Another Week Gone By

Wherein the author is interviewed regarding noteworthy situations in her life.

Interviewer: So, did you come up with this idea for a blog on your own?

Me: No. I am unabashedly stealing it from my amazing friend, Brooke. I highly recommend that you check out her blog: africahome.blogspot.com. Just try not to notice how much better her blog is than mine, please.

I: You just finished week three at Alliance. How's it going?

L: Really well. This week (which is actually the second regular week; the first being just Thursday and Friday) was much better than last week. I think the kids and I are settling into an understanding.

I: Understanding?

L: Yah, like "here's the line. Cross at your own risk." It really reminds me a lot of babysitting. They're just testing out the boundaries. Some test harder than others. In spite of my repect for confrontation, it's stressful for me. But I trust that the first few weeks of being firm will result in the remainder of the year being easier. I'll let you know how my theory pans out.

I: Tell us about this picture.

L: This is Lori. She's the director of the Skills Center and therefore my boss. This morning she went with Cherie (a fellow teacher; lives across the hall in my apt.) and me to The Swiss Corner for breakfast. In the picture Lori is displaying my super-delicious-European-style roesti and omlete. While I was backpacking in Europe, Megan, Katie and I ate many a roesti in Switzerland. This one wasn't quite as good, but considering it got transfered over so many miles, it was still quite lovely. Incidentally, we sat next to a famous Ecuadorian musician at the restaurant. He was H-O-T-hot.

I: You and your roommates hired a maid this week?

L: Yah. That was an experience. Good practice for my Spanish. It seems my vocabulary in the area of household cleaners leaves a bit to be desired. But when it was all said and done our house was clean, she was paid, and life was good. I'm pretty excited about the whole thing, especially since we can leave her ingredients and a recipe, and she'll leave supper behind when she goes!

I: This picture begs some explanation...

L: (chuckling) So this sign is posted in the FACULTY bathrooms at school. I took the picture not only because it's funny, but because it made me think of all the various toilet or pseudo-toilet situations I've been in in the past. For example, this sign is obviously not posted in Russia, because it pre-supposes TP. It is not in Dominican, because it pre-supposes flushing. It is not in China because it pre-supposes a toilet. I DO so love traveling!

I: So, for those of us NOT living in Quito, why is this sign necessary?

L: Oh! Because here it's assumed that you throw your used TP in the trash can. Most of the plumbing can't handle the TP. Thankfully, the plumbing at the school is up to the challenge.

I: Back to your classes. Any class in particular you'd like to talk about?

L: Well, I teach seven different groups of kids, but lots of them overlap, and I actually only teach about 25 kids total. My biggest group is my Home Base group (11 students), which is the homeroom set up for the middle school. I only have 8 desks in my classroom, so I had to find some extra chairs for them. They come in from 8-8:10 each morning except Wednesday. That day we have chapel schedule, so there's no Home Base, but in the afternoon I teach the same group in "Impact", which is more of a character-building class than an academic one. We talk about things like attitude, responsibility, citizenship, etc. Here's a picture of my Home Base group:

Notice the various displays of attitude. It's an interesting mix. The windows above the kids' heads are my classroom windows.

I: Any funny jr. high stories you'd like to share?

L: Always. Which to choose? Let's begin with the Pentateuch story.

In my Bible class, we're learning the books of the Bible. We're starting with the Old Testament, and this past week I introduced the idea of the books falling into seperate catagories. So I had one kid write the first five books on the whiteboard. Let's call him Nate. I explained to everyone that these books are all part of the same group called the Pentateuch or Books of the Law. We talked about what "pentateuch" means, what law it is, etc. I told the students that the same man wrote all the books and asked if anyone knew who that man was.

Before I recreate the dialogue, it's important for you to know that one of the students in this class, whom we'll call Sandy, has Asburger's Syndrome. For the sake of my classroom, that boils down to her social skills are way behind for her age, she has little awareness of her volume and usually speaks really loudly, and she has trouble staying focused for long. She has a full-time aid that goes with her to every class and helps to keep her on task. Sandy is a sweet little girl, and VERY smart. She also tends to be very literal.

L: So, does anyone know who wrote these five books?

(Students randomly responding): God? Jesus? John the Baptist? Luke?

(in the meantime, Sandy's aid is asking her the question personally)

Aid: Sandy, do you know who wrote the books of the pentateuch?

S: What?

Aid: Do you know who wrote those books on the board?

(long pause, as Sandy takes in the question)

S: (matter-of-factly) NATE!

I couldn't help but laugh. She was indeed right. Nate HAD written those books on the board. Teaching Sandy is always a challenge. But I like it. I would take special needs over big attitude any day.

I: It sounds like your students keep you on your toes.

L: Definately. It's exhausting, but I love how much face time I get with them. Many of my students I have for two or three classes a day, and I'm trying to make the classroom a good balance of secure enough for them to feel relaxed and comfortable, and structured enough that I don't lose control.

I: Anything else you'd like to share with the readers?

L: I think that should do for now. Oh, except to say that I really like this city!

I: You? City? How can this be?

L: I know! But the mountains are so beautiful and they dominate every part of the city. Plus the traditional culture here is fantastic. The music, the dancing, the colors and vibrancy. I love it. I'll leave you with a few pictures from today. They make me happy. I hope they make you happy, too.