This is definitely excessive blogging. But I wanted you all to know that we decided on a house today! Yippee! It is in our same subdivision, just a bit closer to the front gate. Three bedrooms, four bathrooms, plus maid's quarters. Sounds so rich, eh? We are definitely excited and glad that the house-hunting process is over before we leave on break. Now it is time for the appliance-hunting to begin. It is totally unfurnished so that means that there's no stove/oven, no washing machine (dryers don't usually exist in this country), and no ref (fridge). Please switch gears in your prayers that we now can find affordable appliances. If you would like to see more photos, please e-mail me and I'll send you the link.10.27.2007
Three Posts in One Day
This is definitely excessive blogging. But I wanted you all to know that we decided on a house today! Yippee! It is in our same subdivision, just a bit closer to the front gate. Three bedrooms, four bathrooms, plus maid's quarters. Sounds so rich, eh? We are definitely excited and glad that the house-hunting process is over before we leave on break. Now it is time for the appliance-hunting to begin. It is totally unfurnished so that means that there's no stove/oven, no washing machine (dryers don't usually exist in this country), and no ref (fridge). Please switch gears in your prayers that we now can find affordable appliances. If you would like to see more photos, please e-mail me and I'll send you the link.
Book Survey
I need a list of books from you! I'm looking for titles of books that stood as formative works during your high school career. What books changed your teenage perception of life? What books do you still go back to each year because they were amazing? What books do you think back on fondly? We're looking for new books to include in the curriculum and I would like to hear some personal suggestions.
The End
After thinking that I just might die if we had one more day of school, we have arrived at Fall Break. And how are you celebrating, you might ask. By waking up at the crack of dawn as usual, listening to the cats bang against my bedroom door as they sense that I am no longer in a deep sleep, throwing them outside, and attempting to listen to "This American Life" if iTunes will let me download the most recent episode. I know that, at the end of break, it will be difficult to wake up at my normal school-schedule time but right now it is frustrating that I can't sleep in when I want to!
I think my students and I will be happier campers once we've had a bit of a break from each other. I had a couple small incidents in my classroom yesterday that just made me livid. I brought one student out into the hallway with me to reprimand her. I just keep reminding myself that that was almost a daily occurrence at York. I was just so disappointed and shocked! And I think the combination of those two emotions made it so that I didn't handle the situation properly. However, I think that there are always things that I will second-guess myself on. Perhaps when you stop second-guessing how you handled a situation or taught a concept, you've lost that learner's touch that is so essential for a teacher to have.
Yesterday afternoon, Kim and I did celebrate the beginning of break by hitting up our local Starbucks. "Local" wasn't incredibly local yesterday - a 25-minute drive. It was so nice though! Then to Lara's for a great dinner of homemade pizza. And finally, back up to campus for closing night of the Senior Play - "Emma." Brought back memories of student directing my senior play. That was a lot of fun!
I think my students and I will be happier campers once we've had a bit of a break from each other. I had a couple small incidents in my classroom yesterday that just made me livid. I brought one student out into the hallway with me to reprimand her. I just keep reminding myself that that was almost a daily occurrence at York. I was just so disappointed and shocked! And I think the combination of those two emotions made it so that I didn't handle the situation properly. However, I think that there are always things that I will second-guess myself on. Perhaps when you stop second-guessing how you handled a situation or taught a concept, you've lost that learner's touch that is so essential for a teacher to have.
Yesterday afternoon, Kim and I did celebrate the beginning of break by hitting up our local Starbucks. "Local" wasn't incredibly local yesterday - a 25-minute drive. It was so nice though! Then to Lara's for a great dinner of homemade pizza. And finally, back up to campus for closing night of the Senior Play - "Emma." Brought back memories of student directing my senior play. That was a lot of fun!
10.23.2007
Blog in the Works
Sometimes I have blogs that I mean to write but just never get done. This is entry is one such.
I actually enjoy the ride up to school each morning. I don't enjoy the time that we leave. Getting out the door at nearly the crack of dawn is not always the most enjoyable part of my day but I am somewhat enamored by the ride to school.
We leave the house and we immediately encounter speed "humps." They're not speed "bumps" in this country. If I get a photo of a speed hump sign, I will post it on this entry. Before even leaving our subdivision, we try to avoid near-death experiences with the motorized and unmotorized tricycles (trikes). Usually, they cut in front of us and do not abide by the "I-am-bigger-than-you" pecking order. Getting onto the main road is a lesson in patience, persistence, and sheer luck. We make a left turn into oncoming traffic, traffic that is ALL headed to the city for a hard day's work. If we're really fortunate, there will be traffic cops attempting to direct the masses, but more often than not, we're on our own.
Although I'm not a huge fan of all of the motorcycles (they definitely do not know how to wait their turn), it warms your heart to see all these dads, and the occasional mom, driving their kids to school. Usually the small child sits in front of dad on the motorcycle and then dad has the adorable pink backpack on his back. It is so cute! I haven't been able to capture it on film yet but it just makes me smile.
The last obstacle in getting to school are the animals. Hordes of animals. All different kinds. We usually avoid at least a cat and a dog within our subdivision but things get really interesting when we're almost to school. Goats, wild turkeys, horses, cattle. It just makes me laugh as we try to avoid all of these things.
