My apologies for the lack of updates filling you in on year two of my teaching. There were a lot of life changes, the biggest one being that I have been teaching in the US! I have been teaching in Philadelphia. I will be starting my third year of teaching in a Kindergarten classroom in a charter school! It is great to be in the same time zone as family and friends. I do miss being in the middle of the world with access to so many different countries. I would be lying if I said I did not miss the location and easiness of traveling to various places. However I still have friends all over the world that I can meet up with!
In the meantime I have been busy getting ready to build up my classroom. I left many of my supplies and classroom books in Doha- it was just easier that way. I have been raiding Target's dollar section as well as the dollar store. I am excited to get to laminating and decorating the room for my next batch of teacup humans.
This charter school is all about co-teaching. I am excited yet kind of antsy at the idea of sharing the classroom with someone else. Teachers can get territorial! It's like someone else is stepping in on your turf. But at the same time it is exciting because you can bounce ideas off one another and play off each others' strengths. Plus it never hurts to have another adult in there to help with the teacup humans. Two heads are better than one right?
Part of me does miss the blogging. I am toying with the idea of continuing with this blog or starting up another. Only time will tell. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Hi readers and happy November! If you haven't caught on by now from some of my recent quotes, I am a huge fan of the hit broadway musical Hamilton. I am completely obsessed with it. I can rap the song Guns and Ships. I have learned more from this musical about US History than I probably did in all 4 years of high school combined. I have a massive crush on Lin-Mauel Miranda and think he is a genius. I am constantly listening to the soundtrack and watch the lyric videos on Youtube to help me learn the lyrics. Music has always been an outlet for me during tough times.
I wanna be in the room where it happens!
True story.
For me personally, I find November to be one the most difficult months as a teacher. You are feeling incredibly drained and throwing every bit of energy you can to come up with engaging lessons to keep your highly energetic students engaged. One thing I have tried and works really well with my teacup humans in grade one is playing Would You Rather. The Measured Mom is a great free resource with plenty of printables. Her website is www.themeasuredmom.com and she has great ideas for your classroom. I use these Would You Rather cards below at the end of the lesson if my kids are getting antsy and need a break to do something silly for a bit before diving into the next lesson. I have my kids stand in the middle of the rug and then they go to the door for one of the choices or go to the window for the other choice. Then after all the students have moved from the middle of the rug I ask some students to share why they picked their choice. It is a fun game for them and gets them moving around, which they definitely need!
These are some sample cards from themeasuredmom.com. She has 100 of these Would You Rather cards to choose from and the teacup humans definitely approve!
I am a big fan of brain breaks. There are great websites for this. GoNoodle is an awesome resource for teachers. Just a fair warning though if you do Pop-See-Ko, it will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day! You can also find brain break cards on Teachers Pay Teachers. Just giving them a 30 second-2 minute break can do wonders and help them stay on track. Because there have definitely been times when I am halfway through a lesson, and I can tell that they are not paying attention so I stop the lesson, do a brain break like having them get up and do some exercises like jumping jacks and dancing around to get the wiggles out, and then we get back to work. It is important to keep in mind that you are working with kids and they are not meant to sit in their seats for long periods of time! I also like to use Brain Pop (or Brain Pop Junior for the younger grades) as a way to introduce a new topic we are talking about. Trust me, Tim and Moby will become regular visitors in your classroom. Just like Jack Hartman is a regular in mine for math!
My hands are high my feet are low and this is how we Pop See Ko!
I find them to be a great way to introduce a Science or Social Studies lesson!
Teachers I also wanted to stress the importance of self care. This is something I am working on big time. You need to make sure that you are taking good care of yourself, otherwise you are useless when you are standing up there in front of your teacup humans, or your not so teacup humans if you teach middle school or high school. You need to make sure you are getting an adequate amount of sleep at night. You need to make sure you are finding a good work life balance and not just working on things for your classroom right when you get home. Take a break and watch something on Netflix, do some form of exercise, blare some music at your house, something to give you a break away from all the work that you have waiting for you. Teachers have a never ending to do list, and it is part of the job to prioritize what needs to be done right away, and what can wait a few days. My advice? Keep calm and carry on. As long as you are moving forward and moving one foot in front of the other, you are trying and making an effort. And that just shows how strong and awesome you are as both a person and a teacher.
23 days until Gilmore Girls returns!
Expecto patronum! Use your patronus to keep those negative thoughts away. You will get through this. Stay positive, friends.
