Unforgettable Thursday

This past Thursday was a day of ultimate highs and devastating lows. The day started off with a rush to figure out chapel. Prekindy and Grades 1 -3 teachers were in charge of chapel. We came up with some fantastic skits that I was involved in. It was so nice to be involved in drama for a short time. I like directing and being in charge of drama, but there's just something about being the star.

When it came time to perform, I even had that nervous knot in my stomach like I did in high school. The kids were all eager to see their Dancing Drama/English teacher on stage. It was a blast! The kids were laughing, the teachers were laughing and trying to be serious. It was great to get some stage time again, but I'm back to finding contentment in the the classroom.

After school, I had my Bahasa Indonesia lesson with my friend, Fanny. I learned some new verbs and a handful of nouns. I can now make simple complete sentences in Bahasa. I am so proud of myself. I need to keep practicing, but I feel like I am making lots of progress. She is such a great teacher, and I enjoy learning this language with her. The phonetics are similar to Spanish - which sometimes gets me confused because I start to incorporate random Spanish words into my vocabulary without thinking. However, Bahasa Indonesia is so much easier to learn than any language I've studied. There are no verb tenses and very little grammar rules. Gotta say I love that.

After school, I dropped off my things at home and headed to the grocery store. I got groceries and a new notebook for my Bahasa before jumping on my bike and heading home. It was then that the fateful accident occurred. I'm sure most of you readers have heard about it by now (one way or another).

I was coming up to the round-about by the mosque to check the traffic situation (going about 45 km/hr) and a car stopped ahead of me. I slammed into the car, hitting my head on the windshield and my chest on my handlebars before flying about 3 meters off my bike and onto the pavement. The front of my bike was crushed like an accordion (but still standing upwards surprisingly) while I lay like a crippled turtle on the road.

The first thought that came to my mind is - "I'm not dead! Thank, God I wore a helmet." After that, everything flashed by in fast forward. About 30 Indonesian men flocked around me, including police officers and men coming out from the mosque. I felt like an act from a freak circus. The man that I hit came out of his car, he was from England and could not speak a lick of Bahasa - so I guess that was to my benefit. He helped me up and drove me home. He was so courteous and compassionate, making sure that I could move okay and breathe okay. I offered to pay for his little dent in his truck, but he said I had enough damage to my bike and my body to worry about.

He brought me to my house and some other guy drove my bike home. Thank goodness it was still drivable. I went over to my neighbors and she arranged for me to go to the local doctor at the apotik.

After a short wait in the apotik, Dr. Daniel saw me. He took a quick look at my knee and said that I had torn muscle tissue and soft tissue in my knee, causing the protective fluid to leak and become bloody. He asked me to take of my pants so he could have a closer look. I said "Heck no, I am not wearing any underwear so I am not taking off my pants." He didn't think that was funny or that I was serious - however, I was dead serious. He ended up just pushing my pantleg up and taking blood samples from my knee. He put me on crutches and in a brace for a week before doing x-rays and contemplating surgery. After looking at my knee, he took a look at my ribcage and told me I had a fractured rib - which would make using crutches (for my knee) a bit more strenuous.

I got home to see a few people before calling my mom and dad and Grandma and Grandpa Mulder. They were all surprisingly calm, as was I (which was a real shocker). From there I moped around before going to bed and getting the world's worst night sleep.

It was one of those days that all the best things and all the worst things happen all at once. But as I think about what happened with that accident. I can't help but think how blessed I am. It could have been a whole lot worse, but God had bigger and better plans for me. I don't know what they are right now, but I'm sure they will unfold with time. Until then, I'll rest up and hopefully heal (without surgery would be nice). Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!

A Stress-Free Atmosphere

By some random freak chance, I have seemed to adopt a calm and carefree attitude in my classroom. I really enjoy it, because for once I don't feel like pulling my hair out even once throughout the day. However, all is not calm in the old grade three school room (is it ever?).

Today is the deadline for digital portfolios, and there are still a handful of students that are closer to the starting line than the finished line. With this looming over their heads, they seemed to have popped some crazy pill that have made them like wild broncos. Poor Budi is so stressed out, which is unusual because usually our roles are switched.

