Work = Fun and Games --- Lewis

I teach Design Technology at the Amman Baccalaureate School. It can, at times, be a very exciting job. I get the chance to teach kids how to design stuff, how to draw in perspective and, hopefully, look at the world around them in a different way. I like to get my students to think about how things are made and how they work. Someday my group of 6th graders will be professional designers and architects. That's the general idea. Currently I am teaching my group about mechanical systems. We got the chance to visit a local children's museum. I know I had a good time and in the process I got the chance to teach my students a thing or two. Here's the write-up I did after the trip to the museum. I hope you enjoy reading about my latest teaching adventure!

The morning of Wednesday, February 11th was a very exciting morning for the Grade 6 students. Currently, in their Technology class, Grade 6 is learning about Mechanical Systems. To help the classroom lessons come alive, the students took a trip to The Children’s Museum of Jordan located near Al Hussein Park in Amman. There were plenty of exciting exhibits for the students to, not only look at, but actually get involved with; to touch, to learn, to inquire about.

Some of the exhibits at the museum included The Energy Lab, Up and Away, The Human Body, Communications, Robotics, The Ancient Times, and Express Yourself. One particular exhibit that was of special interest to the students was the Mechanisms exhibit which showcased examples of the very reason for the exhibit, Mechanical Systems. By the end of the trip the students were able to identify seven different simple machines (Gear, Pulley, Lever, Inclined Plane, Screw, Wheel and Axle, Wedge), which make up mechanical systems. The students were also able to identify four different types of motion used by these simple machines (Rotary, Oscillating, Reciprocating, Linear). With their newly acquired expertise in Mechanical Systems, the Grade 6 students will have no difficulty working on their future technology projects because “Mechanical Systems make our every day life easier!”

My favorite part of the day - Zach

Like Lena said in the last blog, we do have fun being here in Jordan. Lately it has been really evident to me, and I think to all of us, what a blessing it is to be here. After 6 months, we are settled in and feeling pretty comfortable with our surroundings and our duties. We still face challenges, like how to get a class full of middle school boys to be quiet and listen for longer than 10 seconds, which can be frustrating at times. But overall, my experience here in Jordan thus far has been a great one. Some days are better than others, but the last few days have been encouraging ones. Classes have been going fairly smoothly and I am enjoying the chance to interact with the students on a more personal level during breaks and when I am co-teaching. One of my favorite parts of the day is when I walk up the stairs to catch the bus. All of the students are pouring out of the buildings, trying to make their way down the stairs to practices or to catch a ride. This is my favorite part of the day because I get more greetings and high fives in this five minutes than in the rest of the day combined, and when Emily comes to school with me, I get even more hello's. Emily and Lena come to ABS every Wednesday to have our Arabic lesson after school, so on Wednesdays I always have even more students wanting to say hello just so they can talk to my wife. Talking to the junior school kids during their break is always fun too. I practice my Arabic on them, and they usually laugh and try to teach me how to say things properly. I think I've learned more vocabulary from the 3rd grade students than anyone else, because I trust them a little more to tell me what things really mean. Teaching is challenging at times; it's definitely not an easy job like some people may think. But I think my ideal job would be Student Greeter. I could say hi to all the students, talk to them, get to know them, and not have to do the frustrating parts like trying to get them quiet and disciplining them. If there was such a position, I think that would be my dream job. Until then though, this will do.