American Embassy School is a lovely place to work. Artists of every ilk have been invited as guests to create signature pieces, whether sculpture, gardens, or painting. Artists-in-residence work with the kids and produce enduring works to beautify the campus. AES prides itself on its architecture and ambiance. There are no long, dull hallways, but 'pods' that create additional meeting places outside classrooms. The gardens and walkways are well tended, designed for people to congregate. Parents flow in freely, take classes, go to the pool, or attend the many forums run by the school. Although the school is growing fast, and has reached 1300 K-12 students, it works hard at creating a tight community. Our head is Bob Hetzel, whose staff meetings consist of inspirational stories and whose emails always include a poem.
We are enjoying the best working conditions one can imagine in education. The faculty are treated with respect and everyone wants to work up to the high standard with which they are regarded. The facilities are amazing: I have small classes of 7-10 students, yet my room has a smartboard, document camera, digital camera, etc. I decided I wanted plexiglass on all the cupboards to increase writing surfaces - done. I wanted an additional whiteboard - done. I could have furniture made to my specifications if I wanted! Any supplies I want are available without delay upon request. We have instructional assistants who perform all the errands and copying tasks, as well as work one-on-one with students. The schedule actually allows for a leisurely lunch for the first time in my career.
My students are mostly from Israel, Denmark, Norway, Korea, but I have one from South Africa, one from Japan, one from Singapore. They are mostly from well-traveled, well-resourced families, all literate in their first languages, and usually avid readers. The interesting thing is they are just like kids I've taught before from war ravaged African countries: they are curious and creative, naughty and nice. I'm really enjoying the elementary levels I'm teaching: 3rd and 4th graders of all proficiencies. They are teaching me a lot.
Evan has his work cut out for him. While we are experiencing the lightest workloads of our careers, he is experiencing the heaviest. He has between 3-4 hours of homework each night, and if he completes it all, he is still only getting Cs. He sometimes feels like he's paddling in deep water as fast as he can, yet making little headway, and is unable to keep up the pace. He has felt like drowning a few times. This week has been better than last, as he is trying his best to get into the groove of expectations. Craig and I both feel if he can just learn to swim through it, he'll get a great education and be prepared for whatever he decides in the future. Any 15 year old that can make this switch has had to develop the right stuff.
Anyway, each week brings a new threshold of adjustment. You know you're settling in when you start to look beyond basic survival needs for some fun and entertainment: we're heading off to the outskirts of Rajasthan this weekend for a faculty retreat. Stay tuned.
I'm taking a class on India's history, architecture and culture with a woman who has written more than 30 papers on the subject, but who can earn more being a teacher's assistant at the American Embassy School than as a professor. She takes us on field trips to India's 'seven cities'...the ruins of the grandest edifices of invaders and dynasties since the late 12th century. On Saturday we visited the Qutab Minar, pictured here, once the tallest free standing tower in the world, still impressive at almost 300 feet with beautifully sculpted inscriptions from the Koran. It is 800 years old, built by the first Mongol invader Qutaab al Din. Adjacent are the remains of Delhi's first mosque, built with the desecrated pillars of destroyed Hindu temples. My classmates are women from Israel, Canada, Korea, Belgium, and the U.S. I love spending time this way! Our teacher intersperses wars and empire building with beauty secrets of her grandmother: cover your face with cows milk, let it dry, and wipe away all the impurities from the skin. I'm taking notes.
