A Busy Thursday

0On Wednesday I came home early from school with the world's worst migraine. After sleeping most of the day, I felt refreshed and ready to start a new day at school.

It started off like a regular Thursday. We had PYP devotions in the ESL room. Surprisingly, I was one of the first ones there (which is very unusual - because usually I am one to walk in late). After prayer and discussion, we headed back to our rooms to begin the day.

Tomorrow our elementary program is getting re-evaluated for triple accreditation. We have government representatives due on our campus for the better part of the day. They will be reading through documents and walking through classes (checking up on teachers and lesson plans). It is a tense time and we are looking forward to it being over - but we are also praying for a good report. Hopefully we will find out soon.

Since our first quarter of school is completed, we have been working on student portfolios. The first and third quarter of each year has no report cards, rather we create a collection of student work and show them to parents and students in conferences. It sounds quite easy - and in all actuality it is. However, it is incredibly time consuming. There has to be rubrics for every piece of work as well as teacher and student reflections. Then after this, work has to be separated so that one person's work is all together rather than specific assignments all together. Budi and I are so thankful to have a student teacher right now - because we need the extra help (everyone does) and she is a hard worker. Today we were able to plow through about two and a half days of work, thanks to her.

Conferences are another tricky thing. We have one day to schedule conferences (and still have a full day of school). It took a lot of moving things around, but I think we finally have a (hopefully permanent) schedule that caters to the parents and to our availability. It's going to be a hectic the next week or so, but after that, will be the holiday (which means off to Vietnam).

These sorts of things you cannot gain adequate knowledge during college years. Sure, I remember talking about them once or twice, but it is completely different once the time comes to actually do this. However, I am so lucky to have an amazing supporting staff and one of the best teaching partners in the school. Not only do we get lots of work done, but he have lots of fun doing it.

Oh, and a miracle happened today! Grade 3 won the chapel spotter award. Truthfully, the kids weren't on their best behavior. In chapel they never are - even though we practice it. However we won our first award. I was beginning to think we would be the only class that would not be awarded this honor. Then I found out the truth. Pak Budi was in the back with the spotter and gave her a guilt trip into picking us because we were one of the only classes (aside from the class who did the chapel - which disqualifies you from winning the award for the week). If only we got the award because we really deserved it. Okay, to be honest, it did feel good to get the award - even if it wasn't on the proper terms. The kids don't know that - what they don't know, won't hurt them :)

Anyway, have a great night! Pray for a good accreditation visit tomorrow. I will keep you all posted! Love to all!

Meet Scooter and Scamper

It's been quite a week and it's only Tuesday! Yesterday was a day of ups and downs. My computer adapter cord was severed after much wear and tear. Most of the wires fordisconnected. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but after teaching Grade 6 English, there was absolutely no function. I was up in arms because everything we do at school is done in the computer. Since we have IB curriculum, we make up our own worksheets and papers. Usually I back up everything on a flashdrive, but I haven't updated it in quite a while so I had a lot of important documents on it with no access to them.

My teaching partner, Budi, was the hero of the day. He made a few calls to some people he knew and was able to find a new adapter cord for me. It was delivered to me at school this morning. What a relief. He knew that I was stressed and that I do most of the documents that get sent to parents like our newsletter.

Yesterday I also got my two kitties. My friend (the grade 2 teacher) has friends in Bogor that had a litter of kittens and were looking for good homes to put them in because their cat was pregnant again. She brought two of them to school for me. They are very sweet and have a great temperament.

Scooter is a golden and white tabby female. She's my cuddle bug. She likes to sleep on my shoulder or burrow under my chin. She's a whiny thing, and for good reason, because Scamper, my other cat is very aggressive and likes to wrestle and nip at her.

Scamper is a grey kitten with black tiger stripes. He is beautiful but quite the trouble maker. He's an attention hog, and nice for the most part. However, he gets quite restless and pounces Scooter, looking for a good war of physicality. By the time they get all their rambunctiousness out of them, they are curled up on a pillow and fast asleep.

For those of you that don't know. My neighbor is nursing a four week old kitten back to health and it will join my house, now dubbed Kitty Kingdom. He's a precious little thing. He is white with black and brown clusters. His name is Scout.

They are a great addition to my house. I love the companionship that they provide.

A Shocking Discovery

Today I went to Jakarta with Dini and Putri, two of my dearest friends here. Despite the vast age differences between us, we know how to have a great time. We laugh, joke, and can totally be ourselves. It's so great to have friends like this.

Since it was Saturday, Putri had to go to University before joining up with us. So Dini and I mapped out our day - each with a goal in mind. Dini had to get her wireless fixed and I was on a mission to find a cat.

Dini's wireless took a lot longer than either of us expected. Nearly two and a half hours passed and we were coming up with nothing. We took a break and decided to look into finding me a kitten. We were told by a vendor in the basement of the mall to take a taxi to a certain address.

