Last week - which was only four days for us - was all about getting us settled in. They took us shopping to several different kinds of stores, got us bank accounts and helped us get to know the school and each other a little. This week was largely focused on working within the school's philosophy of education.
The first full week of orientation was largely taken up with Tribes Training. This is the philosophy/system to which the school subscribes in order to create a collaborative, respectful, engaged community where students and teachers can flourish. I am now certain that I have come to the right place. It is clear that my new colleagues were selected because they were autonomous, creative, responsive teachers, and that the administration genuinely values those qualities. Even the school's new Director went through most of the training with us - as meetings allowed. It would have been an easy thing to excuse herself from, and it bodes well that she did not.
The school AC is killing me!
Several of us have been teachers for decades, and are a little jaded with this sort of thing, but we were all impressed by both the program and the three school trainers and were glad we'd had the chance to attend.
On Sunday night, I had sent in a list of small things that needed attention around the apartment and gently asked if they ever put together my two IKEA purchases. Apparently they do, because when I got home from the first day of training, this is the sight that greeted me. Hooray for having "people"!
In the end they had to give up. "He win," they told me. I was very glad that I had not tried in this heat and my general state of bewilderment. The guys won the following day.
After Tuesday's training, the orientation committee had another surprise for us in the form of dinner at El Conuco Restaurant.
The Dominican seated to my right ordered this big beige ball of squishy stuff sitting on top of a banister. It's called Mofongo and she pronounced it delicious. It is made of mashed plantain and pork crackling. Vegetarians and the cholesterol conscious need not order.
Two other people had the chicken breast with passionfruit cream sauce. I got a bite of that and it was amazing. I had real trouble deciding, but ended up with the classic Dominican Flag - white rice, beans and meat, with fried plantains and salad.
The first full week of orientation was largely taken up with Tribes Training. This is the philosophy/system to which the school subscribes in order to create a collaborative, respectful, engaged community where students and teachers can flourish. I am now certain that I have come to the right place. It is clear that my new colleagues were selected because they were autonomous, creative, responsive teachers, and that the administration genuinely values those qualities. Even the school's new Director went through most of the training with us - as meetings allowed. It would have been an easy thing to excuse herself from, and it bodes well that she did not.
The school AC is killing me!
Several of us have been teachers for decades, and are a little jaded with this sort of thing, but we were all impressed by both the program and the three school trainers and were glad we'd had the chance to attend.
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| A symbolic gift from the Counselling Department. |
On Sunday night, I had sent in a list of small things that needed attention around the apartment and gently asked if they ever put together my two IKEA purchases. Apparently they do, because when I got home from the first day of training, this is the sight that greeted me. Hooray for having "people"!
In the end they had to give up. "He win," they told me. I was very glad that I had not tried in this heat and my general state of bewilderment. The guys won the following day.
The Dominican seated to my right ordered this big beige ball of squishy stuff sitting on top of a banister. It's called Mofongo and she pronounced it delicious. It is made of mashed plantain and pork crackling. Vegetarians and the cholesterol conscious need not order.
Two other people had the chicken breast with passionfruit cream sauce. I got a bite of that and it was amazing. I had real trouble deciding, but ended up with the classic Dominican Flag - white rice, beans and meat, with fried plantains and salad.
Man, it's hot!
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| Let the show begin! |
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| This young woman is spinning while standing on a rum bottle. |
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| Now it's her partner's turn. |
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| I got to teach a Dominican the expression "dark horse" when describing our new IT/Robotics teacher. He had lived here twenty years ago, and kept all his notes from the dance classes he took. Here he is amazing our HR director. |
The culminating activity of our Tribes training was for each Tribe to present two chapters of a middle school book called Stone Fox. (Don't read it. It's one of those books where the dog dies.) Our tribe had chapters 7 and 8 of the 11 total, and here we are describing the start of the dog race.
After Friday's Tribes training session - we went to a nearby hotel that has a gym, tennis courts and pool, and offers corporate membership to Carol Morgan teachers. I think I'll join. There's a $100 sign-up fee, after which it's $20 a month. The twenty minute walk there can be my warmup.
Man it's hot!
Today, Sunday, I went for an hour's walk with a colleague in the huge park what runs through a lot of the city. All day Sunday and from 4-7 every week day, the road through the park is closed to traffic, and the whole city seems to be out running and biking. There is free yoga in one place, and salsa lessons in another, both free. Today we just walked - and melted. Man it's hot and humid!
Sadly, I have come down with a cold. The AC in the room where we had our training was the aggressive, blowy kind. Sitting under it all day, with interspersed experiences of the over 30 degree kind has done me in. Man, it's hot!
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| Clarissa (elem. asst), Alison (En 10) , Jessica (Gr. 1) , Richard (Athletics) and me going for an Oscar |
After Friday's Tribes training session - we went to a nearby hotel that has a gym, tennis courts and pool, and offers corporate membership to Carol Morgan teachers. I think I'll join. There's a $100 sign-up fee, after which it's $20 a month. The twenty minute walk there can be my warmup.
Man it's hot!
Today, Sunday, I went for an hour's walk with a colleague in the huge park what runs through a lot of the city. All day Sunday and from 4-7 every week day, the road through the park is closed to traffic, and the whole city seems to be out running and biking. There is free yoga in one place, and salsa lessons in another, both free. Today we just walked - and melted. Man it's hot and humid!
Sadly, I have come down with a cold. The AC in the room where we had our training was the aggressive, blowy kind. Sitting under it all day, with interspersed experiences of the over 30 degree kind has done me in. Man, it's hot!
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