Inservice Week

Aside from gallivanting around the tent city, this week has been pretty draining.  All week we have been doing "teacher in-service" here at the school.  Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday all of the children came to get their uniforms.  It was very exhausting!!

Each of the 92 students were given 2 pairs of denim jeans (or shorts/skirt/jumper), two T-shirts, two pairs of socks, two underwear, a pair of sneakers, a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, a bar of soap, a comb, and deodorant (for the older students).  It was a lot of work to try and find the right size jeans, shirts, and sneakers for all 92 students.  The most difficult part was finding the right size jeans.  The Haitian children are SO skinny and long legged.  If we found a pair of jeans that fit in the waist, they were too short in the leg.  If we found a pair that fit lengthwise, then they were too big in the waist.  It was quite frustrating!  When the kids got there, I usually started by checking what size jeans they were wearing to get an idea of what they might need.  One little girl came in wearing what I thought to be bermuda shorts.  When I checked the size, I was blown away.  They were size 18 to 24 month toddler pants on a 4th grade girl!!!!

After handing out uniforms, the rest of the time was spent writing lesson plans, filling out grade books, organizing the classroom, making copies, etc.  I am only teaching Kindergarten, which is from 11:30 AM to 3 PM.  There is another young girl, Vanessa, who will be teaching Pre-K from 8 AM to 11 AM.  We share the same classroom.  She is 20 years old and a former TLC student.  I have been sharing as many ideas with her as I can.  Not that I have a whole lot of teaching experience myself, but I am excited to help mentor her.  She has been an assistant teacher for a few years, but this will be her first year as a teacher.

With lots of work, "our" classroom has finally taken shape and really looks nice.  I still feel as though I have a lot of paperwork/planning to do.  Thankfully I still have all next week to prepare!