I had a request to write about what I am teaching in the classroom. Yes, I take requests. So, here is a little bit about what I do in the classroom...discipline. Seriously, I do a lot of disciplining. The kids here think nothing of walking out of class to get a drink or go to the bathroom. They don't ask, they just walk out. So, we have been going over rules of the classroom and how you have to ask before you leave the room. Ok, but here are the details of what I am teaching in each grade level.
In Playgroup 2 (aka preschool), I usually read a book and sing a song or do a finger play. I only have 10 minutes once a week with those kids so I keep it really simple. I am told my time with them is to get them used to people speaking English.
In TKA (aka Kindergarten 1), we are going over the letters of the alphabet. I have half an hour twice a week with those kids. This week I am teaching about the letter T. We sing the Ants on the Apples song for each letter. I had never heard of this song but, it is a great one for teaching the alphabet and the sounds each letter makes. Then we do an activity about the letter (coloring turtles on the tile, etc.). After that we have story time and I sing a song or do a finger play if there is time. Yes, this week I am teaching the kids the Tiny Turtle song and they LOVE it!
In TKB (aka Kindergarten 2), we are also going over the letters of the alphabet but in more detail. I have half an hour three times a week with those kids. They have quickly become my favorite class! We do worksheets (writing the letters, cutting and pasting pictures, etc.) and activities (memory game, etc.). We have story and song/finger play time if there is time.
In Grade 1, we reviewed each letter and now we are focusing on short vowel sounds. This is a little more difficult because the "teaching" books I have are from America and some of the pictures are not things the kids in Indonesia know anything about. For example, bib and sled. They have no concept of what a bib is or what a sled is. I also read a story every teaching time. I have 5 35 minute sessions with those kids per week. However, they are split into 2 days. So, I teach them for 70 minutes one day a week and 105 minutes another day during the week. I would much rather go into the classroom every day but, the schedule is not up to me.
In Grade 2, we are going over the parts of speech. I have been teaching about nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. It's a little rough since a few of the kids don't speak English very well (or at all). But, I am trying to make it as simple as possible. We also have story time every teaching time. I also teach those kids 5 35 minute sessions per week. These sessions are split into 3 days. So, I teach them for 70 minutes on Tuesdays, 35 minutes on Wednesdays, and 70 minutes on Fridays.
In Grade 3, we are also going over the parts of speech as well as, sentence structure and usage. This week we are talking about plural s versus plural es versus irregular plural nouns (sheep, geese, etc.). We also have story time every teaching time. We just finished reading Ramona Quimby, Age 8. This class is only 6 students and I really enjoy the smaller class size. We have a lot more discussions and freedom in that class. I teach those kids 5 40 minute sessions per week. Again, these sessions are split into 2 days. So I teach them for 2 hours on Mondays and 80 minutes on Thursdays.
Unfortunately, I have heard from way too many kids that English class is boring so I am trying to think of fun activities. So far we have just done a lot of worksheets. But, it is hard to plan for 6 different learning levels when you have to write your own curriculum and make it fun. So, any fun ideas would be greatly appreciated!
This week we are doing formal assessments, which means I had to write tests for grades 1 thru 3. I found this out last week. This is when I really wish we had curriculum. I am so not a writer and am not good at writing tests!
I looked over the English Teacher Handbook last week. I was given this notebook on my first day and read it then but wanted to re-read it. I noticed that they mentioned the goal is to teach the students functional English. So, I need to rethink what I am teaching and focus more on teaching them functional English. I just have no idea what that looks like. Do I teach them to call everyone Dude and to say 'Sup as a greeting to everyone? This is functional English in my opinion but, not what I think I am supposed to teach. I do have a Scope and Sequence for each grade which tells me what the kids should know by the end of the year. That is what I have been basing my lesson plans off of so far.
I hope that gives you an idea of what it is I do at work and what I am teaching. If anyone has tips on how to make English class a little more fun, let me know.
