Swine, Surprises, and Seventh graders

Wednesday at TCIS Middle School: Principal and Vice Principal tag team
a demonstration to talk to kids about how to slow the spread of the flu!


So I must have completely forgotten how INSANELY SLOW middle schoolers walk. I took 3 students back to my apartment with me right after school today. I gave them a project that turned out to be impossible so I had to help them out with it a little. My writing classes had to create a specific, detailed rubric for the perfect cookie or brownie and then bring in a sample of the cookie or brownie and have the rest of the class try it and rate it on the rubric. While this is not an issue for most people, I happened to have a group of 3 - 2 of whom claimed that they had no oven in their house, and the 3rd said his mom said he couldn't have people over. So they had no way of "collaborating" on this cookie making. Because I decided I didn't want to deal with it any longer than I had to, especially when it wasn't that big of a project, I told them they could come mix the brownies and bake them in my oven.
1. The 3 of them - 2 boys, 1 girl - went to the store to get their supplies right after school. They came back to meet me with no supplies. "Ms. Gangel, there were people fighting in the store, we couldn't buy anything." Ok, we'll stop somewhere on the way to my place.
2. The 7 minute walk turned into 15 minutes. It seems they are not CAPABLE of moving at a faster speed, no matter how much goading I do! They weren't being ornery, that was just their walking speed! And then they started complaining how far it was....arg. :P
3. Once we got to my place, I remembered they hadn't gotten their supplies so I sent them back out to the store 20 steps from the apartment while I quickly set some things out and made the place 7th grade friendly. When they weren't back after 10 minutes, I started getting worried. So I go to see what's taking them so long. They weren't in the store!!! I immediately started beating myself - NEWSFLASH! 2nd year teacher loses 3 7th graders!* - Of course, their parents knew they were with me, they had signed out at the school so they knew too, and somehow, 20 steps from my house, I lose them! So I start running around my neighborhood calling their names. Nothing. After checking back home once and running out again, I come back and....they're sitting in my apartment. "Where were you, Ms. Gangel?" Completely innocent. They had just gone to a different store, the opposite direction than I ran. *frustrated little sigh*
3. So we get started, after having to change the recipe. Now, I know with 3RD GRADERS, you have to make sure that everyone has an equal share and an equal share and if HE gets to crack, then I get to crack one too and....etc. But I sure didn't expect it to the degree I found it with 7TH graders!!! Wow.
4. Let me just say that this was a very simple recipe with few ingrediants. But I don't think I've seen my little kitchen get that messy in a long time. Even with me monitoring, there was an entire broken egg on the table, flour and cocoa scattered on the chairs and floor - and by the end, even a splatter of brownie batter on the WALL. All you can do is laugh, you know?
5. So Alfred held the pan steady, while Albert held the batter bowl, while Grace scraped. They all got 2 licks from the bowl and then we put the pan in the oven. But during all this, I realized that I don't think any of these kids have used a microwave or oven very much, if at ALL. After helping Grace with my 1-dial, 1-button microwave to melt the butter, I asked Albert to open the oven. Microwaves might all be different but all ovens open the same way. Well, let's just say that I ended up having to open it. :P Where have these kids been?
6. Time to clean up. Gotta get them back to catch the late bus. So I stand at the sink and assign clean up jobs. Alfred and Albert, use paper towels to wipe off the sugar and flour containers and bring them to me; Grace, you bring the dishes to me and wet wipe the table. The poor boys thought I meant them to wipe EVERYTHING with the paper towels, so they proceed to pick up the measuring cups we used and wipe the flour off them. They were going to wipe out the batter bowl too - and probably put it back in the cupboard. No, dears, the dishes we can wash. Just wipe up your mess. :)
7. Don't forget your backpacks there by the chair. No, seriously, Albert, your backpack is by the chair, don't walk out. "Oh I have a backpack? Oh." The walk home takes nearly as long and by the end I have to say, "Boys, RUN. and I mean RUN to catch your bus." Whew. Disaster BARELY avoided. :)

Ok, so that was my Friday. TGIF night.
We've been back at school since Wednesday. And through this quarantine, I've learned that I have serious trouble doing online work, especially from home. I really do not work well at home and storing, doing, grading, planning, everything digitally just confuses me. So I'm glad to be able to be back at my school desk with all my hands on books and planners and sticky notes. Mac Stickies are cool but they just don't compare to the real thing!

It's Here....

The New Chick-fil-a Chicken Sandwich!!!!!

just kidding. Actually what's here is H1N1. That's right. We're infected.

Last block of the day, I'm making my final announcements to a 7th grade Reading class and over the loud speaker, our vice principal comes on and says, "The Korean Department of Health has found multiple confirmed cases of H1N1 flu virus on our campus and per their requirements, Taejeon Christian International School will be shut down. Starting tomorrow, we will be shut down for anywhere from 2 days to a week."

Pandemonium breaks out!! As if a week and a half of school has worn them down so much! (although it was kind of exciting myself!) So kids were told to leave school right away after the bell rang and the dorm kids had to go and pack up quickly so the dorm staff could escort them to Seoul or wherever their homes were. Teachers were called to all meet together for an official briefing by the headmaster, where he proceeded to tell us not to say anything to the media, who were waiting outside, and to be thinking about how we could start putting curriculum online for kids to continue learning, especially if this goes on awhile. Yikes!

I like the prospect of having extra hours to keep working on my units, which I'm just barely staying on top of, and I especially like the idea of sleeping in a little tomorrow before going to work! However, Dr. Penland warned us that if the Health Department deemed it necessary, we might be banned from going ANYWHERE, including the campus! Whoa. That's when this stops being fun and just becomes scary and boring. (? at the same time? yes.)

