When politics enter school

Yesterday my study hall was interrupted by an explanation that immediately after following the morning exam we would have a school-wide minute of silence for all of the Palestinian students and children that had died recently. I thought this was interesting - seemed to be completely out of the blue. The merit? Well, maybe it will actually make our students think about how many people die when there is conflict. Maybe it will make them, at least for a minute, appreciate the safety and advantages they often take for granted. I did think it was a bit odd that we were only remembering the Palestinians...what about the other half of the blameless victims? I thought perhaps I had just misunderstood the Turkish (hey, it happens...and quite often). Today I found out that the whole thing had come down from the ministry of education and happened at all school across Turkey at the same time (theoretically - we managed at least to not disrupt our exams with it). That information made me sit back and question again. Clearly there is something bigger going on, and politics just pushed their way into my classroom - without me even being aware of it at the time. Definitely gives a teacher food for thought.

An odd surprise

Returning anywhere when you've been gone for a while always brings its own surprises. Whenever I head home to Texas I am always shocked by the development that has sprouted up in our small town. I'm not sure it can be called a suburb anymore, more like a suburb of Austin. I may have to call it quits the time when I go back to find houses in the field that faces our house and has always been full of steers and sunflowers in the past. A time I suspect will be quite soon.

Coming back to Istanbul was no different. Only I would have never been able to anticipate the surprise that awaited me at school. It seems that we have acquired our very own Trojan horse. Yes, that's right. They redid the elementary school playground and we now have an extremely large wooden horse (taller than either of the two story wings of the elementary school)in our side garden. I'm just not quite sure why it is necessary. It's cool, in an unexpected sort of way. Although I have to admit the red slides coming off the two sides spoil the look a bit. I wonder if teachers will take their students inside of it when they are discussing the Trojan war?

Excursion Day

Despite having just gotten back from vacation, and there being no class on Monday due to it being Istanbul Liberation Day, on Wednesday we took off for excursion day. This is one of those things that is mandated by the Turkish Ministry of Education, which while a great idea does not always achieve the goal. "The goal?" you ask. Well that would be to take students outside of school and show them how what they learn in school is related to real life. This year we took our set of students (about a third of the 10th graders) to Buyukada, the largest of the Prince's Islands. In the past we've attempted to do a navigation activity which has been somewhat loosely organized and never ends up working out to well. This year we actually paid a company to run an orienting course (at least that is what they called it - not quite what I expected). Basically it was a treasure hunt for information that required students to plan a course, read a map (no compass needed), and participate in some activities (like donkey riding, bike riding, rappelling and darts). What I can say is that this year at least our students seemed to actually participate (which is more than I can say for previous years). I had a good time, as we entered one teacher team so that we could analyze the course and see how it worked and if we liked it. Along the way I did get to go a down small cliff, and was pleased to see a side of island that I had missed in my previous three trips there.

...is like a game of whac-a-mole

Proctoring exams is like a game of whac-a-mole. At least thats what comes to my mind as I sit and stare at my students for 80 minutes. I'm always scanning the room looking for the next head that is going to pop up. The trick is to make eye-contact with a student as soon as their eyes come up from their exam so that they know you're watching them. I figure that prevention is so much better than having to actually deal with cheating. And if you're looking at you most of them will think three times before trying to sneak a peak at some else's exam. Really it is like a game of whac-a-mole in the quick reflexes it takes to catch them as soon as they pop up. Now if only they'd give me a nice rubber covered mallet proctoring would be so much more entertaining.

Our new auditorium

Our new auditorium
Originally uploaded by ccarlstead

At the beginning of the school year they promised that the auditorium that was gutted and being rebuilt would be finished by November. Today (yes, at the end of May) they officially opened that same auditorium with our student talent show. It was fitting to have the opening be a student event, especially as the students have been suffering along with us teachers through the construction noises and distractions all school year. I can’t say I really expected the thing to be done in November but I was starting to lose hope that we’d actually see it before the end of the year. I am always s amazed by the talents our students have. I only stopped in for an hour of the talent show, about a quarter of the whole thing, but during that time I heard several bands, a girl play the harp, another student on the violin and enjoyed a Latin dance. A variety that proved quite entertaining.