We were fortune to find a taxi, however our taxi was lacking in common sense. That's putting it nicely - he was an idiot. Even with Dini speaking Bahasa and giving directions, the man was adamant that he knew where we were going better than we did. He ended up getting us lost and we had to ask for directions three separate times (racking up our taxi fair). Finally we convinced an ojek driver to guide us (for a small price of 10,000 rupiahs - 1 USD). He led us to the "cattery". We paid our fair of 21,000 rupiahs and entered into a whole new realm of human life.

As we walked up the mucky clay drive, we were graced by the presence of two rare albino monkeys that were fighting in a cage. Keeping monkeys in cages and selling them here is not illegal - but it is not ethical either because they are animals that should be left in their natural habitat.

As we approached the house (which was rather ritzy for the part of town we were in), we found many children slaving away in the muck, working on an addition to the house. There was a foreman yelling at them pushing them around. Dini and I were wide-eyed and shocked at the lack of respect for human life (especially a child's) here. Dini told me that they were most likely trafficked children and not paid anything for their labor.

Dini and I smiled and waved to them. They were so excited to see us and waved incessantly to us. It was as if they had not seen even the slightest bit of kindness. It was heart wrenching. How can people live this way? I guess if they don't have a choice, they don't know any different - but this is not how it's supposed to be.

We were ushered in to a "show room", which was an ammonia smelling room with about 35 cats of high-end breeds. Some were well kept but most showed signs of abuse and reproductive exhaustion. There was one kitten that followed me around. He was precious. If I stopped he stopped and tried to curl up against me. I picked him up and immediately could tell (without being a professional) that he was malnourished and was slapped around as he winced at the sight of my hands.

I then found a kitten that I fell in love with. It was a few months older than the rest and was extremely playful and cuddly. It wasn't like the demon kitties I met the day before. I was convinced this would be the perfect kitten to bring into my house.

Then the owner came in. He was an Asian-American and quite snobby. He was told me a lot about the cats and their breeds and then he started talking about prices. Holy shnikes! My kitten was 5 juta (which is the equivalent of 500 dollars). I loved that kitten - but not enough to pay 500 dollars for him. I carefully put him down and asked a few more questions. I found out that basically the "cattery" was a kitten breeding mill of high end cats and that most of them were not vaccinated or had papers.

I thanked him for his help and told him I had to do "more research" about what I was interested in before I made a decision. Surprisingly the answer seemed acceptable to him - thank goodness. Then he began asking questions of what Dini and I did for a living. We told him we were teachers. He found out that I was an American and that Dini was Australian. Immediately he ignored Dini and began talking my ear off about the "American way of education" - whatever that means. He yelled for his five year old son to join us in the show room.

He asked me to consider teaching his son so that he could be released from his (rich) Singaporean school. He wanted his son to speak English with an American accent rather than a Singaporean accent. His son came sobbing and clinging to his nanny. Then the man informed me that he was severely punished for not wanting to practice his math skills. His son was terrified of even coming close to his father or me.

I talked with the son for a few minutes, in a very consoling and soft voice. He seemed to stop crying and actually responded to me. The man told his son that I may be his new teacher. I looked at Dini and was mind-boggled. I didn't agree to that or even infer that I was the slightest bit interested. He asked for my number so he could contact me further about the cats and teaching his son. I gave a made-up name and wrong number, knowing that I could never work for a man who treated children (even his own) like crap (and not to mention the animals).

Dini and I somehow finagled our way out of that hell hole. We were shell shocked and at a loss for words. It was a sight to see, that's for sure. Talk about an eye-opener. Neither of us had ever seen something quite like what we experienced. Not once did we feel our safety and wellbeing was compromised, which was a good thing, but to see the things we did makes my stomach churn. I will never (as long as I live) forget this.

After catching a taxi and going to Ratu Plaza, we met up with Putri and told her all about our nightmarish adventure. She couldn't believe it. We spent the rest of our day dwelling on the disregard for human life that some seem to think is okay. Even as I sit back at home, typing this, I am overwhelmed that this really happens. Sure I've learned about illegal breeding mills and human trafficking, but I have never experienced it first hand until today.

In Asia this is a very common problem and one of the most booming (illegal) industries world wide. Human trafficking makes more money than the drug trade. I ask all of you readers to keep this in your prayers.

A Friday of Firsts

Today has been an interesting day to say the least. It was an eternal day at school. I don't think I've ever been bored at school until today. I only had to teach 2 classes: English 6 and English 3. In English 6 the students presented their advertisement posters of self-created products (demonstrating persuasion). They were very creative and quite comical. In English 3 we watched the cartoon of Robin Hood (from the 1950's - what a great cartoon) and discussed doing what was morally right and morally acceptable. We also divided the story line into Setting, Characters, Conflict, Solution, and Conclusion. Sure that sounds interesting and it was. However I had a lot of free time and I had nothing to do but dawdle. I guess that's what happens when you're an overachiever and a week ahead in grading and planning. Time just seemed to stand still. I'd rather be busy than sit around.

