Leaving for the Summer 2006
Hello All,
My decisive year hasn’t been all that decisive with trying to figure out what to do next school year.
In March I signed saying I was not coming back to Al Hada. I wanted to take time off and travel for about 6 months. Then I started calculating how much this might cost and my figure was approaching double of what I thought it would be making me have second thoughts on the time off. At the start of April, during parent student conferences, several parents and the principal asked me to stay another year. If I did, then I could budget better for taking time off plus I could finish the bottle of hot sauce.
I signed my contract May 2nd and guess what came my way May 4th? It was a job announcement from a school in Turkey looking for a college counselor. Most of you know I love Turkey and wouldn’t mind working there. I replied saying I was interested, had a phone interview, and said I needed to know by May 17th. They needed more time for the search since they just started it but said I was a compelling candidate and could I wait a few more weeks? Time was one thing I did not have extra of with leaving June 7th. I had to withdraw my name. It could have been my dream job but wasn’t meant to be this time around. I am happy to be returning here and I also have a great summer planned. My itinerary is below and I hope to be seeing some of you along the way.
Summer 2006 Plans
June 8 – June 14 - Germany (Frankfurt, Stuttgart)
June 14 – June 19 – Prague, I will meet my Mom and a nurse from Al Hada
June 20 – June 28 - Germany (Bavaria, Austria) it will be nice to visit with Birgit on this leg. We met in Malaysia in Dec 2004 while she was on her 2 year journey.
June 29 – July 6 - Colorado – will spend the 4th of July weekend in Steamboat Springs going for a mountain hike and attending a rodeo with fireworks at night
July 6 – July 12 - Connecticut with my Mom, brothers, family and friends. Have tickets to see a professional women’s basketball game
July 12 – July 18 – Chicago to attend Michele’s wedding and to visit old Peace Corps friends
July 18 – Aug 1 – Connecticut for more lobster and salt water taffy
Aug 1 – Aug 10 – Colorado to try to lighten my load in the storage unit and to take certification exams
Aug 10 – Aug 21 – Germany to play tennis
The last weekend in August a group of us from Al Hada are planning to attend the camel races outside of Taif again. It is a wild time not to be missed.
I often hear comments if I work or not with all the traveling I do. At times it does seem the trips are back to back with Ramadam, Haj, and our winter break all within weeks of one another. As Ramadam and Haj move forward into the summer there will be a better balance with school days and vacations.
Last week while the students were taking their Stanford exams I had time to reflect on the school year.
The School Year in Review
2005 – 2006
· The students do score average to above average in math on the Stanford exams – I guess some things are sinking in
· Most students have a problem working with surface area – I think they lack spatial skills so we will work on that next year with constructing more objects and breaking down tissue boxes, cereal boxes, and paper towel rolls
· The 6th and 7th graders struggle with adding and subtracting negative and positive numbers. I keep telling them think apples. -3 + 8 You have 8 apples take away 3 apples. Or use the number line. Or money. They rush through their work and don’t reason out what the end result should be then they cry, “why did I get number 5 wrong”. Did you look at it? No.
· Watching the 6th graders use their lockers is a comedy of errors. I have them (19 in all) for homeroom and their lockers are in the back of the room. They fumble for their keys, the locker opens spilling out their collection of books, papers, projects, clothes, food, and pens and pencils. They grab what they need and stuff it into their packs and then stuff the rest back into the locker. They search on the floor for their lock to be placed back on the locker. They stand up hoisting the pack on to their back realized they forgot something inside the locker – the process starts again – painful.
· Never ending questions
o May I go to the toilet?
o Can we use the calculator – for the 100th time NO
o Do we have to simplify? For the millionth time YES
o May I get a tissue?
o I don’t understand
o Did you correct the tests?
o I forgot my calculator – do you have one?
o May I turn my test over and write on the back?
o The directions say to solve the problem. What am I suppose to do?