School feels empty

The school feels empty, which seems a bit ridiculous to say as there is still two months of classes left. Our seniors are gone, for the most part, and you wouldn't believe what losing a quarter of the students does for the feel of the school. Why, you wonder, are the seniors gone? I know I've mentioned it before but students are allowed to miss 45 days of school (a full 1/4 of the total school days)and since the seniors are all preparing for the OSS, the large national exam that determines if they go to a public university in Turkey, they take those days at the end of the year and focus on studying for that exam. It seems a bit ridiculous, but there are some things that are so entrenched in the system you don't ever see them changing. So, for the time being, senior teachers are rejoicing the reduction in class load, we're all enjoying the quieter school and hey, I guess that means I've only got 45 days of teaching left.

I'm amused

I'm amused that our board erasers come packaged with a piece of paper that claims they are "Good for your health." What? Erasing the board in my classroom is good for me? Somehow I doubt it...although it could be strengthening my arm muscles a bit to have my arms raised. Turns out that the slip of paper contains a diagram of the front and back of the hand showing the reflex nerve zones for the rest of the body. Since the eraser has small plastic bumps on the back of it they claim that if you "message on these zone with our products 3 minutes once a day you will get satisfied results." (and yes I typed this in correctly, the English leaves a bit to be desired.) Maybe next time I'm waiting to get my students attention I should start rubbing my hand with the eraser, it might not help my hands but I bet it would get their attention.

I had to laugh

Many of my students call me Ms C, as my full last name is a bit of a mouthful for students that are not native English speakers (as well as for some native English speakers). I had to laugh though when I received a paper and the student had written my name as Ms. See, I guess that is what it sounds like, but it strikes me that he was missing the point a bit.

When teachers dress as students

When teachers dress up as students, and students take on the role of teachers you know that laughs will follow. Its actually quite amusing how accurately each group has picked up on the mannerisms of the other. I'm not sure whether to take it as a compliment or not, when after our little skit for the Teacher's Day Celebration at school my students told me that I "could start attending classes with us today." That's how much I look like a student when you put me into a uniform. Is it a good thing that I can look like one of my high school students? I have been past that point in my life for 10 years now, it shouldn't be that easy....but I just keep reminding myself it's good to look to long. And hey, as long as our student body is amused and laughing I'm pretty willing to make a fool of myself. As one of the quotes from the presentation today said: "Teaching is 20% knowledge and 80% theatrics."

making a fool of myself

Make a fool of yourself once voluntarily in a school setting and you're almost guaranteed to make a fool of yourself again...and have people requesting it. My brief stint on stage last year in a skit to celebrate teacher's day is coming back to haunt me. Some of the students (yes, they are ones I taught last year) have requested that I participate in the skit again this year. Sucker that I am, of course I said yes....and then I realize that yet again I'll be wearing a uniform, mistaken for as a teacher, up in front of the entire high school. At least I get to pretend to be a student...which this year I believe will consist of me taking pictures with my cell phone with a friend, being out of uniform, and doing the normal high school student complaining (as opposed to last year's i-pod listening). I don't really mind, it's just a bit intimidating to realize that I'll be up there making a lot of people laugh at me - and that I'll still understand maybe 1/3 of what is going on. "What?" you ask...well I'm in a skit, but the majority of it (including my lines) are in Turkish. This is when you begin to see how things get a little tricky. It's hard to improv when you don't know what someone is "yelling" at you. Oh well, maybe that will make it more realistic as half the time I don't think my students understand me at all.

To add to the day's humiliation I'll also be up on stage singing the teacher's anthem. The what???yes, Turkey has a song specifically for teachers. And I'll be singing it (with a group of other teachers)...in Turkish. Are you beginning to get a sense of just what I've gotten myself into? We had a rehearsal for the song today...I guarantee you that I'll get my tongue twisted up in knots at least once during the song, and until then I have the niggling feeling that the tune will be coming back to haunt me as it won't leave my head. Now if only I could remember some of the words!

