E002 - A Classroom of Champions

Hello beloved loved ones :) sorry, this is going to be a quick one again. I hope to have a full-on update during Christmas break, but until then I wanted to show you my pride and joy: my classroom! It's been quite a work in progress and more can change, but I'm really happy with how it's turning out right now. When I got this room, it hadn't been inhabited for four years but had been used for math, leadership, and english. By the pictures, I hope you will see how difficult that must have been. They also left all of their junk in there, so it was a fun one to clean for the first month or so of school! Anyway, here she is! Love you all, I'll talk to you in a week or two :) wish me luck to finish the week strongly and not die before my "seasonal non-holiday specific pre-winter break hootenany" (aka class Christmas party).

Eating the Elephant

Why hello! For those of you who are afraid that we are no longer living, don't worry, breath is still flowing in the good 'ole lungs and the faithful heart is still pumpin'. I'm afraid that this can't be a long post, I have 150 quizzes to grade tonight, but I just wanted to send a quick note to say that Buckley is awesome, the house is awesome (can't wait for you all to see it!), Richard is AWEsome, and work is hard but I'm making it through :) anyway, can't wait to see you guys, love you all and happy belated Halloween!

Summing It Up

So, long time no chit-chat! Hope that life is treating you all well and that your lives are filled with health and happiness. As the end of "my summer" comes to a close, I've been reflecting quite a bit on the transition out of college. It's been rougher than I expected, but also extremely growing. Anyway, that is neither here nor there... nor interesting, so I'll get on with telling you how I have occupied my time.


I have been and continue to be gainfully unemployed, but have been actively searching for work. Each week or so, I head over to the Washington State Superintendent's Office and go through each and every school district website and check their job postings. I've applied to a few places, mostly on the westside, but haven't really heard anything back yet. Any prayers or good thoughts you could send my way would be much appreciated! I'm putting in the effort, and I know that God'll plop me down wherever is right, but it's hard feeling as though my purpose in life is being unfulfilled. But it'll change, and I'm trying to keep my mind active as to what the future holds and all the opportunities I can create/take advantage of.


I spent quite a bit of time at the family's lake cabin, both helping wrap up the basics of the renovation and relaxing with the family. We had Payton for quite a while which was both a blast and enlightening... nothing quite like taking care of a little one to open your eyes as to the responsibilities of having children! But it was completely worthwhile, and I enjoyed every second. I haven't seen Payton nearly as much as I would have liked to since she's been born; it was a huge blessing to have built memories with her, even if she won't remember them, and to feel as though she finally knows who I am. I feel like the pictures below are a good representation of our time at the cabin with Payton:




The fourth was tons of fun and time with the family is always great, but I was missing Richard a lot during that time... but I received a wonderful surprise while at the cabin. I was cooking soup for the family dinner when my mom slipped out of the house, came back in and called, "oh Master Chef, come here for a moment!"; just as I turned around, Richard was slipping in the door with a vase of flowers. I instantly started crying, it had been a month since we'd seen each other! Although that's not a lot of time and we've gone longer than that before, I was really missing him. With him he brought a little novelty glass bottle with seashells and sand and a phone microchip that had a video of pictures of the two of us :) he had Jenna hide it under the dock so that I could stumble upon it! It was such a blessing, he was able to stay for almost three days and enjoy the cabin :)


After the cabin, I came home for a few days and headed out to Spokane for my planned vacation (well, didn't really have anything to "vacation" from, but...). Richard was able to get a week off work and a few shifts after that, so I mosied on over for time with him and his family. It was wonderful! We camped for three days which, we learned very quickly, is a long time to be in an abandoned field in the rain and with little to do. It was still great, but we had no idea how much it would cost (even with a free campsite... we camped at his dad's property in Priest River, Idaho that used to be his grandma's farm) and the work it would take. It took hours to cook a meal, and getting all that food and charcoal at once ain't cheap! Still great though :) we swam a lot, went to Silverwood with his immediate family (including his little nephews :) ), went to a family reunion of Richard's mom's side of the family at a family tradition known as "The Mudhole" (a local cove off of Priest River that has buoys and gates set for swimming), hunting for arrowheads, exploring Newport, went to a baseball game on fireworks night, lots of reading and TONS of talking. Overall, it was a great time and just what we needed :) then I came back, spent a little more time at the lake, and have been continuing to just plug away at family chores and such!


This is our lovely campsite in our nicely abandoned field :)




And the gorgeous view of the field at sunset!




I carmalized onions over the campfire. Oh. My. Gosh. Not even FUNNY how good it was with charcoal burgers.




This is the Mudhole I was talking about... tada, in all it's glory!




This was posted in a museum at Newport... glad these rules don't apply anymore haha.