There is one thing that is that is mind boggling to me. The kids took up playing with random lengths of yarn (mostly throwing it, chasing it, and pouncing on it - sound like any four legged feline that you know of?). I am quite sure that I have finally confiscated every last piece of it, and right now it fills up an entire drawer in my classroom. At least they are easily entertained. However, even after 3 quarters, they fail to see the difference between playing during class time and a break time.

It truly is a roller coaster in this classroom - but then again, I wouldn't want it any other way.

The Littlest Things

Have you ever had one of those days where it is the littlest thing just makes your day? Just add a few more of those little things and that summed up my day. After having a few rocky weeks and a number of days where only expletives could define my emotions, this was a nice change of pace.

To start the day, the kids came in all bubbly and happy, and of course chaotic as usual. Recently in devotions, my kids have been so enthralled with the bible stories we are reading. Today's conversations involved endless questions about the Dead Sea, Jesus' triumphal entry, and the some side-tracked comment about mating puppies (which definitely got a few laughs). The kids were late to their PE event because of all the questions.

After the kids left, Budi and I had a sing-off of eighties songs. We love to blast music in our classroom when the kids are at specials. It's so therapeutic. We worked on lesson planning and even came finished our field trip proposal for next week. These hour long breaks always seem to get me in a great mood for teaching.

Once the kids came back, we caught up on some Charlotte's Web (which we are reading as a novel study in Grade 3). It brings back such fun childhood memories when I read this book. I absolutely love watching them get excited about what they are reading; it makes me feel like I'm experiencing the book for the first time all over again.

Chapel was a big event, as usual. My kids have finally learned to harness their mouths for one single hour out of the week (in hopes of winning the beloved spotter award - however, I do suppose it also has something to do with my bribes of candy for good behavior). Instead of the chapel room we made our way three flights up to the music room. The teachers all got to sit on couches (which was a lot more comfortable than the hard wood floor).

The songs were so upbeat and fun to sing, and you can only guess which class was the only group not to participate enthusiastically. Yes, that's right - mine. They stood there and sang monotonously. It was such a pitiful sight that I couldn't help but laugh.

At the end of chapel, the principal announced the winning class of the spotter award, and my kids one. However, she didn't even know what grade level my kids were in. She just said "this group of kids right here" - talk about major brain cramp!

A celebratory march led us out of the music room and downstairs, where we had a few moments to kill before lunch. Budi and I decided to practice our Easter song for my PYP production. The song that is assigned to Grade 3 is one of my favorites called "My Savior, My God." Volume has always been an issue for my kids. I can't decide if it is because of lack of effort or nervousness. Today - I finally found out why. I turned down the volume to hear them sing and they were bad. Bad doesn't even do them justice - they were more horrendous than a band of dying farm animals. There is one child, whom I love so dearly, that sang so off pitch that I had to hide my face behind my computer because I was laughing to the point of tears. I'm sure that Jesus loves hearing his voice, but aside from Him, I'm positive there is no one else that feels that way.

Lunch came and went (and whoops, forgot about my recess duty). Once the kids were back inside, it was candy time. I've developed a helpful silence strategy for my kids - which also doubles as my bribery for chapel. The kids relish in the fact that I give them candy every day. One piece and they are temporary residents on Cloud 9.

Budi took his turn to teach Math, and I randomly started to search for a more inventive way to present my upcoming Bible lesson on the different pieces of the Armor of God. That's just what I did. I found a project that allows students to create a whole suit of armor out of poster board. We initiated the project with the helmet of salvation. The kids were so ecstatic (especially the boys - they are always so hard to please with projects). It is an epic event already, and it only happened a few hours ago. Throughout the next two weeks we will finish our study on the Armor of God and hopefully have a fantastic finished project, that will be ready just in time for our next Grade 3 chapel.

The rest of the afternoon flew by until the end of the day at prayer time. The kids were trying to distract me from praying so they could steal an extra piece of candy. No such luck, I have the reflexes of a puma and the eyesight of a bat in total darkness. When I finally shooed the vultures away from my desk and started to pray, one of the kids snorted and a symphony of giggles burst out of all fifteen of them. The hyena giggles were extremely contagious and before I knew it I was struggling to finish the prayer. When the "amen" finally game, I nearly fell down in laughter.

I chased all of my kids out of the classroom to escape the horrific giggle episode re-make of the Teletubbies. For some reason they just want to stay after school and hang out with their crazy and unconventional teachers. I must admit that's better than them racing out the door with a pure hatred for Grade 3.