What a thing to look forward to coming back to after a week break. Why does it have to be on Monday???

sometime soon

Sometime soon I'll have my final schedule for the school year. However, I somehow doubt that day is today. No, instead when I got to school this morning I had my 5th new schedule in almost as many days. Never mind that this is now the 5th day of classes, nothing is set in stone yet. The funny part is that I got a new schedule but no one else did. Not the other teacher's it affected, not the students who were now supposed to be in a different room, not even their dean knew. So instead of teaching the one period that got switched I spent the 40 minutes trying to figure out where my kids were really supposed to be, and then where the class that teacher had to leave was due. It would have just been easier to teach!

First Day of School

10 September 2007
Originally uploaded by ccarlstead

School has finally started! Frankly I'm just glad to have kids back in my room. After two weeks of planning time I was more then ready to get down to actually teaching. School technically started on Monday, although I didn't really see any kids. It's one of those days which is just taken up by formalities. Since they are working on renovating both our gym and our auditorium we had to have our opening ceremony in the parking lot of the school. It doesn't hold quite the same seriousness in that location, standing in the sun with the planes flying overhead. Two sessions with their homeroom teachers (thanking my luck that is only the Turkish teachers) and a picnic lunch (what? you mean all I can eat that is being offered in ayran - a salty yogurt drink - and the water, oh well) ended the day. Students were gone by 1, although we had to stay until the official end of the day around 4. Tuesday brought about the first "real" day of school. It was nice to meet my students (over the next three days) and realize I had at least a small step up from last year in that I could pronounce their names and didn't expect to have a set rooster until the end of the week. It's so nice to know what to expect. And to be looking forward to my second week of classes.

oh the confusion

It's amazing the little things you sometimes take for granted as a teacher. Like knowing how many students (roughly) you'll have show up for class the first day, and having a schedule before classes start. I was told this morning that my schedule will change at least one more time (for the third day in a row) before it is set. I'm not really complaining, after all I'm losing periods which means a lighter load for me, but it does seem a bit ridiculous when school technically started today. Thank goodness we don't see kids until tomorrow. In the meantime I'm making enough copies to cover what the maximum class size will be and hoping they'll be smaller. Its just enough to make your starting week seem stressful (above and beyond the normal first day of class nerves).

drowning in paper

I don't know why but the start to a school year always makes me feel like I'm drowning in paper. With so much emphasis on trying to move to a more digital society I don't understand why it still seems as if I have probably used an entire tree by myself in the past week and a half. Do I really need all of this printed out? Unfortunately for those of us who work best on paper and for my students the answer is yes. So I'll continue to go and photocopy all my worksheets and hope that at least if my students throw them away that they'll make it into the recycle bin. I've even created a website for my classes (thank you google pages!) so that I have a way to disseminate information and solutions to worksheets, it's my only hope at not using quite so much paper personally.

Summer's End

Well I dropped my mom at the airport on Sunday (poor mom, her flight was a three hours late so she spent the night in New York instead of making it home) and then came back to campus. It's a bit of a shock to be at meeting already, starting the day after I got back to campus. It's good to be back, and at least in my own space and unpacked finally (yeah, new floors in my lojman! The fake wood makes it seem a lot cleaner and open). I realized yesterday as I wandered around school saying hello to people just how many people left last year. There were not so many people around for me to greet. I guess the flip side is that there are lots of new people to meet, including three or four in my department.

"Responsibility Exams"

"Responsibility Exams" (Sorumluluk) - n. The exam a student who has failed a class a previous year takes in order to get credit for the course. Each exam can be up to 80 minutes in length, and a person can try as many times as necessary to pass this exam.

So why are they called responsibility exams anyways? (Although who knows if that is an accurate translation from the Turkish.) Perhaps because it is the student's responsibility to show up to take the exam. Or because it is their responsibility to actually study and pass this test. Or maybe because it is one of the responsibilities of the teachers to provide this last shot chance to make up for a year of slacking off. I don't really get it. All I know is that it requires A LOT of running around and signing official forms. Turns out that all our work this week to prepare an exam, make sure it was in proper form, and getting all the necessary signatures was for 1 student (ONE!) who in the end never turned up to take the exam. (I guess he didn't follow up on his responsibility) I can't be to upset, although I am annoyed that we had to even prepare the thing, at least I'm saved the hassle of grading the thing (a huge improvement over the 17 we had to deal with in February). This means I am now officially done with all of my work for school. Woo hoo summer here I come!

