Americana

In honor of Thanksgiving last Thursday, we had a little American adventure for P.E. last week. Usually I go for the soothing, non-contact options when I'm teaching P.E.- especially since my experience with 'Chase the Teacher' with KG1 in my first year. Mistake. Involved a lot of blood and nurse's visits. We frequently partake of yoga, hula hooping, obstacle races and the like. Last week I thought I'd give something a little more traditional a try. So, though my hand-eye coordination ranks alongside that of a blindfolded penguin and my own gym class experiences range from mildly traumatic to soul excoriating levels, I thought I might try a little sporting action with the boys while the girls were at swimming.

Considering I have twenty boys in my class, I thought baseball would be the perfect sport to try. This also considers that baseball is the only sport I understand the rules of and don't overly fear resulting traumatic spinal injuries in children.

[After they have 'warmed up' by walking, marching, skipping, and tiptoeing around the cushioned play area]

Me: Today I will teach you a new game. It's very fun and it's a game we play in my country.
[Excited glances and whispers dart up and down the line]
Me: Who knows what baseball is? Has anyone seen baseball on TV? Have you heard of baseball?
[Two or three hands go up, tentatively. Probably the same hands that would go up if I asked, 'Who knows who is the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan?']
Me: Ok. Who knows cricket? (Immediately 12 hands shoot up) Good. It's like cricket! I will show you.

Honestly, once they had the cricket reference, I barely needed to show them anything. (Probably better really). Mark my words, MLB, I have discovered an ore of untapped baseball talent. Dodgers short on fielders? Head to Karachi. Cubs need pitchers? Look into Colombo's classrooms. These kids had serious talent. Beaned it out of the enclosed areas and had the ball knocking off KG2 doors all around us. Every time. I figured I'd have to let them hit four or five times each....most of them hit the ball on the second swing. They loved it and can't wait to play next week at P.E. now; as one little one told me,
"Thish baysheball berry nishe!!!"

From the mouths of babes.

Happy Thanksgiving

This year, I'm thankful for many things. Old friends and family, new opportunities, work, the internet, and Turkish Air. Finding the local parade online was the highlight of many turkey-less Thanksgivings abroad. (Chicken is a sup-par substitute). We did have dinner with all the other trimmings, even cranberry sauce (though sadly not the kind with the ridges of the can on it- which we all know is the best kind). It was still Ocean Spray though! Just in a jar.

Enjoyable though Dubai is, I am itching to get home at Christmas. Three years is just too many Christmases to miss. So, Turkish, thank you. When December 16th rolls around I'll be sitting in Ataturk, which is like the most expensive airport in the world, for a seven hour layover without a single care. I woke up on Friday and found an online Christmas station and played it the instant I woke up (and I'm not one of those people). Point being, I'll be spreading Christmas cheer loud and clear for all to hear -isn't that how that goes?- this year. 

At work things are going....well, they're going. Challenges continue to abound. Namely that I got a new student added to the roster; one who speaks neither Arabic nor English (nor French nor Tamil nor Urdu nor Mandarin nor any other language spoken by a child in my class) AND who has never set foot in a school before.  *Sigh* He IS trying, and in all fairness to him, very hard. But at the end of the day he struggles to comprehend the most basic of directions. 

Me: Please sit. Sit. In your chair. Chair. [points fruitlessly to chair] Please. Sit. 

Him: *Cocks his head quizzically* 

Me: [Sigh and start to mime. Again.] Sit, chair, sit. Stand, up, stand. Sit. Stand. Sit. Stand. Sit. Stand. 

Him: Ahhhhhh! Seeet! St-staand? Staaaand. Seeeet. 

Me: GOOD! Yes! Sit! Sit. Thank you.

Note to self: While learning this, keep him away from the boy who has a speech impediment so he doesn't run home saying "Sh*t! Chair! Sh*t! Sh*t."   

I know he is trying SO hard and I honestly can't imagine how sad and frustrated and exhausted he has to be at the end of the day. (Well, I kind of know about the exhausted part). I have to keep reminding myself of this so I don't lose it with him, or the rest of them when the class devolves into chaos as I try to help him get a grasp on these most basic of things while the rest of them try to solve subtraction problems. I know he'll get there in time, I just wish there was something I could do to tell him that and make it easier for him.

The other kids are trying to be friends with him and it's adorable and slightly heartbreaking. The day before he came to school I decided to give them a little warning. Mostly for his own sake actually so they wouldn't run up to him and start poking him like some specimen in their fascination:

Me: Now class, tomorrow we are going to have a new friend in our class! We must be very nice to him and help him learn because he is coming from another country and he won't be able to speak to any of us. Yes?

Student 1: Miss, where he from? He speak Arabic? 

Me: No, he doesn't speak Arabic. He doesn't speak English either. Or French. He might be sad because he won't understand us so we must be very nice and help him.Yes?

Student 2: What he speak? He speak Iran? 

Me: No, he's not from Iran. He doesn't speak Farsi. [Briefly wonder how this child who IS from Iran doesn't know the name of his own language] The important thing is that we help our new friend learn just like we did when we first started in school before, right? We will show him good ways to behave and how to do everything in class. 

Student 3: [Disregards raising his hand in total shock] MISS! You mean he know NOTHING? How he know NOTHING?!

Needless to say, this conversation did not go according to plan but it seems they took the message to heart anyway. His name is unfamiliar to most of them, so I will spontaneously hear, "MISS! Our new friend needs help!" or "MISS! Our new friend is standing!" or "Miss Matrisha (yes, a child genuinely calls me that and no, no amount of persuasion that my name is PA-tricia is  dissuading him) our new friend already take his lunch!" 

I spotted 'our new friend' at playtime wandering with one of the boys whose own English is negligible speaking and gesticulating with abandon, then the other boy did the same. I would love to know what both of them were talking about/thought they were talking about because neither one can communicate with me, much less each other. 

Entertained as always.