Behavior Problems--Again; Fifth Grade; New Teachers
Whatever magic had happened on Friday did not happen on Monday. By the end of the day I was exhausted, worn, and ready to give up. Oh well. Just teach whatever your annual plan says you will teach, and forget about the rest.
It wasn't until after school had started that we got our schedules for the week. Luckily, I didn't have anything during the first period. I had one hour of 5th grade math. The schedule is so messed up--5 lessons of math in a week, but in the 1st grade only 4 days of math (2 hours of math in one day.) For the 5th grade, they only have 3 days of math. Can you imagine having to sit through 2 hours of math class in a row in 5th grade? I told the vice principal, who makes the schedule, that the children need English and math every day--not spotted throughout the week. He looked surprised and said I should have told him so beforehand. How was I to know that he didn't know that? He was a teacher last year, and he's been teaching 5th grade math for the past month.
The fifth graders are perfectly behaved, and very smart too. Maybe they aren't too familiar with the words "numerator" and "denominator" but their English was very good, their math skills seemed very good--from the little I saw, and realizing that I know little about 5th graders. But they were so WELL-BEHAVED, I didn't know what to do. I was reminded of the beginning of my 3rd year teaching, when my students were so well-behaved, that I suddenly realized that I had to teach. I am not used to teaching. I am used to discipline and classroom management, and the vain attempt to teach. It is so odd to have to teach. I didn't have enough prepared for the class. They did their work, quietly, and when they had finished, they sat quietly. WOW. I want to teach 5th grade and only 5th grade!!!!
Somehow I ended up with just 21 lessons in a week, and Valerie had 29. She has to teach 3A English every day twice. There is just one 3rd grade class, 3A is the bottom half of the class. Because the Philippino teachers had yet to arrive, she had 2 whole hours with the entire 3rd grade class, and no book, no lesson plan, etc. Then she was supposed to teach them from 4:00 to 5:00--Supplementary English to catch up. She was able to get out of it by complaining that she was also supposed to fill out the all-important teacher Journal and had no time.
Christie was asked to teach 2nd grade math during the day, and then at the end of the day to teach them 1st grade math, since they missed so much last year. She thought that was ridiculous--she's starting at Kindergarten math and working her way up. How can you teach 2nd grade math to children who haven't learned 1st grade math?
Around 4:30, Valerie told me that she had been told that we had a teacher's meeting at 5:00 on the 3rd floor. Christie and I raced up there at 5:10 to find out that it had not started and not everyone was there. We stayed, bored, while the other teachers talked in Russian, until about 5:20, when Valerie and Christie left. We heard that the Russian vice principal would be giving the meeting, and so what would be the point of our being there, since we don't speak Russian? I was going to follow, but I ended up in a conversation with the other teachers. A Kazakh Russian-language teacher asked me questions about where I was from and how old I am. (Does that make sense? Kazakh Russian-language teacher? She is a Kazakh, and she teaches the Russian language here.) She said I have good spirit, which may or may not have been well translated, however I took it as a compliment.
We all left a little after 5:30, as no administrator had shown up. I think it was good for me to stay and talk, to get on the good side of the local teachers. I think they're all impressed with my teensy bit of Russian, and my desire to learn more.
Then the Kazakh teacher, Grace, in my room helped me fill out the Journal, and then I finished making a behavior chart. Nothing exciting--on a piece of poster board I wrote all the students' names. They can each get one star (drawn in pencil) for each lesson during the day. After 7 stars (there are 7 lessons, not counting "Etud"--Study period--and extracurricular activities) they can get a sticker. Maybe after a certain number of stickers, they will get something more.
The Kazakh teacher and the assistant talked to Sophia some. Sophia read a book to the assistant, and then Grace asked Sophia to help her with her English. By the time we were ready to leave, Sophia's teachers had left and locked the classroom door--with Sophia's coat still inside. I went to the secretary, who looked for the custodians, who had already left. She suggested going to the vice principal's room on the 2nd floor.
He was there, along with the new teachers, and the principal. I figured maybe I was getting brownie points--subtly showing the principal how dedicated I was, working so late. The vice principal had a set of keys, and soon I had Sophia's coat. I met the new teachers, and was able to tell the one who would be teaching Grade 2B where the class was in math. (They had only had a week of math, we had done numbers to 100.)
The principal then told me that he would be giving the new teachers a ride home soon, and if Sophia and I could wait a few minutes, we could get a ride too. That sounded nice, so we went to wait downstairs.
Several students milled around the lobby area. One student, Tammy from 2B, was crying. A student had told Sophia it was because she wanted her mother--it was after 6:00!! I found my assistant to talk to her, figuring at this point, Tammy needed someone who spoke her language.
I met the mother of a boy in Sophia's class, and we had a short conversation in Russian. She speaks Russian, Kazakh, Turkish, and Mongolian--wow! After a short while, however, the conversation turned to things I could not understand in Russian; luckily at that point two people who speak Russian and English showed up and translated. The mother wanted to know if the activity and extracurricular classes were in English, and the answer is no. She said why not? They need more English! I agreed, and said she needed to talk to the principal, because I agree!
Then the principal came and said he was in a hurry, so we all piled into his car--Sophia on my lap. The new teachers are on the 12th floor of my building, and they are very nice. I feel sorry for them--they have to teach tomorrow! They left the Philippines on Friday, they flew to the UAE and then onto Almaty. They spent the night in Almaty and then took a 12 hour train ride to Astana. Oh my goodness!!! I'm glad I arrived on a Thursday at midnight. I was unable to teach on Friday and then had the weekend to rest.
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