Love and miss you all!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Blessings
This week has been a week of many blessings! On Thursday we had fellowship for all of the teachers. After fellowship I was able to hang out with a friend from the other side of town. We went to dinner and to a movie (District 9....not recommended!). It was a great time hanging out with a friend and getting to know each other a little better. Turns out we have a lot in common. Yea! I am so excited to have a friend here that I feel like I can really relate to!
On Friday I went to another teacher's house for dinner. He teaches on the other side of town but lives on my side of town. He and his wife invited me over for dinner. It was so great to enjoy time with them. After dinner we just hung out playing with the kids. It felt like hanging out with Milt and Amanda. I loved every minute of it! One of their daughters is in my kindergarten class. She said she wanted me to stay at her house forever. I asked where I would sleep, she said in her room. I told her I didn't have my toothbrush, she said I could use hers. It was so cute!
On Saturday I walked to G Walk, the outdoor food court area on my side of town. It took me a half hour to get there and it was super hot out so I was pretty tired by the time I got to G Walk. I had seen signs that G Walk had free WiFi so that is why I made the trek there. Well, I couldn't get the WiFi to work and none of the restaurants were open. So my walk was a total waste. I was not looking forward to the walk back to my house in the heat, especially since I just got to G Walk! Well, I started walking and the couple from the night before pulled up and offered me a ride home. I was sooo excited to see them and to have a ride home! We stopped at their house first and they gave me a bicycle to use until I get one of my own. Wow! I can't believe how nice and giving they are! They are a total answer to my prayers!
On Saturday night I went to dinner with a girl from church. She runs the Children's Department at church. We had a great time hanging out. I told her I would teach Sunday School whenever and wherever she needed me (after all, I have been in her shoes and know how hard it is to find Sunday School teachers). So, I think I will be teaching Toddlers and Preschoolers during the 10:30 service. She is going to give me a ride to church every Sunday. The church has 3 services (8:30, 10:30 and 4:30). I enjoy going to the 4:30 service. So, I will get picked up for church every week at 7:30, then help teach Sunday school or just hang out at the mall the church is in, then go to church at 4:30, then head home. It's perfect! Now I have a free ride to church and to the mall to do e-mails! Yea!
So, I am feeling absolutely blessed right now. I have made friends and don't feel so alone here. Plus, I am starting to get to know more people at church. The staff are all Americans and I think I will be a part of their "family" soon. I cannot express how truly blessed I feel right now. Thank you for all of your prayers that I would find friends and start to get connected here. I think it is finally happening. So, hopefully, no more sad posts about how lonely I am. :)
Ok, enough of the sappy stuff. Here are your fun Indonesian facts of the day. I am sitting in the mall across from the Karaoke place and they are showing a video on the big screen. The song is Hands To Heaven by Breathe and the video is a Looney Tunes cartoon. Yeah, it doesn't really fit. Oh, and when we did karaoke the other night, the song was A Whole New World and the video was some half naked girl on the beach. Yep, the songs do not always go with the videos here. Another fun Indonesian fact is that they keep all of their furniture and everything wrapped in the plastic it comes with. Think Marie's couch on Everybody Loves Raymond. Not sure why this is, probably to make it last longer. So, yeah, all the furniture stays wrapped in plastic until it rips completely off.
I hope you are all doing well. I still miss and love you but feel a little better about life in Indonesia. I might make it 2 years after all!
On Friday I went to another teacher's house for dinner. He teaches on the other side of town but lives on my side of town. He and his wife invited me over for dinner. It was so great to enjoy time with them. After dinner we just hung out playing with the kids. It felt like hanging out with Milt and Amanda. I loved every minute of it! One of their daughters is in my kindergarten class. She said she wanted me to stay at her house forever. I asked where I would sleep, she said in her room. I told her I didn't have my toothbrush, she said I could use hers. It was so cute!