· Having three 8th grade boys try what little patience I have with their antics – not bringing their book, not doing or caring about their homework, goofing off in class, being disrespectful, and just being plain annoying. The good news is they are slowly seeing the light they need to apply themselves.
· A big tall brown fence was constructed around the school – we can no longer see out but can still see up (but that might change too)
· The day care center across from us was built within 45 days (a record they are very proud of) in Sept 2004. First it was a lone one story building, then a fence around the back was added, then a fence around the front was added, then a covering over the back and front part were added, then a guard booth by the front fence was added, and now this week a booth with a curtain was built in front of the door – imagine a visit to the wizard of Oz..
· A herd or pack or pod or whatever you call a group of baboons has claimed the mountain behind the school as their new home and come looking for food at the playground. They are daring and even come jump on the top of my porta cabin using it as a bridge to get to the garbage bins on the other side.
· A parent has decided I need home cooked food and she surprises me with salads, stuffed grape leaves, rice dishes, and sweets
· Sharing meals with parents and teachers
· For next school year: to have the Internet up and working – the cabling has been done, setting up a computer and printer in the room
· We look forward to getting a new 2nd grade and an ESL teacher and a school secretary.
What’s been happening on the compound?
· The cafeteria has been spruced up. Every night they BBQ middle eastern style and it sure smells good.
· The store is under new management and is looking better.
· Two high brown fences have been built above the women’s outdoor pool so people in the villas on the hill can no longer look down into the area.
· New guard booths are being constructed
· Parts of the hospital have had a face lift on the outside – it looks much better
· A huge building is being constructed by the hospital – suppose to be the pharmacy and dental units
· No raises
· Many doctors and nurses are leaving the hospital and the country. They take jobs in the UAE, Europe, and Canada
· My friend Zorah and I have kept up with our early morning walks on the compound
I still like it here because of the peace and quiet, going to Taif to run errands, I like the mountain scenery, visiting with the other teachers, playing tennis, trips to Jeddah, meeting new people, and the cooler weather to name a few things.
I better end this now before it becomes a chapter in my book. Enjoy your summer time too.
Becky
My decisive year hasn’t been all that decisive with trying to figure out what to do next school year.
In March I signed saying I was not coming back to Al Hada. I wanted to take time off and travel for about 6 months. Then I started calculating how much this might cost and my figure was approaching double of what I thought it would be making me have second thoughts on the time off. At the start of April, during parent student conferences, several parents and the principal asked me to stay another year. If I did, then I could budget better for taking time off plus I could finish the bottle of hot sauce.
I signed my contract May 2nd and guess what came my way May 4th? It was a job announcement from a school in Turkey looking for a college counselor. Most of you know I love Turkey and wouldn’t mind working there. I replied saying I was interested, had a phone interview, and said I needed to know by May 17th. They needed more time for the search since they just started it but said I was a compelling candidate and could I wait a few more weeks? Time was one thing I did not have extra of with leaving June 7th. I had to withdraw my name. It could have been my dream job but wasn’t meant to be this time around. I am happy to be returning here and I also have a great summer planned. My itinerary is below and I hope to be seeing some of you along the way.
Summer 2006 Plans
June 8 – June 14 - Germany (Frankfurt, Stuttgart)
June 14 – June 19 – Prague, I will meet my Mom and a nurse from Al Hada
June 20 – June 28 - Germany (Bavaria, Austria) it will be nice to visit with Birgit on this leg. We met in Malaysia in Dec 2004 while she was on her 2 year journey.
June 29 – July 6 - Colorado – will spend the 4th of July weekend in Steamboat Springs going for a mountain hike and attending a rodeo with fireworks at night
July 6 – July 12 - Connecticut with my Mom, brothers, family and friends. Have tickets to see a professional women’s basketball game
July 12 – July 18 – Chicago to attend Michele’s wedding and to visit old Peace Corps friends
July 18 – Aug 1 – Connecticut for more lobster and salt water taffy
Aug 1 – Aug 10 – Colorado to try to lighten my load in the storage unit and to take certification exams
Aug 10 – Aug 21 – Germany to play tennis
The last weekend in August a group of us from Al Hada are planning to attend the camel races outside of Taif again. It is a wild time not to be missed.
