Translate

Friday, October 25, 2013

nuthin new

i've got nothin to add.  So, you will successfully waste a couple minutes if you continue to read on!  I hope you are wasting it while avoiding something horrible. . .then I can pretend that this is a useful entry.


Still struggling with spanish.  I'm not taking any formal lessons, but i've gotten very creative in the free resources available to me and I found a wonderful teacher on YouTube today.  So between the youtube videos, free apps and taking advantage of the people I live with, i think im doing pretty well!

Teaching is going ok - I've lost the 'new teacher smell' though, and have been dealing with a lot more classroom management issues this month.  It's no longer an exciting event to have the new american so they are all testing which rules they can break without me knowing (about either the rules or catching them).  It's nice to have confirmation that kids around the world are all the same :)

Still fun delays in getting a car.  The last hurdle is simply getting the cash.  I've started a process, but it will still be 3 or 4 weeks till completion.  To add to the fun challenge in getting the cash, my bankcard expired. . .so now i'm even out the option of the ATM (with high fees) for small amounts.  I'm lucky to have a bunch of supportive people around me to help me out through this gap of no access to money.

I still am on hold about working at the shelter for women who were victims of sex trafficing, but am going to start volunteering next week at an orphanage.  It's a long-term home for kids that the government has pulled out of abusive homes.  It seems like a perfect setting to both learn and hellp out in.  They are wanting a full time counselor, which conflicts with my teaching. . .but we shall see what pans out!

ok - you can stop procrastinating now ;)

2 comments:

  1. If you don't already have an online professional learning community (Plc) Twitter and Google plus are both full of educators. Hopefully you already have table groups and marble jars working for you. One of my best friends when I taught fifth grade was a book of lateral thinking puzzles to reward the kids before breaks in the day, but now I'm sure you could find a bunch online somewhere. And remember the first rule of classroom management: do what you say you are going to do. Empty threats are a teacher's worst enemy. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I welcome all the tips I can - I'll look up these ideas. My challenge is that I only have 30 minutes a day with each class and so my rewards or discipline need to be quick to get any teaching done. and many of my challenging kids speak less english (because they don't pay attention) and so keeping it simple enough to be understood is an extra challenge.

      Delete