The Best of Both Worlds

If you read my recent entry, "Up in the Air," you may recall that they were talking of sending Colleen to teach at another school.  Since then, they tossed around the idea of each of us going there one day a week.  But again, nothing came of it.  We just decided to go about business as usual, while knowing that, if anything happened, it would probably happen quickly.  That has definitely proven true.

Monday morning I walked in the front door of the kindergarten and before I'd finished signing in, I was told that someone was there to take me to the other school.  Fortunately, the man who was driving me only spoke Azeri.  Our limited conversation options gave me most of the ride over to try to plan an introductory lesson on the fly. 

I ended up not needing it, though.  While they had planned for me to start teaching that day, the groups on my schedule were all from the Turkish section, which was on vacation for the week.  So I spent the day observing other English classes, trying to get a feel for the different levels and how the school works in general.  Apparently they want us there every day now, but Colleen and I will be alternating between this school and the kindergarten.  I will be there Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, teaching mostly 5th and 6th grade, and Colleen will be there the other days teaching 3rd and 4th.  Since they already have an established class schedule, we'll be taking half of the students for a supplementary conversation lesson during one of their regular English classes.

I've loved all the classes I've had so far.  Here are some highlights from my first two days there:

• Word about the American teacher got around fast- during one of the breaks I was standing in a 5th grade classroom, and I looked out into the hall to see a group of kids from the next room peering in at me.  The teacher had to shoo them away!
• We'll alternate which half of the class we teach each week. Their English teacher chose the students who would be in the first group, and they were jumping up and down in their seats trying to get her to choose them. I know the novelty and excitement of having an American teacher will wear off soon enough, but it's nice in the meantime. :)
• Teaching the kids to say "Teacher, slow down please!" because, let's face it... I still get excited about things sometimes and forget where I am and who I'm talking to.
• Getting to know the other teachers in the break room.  They're really wonderful women.  I already have a few offers to help me with my Azeri. 
• Walking home from work- that's one thing I've missed, and this school is only a 30 minute walk from our apartment.  Plus, they let us leave after our last class, so I'm usually home half an hour before I would have even left the kindergarten.

So all in all, I'm pretty excited about it.  I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of my students and planning some real lessons.  But it's the perfect compromise- I love our kids and coworkers at the kindergarten as well, and it would have been sad to leave them permanently.  Here's to getting the best of both worlds!