School is great. We are literally building it as we occupy it. There are two wings almost finished and the classrooms are brand new. Technology is still an issue, but is coming along day by day. It has been worth the long hours of meetings and moments of frustration. It is going to be beautiful when it is finished. The outside is brilliant white and the inside is a combination of pale yellow, granite, and marble. I have been looking for scraps of some of the marble for Earth Sciences. There is one beautiful one that I can’t find scraps for, but am lusting after.
I have a 2nd grade class with 7 students. They are wonderful and dynamic. They chatter constantly and are very active, but they are also extremely smart and want to know more. We are working on getting them to chatter less and listen to instructions. Then they can chatter and work. I am trying to find activities that allow for this behavior and incentives to allow for correct behavior. This brings me back to the concepts of lining up and not talking over each other constantly. In Egypt, there is no concept of lines. People simply do not line up for anything. It is a foreign concept. As I have not traveled to other Arab countries, I have no idea if it applies elsewhere.
There are no lines to get a ticket for a movie, buses, etc. So, we are literally teaching a foreign concept to these kids when it comes to lining up for morning assembly, or to travel through the halls. One of our teachers commented that we are creating students that will be very frustrated in the future, and will then teach others. This is a big issue here. Many Egyptians see teaching this concept as a fresh step into the future of Egypt. It has been a battle of wills with the students, and the staff, to teach waiting for your turn, lining up and being polite. My kids are slowly getting it, but it is going to be a constant lesson to be reinforced. There is that balance where I have to be able to give instruction, before they can begin working, and they have to be quiet during parts of that instruction, so they know what to do.
This brings me to the second half of the problem. People talk over others, to others and to themselves constantly. A few of the teachers, who have taught overseas have comments that they miss being able to have a moment of silence. We live in a city of constant noise. Only about 2am to 3am is it relatively quiet. I have learned to use the sound of traffic to sleep. This has been my biggest challenge. I am trying to reinforce proper behavior, and reward it whenever possible. I have stickers and rewards. The class wants to take trips and I have begun investigating this option. As you can see form the pictures these kids are happy and gregarious, so sometimes I have a hard time being tough on them and I truly appreciate their appetite to learn.
Cheers to all,
Jonina
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