I often hear comments if I work or not with all the traveling I do. At times it does seem the trips are back to back with Ramadam, Haj, and our winter break all within weeks of one another. As Ramadam and Haj move forward into the summer there will be a better balance with school days and vacations.
Last week while the students were taking their Stanford exams I had time to reflect on the school year.
The School Year in Review
2005 – 2006
· The students do score average to above average in math on the Stanford exams – I guess some things are sinking in
· Most students have a problem working with surface area – I think they lack spatial skills so we will work on that next year with constructing more objects and breaking down tissue boxes, cereal boxes, and paper towel rolls
· The 6th and 7th graders struggle with adding and subtracting negative and positive numbers. I keep telling them think apples. -3 + 8 You have 8 apples take away 3 apples. Or use the number line. Or money. They rush through their work and don’t reason out what the end result should be then they cry, “why did I get number 5 wrong”. Did you look at it? No.
· Watching the 6th graders use their lockers is a comedy of errors. I have them (19 in all) for homeroom and their lockers are in the back of the room. They fumble for their keys, the locker opens spilling out their collection of books, papers, projects, clothes, food, and pens and pencils. They grab what they need and stuff it into their packs and then stuff the rest back into the locker. They search on the floor for their lock to be placed back on the locker. They stand up hoisting the pack on to their back realized they forgot something inside the locker – the process starts again – painful.
· Never ending questions
o May I go to the toilet?
o Can we use the calculator – for the 100th time NO
o Do we have to simplify? For the millionth time YES
o May I get a tissue?
o I don’t understand
o Did you correct the tests?
o I forgot my calculator – do you have one?
o May I turn my test over and write on the back?
o The directions say to solve the problem. What am I suppose to do?
· Having three 8th grade boys try what little patience I have with their antics – not bringing their book, not doing or caring about their homework, goofing off in class, being disrespectful, and just being plain annoying. The good news is they are slowly seeing the light they need to apply themselves.
· A big tall brown fence was constructed around the school – we can no longer see out but can still see up (but that might change too)
· The day care center across from us was built within 45 days (a record they are very proud of) in Sept 2004. First it was a lone one story building, then a fence around the back was added, then a fence around the front was added, then a covering over the back and front part were added, then a guard booth by the front fence was added, and now this week a booth with a curtain was built in front of the door – imagine a visit to the wizard of Oz..
· A herd or pack or pod or whatever you call a group of baboons has claimed the mountain behind the school as their new home and come looking for food at the playground. They are daring and even come jump on the top of my porta cabin using it as a bridge to get to the garbage bins on the other side.
· A parent has decided I need home cooked food and she surprises me with salads, stuffed grape leaves, rice dishes, and sweets
· Sharing meals with parents and teachers
· For next school year: to have the Internet up and working – the cabling has been done, setting up a computer and printer in the room
· We look forward to getting a new 2nd grade and an ESL teacher and a school secretary.
What’s been happening on the compound?
· The cafeteria has been spruced up. Every night they BBQ middle eastern style and it sure smells good.
· The store is under new management and is looking better.
· Two high brown fences have been built above the women’s outdoor pool so people in the villas on the hill can no longer look down into the area.
· New guard booths are being constructed
· Parts of the hospital have had a face lift on the outside – it looks much better
· A huge building is being constructed by the hospital – suppose to be the pharmacy and dental units
· No raises
· Many doctors and nurses are leaving the hospital and the country. They take jobs in the UAE, Europe, and Canada
· My friend Zorah and I have kept up with our early morning walks on the compound
I still like it here because of the peace and quiet, going to Taif to run errands, I like the mountain scenery, visiting with the other teachers, playing tennis, trips to Jeddah, meeting new people, and the cooler weather to name a few things.
I better end this now before it becomes a chapter in my book. Enjoy your summer time too.
Becky
posted by Becky of Arabia at 8:50 PM
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