I have to admit that this system is a bit bizarre. How is it that a single 80 minute exam can make up for a semester or a year worth of under par work? The rules also say that if you fail grade 10 but pass grade 11 (in a single subject - not the entire year) then the pass you earned in the following year negates the failure the previous year. I believe it remains on the report card as a failure, but the students do not need to take a test to pass out of it. When I start to think about I get really confused....better to leave it alone and just do what I'm told is necessary.

A night on the Bosphorus

25 June 2007
Originally uploaded by ccarlstead

We had our end of year school party last night. Spent four hours on a boat going up and down the Bosphorus. Not that I noticed the scenery for most of the evening - only when we were going past the bridges (especially pretty when they began to light up with different colors once it got dark) and once we got past the area of the Bosphorus that I had previously travelled. D was nice enough to point out sites of interest and give us a bit of history. It's so nice to have someone who can double as a tour guide as a friend. She always makes sure she points out things that might be of interest to those of us who are still learning the city. It was a hot night, but as I flitted from group to group I forgot about the sticky weather and just enjoyed being outside and socializing. After dinner the music got cranked up and we started dancing like crazy. You should have seen some of the guards! Turks love to dance! And I have to admit that I think two years of dancing with them will teach me how to move my body better. The night unfortunately had to end on a sad note as I said good-bye to several friends who are off on their new adventures. They may be leaving but won't be forgotten (after all these are the people that will make great travel destinations for me in the future!)

Getting quiet

The students are gone (since Wednesday) and teachers have started leaving as of this morning. School is definitely getting quiet. I saw three other people (besides the cleaning staff) as I walked in this morning around 9. I have to admit it is odd to realize just how many people are leaving for good. I guess the transition of teaching staff is one of those things that is a regular part of any school, but especially at an international school. It's sad, humbling, and energizing to realize that there will be a whole new of group of people around next year. Sad to be saying good-bye when it seems like I just got here. Humbling to realize that although people make an impact on your life, a single year just barely gives you enough time to really get to know a person. Energizing to know that the dynamic will be changing and you'll have a whole new group of people to work with, and there is no telling what it will bring. Of course I'll still be here until the official last day of school for teachers (next Friday) but I have a feeling I won't be seeing to many more people come next week.

Another Busy Day

Another busy day at work. Yeah right! The sum total of my activity today consisted of writing in all of the grades my students received this semester into the little red books, numbering all of those pages (don't ask - ministry requirement), and signing my name about another 50 times. Happily though I only have two more signatures to get before I'm done with my end of year check list. And yes, classes are still (technically) in session. I think I had a grand total of 6 students at school today (out of the 48 I would normally teach on Monday)...so while school is technically in session I think my students spent the day in the library or playing cards in the pyramid. It did mean I was free to spend 2 1/2 hours trying to decide on hotels for mom and my trip to Budapest (and a day in Vienna) this August. I finally made a choice just because I couldn't handle the thought of spending any more time on it. We're staying at the Hotel Turotel Mariahilf and the Korona Hotel Panzio. That's all I've done this afternoon, but now we have places to sleep - always important in the travel plan (I figure the only necessities are plane tickets and hotel reservations, all else can be figured out once you arrive). The exciting bit is that I think I have just one more reservation left to make for the summer (period!). Now I just have to decide when I'm going to take mom and dad to the thermal springs in Termal so that I can book that hotel. I slightly more difficult proposition as the owner only speaks Turkish.

I survived!

There's always something satisfying about finishing up your last class for the school year. I know I'm not completely done working but I am finished teaching. The best part is that it means I've survived my first year of teaching in Turkey. Really, having to grade exams and then babysitting the few students who actually show up the last week will be nothing compared to what I've been through the rest of the year. It always amazes me though how few students want to spend their time the last couple of periods reviewing. I'm here, I'm willing to answer questions, but they just don't want to work anymore. I had more questions today then the past week combined, and I think that is just because the math exam is actually tomorrow...so they're running out of time to prepare (although they weren't ready to work yesterday). Whatever. It's time for me to CELEBRATE I've survived another school year!