As my title said - it was a day of "firsts" - and all of these firsts took place after the school day. I had my first big disappointment. I was supposed to be adopting kittens from the vet. However, when I went there - there were only 4 to choose from (which apparently is very unusual because usually there are 2 dozen or so to choose from). Kitten number one had an amputated leg and could barely walk. Kittens two and three were too young to be taken away from the vet. Kitten number four (I am convinced this is true) was a spawn of Satan. I'm sure that kitten number four and my high school baby-think-it-over baby would be the best of buddies. My baby-think-it-over baby, which was named Lucifer, was an evil doll that cried every fifteen minutes on the dot for five straight days. I left the vet feeling really sad. I know it is a little bit lame, but I was looking forward to getting them all week. It was all I talked about. We are supposed to go back in two weeks because the two babies will be ready to go and there are supposed to be a better choice of kittens. In the mean time - I have many eyes looking out for me - just in case :)

My next first was trying a new Indonesian fruit called Rambutan. You buy it on the side of the road, and recently vendors have been popping up because they are finally in season. The fruit looks like a golf-ball sized strawberry with an outside that looks like a blow-fish. To eat it, you crack the skin and out comes a fleshy white ball (which looks like a translucent plum). It has a really sweet taste. There is no taste that I can compare it to. I'll try to think of it as I eat my way through the bunch my neighbor gave me.

My last first (and probably the most reckless one of them all) was carrying a three-tiered end table in my arms while driving a motorbike in the rain. First of all, you have to understand, when it rains here - it blows horizontal and pelts you before a splash explosion. Driving in the rain is always a challenge - but try it with a table cupboard and you'll think again. The end table was considerably light and easy to weave my arm through so I could hold on to both handles. However, it was heavy enough to make the weight on my motorbike unbalanced. It wasn't the smartest thing I've done while I've been here - but it was the last end table in stock and I am in desperate need of an endtable in my basement. Besides - it was on sale - 7 dollars! Who could pass up a deal like that? Not me!

Anyway, that was the extent of my Friday in a nutshell. Now I am just lounging around, trying to figure out what to do with myself until bedtime.

Silence Isn't Always Golden

As I sit here at my desk listening to my student teacher teach a math lesson, it is hard to bite my tongue and let things slide while she teaches. In our classroom, Pak Budi and I demand silence while we speak (although we do have occasional slip ups with our students). As Ibu Jessica teaches, the students blurt out answers and raise their voice about 100 decibels louder than usual.

As loud as I am, I really enjoy a quiet classroom. Sure, I don't mind when students talk amongst themselves when they are working or discussing, but when I am teaching, I want their undivided attention. It is so difficult to watch them fall out of habit.

However, with each minute more Ibu Jessica teaches, the more comfortable she gets with the kids. She is normally quite quiet, but she has a surprisingly loud voice. Sometimes it catches me off guard and I think "who's in my classroom."

Just now she surprised me with her voice when she reprimanded a student for continuously doing pelvic thrusts and dancing (rather than listening). Actually it was quite comical. Who would have thought a Grade 3 student was capable of (realistically) pulling off a pelvic thrust that didn't make you want to purge.

I wonder how my supporting teachers felt when I was teaching. Maybe they felt like I do. Giving up control in my classroom is very difficult. More challenging than I originally thought. Perhaps gradually it will get better.

Grade 3 Chapel

Today was the big day - the day we had to do chapel. We have been practicing intensely the last few days. Our biggest challenge was smooth transitions. There is usually talking and wiggles and jiggles that come from my students in a big bad way.

However, they did just fine. Our chapel was about how we need to stay committed to God even when it's hard. We used the Veggie Tales story of Rack, Shack, and Benny (Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednigo). This really emphasized the meaning of commitment and added a lot of understanding to the conversation that followed.

The students designed skits and they were adorable. They wrote and typed them out themselves. Most of them even memorized their lines before today.

The songs we sang were picked out and practiced by all of the kids. Most of them had motions. While doing the powerpoint, I got really into the motions and forgot to project the words. That was a little embarrassing. Overall, it was a good chapel. I am so proud of the kids. They did a marvelous job!

Transcontinental Excitement Bubbling

For the last few weeks my Grade 6 kids have been wanting pen pals after I suggested it in an open conversation. Since then - they have asked me everyday (or emailed me) when their pen pals will write them.

I have finally (and it really look a long time) connected with a teacher. That teacher happens to by my cousin Karen, who teaches at Highland Christian. My grade 6 and her grade 7 are going to correspond to each other via email for the next few weeks (and hopefully continue throughout the year). Mainly this is to discover similarities between their own culture and other students' cultures on the other side of the world. It also connects both of our classes in a letter writing unit that we will be teaching - so this will be really good practice for them.

After telling my class all of the new developments - I swear there was mental fireworks going off in their heads. They were so thrilled and in awe that I actually pulled it off (after so many days without answers). Have they no faith in their wonderful teacher :P

We will begin writing this week and I am looking forward to seeing the connections and bridges built between these students. Should make for some interesting conversations.