Take me out to the ballgame! Oh, and a bag of peanuts... $4?! Ridiculous...





This past weekend, my dad and I headed to the Enumclaw Highland Games to find haggis, bagpipes and manskirts (*cough* kilts *cough*) galore. It was tons of fun! Those kinds of big events just have a fun energy, not to mention there are always fun people to watch :) for some reason, all the Renaissance Fair people think the Highland Games is the basically the same event, so bring on the pirates and fairies. Very celtic...


So yup! Still getting together with friends in spare time and working towards the next big thing: a job! I better get back to job searches, but I hope all's well and to see you guys soon :)


With love,
Chels

Endings and Beginnings

I'm sitting on the couch in my parents' living room, thinking to myself "wow, I can't believe I'm here". Not because it was some big surprise or because I thought I would be halfway to Mexico by now, but because so much life has happened in the past few weeks. I saw the end of Women's Choir, the end of my time as a Whitworth senior, the end of my undergraduate career and of student teaching, and the beginning of my Grandma's journey through eternal life. All were beautiful, but none were spared of emotion and difficulty. I don't know how else to put it, but if anything has shown through the clouds of change these paste weeks it has been love. Without a doubt, the love of my family, those around me, and God has been my saving grace. For all of you who have shown me unconditional love in this time and beyond, a thousand words of thanks. I can't express how you've impacted me, all explanations are insufficient. Know that I send it your way tenfold and that I love you all with all my heart.


I don't know what else to say or how to say it, so I'll move on. My mom informed me (shocker) that I haven't filled everyone in on what happened as the school year came to a close. I'll give you a quick synopsis, followed by what's been going on since I've been back (abridged) and what the future holds in store!


It's crazy to think that my time at Whitworth has come to a close... it feels like yesterday when I was moving into Duvall! Some much has changed since then, I don't recognize who I am anymore; I'm not against who I was, but I am thankful to have grown and become the person I am today. The weekend before my graduation, or "springing" as I may refer to it throughout the blog, was our Senior Boat Cruise in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It was one of those awkward times when you're stuck on a boat for three hours a bunch of your drunk classmates that you haven't seen for years and have to make small talk with, you know?! No? Okay, maybe not... I had a great (sober) time with some of my close friends and dancing on the top deck in the rain with the four other girls (my friends, of course) who weren't afraid of getting their hair wet. I was really thankful for the event, though, because it allowed me to see people I otherwise might not have before we all left, or "sprang".


This is my friend Natalie, social coordinator for Women's Choir, and I on the boat cruise!

My final week of college was spent partly at Whitworth, where we had mock interviews, portfolio presentations, guest speakers, group photos and awards (my mom, against my wishes, would like me to mention that I was awarded the Vicki Lewis Humanitarian Service Award from the School of Education. So there, I did it). It was a great connector to Whitworth, especially since student teaching had left most of us feeling disconnected from the Whitworth community. On the days that I wasn't at Whitworth, I was at Northwood finishing up my student teaching experience. It was bittersweet... I was ecstatic to have survived with a shred of my dignity and with recommendations that might actually help, not hinder, me in getting a job. At the same time, I didn't want to say goodbye to my students yet. They have made this whole experience worthwhile, and in fact where the point in me going through it.


In my final week, a lot of great things happened. My students presented their "Build-A-Body" projects, which were much more successful than I anticipated (as seen below... this is one of my crazy students and his project; he dwelled on the fact that his project was "feedable") and Dr. Mike of Whitworth's biology faculty came to my Dissection Viewapalooza (a day set aside to viewing seven different preserved animal specimens and sketching their connections to the human body systems discussed in class), bringing with him a Snapping Turtle (also seen below) and some awesome stories. Other memorable moments include my Tasting and Illusions Lab and the going away party my mentor teacher threw for me on my final day. It was so special, and I had no idea! He got a huge sheet cake that read "Thank you Ms. Casebolt, We Love You", there were balloons, he had each class period sign a poster for me, the works :) the students didn't know that it was the day, however, and there was a breadth of reactions; it ranged from the "cool, middle school guy" head nod to a boy vowing he would find me if I didn't come back before the end of the school year and a girl spending 30 minutes in the counseling center crying over my departure. Throughout the day, I smiled and laughed and said my goodbyes to my beloved kiddos. Inside, however, I just wanted to burst into tears. I held it together, though, until I was driving home. I didn't like the feeling necessarily, but I feel blessed that I will have the same sentiments each year for the rest of my career. It's a beautiful thing to love so much it hurts; I'm truly thankful for that ability :)




I want to share with you guys the story of my cap. My mortarboard, as you can see below, is a sketch of the human digestive system (one of the systems I tought to my students) with an apple in the place of the heart (since I have a "heart" for teaching, get it?!). After printing that off, I had all 140 students that I taught sign it :) it was so special to have, it felt as though I had them all with me; this was important to me since it was because of them that I was able to walk with my certification under my belt. It is one of my more prized possesions now, and I'm thankful to have it!



