first day of classes
Star International School
Year2-Green
3:35 am. I woke up with new sense of purpose. This day is the official start of a new academic year. And as always, no matter how gloomy my previous days were, every first day in school always gives me an uncharacteristically euphoric feeling. I can almost taste the tang of learning and teaching challenges that linger in the air. I wanted to go back to sleep , silently reminding myself that I might need the benefit of complete rest, considering the string of challenges I might be facing ahead, but no matter how I tried, my mind stayed awake , though I my eyes were closed.
4:00 am Miraculously, my cp alarm vibrated. I totally gave up my attempt to sleep. I turned on my laptop and checked messages in YM and Facebook. Some of the posts were quite disheartening.... except that I resolved that nothing and no one can and should break my focus on the day ahead. I needed to start the day right, and that meant striving to correct any misdeeds , tying frayed ends, untangling threads that accumulated in the previous day that somehow threaten the success of the moment.
5:30 am After a particularly inspiring conversation with Mike, and a relaxing yoga routine I now am ready to face the day. The first rays of sun filtering thru the window brought a smile on my lips. Ah, life is indeed , beautiful! That mantra played in my head while I ate my breakfast, prepared our packed lunch and geared myself for the tasks ahead.
6:00 am Ms Claire picked us up. We had to start early because we still have to drop Ms Donna at Star International School-Mirdiff. It was a particularly long journey, and somehow my lack of sleep caught on me and I drifted off. When I woke up, it was to find out that we've already touched base (lol)
The Reading Corner, Y2-Green
7:15 am Mr. John was already in the room. We exchanged pleasantries and fell into a lighthearted discussion about how we spent our weekends and the Eid celebration in particular. Such light conversation however cannot mask the cornucopia of apprehension, excitement, tension , because after all, we're both particularly "newbies " in different respects. He, because he's new in school and I, because I'm new in primary school. In a sense, both of us are still "feeling our way" into this plane of the academic adventure.
Being "Wild" about Books
8:00 am It turned out that our worries were unfounded. The kids placed in our charge were well behaved (they usually are, in the first day of school..lol) We were expecting 16, but only a dozen showed up. And to make everything smoother, we even have Ms Faiza, a shadow teacher to her son, Hasan. From the moment the kids entered the room, usually accompanied by their parents, everything proceeded so smoothly one could glide on it.
writing time
The children were cooperative in the games, artworks, writing tasks and other prepared activities. Ms Faizah, who knew the routine quite well made things easy for us. Ms Rowena (Henson) also volunteered to assist me.
Mr John, with some of the Year 2-Green pupils
Aside from periodically consulting the timetable, everything wen't well and it was almost a surprise that we realized it was already dismissal time.
2:40 pm As I watched the last of the children being fetched by their parents, i breathed a prayerful relief. Watching the then, empty room (with probably a smile pasted on my face), I realized, the classroom is not yet done. There are just so many things to accomplish. For the whole school year. For this term. But today, is a good start.
Thank you, heavenly Father, for a wonderful day.