Hello readers! Lately I have been feeling extra inspired to write, and I have more free time on my hands than usual which is a rare treat!
One thing I am working hard on is removing toxic people from my life. I wear my heart on my sleeve, which means that I tend to get hurt a lot. I take a lot of things personally but I have learned that I refuse to change myself for others. There are always going to be haters. There are always going to be people who want to bring you down. The answer? Don't let them. Always take the high road. Like my girl crush Michelle Obama says, "when they go low, we go high." Do not ever sink to their level. Rise up.
Like Ron Burgundy says, stay classy! But don't be stuck in his ways from the 70s and treat women like crap. It's 2016 and us ladies are queens and deserve to be treated as such!
My to do list of activities I want to do in Doha continues to grow. I envy some of the teachers at GEMS Wellington because they got to see camel racing! GEMS Wellington is literally walking distance and right next to my school. Thank you Lee and Rachel for the pictures! Camel racing is a traditional sport in Qatar. I cannot wait to find a weekend to go and get the experience for myself.
They went to Al Shahaniya Camel Racetrack. According to Google Maps this is approximately 20-30 minutes of a drive from Barwa City. Qatar itself is about the same size as the state of Connecticut to give you an idea of how 'big' the country is.
Zoom zoom zoom look at em go! The camels can go up to 40 mph when running short distances.
Another place I am interested in checking out is the singing sand dunes in Doha. I did not even know they existed until an article about them popped up on my Facebook newsfeed. It is a 30 minute drive away and is a must see/hear. It is one of thirty locations in the whole world that these singing sand dunes exist. Other places include North Africa, South Africa, Middle East, Chile, and the US. There is a very informative article about it on dohafamily.com by a woman named Kim Wyatt if you would like to learn more.
I have heard rumors that there are libraries somewhere in Qatar. This makes me very happy because before I worked at GEMS, I worked at the local library in my town for 3 years. And I absolutely loved it. I loved the people I worked with. I loved being a page and putting the books in order on the shelves. I loved being a circulation desk clerk and helping customers check out books and having chats with them discussing what books to read next. The library was and continues to be my happy place. According to dohafamily.com here are some of the following libraries in Doha: Doha Mums Children's Library, The Nitty-Gritty, and Maktaba Qatar. I am working on learning to find out where exactly these libraries are and if they are open or still under construction. This would be a great field trip to take my teacup humans to!
RIP Gene Wilder you are surely missed! I am a huge book worm. I am also working on setting up a book club again with any of my coworkers that are interested. It really helps that work life balance to use books as an escape from reality. I sometimes find myself becoming too consumed in my work and forgetting to have some fun and treat myself every now and then.
I also want to go to Zekreet. One of my coworkers is very adventurous like me and she went rock climbing there. So if you are a daredevil then you definitely should check this place out! Zekreet is in the northwestern point of Qatar and is about an hour and a half drive away from Barwa City. It contains some old ruins such as the Zekreet Fort which has been around since approximately the 18th or 19th century. As a history major I am definitely interested in checking out these ruins and exploring another section of Qatar I have not been to yet. I have done indoor rock climbing- this could be my chance to take it up a notch and try outdoor rock climbing!
Chardae is a fearless, rock climbing dare devil like me! This is her doing some rock climbing in Zekreet. She is super brave and awesome.
Alhamdulillah!
Another key to a happy life in Doha is networking. Find people to spend time with outside of your workplace. There are two ladies that made their way into my life last year and really helped me out last year when I was going through a rough patch. They are also teachers and it was enlightening to hear what it was like at their school, how they were managing it, etc. I looked forward to meeting them for night walks at Aspire Park or around Barwa City once a week. It is always helpful to find friends who make a good sounding board every now and then. You cannot bottle it all up. Not a healthy choice! When I lived in BCA I would jog/walk laps in the basement. Probably not the healthiest of options because there were always random funky smells down there. Hello cancer! Just kidding. Maybe. But I would jog/walk in the basement because it was usually too hot to do the laps outside around the apartment complex. In the winter time I would do it outside, but you had to be alert for any cars and get used to the honking of cars on the road. The best way to avoid this is to blare your music and focus on getting exercise!
Listen to Elle Woods, she's right!
