Gergean Pictures

Here are some more pictures of my students during Gergean. Check out their gergean dresses!!!

My students all wanted to take turns using my digital camera..I think I need to teach them how to center a photograph!! :)

Above is who I tutor!

Kyla (grade 1 teacher on the girls campus)..she was throwing all the candy in the air! :)

My Puppets!!!
One of my students gave me a trunk filled with Candy...this same girl also gave me the stuff animals with candy which are actually PUPPETS!!!!

Gergean

MY CANDY!!!!! WhoooWHOO...This is only half of it!! haha.

Happy Gergean!!! Today is Gergean (like Halloween in Canada) but so much better. :) For kids this is a 3 long day event of knocking on doors and getting candy. Today in school we all dressed in our D'aras (fancy dresses/sparkly tops) and students brought TONS of candy (private school...bigger is better...who can bring the best gifts).

So I got to school and my team teacher told me she had my door opened because I had candy being brought and she didn't know where I wanted it. There was a large basket on the desk and I said it would be fine there..she said no you will probably get 24 of these you need a big space...check out the picture ...this is about 20 girls bags full of candy to give out to everyone!!

We had a parade where we showed off our D'aras...my girls were tired, hot and thirsty (and the worst part is they are fasting so they can't eat or drink...most broke fast today I think because they were tempted by candy!!) We tried to take a group picture but some were hot yet again and complaining because of the heat. We sang songs and danced and had a really fun day.

My desk was piled high full of candy...I got puppets and a small trunk, cookies, chocolates, candy etc. I got bigger and better gifts than the students because I was the teacher. I loved it I think at times I was more excited than my students.

Overall it was a great day and I have lots of candy and things I can take back to Canada with me to remember the event.

When I have another minute I will upload more pictures of the day...I think I took about 150 so there are lots to choose from including videos..but I don't know how to upload them on here yet...and well also get them to show the picture...something is wacky with my camera.

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Yesterday I tutored a girl in Grade 6..and I am hoping that I will get a boy in grade 4 off the boys campus...I find out tomorrow I hope. He will be a steady 2 days a week if they decide to get a female tutor instead of a male this year. I am not a big fan of tutoring...in fact I don't like it but I make more in 2 hours tutoring than I do teaching in a day..Isn't that crazy!?! Well I guess that is true for the girl I tutor in grade 6...the boy will be about the same as teaching...but its nice to have the extra cash. Tutoring is where all the money is.

Hope everyone is well at home. My best friend here in Kuwait (Amanda)...her grandpa passed away 2 days ago so she just left to fly home for the funeral...This is new in our contracts this year that they will pay for you to go home for 4 teaching days. So she will be back late Wednesday so that she can still go to Turkey with me...I was worried that she wasn't going to make it back and then I would be stuck going alone because most of the teachers are going to Jordan and Israel this trip and I have already been to Jordan. But it all worked out. I leave ONE WEEK from today for TURKEY!!! WHoo WHoo

Gift / Tutoring!!!

Okay So I have to make this short...sorry I have been super busy but I have to be organized and have everything photocopied because I will have a sub in my classroom for 5 days!!! ekks I am off to Bahrain right after I get back from Turkey...so add another week to my vacation (except that its for blood work and stuff for my work visa)

Okay so I got my first gift real gift (minus the bundles of stickers one girl keeps giving me...I think I have her entire sticker collection and I try to tell her I have stickers but she wants me to have them...

So here goes the story of my gift. After school on Thursday I saw the mother of a girl in my class who got 12.5 out of 24 on her spelling and I give 3 bonus marks so she could have 27...anyways I told her mother and she said no she didn't study and that she was sorry but she was not well that night. Anyways she asked if her daughter could re-write the test..and I am still a softy and said yes. So we talked a bit more about our weekends and then I went on my way....and I saw the girl digging in her moms tote bag and sure enough 2 minutes later the girl came with a pink bag from Victoria Secret. Her mom said "DO you like Victoria secret??" and laughed...and so I laughed. Then the mom said "It is from Disney World" and I got a Minnie/mickey raincoat, Minnie candy, and Victoria secret body wash and spray. It was a very nice gift...the other grade 4 teachers were jealous because no parents come to pick their kids up after school...and for me I have to talk to about 4-5 a day!!! They love me!

So yesterday (Sunday) the girl who didn't want to be in my class brought necklaces of Mecca (a very important religious place here) for the entire class and of course I got 2...one for me and the other.....FOR MY MOM!!! (It will be a nice keepsake for me of Mecca...its definatly a dollar store buy but very nice of the girl.) I actually like it and so do all the other teachers. I think they are getting jealous....especially since I got a carpet my 2nd day of school!!

