Settling In. Maybe Just Settling.

Struggling with my job. It seems that I need to readjust my expectations in terms of student performance, outcomes, and in particular, attendance. As of late, I've been going a bit crazy trying to make things happen in the classroom--that's part of the territory. You push, students resist, you find ways to motivate. I get that, and I'm used to it.

But here, half the time there are no students to motivate. I can't tell you how many times I've walked into a classroom, lessons at the ready, bag o' dictionaries and papers in hand, all set to teach, only to discover that there are no students there. Sitting in a classroom with no students is absurd and depressing. Sometimes there will be one or two students. I hang out with them and try to work on something with them that will move their skills forward. Not a lesson really, just some language practice.

Where are the students, you ask? It varies. I shall attempt to break it down.

They miss an average of one day per week for their football matches (that's soccer games, you American philistines). Even if the game is at 6:00 in the evening, they get the full day off of school to rest and relax. This is a contraversial change from last year's policy, under which they got *two* days off of school each week: one for the match, and the next day to recuperate.

About twice a month, the principal takes them for day trips. Recent trips have featured such educational experiences as going to the mall, the movies, the beach, and the marina. It should be noted that these trips are not planned in any way. The dude has a whim and he calls for a bus. Nobody is notified, so I still end up preparing my lessons, showing up and feeling like an ass when there's nobody there. Swell.

Then there are holidays. Of course, there are holidays everywhere, and we should expect (and appreciate) these days off. I do. However, my students apparently feel that the holidays are not long enough, so they take off two days before any holiday begins and return two days later than the schedule indicates.

Aside from these occasional hiatuses (hiati?), attendance is more predictable, and hits a daily average of about 30-40%. It's important for my students to get their rest, and so they sort of take turns coming to school so that somebody will be there to keep me company from time to time.

The administration is very concerned about this issue, so much so that they may one day actually do something to address it in some fashion, if of course they can find time. Once in a while they'll tell a student he should come to school more. This is the sum total of the disciplinary matrix.

Now don't get me wrong. They do care. They really do. They want the students to do well in their classses, and succeed in their exams. They want the students to improve, grow, learn. Just like any educators. They're just not convinced, apparently, that coming to school and attending classes is a necessary step in that process.

There's a whole bit about what I'm supposed to teach them vis a vis the curriculum and of course the limited time available, but that's a familiar tune for any teacher in the U.S., so I won't bother. I've come to terms with that--I'll teach them as much as I can with the time I have, and not fret about "covering" all the material. They can slap my wrist or give me 10 demerits or whatever. That's not the problem.

The problem is, how can I be of any use to my students if they aren't here for me to teach? What do you do with that? How is it that I have time to write this blog at work, when I ought to be working to help these students improve their education? Oh yeah, there's a match today, and I don't have any classes before noon.

I figure the change that needs to be made is one of attitude, since this system isn't about to change to make me comfortable. I wish I was one of those teachers that preferred to surf the Internet than to deal with his students all day. This would be a dream job.

Nick made a good point and said that work is like this for like 90% of folks. They just go to their jobs and do enough to not get fired. I think he's right, but if I wanted a job like that I'd have gone the corporate route and at least gotten paid. It's tough to step back from something really rewarding and just "get by" at work, just as I imagine it's tough for folks who get paid mega salaries to take a step back financially in order to find fulfillment. Well, at least I have plenty of time to sift through Facebook and read Fark. Watched some teenager get bitten by a rabid otter this morning, so that was pretty awesome.

I know this one is a bit of a downer, but that's why I haven't written in a while. Was hoping for the winds to change so I could leave you on a lighter note.

Had a good Thanksgiving, until the New Zealanders tried to turn it into a college beer-buster. Bleah. Nevertheless, got to spend some quality time hanging out with new friendquaintances, and that helped the creeping homesickness of the holidays. Cooked a bomb-ass turkey, if I doo say so myself. An especially impressive feat, considering I had to squeeze it, sans roaster, into our tiny convection oven. Franny made an array of amazing sugary goodness. Good times.

We'll be traveling to Egypt in a few weeks, and I'm really gettingg excited about that. A few days on the beach in Mersa Matruh, a few days in Alexandria, Christmas (and Franny's birthday) on a cruise down the Nile, and then a few days in Cairo. Not a bad way to cap off 2010.

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