On Saturday I walked to G Walk, the outdoor food court area on my side of town. It took me a half hour to get there and it was super hot out so I was pretty tired by the time I got to G Walk. I had seen signs that G Walk had free WiFi so that is why I made the trek there. Well, I couldn't get the WiFi to work and none of the restaurants were open. So my walk was a total waste. I was not looking forward to the walk back to my house in the heat, especially since I just got to G Walk! Well, I started walking and the couple from the night before pulled up and offered me a ride home. I was sooo excited to see them and to have a ride home! We stopped at their house first and they gave me a bicycle to use until I get one of my own. Wow! I can't believe how nice and giving they are! They are a total answer to my prayers!
On Saturday night I went to dinner with a girl from church. She runs the Children's Department at church. We had a great time hanging out. I told her I would teach Sunday School whenever and wherever she needed me (after all, I have been in her shoes and know how hard it is to find Sunday School teachers). So, I think I will be teaching Toddlers and Preschoolers during the 10:30 service. She is going to give me a ride to church every Sunday. The church has 3 services (8:30, 10:30 and 4:30). I enjoy going to the 4:30 service. So, I will get picked up for church every week at 7:30, then help teach Sunday school or just hang out at the mall the church is in, then go to church at 4:30, then head home. It's perfect! Now I have a free ride to church and to the mall to do e-mails! Yea!
So, I am feeling absolutely blessed right now. I have made friends and don't feel so alone here. Plus, I am starting to get to know more people at church. The staff are all Americans and I think I will be a part of their "family" soon. I cannot express how truly blessed I feel right now. Thank you for all of your prayers that I would find friends and start to get connected here. I think it is finally happening. So, hopefully, no more sad posts about how lonely I am. :)
Ok, enough of the sappy stuff. Here are your fun Indonesian facts of the day. I am sitting in the mall across from the Karaoke place and they are showing a video on the big screen. The song is Hands To Heaven by Breathe and the video is a Looney Tunes cartoon. Yeah, it doesn't really fit. Oh, and when we did karaoke the other night, the song was A Whole New World and the video was some half naked girl on the beach. Yep, the songs do not always go with the videos here. Another fun Indonesian fact is that they keep all of their furniture and everything wrapped in the plastic it comes with. Think Marie's couch on Everybody Loves Raymond. Not sure why this is, probably to make it last longer. So, yeah, all the furniture stays wrapped in plastic until it rips completely off.
I hope you are all doing well. I still miss and love you but feel a little better about life in Indonesia. I might make it 2 years after all!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Bali
This weekend I took my long awaited first trip to Bali. It was indeed beautiful. Although, it was nothing like I had expected it to be. We stayed in the "tourist" Bali, aka Kuta and Seminyak. It was very busy and full of people and traffic. The beach was super crowded and also full of people trying to sell you stuff. Hmm...not exactly what I had hoped for in my relaxing beach vacation. But, there was a beach and for that I was very thankful! I went to the beach everyday and have the worst sunburn of my life (or at least since I fried in Hawaii 10 years ago) to prove it! Yes, I did wear sunscreen but, I did not put it on early or often enough. Yeah, I am in quite a bit of pain but, I am thankful I did not blister.
As with everything in Indonesia, Bali is super cheap. We stayed at a hotel for $30 a night. It wasn't great but, had clean beds, A/C, hot water and Western toilets. Bali is a place to barter for better deals. This is so not my thing but I did barter a little when I knew they were way overcharging me. It's so nice to say, "I live in Indonesia. I know that is too expensive. I should pay X amount of rupiah." It's also really helpful when you know to say "Koh't mahal!", which means "That's way too much money!". When you say that with feeling, they know you are a local.
Bali was great for seeing other Westerners as well. It was so nice to not be stared at for a few days. I met a lot of people from Australia. I had a great conversation with a woman on the beach who was trying to sell sarongs. I didn't buy one but she sat down just to chat. She was so friendly and nice. I met 2 girls who were from France and Spain on the way to the beach one day. The girl from Spain said they are always looking for native English speakers in Spain and that I should teach English in Spain when my contract is up in Surabaya. Hmm...tempting...But my favorite part of the vacation was the food. Bali has a variety of restaurants that sell any kind of food you would want. After eating rice or noodles for the majority of my meals for the last month and a half, I really wanted a variety of food options. And, I was not disappointed! I had Mexican food, pizza, a bacon cheeseburger and fries, lasagna, and pancakes. And most of my meals were around $5! There's also lots of great Indonesian restaurants on Bali, for those that want a true Indonesian experience.