And to end my blog on a positive note, I do my best to stay positive. I want to again give a big shout out to all the teachers out there. The beginning of the year is tough to get back into the swing of things. Switching the teacup humans from summer mode into school mode is not easy. Just remember that you are awesome and doing the best you can. This is something I continue to remind myself. For me personally last year, November was the most difficult month of my life. I had to push myself so hard to come to school each day. I loved my job and looked forward to seeing my teacup humans, but I was so unbelievably drained. My energy level was nowhere near the level of my students. Plus it is not easy being in a foreign country, trying to find the time to Skype with your family because you miss them, adapting to a new culture, and adapting to my first full time job. So much of adulthood was thrown in my face last year but you know what? I persevered and lived to tell the tale! There are still plenty of adventures that await me and I take them on with open arms. You can do it teachers. It does not matter where you are teaching, it is a tough job and takes a special kind of person to take on this profession. Just remember that you rock.
This chart/graph is used just for first year teachers, but honestly I think any year teachers find this to be true. Teaching is a difficult profession. The school year is like a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs. You just have to keep trying, push yourself, and in the end, it is so incredibly rewarding.
My project that I am currently working on to keep my mind busy and focused is learning some more Arabic! I have been making flashcards for different words such as the color words. I always tell people that you can get by a lot if you know these 3 words and I guarantee you will hear them a lot: 1. Inshallah = God willing 2. Yalla = C'mon let's go/hurry up 3. Hallas = Finished/done Some other useful words include the following: -Schwi = little/slow down -Walla = I swear to God -Tamam = Okay -Shukran jazeelan = Thank you very much/thanks a lot -Min fad lik = Please It is also good to know the meanings for different animals. Calling someone a dog or a pig is very offensive.
This is a book I got as a gift from one of my co-workers at the library I used to work at. She gave it to me before I made the journey to the sand pit in August of 2015. Inshallah I will become bilingual =)
Now it is time to get back to studying and make some more flashcards. A big shoutout to my 6th grade science teacher Mr. Golluscio who introduced me to this awesome study habit that has helped me for years. Cheers to being a lifelong learner!
Hi all I hope you are doing well! September was a stressful month for me. Not completely surprising since it is the beginning of the school year. I managed to survive the first week of school. I was completely and utterly exhausted. I adore my teacup humans, but they are exhausting. I have also gotten to know some of the new teachers. I refer to them as the newbies because I am still working on learning their names. I did my best to reach out to them and make them feel welcome. I remember how absolutely overwhelmed I felt when I first stepped outside tan city.
This was so me. I remember having the jitters last year and tossing and turning. My brain loves to play the "fun" what if game. If there was an award for worrying I would get the gold every time!
This was also me. But I was also restless and trying to complete the never ending to do lists going on in my head.
During the Eid break I wanted to do dune bashing/desert camping. My roommate hasn't experienced it yet and it was one of my favorite activities we did last year. It was starting off as a small group but then the idea popped into my head to ask the newbies if they wanted to join. Then together we joined forces and formed Dumbledore's Army! It was a blast. One of my coworkers even made a video of the whole adventure with her Go Pro. Thanks Ashleigh for the awesome video it captures dune bashing/desert camping perfectly!
My Canadian squad minus one AKA my awesome roomie. She was busy taking in the view. Love you ladies.
I am so grateful to have these wonderful ladies in my life. They keep me sane. And yes those are kid sunglasses on my head. I realized I did not have any sunglasses so I made a trip to the Lulu Department Store... they only had kid's ones. So I got some cool green ones that have the alien from Toy Story on them and they fit my kid sized head!
During the dune bashing there's different stops where you can step out and take in the view. That tan in the distance is Saudi Arabia. Thanks Mairtin for playing paparazzi!
The weather for it was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, just right!
Our SUV got a flat. So we had to come together as a team and push it out. Push em out shove em out way out!
Watching the sunrise from the Persian Gulf. Thanks for the awesome shot Samran! I ended up staying awake all night. I was too happy to sleep. It was just a perfect night. I had been looking forward to this night all week. It was one of the many things that pushed me through the tough work week.
I celebrated my birthday a few weeks ago. It did not go exactly as I planned. I have the "lovely" habit of putting everyone before myself and forgetting to take care of me. The best birthday present I got was my mom surprising me and flying all the way out from NJ to see me. I was feeling really stressed out and having her here just seemed unreal to me and was just what I needed. I took some time to show her around Doha and show off my new home. Part of me was overwhelmed with the task because there is just so much to do. And so many people I wanted her to meet. In my mind I was like "Oh we need to do this brunch, go to this mall, go to the souq, visit my school..." and the list continued on. I had to stop myself and prioritize what I wanted her to see because her time was limited. I wanted to make sure she got the Doha experience. Because it really is a whole new world over here.
