A Typical Laura Monday

I would have titled this "A Typical Laura Day" but I can't do that with any honesty. It's hard enough to describe a typical Monday. The Faith Academy high school schedule consists (on normal weeks) of three 8-period days and two double-block days-- when you only have half of your classes, for an hour and a half each. Three afternoons a week, I have after-school meetings or activities... sometimes. You begin to see the difficulty. So Mondays will be the representative day-- they are the closest to consistent. :) The idea for this post is absolutely not mine. I stole it from the blog of some overseas-teacher friends of ours. Thank you, Matt and Amanda!  Enjoy this glimpse of sort-of-everyday life. (Click on the pictures to see them larger.)

The dining room, with the lived-in look

4:30- 6:15- The time between the first alarm of the morning and us walking out the door. We run water for showers, heat the water with a water coil, shower, make and eat breakfast, feed the animals, and generally just get ready for the day. Breakfast is oatmeal with fresh fruit (usually mangoes, which are AMAZING here), juice, and coffee. After I am ready, I generally have a few minutes to spend on my Bible study or in prayer.

6:15- Our ride arrives. This couple, also new to Faith and also living in our subdivision, has been very generous as our ride to and from school this year. We gather our things, make sure the outside lights are turned off, pet the dog and the cat, and head out the gate, carefully making sure the dog doesn't get out with us.

6:30-7:10- We arrive on campus, and I prepare for the day. I print out files I have made over the weekend, make copies, find materials, write the agenda and homework on the board, etc. My middle-schoolers start arriving by 7:05 or sometimes before, so I try to be in that room by then and mostly ready so I can be available as they congregate.

The hall outside my middle school class

7:15-8:43- Periods 1 and 2-- 7th-grade English. Right now we are reading a book called Year of Impossible Good-byes, a (fairly autobiographical) novel about a girl living in northern Korea through the last years of Japanese occupation, the arrival of the Russians, the division of the country, and her escape to the newly-formed South Korea. My classes are 23 and 22 students respectively. 19 of the 45 are Korean, which makes this a great novel to read. We have had several excellent discussions. Our previous unit was creating an autobiography (life graph, family tree, memoir stories, cultural background), and this novel will be followed by a film unit before Christmas.

8:43-11:10- Plan time! I generally cross campus soon after my 2nd-period class and work in the French room. I make or request photocopies, organize today's French work, check and respond to email, plan for tomorrow, and grade papers. During the first half of this time, there is a girl doing an independent study of IGCSE French in my classroom. Depending on what she is working on, I might help her for a bit. Sometimes we also just talk. Around 10:15, I go to the "V"-- our school cafeteria-- to buy lunch, avoiding the lines of high-schoolers who arrive soon after. Seth and I often meet up at that time. Sometimes we are able to eat together, but sometimes we both have things to do or students coming in during lunch.

The view from my French room, across campus

11:14-12:00- Period 5-- IGCSE French- These students are in their 3rd year of French. This class follows an international curriculum out of the UK, culminating in a standardized test at the end of the year. I have 10 students in class, plus 2 doing independent studies. It hasn't been an easy class for a lot of them, but it's fun to have students really discussing things in French. We are working with school vocabulary right now, and getting ready for a review of the past tenses and a unit on getting a job.

12:05-12:51- Period 6-- 1st-Year French- There are 11 students in this group-- mostly freshman, a few sophomores. They are enthusiastic and sometimes rowdy. I always enjoy seeing students discover that they can actually communicate in a new language, so 1st-year is fun. They are learning basic school supplies vocabulary, and are working on how to use adjectives correctly in French.

12:56-1:41- Period 7-- 2nd-Year French- This is my big and jumbled class. There are 25 students (ALL the desks in my room), from all four grades in high school, and all levels of ability. As with any large class, it is a challenge to find activities to get everyone involved without leaving some behind in distraction or confusion. Our current unit is on food, stores, and meals. During this period, there is also another senior doing IG French independently, so sometimes I step into the adjacent office where he is at work, to check in with him.

French room- my view as I work

1:41-5:15- Classes are over for the day. I eat a snack from my stash (currently cheese crackers and dried mango). My independent study student might stick around for a few minutes when needed. Other students might come in for make-up work. Mostly, though, this is my largest chunk of time all week where I am at school, with no students. Normally our ride heads home at 4:15, but Mondays I stay late because of Bible study. I grade and plan and organize as much as I can.

5:15-8:15 (or so...)- Bible study- One of the other women picks me up at school, and we head to the condo where the five of us meet. We eat dinner together and talk, and then do our Bible study. Right now we are using Beth Moore's study on the fruit of the Spirit. This has become a really important time to me, and I am so much appreciating these new friends.

8:15 or so...- All four of us who are guests leave together. We go back past the school, dropping one of the women off and picking up Seth (who has been watching an NFL game and working). The woman who drives drops the rest of us at our various homes. As Seth and I get inside (around 9), it's definitely time for bed! Tomorrow, after all, starts early!