I also saw the memorial to the victims of the 2002 Bali bombings. It was very sobering in a very crazy and hectic place.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Technical Difficulties
Sorry it has taken me so long to add a new post. The internet has been down at school all week so I have not been able to get online. Just another item to add to the list of technical difficulties living in a foreign country. A few weekends ago, my electricity would go off every time I took a shower. And, yes, my shower is connected to the electricity so the water would stop and I would have to go outside to turn the power back on. Yeah, that was a sight! Last Saturday the power went out for about an hour. Normally, this would be no big deal to me but, it was dark out and the power was out in the whole neighborhood. So, it was pitch black everywhere I looked! A little scary when you are in a strange city and don't know any of your neighbors.
I am working on getting internet access at my house. I don't have a phone line so I will have to get one that goes through my cell phone and has a modem (or something like that, I don't really understand any of that stuff). I am using someone else's modem tonight just to see if it works at my house. So far, so good! I am one step closer to being online when the rest of you are awake!!
This week has been much better than last week. On Tuesday I was able to Skype with a good friend and talk to my mom on her birthday. Being able to talk with friends and family is one of those little pleasure I used to take for granted. I was the queen of screening my calls or just plain not answering. Now, it totally makes my day to get an e-mail or voicemail or to actually be able to talk to someone from home. Classes this week have gone pretty well too!
Tomorrow I am off to Bali and I am sure I will have so much to post after that trip! I can't wait to go on a vacation and just get away from it all. I am reminded of how blessed I am to be living so close to somewhere so beautiful.
Love and miss you!
I am working on getting internet access at my house. I don't have a phone line so I will have to get one that goes through my cell phone and has a modem (or something like that, I don't really understand any of that stuff). I am using someone else's modem tonight just to see if it works at my house. So far, so good! I am one step closer to being online when the rest of you are awake!!
This week has been much better than last week. On Tuesday I was able to Skype with a good friend and talk to my mom on her birthday. Being able to talk with friends and family is one of those little pleasure I used to take for granted. I was the queen of screening my calls or just plain not answering. Now, it totally makes my day to get an e-mail or voicemail or to actually be able to talk to someone from home. Classes this week have gone pretty well too!
Tomorrow I am off to Bali and I am sure I will have so much to post after that trip! I can't wait to go on a vacation and just get away from it all. I am reminded of how blessed I am to be living so close to somewhere so beautiful.
Love and miss you!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Good Times, Bad Times
So, today started out pretty rough. I got to school to find out that half of my copies had not been made. Our school only does copying on Mondays and Thursdays so that means that the copies will not be ready until the end of the day on Monday. Well, I needed some of the copied worksheets for class today so I was a bit upset. Yeah, well, that set the tears in motion and I sat in the computer lab sobbing uncontrollably for a good half hour to 45 minutes. I know what you are thinking. You were crying because you didn't get the copies you wanted?! Yeah, I was. Because it reminded me that I was not in America, which made me miss America, which made me miss my family and friends. I forgot the worst part! My mom tried to send me a package of some of my clothes because I packed all the wrong things and can't find anything in my size in Indonesia. She found out that you can't send used clothing to Indonesia and if you send new clothes, you have to provide a receipt. That is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard! And it is like $40 to send a package here. So, I know items from home will be few and far between. So I sat there and cried about how much I hate Indonesia and how I just want to go home. Oh, and I've been playing Home by Michael Buble (known as Michael Bubble in Indonesia) nonstop since I got here.
