Happy Birthday to Sue & Viv - How Cold Can It Get???



What I wear each day!

 

OK, it is back to school and here is a sampling of what I put on in the morning.  My undies and coat are not in this picture (but those are a given).

Aliabad Village

Snow on the mountains

You can also see how much snow there is in the mountains. When I leave for school each day there is a thick layer of frost on the ground. The tips of my fingers tingle and I have warm gloves, it is that cold.  But I feel very bless that it hasn't snowed that much.  I am told, we will have two more months of winter before spring and it will get colder before it gets warmer (oh joy).

Getting back to school, I was so happy as I made a few posters and visual aids for my classes. The posters were basic (classroom rules - very important, the weather, the months, and days, body parts, etc.) and I then covered them with thick plastic they use here for a table cloth.  That way I can use markers on them and then wipe it off and re-use the posters over and over again.  I also made homemade flash cards (using the plastic to cover the pictures so we can use makers and erase), and I had a couple of games and markers that I brought to school as well.  I was ready for the first day of teaching!  The first three classes are with the Georgian sector and my co-teacher did not show up!.  I was told he was in Georgia.  But I did have one class with my Azeri co-teacher and my posters were well received by the students and the teacher.  I was excited and Tuesday, went well too. What a difference a day makes. Then on Wednesday, my counterpart and I went into 9th grade class and I started with the posters (these students know just a little English, it is a large class and mostly boys) and my counterpart said "I have to use the bathroom, I will be right back" (I should have known something was up).  I went over the rules of the class and then the days and months.  The class starting getting more disruptive by the minute and where was my counterpart? I was losing control and I finally made two of the boys at either end of the class stand up and I started yelling in English "You are 9th Form and you hadn't a clue about speaking English".  I think I scared them (I scared me!!).  After that they were very quiet and when I had finished with the posters, and still no counterpart.  I looked at them and said "Stay put, don't move, I will be right back".  I left the class and sure enough I went back into the teacher lounge and lo and behold my counterpart was sitting there.  I think she knew I was upset, she said she was coming back but another teacher asked her a question and she needed to answer it. I told her again, that I CANNOT teach without a counterpart and especially to students who do not understand English and my language skills in Azeri is very limited.  I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn't yell at her!! Oh my word, this is only the first week of teaching...  I have a long way to go until the end of May.  Please pray for patience for me and hopefully I won't  hurt anyone (teacher or student)!!

Life Challenge:   Our patience will achieve more than our force... Edmund Burke