Yes, it was just a bunch of little funny things, but they always seem to paste a smile on my face. You know, people say that you will never forget your "first class", and I know that's true. I've had so much fun and it will be so hard to give them up and let them go to Grade 4 next year. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry. Yes, they drive me bonkers at times, but they are my pride and joy. They make me more proud than I've ever been in my life. Their growth from the beginning of the year to now has been remarkable; not only academically, but socially and spiritually. If I can successfully achieve this every year here-on-after, I know that I will be able to make my mark on these kids' hearts and impact our future generation of leaders.

Shopping Extravaganza

With the week winding down in an all too familiar chaotic fashion, I was quite excited to start off the weekend with a bang. To sum up my day, I guess it was just that. Seven of us expats loaded up in a car and headed off to Jakarta for some home shopping.

With only 3 months away until my big move from this GINORMOUS house to a more reasonable apartment, I have been slowly prepping myself by developing color schemes for each room and flexible decorating ideas. Today I made a big dent in the decoration department and focused predominantly on furniture shopping.

We did a few errands on the way until reaching Pasa Raya, our first leg of the journey. With my enthusiastic spending habits there, I had to put a leash on myself and show some constraint. That is definitely harder to do than it might sound. There are so many unique and beautiful things there, that any buy could be justifiable. I do not see myself as a materialist person, but when I see beauty in art and crafts, it's as if a siren is calling out to a ship in hopes of a most excellent disaster.

I perused every square inch, determined to only buy something if absolutely necessary. For nearly an hour, I walked around with my brain ticking and my teeth grinding, trying to find an excuse. I came up with nothing until a moment before leaving. I am collecting fake flowers for some of my pottery back home and I found some handmade ones that were absolutely gorgeous. Cha-ching! 18,000 ($1.80) rupiah later, I found myself impressed with ample self control.

This long trip around Pasa Raya was due for a reward - an amazing lunch at Dallas Steakhouse. It was definitely probably one of the best meals I've had here since my arrival: smoked hickory bbq ribs! Pork is anything but a commodity here, and so I took full advantage of the fact that it was served at this restaurant. My stomach thanked me graciously after I devoured the delicious meal.

With a short side trip before our biggest leg of the shopping trip, I took a post-dinner nap in the back seat of the car. Not but an hour later, we ventured into Central Jakarta to the Rattan strip. For those of you wondering what rattan is, I will clear that up for you right now. Rattan is a mix between wicker and scrapped wood that has been created into fine woven designs (mainly furniture).

I walked up and down the Rattan Strip, bargaining hard bargains and getting away with some steals! I found two matching end tables, sofabed lounge chair, bathroom shelving unit, and a storage trunk. Each expat bought numerous furniture pieces before renting a small truck to deliver it to our homes.

There were about 7 men loading this tiny truck up. Although I was convinced that only half of our finds were going to fit in the bed, they strategically placed it (towering it well over the top of the truck) so to make sure that only one truck had to be brought back to Sentul. I wish I had brought my camera to show how crazy it looked. Definitely looked like an episode of the Beverly Hillbillies - Jakarta Style.

Surprisingly we hit minimal traffic and were home in an hour, record timing for rush hour. It took about that same amount of time to divvy up the furniture and get it to each house. Most of my furniture has not moved from it's clustered location in the upstairs landing since coming home hours ago. Tomorrow will be another day - procrastination at it's finest.

I look forward to my big move and setting up my house exactly how I want it. Right now, there's just a bunch of jumbled stuff in obscure nooks, collecting dust until moving day. I would gladly situate it if I wasn't such a perfectionist. It would take nearly a month to get every little thing the precise way I want it, and by then, it will be just short of two months before moving it again and getting re-situated. Why bother?

Can't wait till June. Hopefully I'll be able to take some amazing photos of the new homestead so you can enjoy! Until then, much love sent your way!

A Week of Sicknesses

It's been one of those weeks that some nasty bug is going around. Every day I have at least 2 kids absent, and there was even a day where I was missing 4 kids. It seems like a totally different make up with certain kids being gone. Budi even got sick on Wednesday! One by one they are getting plucked off my role call, some with stomach flu, others with migranes, and even one with typhoid! I know that I'm coming down with a stomach bug, but I'm hoping it will pass with the ample amount of water I'm drinking.

