Chaos in Al Samha

My first day of school was totally a unique experience. Thus far, teaching in this country is far different than in the US. Of 80 students, only 25 of my first graders showed up. I was forced to share the class with the Arabic teacher, who knows a very small amount of English, and who had a totally different agenda for the class than I did. For example, I was in the middle of a lesson, when he decided to take the kids on a tour of the school, without communicating this to me. The fact that I will be teaching more than one group of students in a primary school is new to me too, as in the states, teachers are exclusive for their own classes. The building itself is outdated, as I can open the door to my classroom and look out into a courtyard of sand and stagnant mudpuddles that have been there for who knows how long. The windows are covered with blinds that have been here for years, and the resources themselves are limited. The only sign of modern life in this school is the availability of new computers and projectors to use in the classroom, something only a few schools in Columbus had. Unfortunately though, students do not have paper and pencils, which shows that the way of teaching here is lecture and verbal response. I tried teaching the kids, "father Ibrahim" just to get them up and moving, and they acted as if they were going to get into trouble, just for moving.
The teachers and administrators are terrific though, and my colleagues and I get along well...or at least, if they are talking poorly about me, I can't understand it anyways. The school day is much shorter here, as I begin at 715 though the first period is not until 745, and the day ends at 1230. Much different from home. and of course, having this language/cultural barrier, allows for much effective teaching time during the day. As of now, most of the kids can sing their abc's in English, though many of them couldn't tell the letters individually without the music. Also, half of the class knows the term "bathroom" along with "sit, no, and shhhh." Now, getting them to stay in the class and not play in the bathroom (hammom in arabic) will be my challenge for next week. It has been fun to watch kids be pulled away from their parents, as first grade is like our kindergarten in the USA. Having a teacher who doesn't understand them probably makes it harder, but i'm sure we'll adapt. I will try to keep a positive attitude as I trudge through this change in my career.
On a different note, Mallori isn't feeling well again, as the climate change has been hard for her. She spent the day at our apartment yesterday, waiting for the appliances to show up, and the A/C was too much for her, causing her feel worse. As a married man, i'm learning that my wife's sickness always affects me too, even if I don't get sick too. So keep us both in prayer. Tomorrow, we should be getting our couch set delivered, so we'll have somewhere to sit besides the tiled floor. I will post photos soon. Anyways, we miss all of you...feel free to send some luvin.
Til next time, God bless.
D