1/6/11
Slept pretty much straight through the night until 5am - hopefully the longer nights sleep I had will help me adjust to the time difference quicker. 1st full day of school!!!! Was pretty exhausting - was mostly just observing, but a few of the teachers let me help the students with their seatwork. Our class has been moved from the normal upstairs area to a tiny room under the library for today and tomorrow - apparently there is a conference meeting up there. We spent the first 30 minutes of the day "cleaning" (dust moving, lol) the cement room (no windows) and sorting out the students workbooks that got mixed up during the move..was quite chaotic. The room is right next to a construction work area so it is very noisy all the time. We are all very glad it is only for one more day.
library is. Our classroom was held below it inside the right door - right by the work area!
The school is set up into 40 minute class periods - here's the schedule:
7:45-8:25 Philippine History (they call it "Sibika")
8:25-9:05 English
9:05-9:45 MWF=Art, T/Th=P.E.
9:45-10:00 Break
10:00-10:40 Computer/Library
10:40-11:20 Science
11:20-12:00 HELE (Home Economics and Livelihood Education)
12:00-12:40 Lunch
12:40-1:20 Math
1:20-2:00 Bible
2:00-2:40 Filipino
2:40-3:00 Wrap-up/go home
During P.E. I bumped a volleyball with one of the girls - Rainelyn - who didn't bring shorts so she didn't participate in the regular volleyball game that was going on. I asked her to teach me how to count in Tagalog as we bumped it back and forth - I'm pretty rough at it, but I'm going to work on it! She was getting a pretty big kick out of my mispronunciations :) It was nice to start connecting with Rainelyn and some of the other students - one of my other new friends is a sweet little girl named Elijah Mae who has attached herself to me. During break, I played the kids' version of dodgeball with a group of girls - very fun! During Filipino calss, the teacher had me come sit at the front of the classroom & the students asked me questions about myself & I also asked them questions so we could all get to know each other. They also started teaching me more Tagalog words....I have a good sized list to study now!
Tonight we had another Education major meeting (if I didn't say this before, we have 24 education majors and 11 social workers from Taylor on our team - ed. majors are obviously in the schools every day, and the social workers are out in the surrounding communities working with different ministries). Some of the girls who were here early brought us "ballut" - a Philippine delicacy - to try....only a few of us were brave enough to try it....it's basically a boiled egg that has a chick embryo in it! Very weird, but actually not too bad tasting.....you crack the skinnier end of the egg and peel some back, suck the broth out, then peel the rest. You eat the yellow yolk part first & then the weird black and white, slimy part....the rest of the bird! Ew! Thus far, the classroom experience has not been what I signed up for at all - it is soooooo different and overwhelming, especially because much of the teaching is in Tagalog - the Philippine language!! We all were told going into this that it would be all in English....but only about 30% so far has been so. I often feel very lost and "out of the loop". The classrooms aren't controlled at all like at home - there is TONS of yelling out and getting up and walking around the classroom. A few of the teachers do keep pretty good control of the class, but others barely do at all. I think my mom was right in an email she sent me after hearing all of my individual and group issues - rash, school (everyone else is having similar experiences), etc. - in saying that alot of this is the devil working overtime to discourage us and keep us from effectively doing the work that the Lord has brought us here to do. I've been praying that Satan would have no place here and that we would all get adjusted soon. We all just really need to be filled with Christ's joy as we continue serving.
1/7/11
This morning was very encouraged by my devotions in Isaiah: 'You are my servant, Israel (Lindsey!), in whom I will display my splendor.' But I said, 'I have labored to no purpose, I have spent my strength in vain & for nothing.' Yet what is due me in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God. Even though I feel like I haven't really done anything yet (but seem to end the day exhausted), I can be encouraged because I know that God is still using me & my reward, although maybe not outwardly evident, will be found in Him.
WONDERFUL DAY TODAY!!!! I think jet lag is finally wearing off - YAY! Cuarto has chapel for the students every Friday, and a group of us Taylor teachers (myself included) were in charge of leading it today. We sang 4 songs with motions and also taught them 1 Corinthians 15:58 with fun motions - the kids absolutely loved it all! My class was singing the songs for the rest of the day, and they even remembered the Bible verse at the end of the day! They are all just so precious!