One of the things that drives me the most crazy about Indonesia is that things just are not done efficiently. For any of you who have ever worked with me, you know how much I love efficiency! I even told one of my bosses once that I was like the Efficiency Police and am constantly trying to help people do things more efficiently. My personal motto is Work Smarter, not Harder. Yeah, well, that cannot be done in a third world country. So, my patience is tried everyday. Sometimes it takes everything in me to stop myself from going up to someone and saying, "Here, let me show you to do it." or "Let me do it myself, I know how to do it the right way."
Anyway, I eventually got myself together before I had to teach. My first class was with 2nd grade. They were angels today! They were seriously so good! I guess God knew I just did not have the patience to deal with unruly kids as well today. I also taught 1st grade, which was not as great. But, the kids were still better than yesterday. Yesterday, I had the 1st grade class from you-know-where. They just could not listen or sit still to save their lives! Even after I took them outside and had them run races for 15 minutes. Yeah, it was one of those days. Oh, and the principal was subbing for the teacher in the room so she was watching me the whole time and I just felt like a failure. Ok, back to happier things. The kids were great today! We didn't have the worksheets I wanted so we did all of our work on the white board. The kids loved being able to come to the front of class and write on the white board. So, yeah, the day got better and I am so thankful!
Last night I went to see Up in 3-D with some friends. I have never seen a movie in 3-D so that was really fun! Plus the movie was really good, although it was the saddest cartoon I have ever seen. We also had dinner at my favorite restaurant in Indonesia. Then we went to hang out in a coffee shop. We talked about The Office, Will & Grace, Saved By The Bell and all the good things in life. I am so thankful for friends that have a mutual love for watching and re-hashing those TV shows. Now, if I could just find someone who loves Jack Bauer and Tony Almeida here....
I am missing you all more than ever today so drop me an e-mail or leave me a voicemail on Skype or send me a text or something. Love you!
One of the things that drives me the most crazy about Indonesia is that things just are not done efficiently. For any of you who have ever worked with me, you know how much I love efficiency! I even told one of my bosses once that I was like the Efficiency Police and am constantly trying to help people do things more efficiently. My personal motto is Work Smarter, not Harder. Yeah, well, that cannot be done in a third world country. So, my patience is tried everyday. Sometimes it takes everything in me to stop myself from going up to someone and saying, "Here, let me show you to do it." or "Let me do it myself, I know how to do it the right way."
Anyway, I eventually got myself together before I had to teach. My first class was with 2nd grade. They were angels today! They were seriously so good! I guess God knew I just did not have the patience to deal with unruly kids as well today. I also taught 1st grade, which was not as great. But, the kids were still better than yesterday. Yesterday, I had the 1st grade class from you-know-where. They just could not listen or sit still to save their lives! Even after I took them outside and had them run races for 15 minutes. Yeah, it was one of those days. Oh, and the principal was subbing for the teacher in the room so she was watching me the whole time and I just felt like a failure. Ok, back to happier things. The kids were great today! We didn't have the worksheets I wanted so we did all of our work on the white board. The kids loved being able to come to the front of class and write on the white board. So, yeah, the day got better and I am so thankful!
Last night I went to see Up in 3-D with some friends. I have never seen a movie in 3-D so that was really fun! Plus the movie was really good, although it was the saddest cartoon I have ever seen. We also had dinner at my favorite restaurant in Indonesia. Then we went to hang out in a coffee shop. We talked about The Office, Will & Grace, Saved By The Bell and all the good things in life. I am so thankful for friends that have a mutual love for watching and re-hashing those TV shows. Now, if I could just find someone who loves Jack Bauer and Tony Almeida here....
I am missing you all more than ever today so drop me an e-mail or leave me a voicemail on Skype or send me a text or something. Love you!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
English Lessons, Karaoke, Salad and Skype
Yesterday I was teaching the names of parts of the body to some of my 1st graders. One of the words was calf. When I said "calf", one of my students "corrected" me by telling me, "Oh, you mean calf". She pronounced it like golf with a c. I said, "No, calf." And this argument went on for a little while. She finally said, "Well, we say calf (again, like golf with a c). And I said, "I know but, it is pronounced calf (like staff with a c)". Anyway, that is just one example of the English correction I do all day long. The only downside is that I don't know how they pronounce some of these words in Australia, New Zealand and England. So, I might be telling them they are pronouncing words wrong when, in reality, they are pronouncing them right, it is just not the American way to pronounce words. I also corrected a class when they pronounced guitar as gee-tar. Pretty sure no one pronounces it that way. Oh, and I overheard one teacher telling her students island was pronounced as it is written, is-land. Oh, I have a lot of work to do!
