this new adventure. I'm looking forward to living a little closer to some friends in Europe. I'm also looking forward to my American friends and family visiting me in Kosova or meeting me anywhere in Europe.
So start planning your European adventures now!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
sismo de esta madrugada
apparently there was an earthquake just after midnight last night. everyone was talking about it this morning, all the kids were asking if i felt it.
nope.
i have felt some little earthquakes here and i did wake up for no particular reason at some point last night, though it happens a lot and i don't remember the room shaking or anything when i did. so yeah. apparently the center was somewhere in panama. i can remember once when there was a little earthquake in the northeast - i was living in cambridge and i woke up around 6am or something and i remember thinking that i must have been having a scary dream or something, because my heart was pounding in my chest. but then i sort of realized that my heart *wasn't* pounding, that my whole bed was shaking.
7 more days! the end is in sight, and i'm exhausted and still trying to figure out how much actual class time i have next week during which i'll need to have things to entertain the kids with. i'm already thinking of doing a big crossword puzzle (they love them) with spelling words from the whole year, and then a spelling bee with prizes. thursday i'll probably do my awesome christmas card craft that i did last year with my other kids. we're supposed to have something to do on "accomplishments day" - monday, most teachers are doing some sort of little memory book. i'm worried that i won't be able to sell it and my kids will think it's lame. we'll see.
even though school will be done next week, i still have to go in the first week of december to do all my year-end administrative hooha and clean up my classroom. it's kind of a comforting thought that the next time i have a classroom of my own i'll have a little better idea of what i'm supposed to be doing!
nope.
i have felt some little earthquakes here and i did wake up for no particular reason at some point last night, though it happens a lot and i don't remember the room shaking or anything when i did. so yeah. apparently the center was somewhere in panama. i can remember once when there was a little earthquake in the northeast - i was living in cambridge and i woke up around 6am or something and i remember thinking that i must have been having a scary dream or something, because my heart was pounding in my chest. but then i sort of realized that my heart *wasn't* pounding, that my whole bed was shaking.
7 more days! the end is in sight, and i'm exhausted and still trying to figure out how much actual class time i have next week during which i'll need to have things to entertain the kids with. i'm already thinking of doing a big crossword puzzle (they love them) with spelling words from the whole year, and then a spelling bee with prizes. thursday i'll probably do my awesome christmas card craft that i did last year with my other kids. we're supposed to have something to do on "accomplishments day" - monday, most teachers are doing some sort of little memory book. i'm worried that i won't be able to sell it and my kids will think it's lame. we'll see.
even though school will be done next week, i still have to go in the first week of december to do all my year-end administrative hooha and clean up my classroom. it's kind of a comforting thought that the next time i have a classroom of my own i'll have a little better idea of what i'm supposed to be doing!
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