Survived Week One!!!

Man, what a week. I don't know exactly where to start. Sitting here at home at 5pm Friday with a glass of wine and my feet kicked up, I feel like I have just won a hard fought basketball game I was supposed to win. I've won, but there were some ill-advised passes, shots, and defensive errors to go with that winning play. To add to this, there really is not going to be too much time to reflect on it all because the next game is approaching quickly.

The first thing I should talk about is my students. When I think back to my week, these faces are what I see. They really are the best part about my job. My biggest "problem" my first week of classes with any student was one who did not like a proof I had shown. A group of students stayed in the classroom during break, some defending the proof and the other student trying to find another one. It really was so exciting to see. And these are ninth graders!

I already have noticed many mistakes or changes I want to make. First off, learning a new class list of names is hard. Imagine learning a roomful of students whose names you have absolutely no connection to. They are all foreign. Names have been so hard for me! And that's assuming I even got the pronunciation down in the first place. Other than that, I have to remember that although these students are very bright, they are still Preps and ninth graders. I will be telling them a new math concept, then look up and no one is writing notes. I forget they need a reminder to get out their notebooks. There have been other times that I have been surprised at their questions and have to remember where they are coming from. That's right, they must be told that, they're only 15!

Other notes on the week:

• The students are not supposed to speak Turkish in class. This can be very difficult for me to enforce, especially since I have so much respect for them for learning this all in another language. For example, I introduced today solving systems of linear equations through elimination. None of my students knew initially what this meant. When I defined elimination, a few got it and wanted to say what it was in Turkish to their neighbors (since they all had learned elimination but in Turkish) but I had to stop that although I also understand exactly why they want to speak Turkish there.
• I saw my first Prep class today. They are adorable!!! Let me just say you would NEVER see a class like this in America. Each student smiled when you said their name, would stand if you called on them to speak, and tried so incredibly hard. They also did not say a word unless called on. I think I could have stood there for ten minutes after the bell rang not speaking and they would have silently sat there looking at me. Upon leaving, they all said good-bye and smiled as they left.
• I have worked 4 straight days over 11 hours. Today was the first day I left after only 9.5, but that's only because I have to go in tomorrow to meet parents and know I can work during those breaks. It is exhausting work. Here at RC, there is a great respect for teachers (I think it's cultural). With this respect brings a great amount of responsibility which all RC teachers feel. We work hard because our students demand it. It's a beautiful system.
• Each day, the teacher part comes a little easier. The reason I know this is that I'm starting to be able to zoom out further and further and see the bigger picture of the class. If you were to ask me the first day who sat directly in the front middle (or anywhere), I would have had no idea. Much less which of my students uttered a word. If you asked me today, I could have told you that, as well as who spoke the most as well as who I found seemed the most disinterested or lost. To those who have never taught, it really is quite the skill to teach while taking in all this information. I still have a ways to go.

Well those are a few of my notes for now. Although very demanding, I could not imagine a better place to start my teaching career. These students are fantastic. My colleagues and support are just as spectacular.

Not just any kind of job training

Greetings all!

Well, it's the Friday before my first week of classes and I am (as to be expected) quite freaked out. The last week of training has involved some hurried moments, frustrating timetakers, and much appreciated helpful guidance. While I look forward to this week, I am feeling not at all prepared. I am trying to stay as calm as possible knowing that it all will, well has to, work out.

This last week has involved many things you would probably see in the States. We started with an all staff meeting, then picture. Some department meetings, more all staff meetings, LOTS of technical training, running down to the IT department for a computer update, then again because your mouse is no longer working, and 5 more staff meetings. I would put my meeting to planning ratio at about 10:1 and I believe if anything I am underrating the time I have had to myself to work. Seeing the harried teachers trying to get things done doesn't calm me down, but legitimizes my feelings of unease going into this week. We all feel like there is so much more to be done, but I know in the end, we all will get it done and be ready when the time comes.

While there have been some experiences here that all teachers I am sure have felt, some I think are truly unique to this school.

