9/13 -- School Daze

Well, we’re now into the second full week of Armenian school. The only word coming to mind lately is “interesting.”  I hope to write this blog entry as objectively as possible and let you, faithful readers, make up your own minds.

I usually get to school around 8:50am. It’s about a ten minute walk from my house to the school, depending how many people stop me to chat (see previous post). Occasionally I walk with my neighbors, some students at the school, in the mornings. Upon arriving to school,

I go up to the second floor, to the teachers’ lounge/conference room. I’m usually one of the first ones there. All of the other teachers have been very welcoming towards me and eager to talk to me (in Armenian and English). I actually really like the environment and relationships teachers seem to have formed between themselves. Their jovial manner reminds me a lot of a certain HCPS middle school I worked in last year.

The first bell rings, by the push of a button, at 9:00. My school houses grades 1-12 in one building. There is typically one class per grade, although the 12^th grade is split into two classes. Each class has their own room in which they stay for all classes except for gym and technology. So, unlike American schools, the teachers 

rotate classrooms each hour. At my school, classes are approximately 45 minutes long.

Our daily schedule/timetable hasn’t been finalized yet. There is one woman, an administrator of sorts, who has been tasked with creating this schedule. It includes all grades and subjects for each day. The schedule itself is pretty impressive – and confusing. Every day thus far, it has changed slightly. Usually upon arriving to school, I check out the schedule to see what classes I’ll have that day. However, I wait for my counterparts to arrive 

until making any moves because sometimes, the written schedule isn’t even correct.

English is taught beginning in the 3^rd grade here. In my school, students generally have two English classes a week. Most of my students seem to be struggling with English.  I try to speak as slowly and as clearly as possible, but even then, they do not understand. A few students are able to speak English well, creating 

cohesive and comprehendible thoughts. Unfortunately, these students are far too few in number.

My counterparts and headmaster are very eager for me to help the students speak English better. I will be starting English clubs next week which will focus on conversational skills. It is my hope that these clubs will be fun, but informational. I have some big ideas for them that’ll have to be put on the backburner for now, but hopefully in time I’ll be able to implement them.

Overall, I'm very happy with my work situation. It is very different from what I'm used to and it will be a challenge, but that's what I signed up for! Here's to hoping I can keep up this outlook for two years!