I finally feel like I'm connecting with my students - most of the girls love to hang on my arms, give me hugs, and give me little notes whenever they go to the trashcan to sharpen pencils. Even the boys are beginning to talk to me - Lowe Jay, one of the more mischievous boys, especially likes teaching me Tagolog! They have all be helping me learn - they love it when I say new things...especially when I pronounce it wrong at first. Today, Teacher Verna (all students call their teachers "Teacher" and then their first name - I am "Teacher Lindsey"), spent the whole Filipino class time allowing the students to teacher ME! It was very fun! Brought my camera to school, so got a few fun shots of my students - they really like being silly for pictures!
The teachers today actually seemed to do very well with classroom management. I noticed a lot of good techniques being used that demanded respect but also gave positive encouragement. Maybe things in this system aren't so bad after all.....although the teaching methods are very basic. Mostly the students just read aloud from their LIFEPACs - the booklets from the curriculum they use - then the teacher discusses the lesson with them a bit and has the students do the workbook pages.....I wish they had more resources to provide more creative instruction. Hope I can do a lesson that uses supplemental resources for the students somehow......
Talked with Teacher Reza (the substitute homeroom, Filipino, and HELE teacher) today and she said the actually homeroom teacher, Teacher Weeney, should be back on Monday, as well as the other teacher she had been subbing for. I'm a little nervous to meet a new teacher & not sure how the class dynamics will change. Also, I will really miss Teacher Reza - she is SUCH a sweetheart and I've gotten to know her fairly well in our short time here thus far. Hope I will see her again before I leave. One positive thing for Monday: our class will return to the proper area upstairs because the conference is over - glad to be away from construction noise & dogs, but wondering how will get used to 5th grade noise....
Speaking of dogs, today one of the Long's dogs wandered into our makeshift class - the library (which we are under) is on the same property as the the guest house, so their dogs just roam around! We could not get him to leave! I even tried pulling him out by his collar, but he wouldn't budge! He eventually just dropped down to lay in front of Lowe Jay! It was pretty funny, except for the fact that one of the girls - Juvelyn - was pretty scared of it - she was screaming and running away, but laughing too so hopefully she's not too scarred or anything....kids lured him out by throwing a ball out the door, but he just ran & brought it back - and brought the other dog with him!! HAHA! Needless to say, the students did not get a lot done that class period.
I played volleyball after school with a few other from our group against some of the faculty from Valley View Acadamy - they asked if we would help them practice for their game against another school's faculty. We won but it was a great game! It was fun to do something that was a part of both cultures - they were just as intense, competitive, and fun as we are! Was on dish duty tonight for dinner - was really fun to sing, laugh, and get to know a few of the other girls better. Have also been connecting with the other girls (and Aaron, our only guy!) during meals and random "girl talks" in the evenings.
Tonight I met a beautiful 11-year old named Ira at the Children's Home. It was my first visit; we went at 7pm at watched a movie with them before putting them to bed. First, a precious little girl named Angel crawled into my lap & laid there for the rest of the movie, and then Ira sat down next to me and talked my ear off through the entire movie! She is so cute! They ALL are - there are a little over 30 children who live there right now between the ages of baby and 13 years old. It was so bitter-sweet to be there. It makes my heart break to think that while it's great to be able to show these orphans love and have them be so open to us and our love, it's hard knowing that in 2 weeks, we will leave them like everyone else does.....how can they do that? They all have to know what's coming.......yet they still choose to love without fear. I just want to adopt them all! Or at least stay here with them forever....I am currently praying for God's guidance as I sort through all of these emotions and experiences as I continue my time here, waiting on His direction concerning present and future plans for my life that may include the Philippines.
Where You go, I'll go,
Where You stay, I'll stay,
When You move, I'll move,
I will follow You.
Who You love, I'll love,
How You serve, I'll serve,
If this life I lose,
I will follow You.
Well, I'm off to bed now - hope to finish "getting caught up" tomorrow! Love you all!
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