• At every RC all staff meeting, everything has to be translated because many teachers don't speak Turkish and others (for example Turkish and Turkish history teachers) don't speak English. At some meetings, they have headphones all teachers can grab. There is someone hired at these meetings to simultaneously translate the entire meeting. When a Turkish teacher talks, I have to put on my headphones to hear them in English. The translator does the same from Turkish to English. This is an extremely hard job. They have to switch the language in a split second because someone can ask a question or the next speaker can be speaking the other language without ever a pause. While this is nice because it doesn't slow down the meeting, listening to the staticy wireless headphones can get quite old quickly. Some pairs are also much worse than others and it's hard to hear the translator above the static and actual presentation going on.
• I shouldn't complain about the above because in the other staff meetings without a translator, other teachers and staff would go back and forth presenting in both languages. This doubles the time but not the material. In the state us teachers felt that we had little time for planning, this was even harder to sit though.
• The Ministry is involved in everything. Field trip, class planning, special events all have specific forms and books so they can get approved and go through. Also, all teachers need to be involved in a club and have an extra duty (again Ministry rules). Of course, we had meetings to explain this all. At 2:45pm this afternoon, the testing system opened up and all of us teachers frantically plugged in our test dates for the semester hoping they weren't already closed. Why...again the Ministry. Students can have no more than 2 tests per day. While this may sound like a fantastic idea protecting students from the evil teachers, with schedules the way they are, I can only test my kids on certain days since that's the only day I see them all. Luckily I got all my dates so no need to move things back or forward a week or two.
• We had an emergency preparedness meeting and all staff are on teams. Seriously, if there is an earthquake in Istanbul, this campus is where I want to be. They don't do this halfway. All the old buildings have all had reinforcements added. There are emergency containers throughout the grounds with food, water, and medical supplies. They are continually updated and resupplied. I am on the first aid team and we will be trained to respond to medical problems should such a disaster hit. Other teams are search and rescue, watering and supplies, damage assessment, etc.
  
• The faculty and staff is really amazing. Although everyone is stressed like I am, all have taken time to explain and patiently help me whenever I need it. It really is a spectacular staff and from what I hear, this student body outshines them.
• A major highlight of the week is finding an NFL fan base here on campus. They all share an online football package so they can watch the games whenever. I was invited over after work today to watch the kickoff Thursday night game, the only stipulation was that if I found out the score I couldn't say a word. I had a great time which is saying a lot seeing that the Packers won. But drinking beer (although it was the poor Turkish variety) and watching football on the bigscreen made me feel so happy and at home. They asked after if I could stand all the testosterone and wanted to join this NFL crew which I of course agreed. I have heard stories of this group pulling all-nighters for great games Sunday and Monday night (remember we are 8 hours ahead of Chicago). While I don't plan on doing that, especially the first part of my teaching career, I am very excited about watching the first half of the Bears game Sunday night! Go Bears!!!
  

The Sugar Holiday

The fasting during the lunar month for Ramadan is followed by a week of celebration called the Sugar Holiday. For that reason, we have had a week off in the middle of our preparations for school. It has been a great opportunity to explore more of the city, but I must say that the nerves are building and I am getting anxious to start.

On Sunday, I made my second voyage over to Asia (first was for the trip to IKEA) on a ferry with Metin, the head of IT and a fantastic tour guide. Most Turks don't like to call it Asia, but Anatolia since many people think of China when they hear Asia. Metin took me to Moda, his hometown, and Kadakoy, the bigger adjoining village. This side is a little quieter and more residential than the European side, but still filled with plenty of bustling stores. Just as on the other side, you could see many of the male storekeepers huddled together playing tavla or backgammon. If there is a national game here, that has to be it. I stopped and got some Turkish children's books and the storekeeper only got up from his game because he had to run next door for change.

On Monday, I took another day trip this time to the Prince's Islands, more specifically Burgaz Island. These islands are just a ferry away and in southern Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara. The Prince's Islands are popular vacation spots for Istanbulites and I can see why. In just an hour, we were transformed to a tranquil world. I didn't realize how used to the insane driving I had gotten until I arrived there and felt so strange walking peacefully down the road. No cars except emergency vehicles or garbage trucks are allowed on the islands. Water delivery was being done on horse and buggy. I went with John and Tania, Jack-the other new math teacher, Sandra-math teacher, and Jenny-English teacher. We hiked to the highest point of the island for a spectacular view of the city. Istanbul seriously just spreads out forever, it's amazing. We also checked out a beautiful little church there. We returned for a fish meal on the seaside, a quick dip in the water, then a ferry back.

As an outsider, there are some myths that Turks follow that really seem quite funny. Traditional Turks are scared to death of drafts. You can be on a sweltering bus and see a mother close the window because she doesn't want the draft on her baby. Then you look at the baby and not a inch of him or her is showing from under the clothing because again, the fear of drafts. I heard that an American mom had her baby with her at the covered bazaar on a hot summer day and Turkish women kept trying to cover the baby up to keep her from any breeze. Additionally, any kind of perspiration or spill on you will cause immediate dire sickness and must be changed immediately. I may have told you that an American woman here had a birthday party for her son and brought out squirt guns. When the Turkish mothers saw their children had gotten wet, they rushed them home to change and won't let them come over to play any more. One I think that is particularly funny is bare feet for women is supposed to cause infertility. Although wearing shoes in the house is not customary for Turks, they will have slippers for them and their guests.