Back to school

Last Sunday marked the beginning of the the new school year here in Abu Dhabi. I was notified the previous Thursday that I'd be moving from fourth grade to second grade. Normally, a change like that on such short notice would cause feelings of panic and disillusion. Things here in the desert work a little differently, though. I have two classes of second graders. One group I have in the morning, and the other in the afternoon. When the students are not with me, they are learning Arabic, the Koran, or participating in specials like P.E. or Art. We were instructed to use the first week as a week of community building and to not give any assessment. This made the transition between grades a little bit easier.

School begins for students at 7:15 with a daily assembly in the courtyard. During this time students line up in classes, hear announcements, sing the national anthem, and enjoy selected parts of the Koran. Nearly all of it is done in Arabic, so I have very little idea what is taking place! Overall, the school structure is fairly different than at home. There is no cafeteria. Since there is such little precipitation that kids just eat outside. There are large water troughs available for the kids, but no regular drinking fountains. The school is more like an outdoor mall. All doors lead outside, including from my classroom. The library is small, and inadequate (in my opinion). There is a computer room available for weekly usage. Fundamentally, the school system here is undergoing some dramatic changes. Currently, with the exception of a few model schools, the schools are separated by gender. I am a male teacher working at an all boys school. There are no female teachers at my school. Conversely, there are mostly all girls schools, with all female teachers. Recently, schools have started to blend sexes in the classroom, but on a very limited, trial basis. Oddly enough, part of their long-term plan is to feminize the elementary schools, meaning that all elementary teachers will be female for both boys and girls. This seems like quite a contradiction to me, and worries me a bit. I don't plan on teaching middle school or high school! If the country truly wants to be a global leader, gender bias is going to have to be removed. Understandably, it is the culture here.

Throughout the course of the first week I had several surprises. The first, and most apparent, is that the students understand very little English. Identifying single digit numbers, letters, colors, and shapes in English is very difficult for them. Moreover, they don't understand the instructions that I give to them!!! I find myself now as an ESL teacher, teaching English, Math, and Science to kids who don't know what I'm saying. The scope of this challenge, while not entirely overwhelming, is immense. A popular local saying is Insha' Allah, meaning "God willing". These kids will learn, and I will survive, Insha' Allah!!

The other thing that really stood out to me is the behavior of the kids. They are a rambunctious crew. The kids are very physical, often hitting, kicking, and pushing each other. They love wrestling, both doing it and watching it. So I've been milking the fact that I have the same name as a pro wrestler, John Sena. Teachers are addressed by first name, so I am Mr. Jon. The kids get a kick out of that. But, I think that most of their physical behavior is learned; the local teachers are allowed to be physical with the students, something that would get you fired in a second back in the States. Also, they are very talkative. Classroom management is going to be challenge, especially since they don't understand me! In reality, it has to be as equally, or nearly equally, frustrating for them as it is for me with the communication barrier. This week we will begin baseline assessments to measure student growth. It will be a challenge to teach to them, but should be interesting, and I'm excited to see their growth!

My apartment is nearly complete. I have all of my furniture finally. I also have TV and internet installed. Below I have uploaded some pictures of my classroom, which is still a work in progress, and pictures of my furnishings.

Lastly, I recently began reading a book entitled A Diamond in the Desert. It is the story of a man who spent several years of his youth in Abu Dhabi and recently returned to witness the dramatic changes that have taken place over the past forty years. It chronicles the dramatic rise of wealth, business, culture, and ultimately, change. The attempt to blend tradition with modernization is really interesting. It is a really good read if you're looking for something new to pick up.

Hoping all is well, Insha' Allah!!!