Pen Pals, Swip- Swapped Seasons and Moving Flats

Pen Pals
We are finishing up a writing piece this week. For fast finishers I gave them a couple choices of what they could write about. One of them being, write a letter to my 5 year old nephew, Noah. I said, "Tell him about yourself, ask him questions, or maybe tell him how awesome it is to have his aunt as your teacher." Wink, wink.

Here are a few things my students want to tell/ ask Noah:

How old are you? Do you like to play PS40? What is your favorite food? What is your favorite hobby? I want to go to America like you. Your aunt is helpful and kind. Did you know we are learning about multiplication and division. I end with this, my favorite comment; "Reading is my favorite subject and it so important because you learn words and stuff." (from one of my struggling-est readers.)

Swip- Swaps
Swip- swaps are the most popular, and my least favorite, behavior cards (because they talk to who they choose to sit by).

It takes more Dojo points to earn it, but when you do you can redeem it and sit by whoever you want for the day.

Because of the reward card, my class has the meaning of swip-swap down (If you don't, look it up in Urban Dictionary). We even use it in math. One strategy we practice to help us become Multiplication Masters is the Commutative property (9 X 5 is the same as 5 X 9- this strategy helps because they can all count by 5's even if they can't fluently recall their 9's yet).  So if one student gets stuck, I will prompt, "Can you 'swip-swap' the number to a problem you do know?"

Well, there is another thing that is swip-swapped here, too. In a temperate climates in the northern hemisphere, leaves change colors and fall to the ground in the fall and things bud and start to turn green in the Spring. It is not so here. In Kuwait, in the spring, things start to turn brown and leaves fall from the trees.   

Interesting fact of the day: Our campus is carpeted almost entirely in green AstroTurf instead of grass.

Freedom

Things I miss, besides specific friends and family like these:

Yea for Facetime.

🌳🌷🌾🚴🚶🚘

-My car

-Road Trips

-Trees

-Walking outside

The things I listed above represent freedom and independence to me. Claustrophobia; noun anxiety caused by living in isolation or indoors for a long period of time. Though I don't have claustrophobia, it sometimes feels like I am confined in a small place and I have to struggle for breath; like I have cabin fever. It doesn't help that it is now regularly over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, too.

I don't always like being in this dusty, scorched country, but I have gained a lot of invaluable experiences and met some great people.

Looking forward to some freedom this summer and hopeful for an awesome next year in Kuwait.

Church Love

"What is important to you when it comes to a place to worship?" 

"Do they Love Jesus?" 

"Yes." 

"Good, that is foundational." "They play Rend and All Sons and Daughters!?" 

"Yes, they do." 

"Sold!" 

A friend said commented (said is dead), "It feels like a Sunday school class." and I agree.  The church I've settled on is small, low key and ran by the congregation. For example, in the service, someone asks for prayer requests, someone else reads that week's bible passage, someone else gives announcements and so on.  The message is bible based and short.  On the other hand, it takes 25 minutes to get there and we have to schedule a taxi pickup in advance because taxis don't frequent the area, but... I like. 

I love Rend Collective.

It's tricky getting a taxi to and from church because our taxi drivers are Muslim and they have their Friday prayer time at the same time that local Christian churches meet. Yes, church is on Friday here. 'Member the first day of our work week is on Sunday.

Moving Flats

New single teachers usually live in the smaller, not as nice, apartments their first year. The year is almost over and since some teachers are getting ready to move on, their apartments are available. The most desired apartments are usually seaside and as high up as possible. That is also what I wanted, but I got the other side, call the sunset view, on the 11th floor. Picking an apartment is a bit of a gamble because some apartments have better lay outs, nice painted walls or better furniture. I like my current place enough, but I am happy for a little upgrade. The other apartment is in one of the two buildings the school actually owns. I am currently in the one the school rents. The apartment I am moving into will be bigger and has a nice private courtyard. I'm excited though I won't actually get to be in it until after summer break.

Garage Sales
I did a little shopping in my future apartment today. Those leaving threw "garage" sales in their apartment, so I bought a couple of things and just left them over there for when I move in. I am still hunting for games and puzzles though. I have a ton, in America, but I didn't want to pay for the extra weight to bring them over. I might need to bring a couple back on my return trip. I have been puzzl-ing pretty compulsively for the last 2 weeks. If I keep this up, I think I've gathered just enough to last me until the end of the school year.

12 more days of school left.

20 more days till I take a jet plane.

A Nebraskan Teacher in Kuwait

A Nebraskan Teacher in Kuwait

Was planning to write another post about teacher stuff(this post) and I thought maybe my blog should be called Nebraskan Teacher in Kuwait but when I said it in my head, it sounded like a personal ad.  Which reminded me of Haiti and THIS.

