A Busy Week!

My experience with international teaching has taught me a lot. One of the take-aways for me is how quickly time flies by, especially when one is busy. This past week was no exception. Minutes turned to hours, hours to days, days to nights, and suddenly another week is gone. It's mid September and while teachers in Canada have been back to school for a week or two, here in India, our staff members have been working since late July, and I have just completed my first six weeks at a job that I am totally enjoying, despite the challenges.

So on Monday I started to create a bulletin board to show appreciation to students, staff, parents, and anyone else that someone would like to demonstrate their thanks. This was a challenge in that there was no large paper to place as a background for the bright coloured letters. What you see here is the flip side of a piece of cotton material that was lying beneath another layer of faded and stained bristol board. Although not completed in this picture, it turned out bright and cheery, just waiting for stars to light up the green background.

Monday's bulletin board- Show your appreciation with a star!

 On Tuesday, a new friend sent me a message asking me to drop in for tea, as I had ordered some cloth grocery bags as a fund raiser for one of the organizations with which she is associated. After a lovely cup of tea (with biscuits or cookies as I call them in Canada, she showed me these very beautiful hand made greeting cards. Here is but one of the assortment she had in her possession. At the same time my friends at The Glue in Kuwait have just come out with some nifty greeting cards. I will have to do some fancy calculating to find out which ones are more cost efficient! Shout out to the Glue for the next phase in your business venture!

Hand made greeting card with real petals and leaves

Speaking about flowers...I believe that India must have more flowers per capita than any other country in the world. A day does not go by when I don't walk by a new blossom somewhere on my 15 minute stroll to work. As well, one can buy fresh flowers almost on any street corner. The odours are marvellous. 

Blooms on a bush

Later in the week we had a guest story teller from London, England come by for a hilarious morning of exaggerated stories, music, drama, and fun. All of the students in the Primary division of the school got a taste of what storytelling can be when creativity plays a role in its design. This young man travels around the world sharing his stories. We were very fortunate to have him come to spend a few hours with our children. 

Craig Jenkins performs live at our school- delightful

On Thursday after school I presented my first PD session for the primary school staff. The presentation was about differentiation in the classroom, or meeting individual needs of our learners. 

It was a great opportunity for me to share some of the information I have gleaned over my years of teaching, plus some online resources. 

A summary of Carol Ann Tomlinson's theory of differentiated instruction, with thanks to the author

As I wrote before, I am enjoying the challenges of this non-teaching position. Every day is different, I am meeting many new people, and living a simple lifestyle here in Sahakar Nagar, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

Until next time, 

Bee Rich

A Month in the Life of Bee

This is an example of the WhatsApp messages I receive every morning from a colleague!

It hardly seems possible that over one month ago I boarded the plane in Ottawa, flew to Frankfort, made the connection to Bangalore, was met at the airport by a driver, was dropped off at my new apartment (or flat), and started a new position as Primary Coordinator at a school where I once worked (four years ago).

The learning curve has been steep, and I am still learning the names of all of the teachers, their teaching assistants, the shadow teachers, the school administrations, and of course, the students. At the same time I have noticed some changes here in India, and also was reminded some of the joyful inconveniences of living abroad.

School- Then and Now 
The school has grown. When I left in 2013, there were eight smallish classes. Now there is one each of the Nursery, Grade 4 and Grade 5. But at the other levels, there are two classes of each grade, with a total of 13 classes, and many of these classes are full. Every class has a teacher and teaching assistant who work together to provide a positive learning environment. Hence, the classrooms are busier, and the cafeteria has expanded into part of the staff lunch room and the old library. The new and improved library has moved to the high school building. There are new basketball courts outside, as well as a swimming pool, complete with a wading pool for the younger children.

When I was at the school four years ago, the teaching and learning was based on the British National Curriculum, while today the primary school is working toward PYP accreditation, which is part of the IB program. this is a new program for me, and I am learning more about it as each day passes.

I was the Primary Coordinator during the last six months of my previous stay in India, while at the same time teaching in a classroom full time. Now I do not have my own class, but feel welcome in all of the homerooms, and in each of of the Specialist classrooms, including ICT, Art, Music, Drama, and Modern Foreign Languages. In addition to coordinating most of the activities excluding academics, I have also taken on the role of coordinating the PE staff, so they can facilitate try outs, practices, and competitions. Thus, I am busy as a bee!

There are many new faces at the school, along with several familiar faces, reminding me of other staff members and students who have moved on to other schools and even different countries. The staff are dedicated and work hard, as do the children. There is a noticeable level of mutual respect within the teaching and learning community, by students, staff members, parents, and administrators. For the opportunity to meet and work with these new and not-so-new people, I am grateful.