Yesterday, I made Kim stop the car to take this photo. Mind you, we are right near one of the main thoroughfares of Manila. There are m
any people standing around, waiting for public transportation, going about their daily business. However, these goats did not care. I'm not sure what they were looking for but I hope the REALLY WIDE one found a place to give birth!
I actually enjoy the ride up to school each morning. I don't enjoy the time that we leave. Getting out the door at nearly the crack of dawn is not always the most enjoyable part of my day but I am somewhat enamored by the ride to school.
We leave the house and we immediately encounter speed "humps." They're not speed "bumps" in this country. If I get a photo of a speed hump sign, I will post it on this entry. Before even leaving our subdivision, we try to avoid near-death experiences with the motorized and unmotorized tricycles (trikes). Usually, they cut in front of us and do not abide by the "I-am-bigger-than-you" pecking order. Getting onto the main road is a lesson in patience, persistence, and sheer luck. We make a left turn into oncoming traffic, traffic that is ALL headed to the city for a hard day's work. If we're really fortunate, there will be traffic cops attempting to direct the masses, but more often than not, we're on our own.
Although I'm not a huge fan of all of the motorcycles (they definitely do not know how to wait their turn), it warms your heart to see all these dads, and the occasional mom, driving their kids to school. Usually the small child sits in front of dad on the motorcycle and then dad has the adorable pink backpack on his back. It is so cute! I haven't been able to capture it on film yet but it just makes me smile.
The last obstacle in getting to school are the animals. Hordes of animals. All different kinds. We usually avoid at least a cat and a dog within our subdivision but things get really interesting when we're almost to school. Goats, wild turkeys, horses, cattle. It just makes me laugh as we try to avoid all of these things.
Yesterday, I made Kim stop the car to take this photo. Mind you, we are right near one of the main thoroughfares of Manila. There are m
any people standing around, waiting for public transportation, going about their daily business. However, these goats did not care. I'm not sure what they were looking for but I hope the REALLY WIDE one found a place to give birth!10.14.2007
Q1.Q2.
It is so hard to believe that the first quarter of school has come to a close. I posted the last of my first quarter grades just an hour ago and, in less than 12 hours, I will be in my classroom to begin the second quarter. In the past, we had a week off between Q1 and Q2 but we must wait 2 weeks for that much-needed break this year. Perhaps we will welcome it even more.
I want to share all the fun we've had during Q1 but tonight is not the night. I must get a touch of sleep before hurtling into the unknown of the The Odyssey tomorrow with my lovely freshmen. Thankfully, my seniors should be running the show in their classes tomorrow as they are giving presentations on their favorite sections of literature we've studied thus far. However, I'm actually doubting that I'll have a lot of alive, awake, and on-task kids tomorrow. This weekend was filled with sports tournaments and the Sadie Hawkin's banquet. I'll be lucky if I can keep them focused on literature rather than who made the sweetest goal or who looked the best on Saturday night.
I want to share all the fun we've had during Q1 but tonight is not the night. I must get a touch of sleep before hurtling into the unknown of the The Odyssey tomorrow with my lovely freshmen. Thankfully, my seniors should be running the show in their classes tomorrow as they are giving presentations on their favorite sections of literature we've studied thus far. However, I'm actually doubting that I'll have a lot of alive, awake, and on-task kids tomorrow. This weekend was filled with sports tournaments and the Sadie Hawkin's banquet. I'll be lucky if I can keep them focused on literature rather than who made the sweetest goal or who looked the best on Saturday night.
10.09.2007
A Serious Lack of Blogging
I do have an excuse. But it is probably a pretty boring one for those of you who are not teachers. Thursday ends the 1st Quarter and my life is a madhouse of grading. With 85 students, there is no shortage of essays, projects, reading checks, and such that need to be assessed before Thursday. The mounds of papers on my desks at school and at home are constantly calling my name and leaving little time for anything else. Hopefully, there will be a light at the end of this very dark tunnel soon. Please pray for energy and stamina as I read and mark their work.
10.02.2007
A Momentous Occasion
Mark this date on your calendars. October 2, 2007. This is the first night since I arrived in country that I will be sleeping with a blanket. It will not be my wonderful queen-sized down comforter but a thin flannel blanket instead. The temperature is reading 75 degrees. I think I might be starting to adjust. It has been raining fairly non-stop for the past 6 days. Someone said something about a tropical depression. The only thing it is succeeding in is making me depressed...oh, and making my shoes moldy.
Everything is over-saturated. I stopped my 5th period in the middle of my lesson on commas and semicolons to call their attention to the actual sunshine that was peeping through the clouds. They wanted to go outside and enjoy it. Sad to say, I nixed that idea. There just wasn't a way to haul the overhead projector out there to continue our lesson on commas. And the sun didn't last for long anyways.
Everything is over-saturated. I stopped my 5th period in the middle of my lesson on commas and semicolons to call their attention to the actual sunshine that was peeping through the clouds. They wanted to go outside and enjoy it. Sad to say, I nixed that idea. There just wasn't a way to haul the overhead projector out there to continue our lesson on commas. And the sun didn't last for long anyways.
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