Getting into the routine

So I've been in Cairo for a week now. Unpacked, freezing, and over the jetlag, I am now settling back into the "routine of Cairo" (and yes, I said freezing- there is a constant coldness here as a result of the lack of indoor heating and desert nights). My flat is comforting, especially now with the internet and television (plus some few kitchen items I brought from home).

Teaching second and third grade has been interesting. My second grade class has 17 students, ranging in age from 6 to 19. This makes an exciting mixture of attention spans, reading levels, and understanding. However, my 6 year old can do much better than some of the other students in the class. My third grade class is full of 7 & 8 year olds with a group of 13-16 year olds. I mainly teach English and have been suprised at how much the students haven't learned up to this point. One would think "My name is" and " I am from" would be things that would have been taught during the first 4 months of class. The lack of curriculum certainly has contributed to this. The other problem is that English class has always been taught by "volunteers." Volunteers from America, Canada, the UK. Volunteers here for 3 weeks, 6 months, or 5 years. A different volunteer every day. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I will be their teacher until June. Discipline hasn't been too much of a problem. It's amazing what a sticker or some markers (referred to as "colors" by the students) can do for a classroom. The kids here are used to being hit or yelled at constantly. That will not be the case in my classroom. I hope to also get some picture dictionaries copied for them so they have a book and I have a guide. Overall, I am looking forward to the next few months with these kids.

We also started the Adult English Program. With the help of some friends, I have been able to start two schools. One is located at Gugu and the other is about 1.5 hours from my flat. Each is two days a week, for two hours. We will be teaching English, mathematics, social studies, and science. I have a good number of teachers, something that a lot of schools lack here. I even have "real" teachers from Canada. So far, we still just have a lot of students taking placement exams and many returning students that have forgotten that it was "the first day of class." That's how things work here, but in a few weeks school will be in full swing. I was able to get all of the books copied at a good discount and the students were really excited to receive them. The books donated from the high school provided a great source for the compilation of these books.

I have some other projects that I will update on later. For now, I am thankful that everything is working out and I can't wait until Cortney gets here in a week!