Next week I will continue assessing my students, as well as meeting with the classroom teachers to talk about our students and scheduling. Each student that has a contract also has a Student Support Plan, which has previous/current testing results, their strengths/needs, their plan (what they will be working on/program used), accommodations for instruction, assignments, and testing. I've been typing the new plans for my students as well.
I read through the Visualizing and Verbalizing manual (for Reading Comprehension), and I've been trying to understand how to put together the program. It's not like anything that I've taught before, so trying to grasp it has been a bit complicated. The previous SST teacher, who is in the states, has been great about answering questions that I have, and I was able to talk to her on the phone. That really helped, and I think that I understand the program better. It's still going to take awhile to put it all together, with not being able to visually see anyone teach it. The manual does lay it out with sample lessons, but it's different when you're spontaneously teaching it! Next up is reading the On Cloud Nine- V/V Math, which I have at least two students I will be working with... The Wilson Phonics I'm somewhat familiar with, and for me, teaching phonics is a lot easier than teaching Reading Comprehension.
Monday I was actually excited (???) that I was going to be able to go to the gym!! The school has it worked out that we can use a gym - VIP Fitness, that is relatively close to the school. It's about $300 U.S. dollars a year. One of the other teachers is kindly giving me a ride there and home, and she went with me. It took awhile to fill out the paperwork-- in Spanish!! She doesn't speak Spanish very well either, so it was interesting filling it out! LOL The gym has 3 floors-- 1st floor with arm weights/free weights, middle floor with ellipticals, treadmills, leg weights, class room, and 3rd floor with ab weights.
Tuesdays we have faculty meetings from 3:30-4:45. Some weeks we meet divisionally, and others we meet as a whole staff. Wednesday, I successfully ordered from puntodelivery.com. It's a delivery website that has at least 20 different restaurants that you can order from. I had tried it last week for a pizza place, and the activation email was sent to my spam folder, so the food never came. Then I tried ordering ice cream from Bon, and it never came either. Finally Wednesday, I tried a 3rd time, and we successfully had a Hawaiian pizza from Brixx! :-) Last night, we were invited out to Mari Cakes, which is owned by a couple that goes to the church Vida Nueva. I had the best vegetable pizza I think I have ever had. I think it's my favorite pizza now! I've also been told that they have really good cinnamon rolls too. :-)
Friday, our bank came to our school, and we signed paperwork to finalize our bank accounts. So, I now have a bank account and a debit card. I have to say it's actually been kind of nice not to have to worry about balancing a checkbook!!
Last night, Kyla, Sarah, and I had dinner at Brixx with Darlene, our absolutely wonderful apartment neighbor. She is a missionary that has been in DR for 39 years. Darlene has helped us so much since we have moved here. She knows a lot of the teachers at SCS, and it seems that so many of the teachers know her as well! We ended the evening with ice cream at Bon.
Today I'm going with several of the teachers to Pricemart, which is comparable to Costco-- a bulk store, that you have to have a membership for. Sunday we're going to another new church, which is where our high school principal attends. We will have a translation on the radio, using our cell phones.
One of things that I've found that it's all too easy to complain about circumstances-- It's so hot. Our shower doesn't work. (We have 2 showers and the one that I call the good shower, the handle broke, so we can't use it), The copying machine is jamming again! But it's also been a lesson in seeing about being grateful for what you do have, and what God has provided. The weather is what it is. It's not going to change. So it's better to just accept it, and move on. (Though sometimes easier said than done!) Our shower may be broken, but we do have water to use. There are people that don't have water. We haven't had our water out for an extended period of time (yet). We at least have copying machines to use. At our partner schools, they don't have copy machines, so they have to make their worksheets, by copying each one by hand!! It gets very easy to think about stuff and possessions-- things that I don't have, things that I want. But I've found that here in DR, b/c people don't have a lot of money to buy stuff, there's more of a focus on relationships. Family is greatly valued, and very important (as well as time). It's not always the case in every circumstance, but for the most part, it's what I've gathered.
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
I Thessalonians 5:18
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