Adjective practice in Beginner's English last summer, in Haiti.

The 3 Little Fishes

Working on irregular plurals in class.  The ones that don't change they found hilarious. "5 sheep?!," one said. Another guessed, "wolfs," when I asked for the plural. Person to people befuddled them and when I went over fish some thought I was lying. That is the reason we spent a week going over how to make plural nouns. My students are adapting classic fairy tales and a couple changed the classic The 3 Little Pigs to The 3 Little Fishes. 

Some of the nouns I picked are rare like oxen, cacti and di (I think I learned the singular form of dice only a few years ago) but I need to stump some of my higher kids sometimes and unbeknownst to them they are being prepped for an I Have Who has activity. 

#IHaveWhoHasLove 

After School Club

We met 7 times. Twice all 4 boys showed up. Twice only 1 student attended. The other three times, 3 came. Low turn out, but I loved Math Game Club.  I hope to do it again next year. It was a great way to learn some new games I can use in class, get to know my students in a different environment and make a little extra cash.  We had our final meeting last week, so I brought out a few of their favorites and this new one. 

Fraction Bump. We used a paperclip/ pencil spinner.

We always play for points and the winner gets to pick the Go Noodle brain break, at the end. You'd think it was a jumbo candy bar they get so excited.  It saves me the money and time of having to buy a prize.

Dominoes War.  We did the addition and subtraction editions.

My least favorite game, Multiplication Twister.  They like it though.

Math Jenga.

Miss Macgyver

Just call me Super Teacher.  My student raised his open hand up to me and looked expectantly at me. Inside was his broken eye glasses. They were missing the pin that holds them together.  I said "George, (names changed to protect the identity of those involved) I don't think I can..." "...just give me a minute." And before students had unpacked their bags and shuffled to Morning Meeting, I had strung a paper clip through, twisted, clipped and yanked out an eraser to safety-fy the sharp ends. Ta-da! All in a day's work of Super Teacher. 

He went the whole day like this.

Super Hero Stance
We actually did just finish up a 3 week "Super Reader" challenge. So we have been doing this attention grabber in class where I yell out, "Super...!" and they respond, "Reader!" and give me a super hero stance.  Then I repeat and they repeat and they change their stance.  Good times.

One lucky Super Reader in every class received a "Super Reader" cape.

The countdowns are on.

CONTEST, COMPETITIONS, CONCERTS AND CLUBS, OH MY! Almost All Things School

Justifying My Spending.

I have been justifying my spending quite a bit, but there is a legitamate reason for all of it. I need to spend 75 dollars to go to the beach. There are no clean public beaches, but I live on the Persian Gulf so I have to go to the beach somehow. Also on a public beach I can't wear a tank top and shorts or heavens-for-bid a swimming suit. There is likewise a perfectly legitimate reason why I need to spend 22 dollars for my delivered-to-my-door dinner. If I took a taxi to the restaurant, it would cost 7 dollars and then I would have to wait there (and surely my time is worth something) so I would have to pay the taxi driver to wait for me which would cost another 3.5 USD. Also Tikka Paneer. Do I need to say more?

Arabic Again, but No. 

I signed up to take another Saturday morning class, but I must have been one of only a few interested parties. I'm totally bummed about this and I hope the next time around, the class will be able to run.

Ticket Buying Spree.

Honestly it's pretty insane the amount of plane tickets I have in my name. The list is comprised of the following: India, Hungary, Rome, Athens, Santorini, San Fransisco and Nebraska. Pretty ridiculous, I know.

Math Club. 

There are free after school clubs available to our students. Teachers offer up an idea and if enough students sign up for their club they get paid to lead a weekly hour length club of 12 students. Since I haven't given in to the many tutoring requests and I passed on leading a club last semester, I signed up for one this go around. Well, actually I signed up to lead 3 clubs. Each club meets for 7 weeks. Only one of my clubs got enough registered students to run though. Normally it is required that at least 12 students register but since my club is academic only 7 were obligatory. 8 students signed up it. It's been fun and it's giving me more bait for my teaching tool box. Though it was open to 2nd- 5th graders, only grade 3 students attend. Also I have never had more than 4 students come in the 3 weeks we have been convening. Two of the students are from my class and all 4 of them are third graders. They are also all energetic, chatter box boys. Remember my class of 25 has 16 such boys, as well. #thestoryofthisyear

We interrupt this blog to bring you a picture break.

A fancy abaya.

An example of how a cubbie should NOT look. A true story.

Our tree is now covered in equivalent fraction flowers. No one noticed the un-equivalent mistake in my example flower.

Our read alouds from this year.