The more kids leave the classroom, the harder it is to do a complete and thorough lesson. I try my best, but I end up teaching that same lesson two or three more times just to catch up with everyone who is sick. I understand that it is part of being a classroom teacher, but it is definitely frustrating at times, such as today.

In Grade 3 we are in the first few chapters of "Charlotte's Web" for our novel study this unit. It is so fun seeing them get so intrigued. As I watch them, I feel like I am reliving my own childhood. It seems like just yesterday that I was reading this with my teacher. It's such a classic book. And as much as I enjoy reading it with them, I can't help but be pestered by the fact that in a few days time I am going to have to go over it all over again (more than once).

Oh well, sickness is nothing but a rotten cycle. Sooner or later it will catch me, whether I want it to or not. Until then, I will work diligently ahead so to cover me in case I am sick. Budi is doing the same, and since we are doing it together, we have a better chance of smooth transitions if sickness consumes one of us. It is such a blessing to have such a great partner like him!

Marie and the Spelling Bee

This title is the perfect for someone looking for a book title. Kudos to myself :)

Anyway, today was the day of the spelling bee semi-finals for each grade level. The kids have been anticipating this for weeks and suffice it to say, their nerves got the best of them.

For Grade 3, I was a judge that wrote down words to ensure that they spelled them correctly. The first few rounds they flew through, but then the harder words hit like a punch in the face. My kids started to make silly mistakes or forget to ask for a definition (especially for homonyms). They pressed through as best as they could until something surprising happened. Two of my mid-level spellers surpassed even my best ones.

There were a few times my jaw dropped because of some of the words they spelled. After and hour of grueling competition between these two spellers, Jonathan took the lead and respelled a misspelled word that his competitor got wrong. One word left, and if he spelled it right, he would be the winner. He did it! I was so proud of him!

We were given an hour break before Grade 6 was scheduled for their semi-final round. For this round, I was the reader who gave the words, vocalized definitions, and gave context clues in sentences. I have a group of excellent spellers and they pushed themselves into the high rounds before they started falling off the wagon.

The first girl out was stumped on a trick word (challet) - even though it probably didn't belong in that category. She was furious but was a good sport and kept from displaying a negative attitude.

I made a few mistakes as the reader. There was some chatting in the audience and I lost my focus. Instead of conferring with one of the judges, I said they were correct when they were wrong. The spellers didn't appreciate being pulled off the stage moments later because of my mistake. Thank goodness they are forgiving.

The spelling bee semi-finals proved to be successful in more ways than one. With the finals just around the corner, I will be practicing my listening skills and the kids their spelling skills. Good luck to all!

Until next time.

Doubts

I was delivered 24 - 10 page papers to edit for Grade 6 exhibition today. As overwhelming as that may seem, I quite enjoy editing papers, so the assignment did not intimidate me. Those were my feelings up until I actually started reading the papers.

These past months, I have devoted much of my classroom to solid grammar study and essay writing (in preparation for these papers). To ensure enjoyment of learning, I created multiple activities that were interactive and fun. The kids excelled in these activities and I had little doubt that their papers would be anything less than amazing. Boy, was I wrong!

Fragments, misspelled words, mind boggling sentence insertations, and overall poor grammar consume each of these papers. It's as if I'm having a nightmare and yet, there's no getting out of it because it's reality. The deeper I read into these papers, I begin to doubt my skills as a teacher. Questions surge my brain: Did I not spend enough time on things? Did I miss drastic mistakes on a regular basis? Are these kids cheating with the help of their parents or friend?

So far, I don't have an answer to these questions, although my intuition says no to all of them. After sharing my frustration and concern to my fellow Grade 6 teacher, she spoke of her recognition of this problem. Rosma is genuine and level-headed enough to tell me the truth. She assured me that this had nothing to do with my teaching, instead she helped me realize that this is their first HUGE writing project and it is intimidating and terrifying to most.

After she told me this, I tried to think back to when I first had to write an extensive essay of that magnitude. I probed my brain for quite a while before realizing that I hadn't done something like this until I arrived at college. My goodness, I can see how they are fearful and straying from their learned lessons. I'd probably cry if I had to do something similar to this in Grade 6.

There is still some traces of doubt in my mind, but I trying to replace it with positive thinking and encouragement to my students. I truly hope that they begin to apply their skills back into their next draft.