Its tough having to work!

As most of you know, I had not worked since I left Hominy schools in May. I did do some tutoring and subbing to help bring in income when things go tight but other than those few days, I had not worked until I started this week.

Our work week is Sunday through Thursday. It takes a little getting used to. I still call Sunday Monday....and so on. My day starts at 7:15 and ends at 2:00. Teachers work 7:30-1:00 or 8:00- 1:30 depending on if they teach girls or boys. Boys come half an hour earlier because boys and girls cannot ride the bus together. Twice a week the teachers have to stay an extra 1/2 hour to an hour. Once for PD, once for planning. They teach no more than 6 sections for 45 minutes a day. Not allowed more than 30 classes a week. Although the day includes 7 sections plus lunch, they always have one or more off. Some teachers don't have 30 classes a week as there are more teachers than needed. AMTs only teach 24 classes a week- maximum. I have some that only teach 8-12 classes in a week! But they are the ones that get called to sub. More on that below.

I have to get up at FIVE am. This is the TOUGH part. It has been tough getting used to going to bed earlier. I am used to staying up til 10-11 pm but can't do that if I want to get at least 6 hours rest. I am usually home around 3 pm. I am on my feet from the second I get there til I leave.

The great part- other than the wonderful staff- is that the service crew brings me hot tea or coffee as soon as I arrive. I usually have about 30 minutes in my office before first Tabor. It is nice to have this start to my day. They are wonderful! They get upset if I try to bring my tea tray back to them. NO NO! lol! Then again at around 10 am, they will check to see if I want more. I can call their extension anytime if I want something. This is a great perk...Don't think I would ever have expected Allison to bring me coffee or tea! She would have told me where to find it...haha...

During the day, I got around to the EMT classrooms to observe. The students are very respectful and quiet! (Although Olive introduced me the first day I was there, they still thought I was her sister. So funny! She is from Ireland....we don't look alike at all!) When I talk to them, they shyly look up and giggle. It is cute.

After that I go to the cafe to help monitor during boys lunch. They are pretty good. Some schools over here do not expect the boys to sit and eat- it can get quite wild. But at Al Wagan, they sit, they visit in normal voices, and they throw their trash away properly. We need to encourage the staff to take them out for 10 minutes to run off energy but other than that, they are great!

Part of my day is spent drawing up "cover" schedules. When a teacher is absent or gone for training, etc, I have to figure out how to cover their class. Here is the school schedule:

I know you cant read this, but as you can see, the schedule resembles a high school schedule. The names in orange are the AMTs who can be used for subbing. The yellow spots are the hours they are free each day- changes day to day.

To cover a class, I first look at the science lab schedule to see if that class is in the lab when it needs to be covered. If not, then step two- check to see if they are in the library during that time. If not, step 3- if it is the last hour, Kg1 and Kg can cover as they never have classes that hour. Finally, step 4- if none if the above works, find someone who has not taught their max for the week and use them.

Usually, I know the night before if a teacher is going to be absent so I can prepare the form in advance. But if they call in sick that morning, I have to quickly prepare it before the end of Tabor, so the class is not left unattended.
After I prepare the cover form, I take it to the AAVP (Arabic AVP) to have her confirm and write in the "red book." That is the official record. Then she takes the form and goes to inform those teachers that they have to cover the class. It is different here as multiple subs are used instead of just one.

My day ends with me going out to assist at the bus line. Boys load up, the drivers quickly drop them off and come back to load the girls.

I have also been helping with planning the fifth grade graduation. Just like at Hominy, it is a big celebration here. No tea and cake, but they do have the students sing, put on a short play, sing two songs- one Arabic, one bilingual; and some play instruments or read a poem. The school has a wonderful auditorium.

My other duty is to keep the school calendar up to date. If there is an upcoming event, I have to approve it, have Olive the outgoing principal approve it, and post it on the calendar. It is a hug poster covering one whole wall in the conference room. I should have gotten a pic of it!

Never a dull moment!~