After school yesterday I met some of my expat friends from the other school at Surabaya Town Square and we rented a karaoke room. It was so fun! We had the room for 2 hours and sang tons of our favorite songs. For those of you that have done karaoke with me, yes, I did sing Wannabe by Spice Girls. And, yes, I rocked it! I still remember all the words! And for those of you who have done American Idol with me, yes, I did sing Heartbreaker by Pat Benetar and Straight Up by Paula Abdul. And, yes, I rocked them as well. Seriously, this was soooo fun! I will definitely be doing this again! And, when any of you come to visit, we will totally get a karaoke room and rock out! Below are some pictures of me, Jon, Karrie, and Carrie in the karaoke room. I only took a few pictures with my camera. Karrie has the in action shots on her camera.
After karaoke, we went to dinner at Tabor. Jon told me what that stands for but, I don't remember. Anyway, I had a Caesar salad, grilled cheese sandwich and fries. I love my American food! Salads are really hard to find in Surabaya so it was great to have some greens. Cheese is impossible to find so the grilled cheese was a must have.
This morning I called The Newmans (aka Milt, Amanda and the kids aka my brother and sister-in-law) from Skype. That was so fun! They were having dinner and were totally shocked to get my phone call. Louie and Jorie were excited to talk to me. I had to hold back the tears because I miss them soo much! I found out Sylvia is walking and am so bummed to be missing that. Our conversation was cut short because a class of junior highers was coming into the computer lab. But it was so good to talk to them! And it only cost me 66 cents since it was through Skype! I just set up a Skype phone number so people can call and leave me voicemails or talk to me if I am on Skype. I will e-mail out that number. If you don't get an e-mail with that number and you want to call me, let me know and I will get it to you.
Still lovin' and missin' you all!
After school yesterday I met some of my expat friends from the other school at Surabaya Town Square and we rented a karaoke room. It was so fun! We had the room for 2 hours and sang tons of our favorite songs. For those of you that have done karaoke with me, yes, I did sing Wannabe by Spice Girls. And, yes, I rocked it! I still remember all the words! And for those of you who have done American Idol with me, yes, I did sing Heartbreaker by Pat Benetar and Straight Up by Paula Abdul. And, yes, I rocked them as well. Seriously, this was soooo fun! I will definitely be doing this again! And, when any of you come to visit, we will totally get a karaoke room and rock out! Below are some pictures of me, Jon, Karrie, and Carrie in the karaoke room. I only took a few pictures with my camera. Karrie has the in action shots on her camera.
After karaoke, we went to dinner at Tabor. Jon told me what that stands for but, I don't remember. Anyway, I had a Caesar salad, grilled cheese sandwich and fries. I love my American food! Salads are really hard to find in Surabaya so it was great to have some greens. Cheese is impossible to find so the grilled cheese was a must have.
This morning I called The Newmans (aka Milt, Amanda and the kids aka my brother and sister-in-law) from Skype. That was so fun! They were having dinner and were totally shocked to get my phone call. Louie and Jorie were excited to talk to me. I had to hold back the tears because I miss them soo much! I found out Sylvia is walking and am so bummed to be missing that. Our conversation was cut short because a class of junior highers was coming into the computer lab. But it was so good to talk to them! And it only cost me 66 cents since it was through Skype! I just set up a Skype phone number so people can call and leave me voicemails or talk to me if I am on Skype. I will e-mail out that number. If you don't get an e-mail with that number and you want to call me, let me know and I will get it to you.
Still lovin' and missin' you all!
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