So what am I going to do with all this extra time on my hands for the next three days and the weekend? I don't know! We'll see. A list might be forthcoming on this little site. :)

Lights

Sounds and lights blink on and off
On Off On Off
They're here but they're not
First there and then gone
While a light shines
It exists in its fullness
Once it escapes
It's as though it never was there
But a memory left
Remembered by shadows
Breeds hope of a light
That will come and will stay.

But the light is divided
It's needed elsewhere
Light desires to stay
And improve the dark air
But another room calls
Just as dark as the fist
And the light can't decide
Which is better or worse
So she flickers and dims
And blinks back and forth
On Off On Off

The reason to stay is the need and the growth
To go is the future and family both
The children here need her youth and her life
But what of her hope to be mother and wife?
It seems that's on hold
For as long as she stays
While she's here, all of life
Is just classes and plays
But of course her own drama
Is still going on
And ties her to home
Strings will never be gone.

So how long to stay
When I don't know God's plans?
In three months, what to say?
Am I trusting God's hands?

With a bowl of Mac and Cheese

writing this post, that is.

I kinda forgot that fall is rainy season in Korea. :) Lots of rain these days. And still lots of heat so it gets really muggy. All the doors and windows were fogged up in the school today.

I've decided I don't really care for the first week of school. We don't really get anything done and schedules change on an hourly basis so you never know who is going to show up in your class. It's a zoo. I can actually start TEACHING next week. But today the kids helped me put up some decorations and we created a large paper Word Tree on the wall. We also did Cool, Exciting, Fun-to-Say Word collages. But just so you get an idea of the culture of some of these Korean kids (not ALL), there were a few who were upset that we weren't "doing anything" today (other than having fun with art). And a few who could not accept that you can do artistic things in WRITING class - whoa. And another kid who asked if I would take points off if he didn't do his part of the poster well. Whoa, calm down, kids. :) Of course, when we get to doing the "real work," as they call it, they'll still buck and complain. Ahh, such is life.

The ceiling in one corner of my room is leaking brown liquid. It doesn't smell yet, but I hope they can fix it soon! I also only have a trickle of hot water for 1 minutes of every 4 minutes in the shower. So I WOULD be taking shorter showers, which would be good, but I'm standing there and waiting for the hot water. Just being stubborn. :)

I found a puzzle of the world map. It's fun and hard.

I went to a Korean class at a downtown church last night for the first time. My friend Stephanie goes but I never had the energy last year. Apparently last night most of the teachers were away so it was a little chaotic and random. The Korean leader also did a salvation lesson or something - read through a handout on the 4 Spiritual Laws. It was so weird and then he called on people to identify the state of their "heart" - out LOUD. AWKWARD! It was like he was trying to bring people to Christ but was just reading the outline and then forcing people to repeat the "prayer" after him. Steph said he was just stalling, hoping for some more teachers and that that doesn't usually happen. Very strange. The teacher I had went a little too fast and I couldn't write everything down which is the only way I can remember things. But I have stuff to study - let's see if I will actually do it!

I've decided to name this new Mac Dorothy. Wallace got sold this summer. He actually had a gender change and became Phyllis, I think. :P TMI? haha

My 7th graders still seem like the 6th graders I taught last year. I guess I forgot how far the old 7th graders had come by the end of the year.

I don't think like teaching 3 classes each day very much. The only thing that's better than the 5 and 1 schedule last year is the fact that I don't have a day where I am worn out from teaching all day. But the random blocks here and there that I have free don't do much for me toward planning. I have a feeling I'll be at school later and more often this year!

Back Online

Spread the news! Share the joy!! Lyndsey Gangel is back to blogging!! hahaha....

This edition of Lyndsey's Life will not have any pictures because unfortunately I cannot access any of my recent pictures right now. I've switched to a new Mac and not everything is transferring.

So I'm sitting here at my desk in the teacher workroom, staring at how junky and cluttered my desk is already...glad that we're using laptops exclusively and I don't have to have a desktop! TCIS middle school is now a Mac division - although the kinks that come with switching platforms are a nightmare and a headache and a half. Nobody can seem to print or project or access network files...the list goes on. Ahh, the joys of a new school year. :)

I have a lot of work to do before students come on Monday. However, as my principal told me yesterday, everything changes and calms down once they arrive. Somehow certain things minimalize when you finally get into the routine. Right now, I feel like I have a week's worth of work I'm trying to do today and tomorrow. I'm just nervous about making sure I have the routines, procedures, and overviews in my head so kids can start out the year knowing what to expect from me and in my class. 2nd year teaching still isn't experienced enough to know the best way to start. But hey! At least I'm not a first year teacher anymore! I know more than last year!

It's great to be back with these people. To be surrounded by so many different accents and backgrounds and personalities. Everybody definitely just jumps right back in. Only Anna isn't in yet. She is in Switzerland till tomorrow finishing a grad course. And with Erin Curley on the same campus, life is beautiful! She is about as overwhelmed as I am with the schedule RAs have the first weekend but things will settle for her too. She and I have so many things we want to do together here - it's hard to remember that we have basically opposite schedules - whenever I'm off, she's on, and vice versa! It'll be interesting.

I'm determined to do so many more things this year than I did last year. Learn the bus system, go to the gym and run regularly, learn some Korean, stay up and preferably OUT past 8pm on most nights, start developing a MS dance and drama ministry team (yikes! out of my league), write lots - of anything and everything, and hopefully cook some more, although it really is just too easy and cheap to eat out! And Koreans can make Korean food so much better than I can.

10am, Saturday morning. I'm buckling down to work. Peace out.