After four hours of sleep, I woke up just shy of 4:00 in the morning, ready to start another day. I left home at 5:45 and was the first one at school at 6:20. Yesterday, not early enough. Today, too early. I'm hoping for a happy medium soon.
Some interesting tidbits about UAE schools:
---There's no concept of substitutes. If a teacher is absent, other teachers cover for them, if they want to.
---Emirati teachers have their jobs for life. They can not be fired or disciplined. You can request that they do something, but they can and do decline.
---Today there was a class of 5th grade girls who were without a teacher all morning. Left completely unattended. This happens more often than you think. We would be fired on the spot if that happened in the US.
---If you ask a teacher to do something, it is not unusual for her to leave her class unattended while she takes care of whatever you asked her to do.
---Before ADEC took over the schools, teachers would often leave after two or three hours of teaching. If they needed to shop or cook dinner, they were off, with no plans for the students left behind.
---There are no staff mailboxes. They have them, but they don't use them. No phones in the classrooms either. When you need to reach a class, you get up and visit it. There are more interruptions than we're used to because of this.
I spent most of the day talking to the Western teachers one-on-one. I always enjoy these meetings because you get to visit in a relaxed setting, and although you're discussing school "stuff," it is usually a pleasant time for everyone involved. These meetings are also very revealing. From these I will be able to tell how I need to prioritize my work.
Other random thoughts:
---Speed bumps are not created equal. Some are barely noticeable, while others have you galloping in the air. They are striped, but not easy to see. You're going over one before you realize it was even there.
---There is only one brand of gas stations in the country. Is that why it's so cheap? You'd think it would be more expensive because that company has a monopoly on the goods. Not so.
---Potbellied men who wear the robes look pregnant. You don't see it often but they stand out. Their bellies and that "look."
---Found out today that in order to buy liquor legally, you are supposed to have a "liquor card" identifying you as a non-Muslim. I'm told that's not adhered to here, but is in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
---Stopped on the side of the road this morning to take a picture of the lighted road that winds through the mountain. It is a glorious sight to see. Mine didn't turn out great, but I found this one online.
---Tyrone (my wireless) router, has been a little sluggish today. Not sure what's day about.
---A Toyota Van is called a "people mover" in its official description of the vehicle.
---My new favorite thing is instant coffee called 3-in-1. It contains the coffee, flavored cream and sugar in each single serving packet.
Hope you're enjoying 2012.
More soon.
Some interesting tidbits about UAE schools:
---There's no concept of substitutes. If a teacher is absent, other teachers cover for them, if they want to.
---Emirati teachers have their jobs for life. They can not be fired or disciplined. You can request that they do something, but they can and do decline.
---Today there was a class of 5th grade girls who were without a teacher all morning. Left completely unattended. This happens more often than you think. We would be fired on the spot if that happened in the US.
---If you ask a teacher to do something, it is not unusual for her to leave her class unattended while she takes care of whatever you asked her to do.
---Before ADEC took over the schools, teachers would often leave after two or three hours of teaching. If they needed to shop or cook dinner, they were off, with no plans for the students left behind.
---There are no staff mailboxes. They have them, but they don't use them. No phones in the classrooms either. When you need to reach a class, you get up and visit it. There are more interruptions than we're used to because of this.
I spent most of the day talking to the Western teachers one-on-one. I always enjoy these meetings because you get to visit in a relaxed setting, and although you're discussing school "stuff," it is usually a pleasant time for everyone involved. These meetings are also very revealing. From these I will be able to tell how I need to prioritize my work.
Other random thoughts:
---Speed bumps are not created equal. Some are barely noticeable, while others have you galloping in the air. They are striped, but not easy to see. You're going over one before you realize it was even there.
---There is only one brand of gas stations in the country. Is that why it's so cheap? You'd think it would be more expensive because that company has a monopoly on the goods. Not so.
---Potbellied men who wear the robes look pregnant. You don't see it often but they stand out. Their bellies and that "look."
---Found out today that in order to buy liquor legally, you are supposed to have a "liquor card" identifying you as a non-Muslim. I'm told that's not adhered to here, but is in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
---Stopped on the side of the road this morning to take a picture of the lighted road that winds through the mountain. It is a glorious sight to see. Mine didn't turn out great, but I found this one online.
 |
| Mount Jebel Hafeet at night |
---Tyrone (my wireless) router, has been a little sluggish today. Not sure what's day about.
---A Toyota Van is called a "people mover" in its official description of the vehicle.
---My new favorite thing is instant coffee called 3-in-1. It contains the coffee, flavored cream and sugar in each single serving packet.
Hope you're enjoying 2012.
More soon.
Hi Faye, Your school sounds a bit like P.S.3, the progressive public elementary school my girls went to in NYC's Greenwich Village. Everyone, including the principal, was on a first name basis and the students were allowed to wander in and out of the classrooms. Their first lesson every school year was to remind them to always question authority. There's a comedian named Louis C.K. who talks about P.S.3 when his daughter was there - how sometimes he thought he was the only adult in the building!
ReplyDeleteReally enjoying traveling along with you, Carolyn Plakias