Safari Mall is definitely unique. Very different from Villaggio! This is where many of the workers shop. Their work bus will drop them off here.
Checking out Safari Mall.
Safari Mall can be a bit... intense. But it does have its uses. It has a currency exchange, places for men to get their hair cut, passport photos, and also this optics/eye care place. Al Jamal Optics is helpful if you are planning to get your license out here and you wear glasses. If you live in Barwa Commercial Avenue (BCA) you can walk there if you are feeling daring! I did it a few times last year. I recommend some good walking shoes if you are up for the challenge.
I took my mom to the Villaggio mall because it is one of my favorites. What's not to love with a mall that has stores from home, all the label and fancy schmancy brands like Cartier, Dolche and Gabbana, etc. Oh and did I mention that there's a gondala ride? And a hockey rink? And an amusement park for kids to go to complete with a mini roller coaster and other rides? Because it has all that and more. It is nice to see restaurants from home like TGI Fridays, PF Changs, McDonald's, KFC, and others that I know that I am missing. We opted out of the gondala ride since my mom is not a fan of boats or anything on water. It's still on my bucket list of things to do in Doha!
The Villaggio mall! It is my favorite mall since it is close to Barwa City. Behind that sign is the hockey rink.
My mom loves Crocs. She could be their spokesperson!
We also did a Hop on Hop off Bus Tour. This was a great way to get a preview of the different places of Doha. My mom was definitely overwhelmed and unsure of how to get around. It brought flashbacks from when I first did it in August 2015 back when I was a newbie. I remember it was much hotter because we did the tour in August when it was at least 40 degrees Celsius AKA 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you hit triple digits out here, it's just boiling hot. It is not a dry heat which most people believe. Since Qatar is a small peninsula off of Saudi Arabia, I think the sea breeze makes it humid. Really humid. Like you just stepped into a sauna. Or joined a bikram yoga class. Actually one of the ladies I met on the tour teaches yoga and she told me when she offers classes. Word of mouth is the best way to communicate and connect with other expats in Doha. I also got to meet a fellow Hufflepuff. She was so kind and chatted with my mom and I and I learned some more info about Doha. Always ask questions! Like wise Dumbledore says, "Help will always be given to those who ask for it." If you don't ask for help or don't reach out, then the answer will always be no.
The Doha bus tour! The best time to do one is at night. It gets too hot during the day. We made it halfway through our day tour. But hey it was free so no complaints here!
Some important numbers and prices. I definitely recommend the bus tour. It gives you an overview of all the hot spots in Doha.
This is the lady I met on the bus tour who teaches yoga. Her name is Connie and she offers yoga classes in Doha. Check out her Facebook page if you wish!
It was great to finally meet Susan! Hufflepuffs unite! We are both members of a Facebook group called HRC or Hogwarts Running Club. If you like Harry Potter and are looking for a positive outlet and supportive people then I highly recommend joining. It encourages people to work on their fitness and share a love for Harry Potter. Which if anyone knows me, I definitely love HP. It's nice to have an escape from reality every now and then!
We visited Souq Waqif and my mom loved it. It really does feel like you have jumped into the middle of Aladdin. It reminds me of the farmer's markets from back home in the States, but with a Middle Eastern twist. She got a necklace with her name in Arabic. She also got other souvenirs for my sisters and aunts back home in the US. I was bursting with questions and loved learning where the shop workers were from. Everyone has a story to tell and I was eager to find out where they were from. Many of the workers are from countries such as Nepal, Syria, or Bangladesh. And it just hurts my heart knowing that their wages are so low, lower than what I make. Doha can be a tough place to live and like anywhere, there are some things that can be frustrating. But I have learned that you have to have a growth mindset and always focus on the positives. You may be going through a tough time, but chances are someone is going through an even more terrible situation than you. You never know what battles a person is facing. This is why I always choose to be kind. You always have a choice in how you treat someone. You can be rude, mean, and hurt someone's feelings. Or you can choose to be kind. That kind gesture may be the one thing that brightens a person's day. Make them feel noticed and appreciated. Actions speak louder than words, friends. Always remember that.
The swirly whirly mosque! Actually it's called Fanar, the Qatar Islamic Cultural Center. According to Google.
I forget where this guy was from but his job from what I guessed is to push around trash in the wheelbarrow or to carry people's things around for them. This was just me being an obnoxious goofball and striking a pose.
