Today was the official first day of classes, and I did absolutely nothing. As someone who values organization and preparedness, I am left feeling adrift. I feel like I'm stuck in a cycle of restlessness and unproductive-ness, and I'm itching to get out of it. But since everyone is assuring me that this is normal, I am doing my best to just go with the flow. Flexibility is Key To give you a little bit of context, all international teachers are paired with local Kazak or Russian speaking teachers for every class we teach. An international teacher may be working with anywhere between 3-7 national teachers each year. As a result, curriculum planning is arguably one of the most difficult parts of the job. Aside from those who teach English, a majority of national teaching staff only understand limited English. Google translate is not always the most reliable, which means I have to muster all the charades skills I have just to communicate simple sentences with the local teachers whom I work with. To add to the challenge, the school timetables are still in the process of being finalized since every school within the *** network (acronym omitted in case of publishing issues) must wait for a set of directives from the headquarters in Astana before the real planning can begin. This means that everything is currently being run on an ad hoc basis, and will likely continue this way until mid-September. Since I've had so much free time in the last two days, I've mostly been reworking my introductory powerpoint and reviewing key concepts for the first unit I will be teaching (whenever that may be). Aside from wanting to just hit the ground running (a sentiment I've been warned I might later regret having), my experience at *** have been very positive so far. The staff are supportive and the students are extremely talented and well-behaved. Some Background Information About the School ('Shkola') For those who are new to my teaching journey, I am a new teacher at the *** school of Math and Physics in Kazakhstan. *** is a network of schools around the country whose aim is "to increase the intellectual capacity of Kazakhstan as well as to implement the best Kazakhstani and international practices." The locals usually refer to *** as the "President's School." *** is an extension of the public education system in Kazakhstan, but students must pass an exam to get into the school, and they must maintain their grades to stay. The schools have a trilingual policy in which students receive instruction in Russian, Kazak, and English. The facilities are clean and well maintained. The hallways are MASSIVE compared to the schools in Canada. There is a canteen that is open all day, where teachers and students can have lunch for cheap (a regular meal at lunch would cost me no more than 3 USD). In all, there are over 300 staff members that assist with various upkeep activities at the school; from security to plant maintenance (they take their plants very seriously here). The Teachers ('Uchitelya') International teachers are invited from around the world to help shape the new educational models and introduce innovative teaching practices into the country. Out of the 170 or so teaching staff, there are about 20 international teachers. One of my favourite things about teaching in Kazakhstan is getting to know the other international teachers in our staff team. A lot of people back home think I'm crazy for coming here, but it's good to know I'm not the only one! I have colleagues from England, South Africa, the United States, Canada, Germany, Kenya, the Philippines... and now we're all in Kazakhstan! They have all different types of accents and have taught all over the world. I love listening to their stories and hearing about the experiences they've had prior to teaching in Kazakhstan. That's all for now. Stay posted for updates about my teaching journey, and what it's like living so far from home. Leave a comment below if you have questions or words of encouragement, they will be most welcome. =)
1 Comment
Sandy
9/2/2015 06:03:10 am
I am happy for you April!
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April SooInternational math educator who writes, occasionally. Archives
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