While the value of the Indian rupee has gone down in recent years, the cost of living has gone up. Instead of multiplying  by five (as in Kuwait) to convert to Canadian dollars, to calculate the cost of an item in rupees, one has to divide by 50, or multiply by .20. Still, the prices of specific items are overall less than in Canada or Kuwait, so the rupee goes farther.

The fly over is completed, enabling traffic to disperse in some spots, however at certain times the roads are jammed, as the infrastructure has not kept up with the growth in population and the increasing affluence. Four years ago people travelled by bicycle, motorcycle and auto-rickshaw. Today there are more cars on the road including Uber and its counterpart, Ola. Rides are reasonably inexpensive and much more convenient than a few years back.

9:30 am on the road to the FRRO

Like most other places on Earth, the weather here is changing. September has been rainy season, with daily storms and some flooding in the school basement at times. They tell me that the weather is also much warmer. Daily highs in August and September have ranged between 23 and 28 C, while at night it cools to 20C. The rains, heat and humidity provide a perfect environment for gardens to grow, and our area of Bangalore (aka Bengaluru) does not disappoint in the foilage department.

Sunrise around 6 am

Fortunately I am living in the same apartment building as four years ago, and though in a different section, I am now away from the temple bell, which rings at all hours, My three balconies look out over the basketball court, badminton area (aka soccer pitch) and play area for the children. The pleasant sound of children playing permeates the air from the time I return home from work until bed time.

Bangalore itself is developing and building is all around. I smile when I see the old ways of building blending with more modern technology. It is always interesting to stop and watch the changing skyline.

One adventure I had conveniently forgotten was the trip to the Foreigner Regional Registration Office, located about 30 minutes away from area where I am living. This was my second Ola experience (the first one was to church, about 15 minutes away). I found out that one is not able to fetch a taxi  between 8 and 11 in the morning, nor between 6 and 10 in the evening. The trip at 9:00 am took no less than an hour and a half, while going by 7 am, the trip is only 20-30 minutes (yes, I had to go twice!)

The best news is that I was able to join the local club, which has as a 20 metre indoor swimming pool. It is clean, clear, cool, and on the way to work. I am actually swimming four or five times a week, and loving the convenience and regular exercise. The only challenge there is that people swim lengths and widths at the same time, which can interfere with one's focus. However, I have found a time that works well on most days. I have met new people at the pool as there is a small group that gathers at 6 am to swim lengths.

Some cautions about India- you don't drink the tap water. For about a dollar, you can have a large jug of water delivered to your flat, which lasts over a week. I imagine the consumption will increase when my husband joins me here in November. Another concern is walking on the same street as the cows. Keeping your eyes open for cow patties is recommended, as is avoiding the wild dog droppings. During the rainy season, it is a good idea to walk around the puddles, because sometimes they are deep!

In India there are many celebrations, and hence a number of holidays throughout the school year. That explains why school starts in early August here. Since my arrival, there have been at least two school holidays, with a week off at the end of September. Teacher's Day was on 5 September, and the school organized a very nice assembly honouring all of the staff at the school. We each received a rose, chocolate, a card and a mug emblazoned with the school logo.

The cook staff

I have been overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers in India. It is rare that a person does not return a cheerful good morning, or stop to ask where I am from. One day while swimming at the pool a woman asked me how long I had been swimming. We got talking, and she invited me into her home for lunch. It was such a lovely surprise!

In India people live simply. Children play in the street, Adults walk in the park. Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists live side by side in harmony. It doesn't matter the colour of your skin or hair or eyes. All people are treated with respect. It is the joy of living that fascinates me, and has drawn me back to this country.

I look forward to more adventures, more blog posts, and communication with friends and family around the world. Every day I am thankful for the circumstances surrounding my relocation, the opportunity to serve others in my role at school, and for my husband's return to better health.

I am far removed from the fires in the west of North America, the hurricanes of the south east, including Florida, Georgia, and Saint Maarten, where we lived for one year, and the flooding in Texas. My heart goes out to all who have been affected.

I spent over an hour downloading pictures to put on the blog. However, I must have saved them somewhere in cyberspace, because they all flipped the wrong way. For example, here is the cow picture...

No the cow was not sideways, but my phone was! 

So with that flip flop I am going to sign off and hope that my knowledge of technology improves by my next post.

Until then stay safe, be well,  and hug your family and friends, But most of all,

Bee Rich