Wow, I can't believe that on Monday I will have been TEACHING at ICSV for a whole month! This is a totally insane realization. Even more insane was my realization that it's been three whole weeks since I last updated you on what's been going on! Don't worry, I've given myself a stern smack on the back of the hand and a judging look in the mirror so I've paid for my error. There certainly has been a lot filling up my time. So, following the pattern of my last blog update I've decided that rather than trying to bore you to death with every minute detail, I'm just giving myself another time limit. In that time limit I will share as much with you as possible. Does that sound fair? Not that you get a choice. I'm kind of the queen of my blog so I get to do what I want ;-).
It is currently 11:22. I officially give myself until 11:50. That way I can get some pictures in. Ready...set...go!
School Life!
Alright so I've been getting to know all of my students very well, and they are an awesome group of kids! As I've mentioned before they are from nine different countries. In some ways teaching at an international school is very similar to teaching in America in that kids are kids no matter where they are from. I'm still breaking up Dodgeball related drama, giving spelling tests, and working through the hardships of math...but in some ways it is a very different challenge. One of the major challenges is that most of my students are speaking English as their 2nd or 3rd language which means that teaching grammar, reading, and writing is a big challenge. Four of the students are still in ELL classes which means that they are still mastering a basic command of the English language.
Another major challenge is the wide ranges of educational backgrounds that my students come from. I have one student who is from a country in Africa (sorry can't post specifics until I have permission) and who didn't get to go to school until second grade because her teachers were on strike. In the same classroom I have several students from Korea who have had heavy math emphasis throughout their education. So sometimes class can be challenging because the student's prior knowledge is so wildly different. (i.e. some still learning how to round while some are dividing with 2 digit divisors and thinking it's too easy).
Yet another awesome challenge with these students is teaching them about the Bible. Imagine sitting in a room with 16 students (I added one last week) to talk about God when some of them have missionary parents, some have never heard of the Bible, and some are from different religions! Just this Friday we had a great conversation because they get to put their questions about God in a box and we wrestle through them. One of the questions was "How are Christians different from Catholics?". We got to wrestle through this together with the help of a girl in class who is Catholic. The students then wanted to know if Islam is similar and our Muslim student shared his background, then a student from South Korea piped in with information about Buddhism! So awesome!
I can't post pictures of the students right now because we don't have photo release rights (and some students can't have their pictures posted regardless) so I'll just share a few pictures of one of our assignments where they had do define their vocabulary words with pictures :-).
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| Caption: Man: Trash that dog poo-poo! Girl: Sorry! |
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| Defining the word "Skeptical" |
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| To "Attain" |
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| A lab activity where the students attempted to use reasoning skills to "Save Fred"...Fred was a gummy worm. |
Personal Life....
Sarah and I moved last Wednesday! Yes that's right we are FINALLY in our real apartment! I don't remember if I shared this last time but we have had quite the nomadic trip! We started out in temporary digs and then had a shower related water problem and had to move to two different friend's apartments to live on couches and wait for our apartment to be ready. Well...now it is!
We've been working hard to fill our apartment and turn it into home but it's a gradual process! I am not fully prepared to reveal our magnicifent apartment in all of it's glory because it's just not up to par yet but I can give you sneak peeks! We have begun to accumulate some basic items through the help of the school and friends (like a table, couches, etc.), and have been shopping for some other neccessities to make the apartment feel more like home. But we are still waiting for a few more SLIGHTLY important items...like beds...and a washing machine. We have been truly impressive women in putting together these items, but I am sad to say that we were outsmarted by a curtain rod during one of our assembling parties!
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| Sarah and I prepare to assemble a gifted wardrobe (we succeeded) |
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| Bought some apartment necessities! |
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| Shopping is a lot more challenging when you have to get everything home on a bus or train |
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| The collection of secondhand eclectic tea cups has made us very happy! |
Next week's challenge is painting!
Spiritual Life...
God continues to be so gracious and awesome in helping me to transition to my calling here in Vienna. I am lifted up by my friends and family at home in prayer so powerfully that I have really been able to settle in and be used by God. Another blessing is the great community of teachers at the school who are so willing to help and encourage me through the whole process! Truly I am blessed! I know that there will be times of frusteration, loneliness, or sadness in the months to come but please help me to pray my way through them!
Here's a few prayer requests if you wouldn't mind...
* That our visas come through! We are still waiting to be "official" here in Vienna! It's taking a longer than usual amount of time for our visas to be processed so please pray that there are no issues.
* For my students and their families - that God would create windows for ministry in their lives and that I would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading so that I can minister to them.
* For the school as they make some important decisions in the next few months that could potentially help the school to grow even more (more details later)
* For continued energy, joy, and health :-)
Love you all and miss you like crazy (if you are at home) or love that you are here with me (if you're in Vienna)! Please keep in touch and let me know if you have any questions about things!
Love,
Amy
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