My dinner. I currently, basically eat this every night.

A friend took this picture of our neighborhood.

Avacado and chocolate hummus. I tried the avacado. It was good, but I'll stick with the normal kind from now on.

The Road of the School Year is Curved.

I spent quarter 1 and 2 getting acclamated to teaching and then quarter 3 and 4 come along. 

To end our Science unit on flight and design, Grade 3 competed in an airplane contest. My students were disappointed because their planes weren't awesome. Sorry 3A, I will improve my airplane making skills. If only you also knew how little I knew about flight or design before we began this unit. #storyofmyfirstyearteaching

Last month we had Student Led Conferences. The way it works results is I actually only have to have one official meeting with the parents a year, unless the parents request to meet more. Parent Teacher Conferences are in the fall and Student Led Conferences happen in the spring.  They were a pretty good experience.  I set up 3 or 4 conferences to happen at the same time in our room.  They were completely student led. Of course, prepping them was time and energy intensive. 

Last week there was a student music concert I had to attend.  I knew I was expected to attend it, because I was told so, but when I arrived the other teachers were with their classes. I am still not sure if I was suppose to be there as a teacher or an attendee, I spend the next 35 minutes trying to quietly keep my class quiet, but not overstep the role of any parents who were present. The awkwardness of not knowing what is expected of me. #storyofmyfirstyearteaching

This week my students delivered the persuasive papers they turned into speeches and condensed to index cards. Traumatically, for ME, I had to pick 5 semi-finalists and then I brought in another teacher to help me pick my class finalist. The results were impressive actually. I did not give speeches when I was in third grade. But also, there was bitter disappointment and even tears as the result of my decisions. Broke my heart. 

Today we had Sports Day. I refereed a 15 minute soccer match. That was beyond ridiculous. I had to ask the 8 year olds how a soccer game starts. I had to ignore and placate claims of fouls. "I didn't see it." "We only have a short time." "Lets just keep playing." Seriously it was humiliating. 

We also have a business fair coming up next month where my students will create a business plan and design and create a product to sell (for fake money).

NEXT INSTALLMENT: NO THINGS SCHOOL. T.G.I.S.B.

Budapest to Kuwait

New Years in Budapest

It was frigid, there were no outside concerts(which I remember from a past year) and no organized fireworks, but there was mulled wine, noise makers and plenty of crazy people setting off their own explosives.

Things I forgot about Budapest

-You have to put a coin in to get a shopping cart. It is nice that people don't leave carts laying around.

-You have to pay for your shopping bags at most grocery store.  It's a great idea because most people bring there own bags to save the money. 

-How much of a hike it is to Gellert hill.

But you are rewarded with beautiful views.

-How much you get/have to speak Hungarian because many people don't speak English.

-PDA. Compared to Kuwait anyway. Public displays of affection are pretty common.

Things are old and some are still in bad shape but it is all mixed to create such beauty.

Things that have changed in Budapest

A few notable advancements:

- There are now English friendly announcements in public transportation. And electronic signs post the minutes until the next bus and tram will arrive.

- More Cafes and more shopping than ever. Even many Mexican restaurants now. And there are now 9 Starbucks.

- There is a new, fourth, metro line.

- There are now 200 Forint coins(it's almost equivalent to a dollar).

- Turkish gyros, pizza and Chinese food are every. where. And Donuts seem to have exploded in the country.

St. Stephen's Basilica

Grandma Kato's Fresh Chimney Cakes

St. Stephen's Basilica 

The Chain Bridge

City Park

Fine Art Museum

Hero Square

The Parliament Building

Back to Kuwait

Turkish Air is really nice. Lots of leg room, a full meal for even short flights. They gave teddy bears to kids and served Turkish delight on one leg of the journey. Think Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe.

Today is a day to celebrate the prophet Mohammed's birthday in Kuwait. Because it falls on a weekend, we have Sunday(the first day of our week) off. I'm still going in for a few hours but just to get prepared for the week. Tomorrow it's back to the grindstone.

I hope your 2015 is off to a good start, too. Happy New Years.

I'm Now an Official Kuwait Resident

Self Control

Sometimes I just can't stop from laughing at some of the antics of my students. For example, when one decides to dive into a rolling somersault to get a ruler or when one throws up an arm and let's out some strange noise. In the middle of a lesson. They have so little self control. But, sometimes I display lack of self control, too. Like when I laugh out loud in response or let them see the steam rolling out of my ears. 

My blurt chart is a success. Yes they still blurt, (either shenanigan from the previous paragraph would be considered a blurt because it distracts the class), but they are more clear than ever what blurting is and I can deal with the issue in a speechless way. Every day they start with 3 warnings. After the third, if they blurt again they owe me some recess. Each student who is struggling with blurting also has a personalized goal sheet for the week and if they meet their goal they get a small reward.