We stopped and had some food at The Village! It brought back memories to when I ate there last year with a big group of the GEMS teachers. Apparently they have a business lunch for only 59 QAR Sunday-Thursday from 11:30 AM to 5 PM. Definitely a bargain! Their food is great.
They also have animals at the souq. The sad part about this is that they are kept in cages and rarely get time out. There are also bunnies, cats and dogs. The crazy cat lady in me wanted to free them all from their cages and let them free!
The cats knew immediately that we were crazy cat ladies and came over to us right away.
We got Arabic necklaces from this shop in the Gold Souq. I highly recommend it because the prices are fair and the necklaces are good quality! Shop number 83 is the way to go.
Since we were in the Middle East I had to give my mom the experience of riding a camel. This was on the Sealine Beach Resort. We did not get a chance to go to Fuwairit Beach. Fuwairit is a private beach where you can see turtles and where they lay their eggs. It had been closed due to littering and driving, which was scaring the turtles away. It is also on my list of places to visit along with watching camel races! They are a popular event in Qatar in the winter time.
Strike a pose!
I've been through the desert on a horse with no name...
I don't have my license and am scared to drive the crazy wild roads of Doha so we relied mostly on Uber and Karwa. Both of them you have to be careful. Sometimes the drivers will try to scam you or say that their meters aren't working. One thing I try to keep in mind is that a lot of these drivers are in a worse living situation than me and most likely need the money more than I do. But at the same time it doesn't mean it is ok for them to try to overcharge me!
Life has been kind of rocky for me lately. I am working on getting things back on track and am so grateful for having such a caring and understanding boss. And also grateful for everyone in my Doha family that has been so supportive. I am taking some time to focus on my needs. One thing I am working on reminding myself is that my needs are just as important as everyone else's. You should not be putting yourself last. In fact you should always be number one! Be your own cheerleader. Because you are awesome.
I am going to get on my soapbox for a minute here, but since it is my blog, I can say or do what I want. I want to talk about a word called gaslighting. This is something that I feel everyone should be more aware of. Gaslighting is used by manipulative people who twist your words around and take no responsibility for their words or actions. It makes the victim AKA you question your sanity and memory of events. Phrases such as "you're too sensitive" or "get over it" or "you take everything so personally" are some examples. The best example of gaslighting I can use with current events is Donald Trump. He does not take responsibility for anything and is a master of double talk. He contradicts himself constantly and no one has a clue what exactly he stands for. When I am traveling on trips and I tell people that I am from the US they always ask me what I am going to do if Trump wins the presidency. First it started off as a joke, but now it is a serious issue. He has made it this far, election day is only a month away. I know that I do not want a hot headed, quick tempered bully anywhere near the White House. He is selfish, greedy, and does not have the country's best interest at heart. All he cares about is himself. This is not the type of person who should be president. I would rather have a president who is calm, cool, and collected and will think before they act or speak. It is 2016 folks, the US is ready for a woman to take charge.
Anyone who knows me is well aware that I am completely obsession with Hamilton. I kind of feel like this year's election is like the election of 1800. Aaron Burr vs. Thomas Jefferson. Donald Trump is like Aaron Burr 2.0. No one really knows what he stands for and all he does is talk in circles. People are iffy about Hillary because of mistakes she has made in the past. Let's be honest. People are extra hard on her because she is a woman. Donald Trump may not be the worst choice but between him and Hillary, I think we all know she is the better choice.
And to end this on a positive note, I want to give a big shout out to all the teachers out there. The beginning of the year is a difficult time no matter how many years you have been teaching. Just remember that you are awesome and doing the best you can! I took my mom on a tour of my GEMS school and loved showing her my room and also taking some time to look at other teacher's bulletin boards. As silly as it sounds bulletin boards stress me out. I will spend hours looking at bulletin board ideas on Pinterest. It was nice to have some spare time to see what other teachers in my school had. Teachers are kleptos- we are always taking ideas from each other!
The staircase up to my room! I love that they have math facts on each step. Sometimes I nearly trip going up them because I get distracted staring at the multiplication facts.
The library AKA my happy place. Even though I brought books from home I would still check out library books each week. Teachers are allowed to check out up to 30 books.
My roommate's door! I love how it looks. I think one of the keys to a successful classroom is to make the kids feel welcome and that they belong.
Grade 3 bulletin board! My roomie also did this one. Who doesn't love minions?
This is my friend Felicia's door! She did an aquarium theme and I love it. Something about the fish theme makes me feel so calm when I go to her room to talk to her or stop by to say hi.
