1st Grade Boys

Okay so today was my second attempt at my first day of school! It went great. Everything is very different than western schools I’m going to teach 1^st grade not with Caroline… by myself! Here is how my day went.

5:45 am catch a taxi to get to the Holiday Inn to carpool to school (barely any taxis at this time! Ugg) Two sips of coffee. Lame.

6:15 am leave for school

6:45 arrive. Greet everyone! Everyone says hello to everyone every morning! I like it.

7:15 whole school assembly every morning. The Quran is read. Prizes are given and Miss Emily was introduced.

8:00 school begins. Malcolm (my HOF) showed Caroline and I around school. Met more people.

8:30 or so was told to go into a teacher’s first grade class to assist. The students are learning the letter ‘P’ and ‘A’ this week. And when I say learn…they do not know it at all yet. This class does know their ABC’s though!!! YAY

9:45 assist during lessons…the boys are CUTE! Although I couldn’t tell you one name with one face. The children take their first name, father’s name and grandfather’s name…so YES that is the whole name…which is what you call them. For example- Muhammad ahkmed zayeed! And this one is easy to me. So let’s just say pictures with names will be my method.

The kids go out for “lunch” at 9:45 then go to a different rotation each day such as Islam studies, Arabic teachings, PE, Art, and music. I have a long break. J

Around 11:00 a new class comes in. A whole new set of boys and you do English, Math, Science all over again. Although they don’t do science quite yet!

12:55 take the kiddos out to the bus. The whole school climbs aboard 15 different buses depending on where they live and they go home!

1:10 the whole school grounds are silent. Everyone is gone and everyone goes home for a large meal with the whole family! Teachers follow very shortly after to go home.

*Depending on your school, how it functions and who is in it, is totally different from school to school. It’s luck of the draw. This is how mine works.

I met some of the nicest people today…so helpful and so kind. People popped in ALL day to say hello. The school is so laid back, I know I will like it here. The classrooms look totally different than classrooms at home, but of course this is an all male school! Gonna add some color to the room myself! Let’s hope the next few days go as well as today!

As-salaamu alaykom is a greeting and when someone says it to you your reply Alaykom as-salaamu it means peace be upon you J