Report cards went pretty quickly, and really, our report card doesn't tell much so there wasn't much I had to do. In second grade, students receive an E (excelling), S (satisfactory), I (improving), or N (no improvement made) instead of traditional letter grades. Report cards at GIS are being updated as we speak so next quarter will potentially be more difficult to complete in addition to learning another new format.
Parent-teacher conferences were exhausting. Kosharah and I did them together since we switch for center time every day. Basically parents signed up in the office for a time slot and we have no control of how many we have each day. And since we had so many parents between the two of us, we were booked solid the first two days of conferences, with one straggler the last day. Each meeting lasted 20 minutes with a 10 minute break between and breaks for lunch and dinner.
For the most part the conferences went really well. In an effort to word the situations in a positive light, some of the struggling students' conferences came across as much more optimistic as we intended. In two different conferences, mistakes in the report cards were found. One had a whole section that was inaccurate. The way our current report card program works is when you switch from one student to the next, the grades from the previous student are copied over. I think what happened was that the previous students (lower) grades were copied over, I got confused thinking I had already completed the report card, and moved to the next student. So that was a humbling moment when they saw the report card for the first time and asking why the grades didn't match what I had just previously said about how well their student was doing. Oops! Good thing about the current system is its easy to correct and reprint.
Other than messed up report cards, conferences were long and tiring to prepare to and talk with so many different parents, however I learned so much regarding talking to parents and diplomacy in word choice. Many parents were really encouraging and grateful for our being here to teach their children. For many of them, GIS offers schooling to their children so they can focus on their mission field and not homeschool. What a wonderful opportunity to be used in this way; God has called me to serve those who serve Him in a country that is not their own, to people He has called them to love on and share the Good News with in a culture that is not their own. I get to be part of that process by teaching here! I love it!
Right after conferences ended, I hopped on a bus to start the first of my two October Break trips. Here are some highlights from each trip:
Thai Trip:
- all night bus ride from Chiang Mai to somewhere south (not entirely sure where we were)
- experiencing several fascinating cultural experiences - King Rama VI palace, floating markets, and shadow puppet shows
- viewing a few WWII memorials and sites - River Kwai Bridge and museum (+ boat ride), and Hellfire pass (interesting to learn about WWII from a non-American/Allied powers perspective)
- dropped off on the side of the rode with Jessy and Nathan to be picked up by a car that had been called for us by one of the Thai teachers to take us 4 hours away to the airport in Bangkok
- money generously and VERY unexpectedly given to us to pay for said car trip to Bangkok
- 5 modes of transportation in 24 hours: bus, boat, train, car, plane (when we laid down in bed that night I felt like I was still in motion)
Phuket (poo-ket):
- BEACH!! sand + waves + sunshine = one very happy California girl
- homesick… very homesick - I cried the first time I walked out on the sand and during the last night watching the sunset
- real rest and rejuvenation for the first time in a year or more
- Wonderful quiet times each morning where God really spoke to my heart, molded me, held me as I cried while pouring my heart out to Him, and drew me nearer to Him
- swimming in a sea that flows out to the Indian Ocean (I've now swam in 3 oceans of the world! … kinda)
- swam in the ocean with a baby elephant!! and was "kissed" the same little guy later that day ;)
- stung by a jelly fish - Don't worry! I'm fine now! Just stung a lot (go figure)
- creature catching with Kosharah's daughter - frogs, crabs, and jellyfish, oh my!
- growing deeper in my friendships with the other young teachers at school - I work with the coolest people!
I am so thankful for all that God has provided and is teaching me here. Its truly amazing to see Him going to work on my heart and the hearts of those around me. He is so good. My God is a God who sees, comforts, and provides. I have fallen deeper in love with Him and wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.
Below is just a little teaser :) I will post pictures in a separate post later :) Heaven knows this post is already way too long!
Phuket's beauty