..." When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory and I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me..."

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Everything is better in Color



A beautiful full moon the other night

        Ok, I will admit that I have been awful at writing on this blog! I will also confess that I didn’t even make it a New Year’s resolution to improve on blogging! Though maybe that would have been a good idea, seeing as it has been a very long time since I have touch this thing.  I can’t believe that I have already been back for almost a month now, and things are in full swing. I have actually come to the point where I really am beginning to enjoy this country. I love driving here, (maybe a little too much). I am still amazed that I haven’t hit anyone or anything yet, well, aside from the ever present potholes.
 Teaching has its many challenges and rewards. Take today for example, one of my students Atofarati came into class, he was literally thankful for everything this morning. He sat down and just started spouting out thanksgiving. “Thank you for my hands, to write with, my feet, my eyes to see, that my parents have money to send me to this school, for Ms. Gretchen and Mrs. Victoria, and all the other teachers...” on and on he went. It was such a refreshing start today, I couldn’t help but smile and remember all that I am thankful for.  
In my classroom I have just begun to do Literacy learning centers. The students love going around to the different centers, though we are still working on their ability to do this indpendently :). One of the stations today was a listening center. One of the questions they have to answer from this station is, “what did you learn,” her answer, “God is good.” Wonderful, we will leave it at that!
Learning about kinetic and stored
energy   
           I have also found, that now that my class has been split I have more time for decorating and doing fun activities with my kids. I teach lit and science to both classes and the other second grade teacher, Mrs. Funmi, teaches math and social studies. It was a little sad at first to see half of my students go, but since I still teach them at least one or two subjects a day I don’t mind. Plus, it is so much easier to help each student with their writing when there are only 11 in each class. Well, this is the update for now, hopefullyOk, I will admit that I have been awful at writing on this blog! I will also confess that I didn’t even make it a New Year’s resolution to improve on blogging! Though maybe that would have been a good idea, seeing as it has been a very long time since I have touch this thing.  I can’t believe that I have already been back for almost a month now, and things are in full swing. I have actually come to the point where I really am beginning to enjoy this country. I love driving here, (maybe a little too much). I am still amazed that I haven’t hit anyone or anything yet, well, aside from the ever present potholes.
 Teaching has its many challenges and rewards. Take today for example, one of my students Atofarati came into class, he was literally thankful for everything this morning. He sat down and just started spouting out thanksgiving. “Thank you for my hands, to write with, my feet, my eyes to see, that my parents have money to send me to this school, for Ms. Gretchen and Mrs. Victoria, and all the other teachers...” on and on he went. It was such a refreshing start today, I couldn’t help but smile and remember all that I am thankful for. 
In my classroom I have just begun to do Literacy learning centers. The students love going around to the different centers, though we are still working on their ability to do this indpendently :). One of the stations today was a listening center. One of the questions they have to answer from this station is, “what did you learn,” her answer, “God is good.” Wonderful, we will leave it at that!
              I have also found, that now that my class has been split I have more time for decorating and doing fun activities with my kids. I teach lit and science to both classes and the other second grade teacher, Mrs. Funmi, teaches math and social studies. It was a little sad at first to see half of my students go, but since I still teach them at least one or two subjects a day I don’t mind. Plus, it is so much easier to help each student with their writing when there are only 11 in each class. Well, this is the update for now, hopefully it won’t be another 3 months before I update again!! it won’t be another 3 months before I update again!!



These two picture were taken during the strike, which
  happened at the start of January. At one point people starting 
    getting bored so they set up roadblocks. Then they would stop 
   anyone they felt  like, and you would have to pay something
 before  they would let you go through.

This is what I did during the strike :)
Last weekend Katie and I gave the JR School a makeover (with the help of a project :)