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.
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.
2 comments:
Hello Zach,
Very good post about your interactions with your students and your experiences at ABS. I wonder why the students love seeing Emily. Also it is nice to see that Lena and Lewis are on skype.
Reggie Warren
If you find a position like that just let me know, that sounds perfect:)
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