Photos: (top three) from ISD Opening Ceremony; (bottom two) from TGIF, including image looking north toward lighthouse at Phare des Mamelles.
There was a point last Friday morning, after putting up a couple of old posters, more for aesthetics than content, when I realized: That's it, the classroom is ready. The moment was preceded by two weeks of orientation and hours of preparation. I am as well-stocked in curricular materials, particularly science, as I have ever been, or ever will be. For those of you familiar with such things, I have three FOSS science kits, each directly related to my curriculum, with all the accompanying texts, and even a second supplementary science series. Amazing.
To help assuage the first day of school nerves (for students AND teachers), ISD had an opening ceremony on Friday afternoon, giving parents a chance to check out the new staff, and offering teachers the opportunity to meet with our new students, at least those in-country, in our classrooms for a half-hour.
My class stats: I currently have 23 students from 16 countries: Israel, USA, England/Belgium, Germany, Burkina Faso, Portugal, Spain, Japan, Malaysia, South Africa, Gambia, Togo, Australia, Sierra Leon, and Switzerland. The 14 students present on Friday were very respectful and sweet, if a bit nervous. I have 17 returning students, and 6 new to Senegal. 4 have recently transitioned from ELL (English Language Learners), and will be fully mainstreamed; 2 new students are arriving with limited English, and will enter the ELL program.
I have several French-speakers, and a student whose first language is Wolof. These kids I will adopt as my language coaches. They learn English, I learn French/Wolof.
The week closed with a staff potluck at Wayne's beautiful home with, as a colleague expressed it, a 120 degree view of the Atlantic Ocean.
I can honestly say that this is the friendliest staff I've worked with in my career, and my middle school team -- Marissa, Heather, and Thia -- is outstanding.
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1 comment:
Do you mean to tell me that you lugged your boxes and boxes of fossils all the way to Africa?
That would be an interesting sight. For some reason, the only thing I can picture is your portable from ISM being picked up and shipped off to Senegal. It's strange to try and imagine a familiar setting in an alien country.
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