Not my actual chart, but basically, the same.

The desk and cubbie fairy has been making appearances lately.

I love this.  We are studying urban, rural and suburban communities.
It's labeled "Urben New York", but it is so reminiscent of Kuwait's sky line.

Plugs and Extension Cords

I have installed 4 power strips in my teeny-tiny home to make it functional. One in my bedroom and kitchen and two in the living room. One for the living room and another is wrapped around the corner going into the bathroom so I can actually use a hairdryer in there. The bathroom was built without an electrical outlet. It's not super attractive, but serviceable and practical.

Unfortunately, this week, something happened to the only outlet in the laundry room. So I had to unplug everything in 2 of the power strips and string them together to plug in my machine and wash my clothes. I'm trying to decide if I'm actually going to buy another power strip. 

Dust Storm 

We had a sand storm. I thought it would be this dangerous thing that if I got caught in it, flying sand would de-skin me. But instead a cloud of dust just descended on the city.  People wore masks to try to keep it out of their lungs. It wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Recess was canceled, but then we had to stand out in it for 20 minutes to release the kids at the end of the day. I don't have anything to compare it to, so maybe that was a mild one.

A picture from the local newspaper.

Twisters, Earthquakes and All Things Me.

At the beginning of the year, we read Twisters on Tuesday from the Magic Tree House series because of the Nebraska connection, tornados, and I knew that would be a good series for many students to read on their own. It's pretty rewarding that anything I read automatically becomes a class favorite. 

One of the good behavior rewards students can pick is Read Aloud. If they present me with this card, I will read the read aloud of their choice to the class for the day. One girl picked Earthquakes in the Early Morning, also by Mary Pope Osborne. It takes place in California so I also have a connection - birth place- there. Natural disasters are pretty interesting anyways, but they listen utterly captivated when I talk about any parts of my life in America. 

I made (err... edited a template I bought on Teachers Pay Teachers) a book called All About Your Teacher and it's fun to see them read it during Read to Self or Read to Someone.

Beautiful and Painful

The day of the dust storm was extremely hot because the dust trapped all the heat in, but after that is has cooled down quite a bit. Tuesday, I think the the high was only 87. It is literally painful for me to stay inside when the weather is so beautiful. "Come outside," it beckons. My neighborhood is not walker friendly for various reasons. So, I queried the local Fb group for decent places to walk. And now I'm exploring the list I gleaned. I'm delighted that I have friends willing to investigate with me. The first place I went was Fintas park.  It's right on the gulf and pretty, but quite short (I'd guess, about a 1/4 mile one way).  It only cost 1KD to get there, which is a plus. If I'm desperate to get outside, even alone, it's a good option. But I'm hopeful I'll find something better.

It was around 115 degrees everyday when I first arrived, 2 months ago.

It rains here?! I didn't know.

Internet

I have a hot spot/ mini router/ biscuit now.

This means I have Internet all the time.  Before, I had a normal sized router with a sim card in it.  I was taking it to and from school everyday so I could have wireless in my classroom. The hotspot is much easier to transport (and it doesn't get as many laughs) and I don't ever accidentally leave it at school (which is a big disappointment) since I never have to take it out of my bag. 

Resident

I am a resident of kuwait, officially, now. I have my civil ID. So now I can get internet, check, and a drivers license.  I am not planning on getting one at this point.  They are a lot of crazy drivers here and I wouldn't be saving any more money getting one versus taking taxis. 

Stomp.

Stomp is a joyful, witty and wordless show that has been seen all over the world. An eight-member cast with energy to burn creates beautiful music and sly humor with found objects: Zippo lighters, push brooms, wooden poles, hammer handles, garbage cans, inner tubes, matchboxes—and yes, even the kitchen sink.

I went to this last night. It was in the ice skating rink downtown.  It wasn't a fancy or large venue but it had a nice concession stand located in a locker room. Evidently, most things that come this way go to Dubai so I'm glad I jumped at my chance to go. Me and a friend thought we coordinated the buying of our online tickets.  But it turns out that was not the case. So she sat a few rows ahead of me, by herself (and I sat alone, too). It wasn't a big deal though. The 5 o'clock show had a family atmosphere. I enjoyed myself. 

How old are you?
My students have been asking my age since school started. I said I'd tell them on my birthday. Every few days they ask me or tell me my birthday is getting closer, so there was this anticipation to find out my age. So on Thursday, I had each of them make a guess and submit it. Half way through the day I made a graph with all their guesses and then revealed my age, which none of them guessed correctly. They guessed I was between 22 and 38.