Then my "favorite" student from grade 5 last year ....grade 6 this year asked me to tutor her. (to be honest she is the loudest girl I have ever met...and sometimes a bully) but I need the money to help pay for my Turkey trip as it is costing more due to the airline just making up a new price for the tickets...definitely not taking Air Arabia again. Sorry that's my rant for today...but I am tutoring her on Wed for 2 hours!!! Ekks very excited. so for 2 hours of work I will get $85-90 Canadian...I am not getting the highest you can get tutoring but you have to start somewhere.

:) Things are good here...busy still but I leave for Turkey on Oct. 4 and return on the 15th...and then leave again for Bahrain the following week...I am dreading planning for a sub...I don't want to leave my girls or my "teaching of information" to a sub.

Ramadan

Again sorry for not posting...but I am going to try and make myself write on here once a week...or week and a half. I will fall behind again after my Eid Vacation to Turkey cuz when I come back I am doing a club...board games! WhooWHoo I chose an easy one that I don't have to plan very much for. SWEET DEAL!

Okay so Ramadan has officially started today. Yesterday we had to wait until the moon came out to see if it would come a day early. I can't believe that we base all our holidays on the moon. Anyways school hours change for Ramadan and the students are really excited about it. (its like our Christmas...well to them it is) For those of you that don't know Ramadan is a time for the rich to see what is feels like to be poor. They are fasting. No one eats or drinks until really late at night and they stay up late some don't go to bed. 20 out of 24 of my students are fasting...so no eating or drinking. Those who are eating have to eat behind closed doors. Lots of my kids are tired and have sore stomachs from not eating.

We are not allowed to give homework or tests because they don't have time to do it because they go home from school...probably nap and then get up and party and visit with their parents friends/family. School starts 2 hours later now...so I get to sleep in!! well I could sleep in but I get up the same time and do work.

On Sept 27 we have Gerdryan...(it's like our Halloween) I am soo excited because the girls keep telling me they are bringing me candy..haha. They dress up in fancy dresses. I will take pictures. I was given dates for my gift for Ramadan. How lovely. I haven't tasted them but I will...I think I will try them tomorrow.

I hope to book my flight to Turkey this weekend. I leave on Oct.4 and am back on Oct.15 then I am leaving 1 week later to go to Bahrain to get all my visa/civil ID paperwork in order.

I am still in shock how fast school went today. Well hope all is well with everyone there. I am hungry..my eating hours are all mixed up because of Ramadan. Even the stores are all closed until late at night so I had to go shopping on Tuesday and stock up. Tonight Amanda is cooking a roast...so I am looking forward to that.

Miss you all. Hope you have a great time at Corinne's wedding Shower...wish I could be there. Someone better post pics on facebook..hint hint Kimberly and Corinne.

First Day of School!!!

Sorry for the lack of posts but my life has been very busy. Go to school and set up...eat...sleep...get up go to school and set up...eat..sleep. Getting ready for school is a lot of work. Wow! Especially when you have nothing but desks and cupboards and white walls. So I got to work and now have an updated version of what my classroom looks like now. I have 24 students.

Yesterday was orientation day when I met the parents and their daughter from 9-1. They picked up the school supplies list. Today was officially the first day of school.

Amanda and I on the bus...going to school!!!

Amanda and I outside ACA on our first day of school!!

Look at the previous posts of my classroom....and look at it now! A total transformation!!! Here are pictures from all different angles. In a few weeks I will be moving the desks around again as it is not my favorite set up but it is good for the first few weeks to remember names (who are numbered alphabetically) and to do partner activities.

I had the morning off (which I wish I didn't because it is nice for you to start the first day off with rules, routines etc.) Overall, it was a great day. The girls were great (minus 1) but they listened and did what they were told ...which could change but I hope not. I am very organized for this week and it showed today...it was great. I have great teaching partners who helped me get ready for this week. Compared to one of the other grade 4 teachers I received more Kleenex and hand wipes than she did! haha I have bags full at the back of my room now at my desk. The girl that is annoying me to death is one that doesn't want to be in my room because her friend is in the other class...so I am praying tonight that her mother makes a fuss and then she might get moved...then my school day would be great. Nobody wants a student in their class who doesn't want to be there.

P.S I had my maid come and clean my entire apartment on Sunday...it was soo clean. She took out the rugs and washed everything including the outside of my windows. My laundry alone took her 4.5 hours!!! (and nothing went in the dryer) she was disappointed that I did not want her to iron my clothes because they were wet ....and she wanted to come back another day to iron them! ha I told her I could do it. She is coming to my place every 2nd Sunday.