Also, I saw the end of my time in Whitworth Women's Choir those last weeks. I distributed the sweatshirts I fought so hard to get (don't remind me...), pranked my choir director and proclaimed it on YouTube, performed in my last choir concert with my sisters, and orchestrated the end-of-the-year Women's Choir dinner the Monday of finals week. The food was amazing, I improvised gifts and speeches throughout... it was quite the event! It's tradition to talk about what the summer and future has in store for us, so it was great to hear how many different places and things my people will be doing. I miss them all so much, but am so thankful for the opportunity to have made music with them!


This is the Women's Choir officers, the director and our accompanist... love and miss them :)


And finally, graduation! Here are pictures of some of the people I love with all my heart :)





The big moment!


Women's Choir officers!


Steph and I... four years as roommates, crazy!


This is Dr. Mike and I. We both cried as we said our goodbyes to each other... nowhere but Whitworth :)


That weekend was full of birthday celebrations for my dad's birthday, a Commissioning and Communion service for students and their families, baccalaureate, the "springing" itself and packing for home! Many of you know what ensued after I returned home, and I feel so blessed to have been a part of it. Since coming home, I've made it to Spokane twice (once to pick up the remainder of my furniture and again to visit friends and my classroom), have spent time with family, have knocked some things of the to-do list, been helping at Vacation Bible School rehearsals at Chapel Hill with Chels, and am still looking for jobs. I received my certification last week and my diploma today (wahoo!) so it's starting to sink in... just a little though :) this weekend is Richard and my 1-year anniversary of dating (I know, not a big deal to y'all who have been in long term relationships, but it is for me!) so he was able to get time off work and is coming to Gig Harbor for a weekend of fun :D I'm so excited, I'm planning fun little romantic dates and etc! I'll hopefully have pictures of those events soon... it's just good to be able to spend time with the most special man I've ever known, with the biggest heart I've ever encountered :)


I've actually had a hard time talking about Grandma Book, so I'm so thankful for Jenna's letter to her because it echos many of the sentiments I think we all feel. I hope that I'll soon be able to talk about it, but until then I know she knows that I can't wait for the day we all see her again and that she is a survivor, through and through. Love you grandma, more than anything.


With that, I'm off to convert mom's VHS home videos to DVD... love you all, thanks for seeing me through the end of my college time. Time to move on, but I loved what I've moved through :)


Love,
Chels

Cookie Can-Do

To my family, whom I love with my whole heart:

I hope this brought as much of a smile to your face as it did mine :) my mom and I found it in Grandma and Grandpa's basement.

Love,
Chels

End of the World as I Know It

This is going to be a quick one, but just an update:

1. I passed my TPA! So yay, good news.

2. I've gotten everything done that I need to, so I'm coasting 'til the end :)

3. I'm applying for jobs all over the place, so any leads and let me know! I'm focusing on the westside of the state...

4. My final choir concert was on Sunday and it was phenomenal. I felt so loved and so blessed to be part of such and incredible event. Even better, my choir pranked my director with a song I wrote at the dress rehearsal. One of our songs, in Finnish, sounded an awful lot like Star Wars characters so through some finandling of the lyrics I created this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH1rxRB6_xM. Enjoy :) I'll have the CD ready when I'm home.

5. I have to grow up in about a week. Trippy.

6. I'll have a better blog when I'm moved back home; sorry, until then I'll be kind of short, sweet and to the point.

Love you all, look forward to the end of this adventure!

Chels

Hasta La Vista, sucky!

News Flash: The TPA is done. I had to teach Friday having had only one hour of sleep while still writing the thing until 30 minutes before it was due during lunch, but I did it. That is all. Love you. I continue to sleep now. Chels

May The Forest Be With You

Why howdy! Casebolt here reporting from the end of Spring Break and, subsequently, her life. Not really, but the rest of April will make or break my certification... it's crazy to think that it'll all be over in a month! Man, I should have prepared better... oh well, future Chelsea will worry about that.

This break was a wonderful time of relaxation and freaking out. About what, you ask?! Oh, just everything. The future (namely a job, a place to live, keeping family in mind in that move, this summer, etc.), the not-so-distant future (everything I need to do in the next month is beyond overwhelming... I really bit off more than I could chew with piloting the TPA... too late to turn back now, but I think it's finally hitting me), and finally the past and present (those really aren't too concerning, but I threw them in for good measure). Needless to say, the end-of-senior-year insanity is in full swing.

Thankfully, I am not the only one experiencing this existential meltdown. My good friend and fellow Northwood student teacher Jori has been feeling the same itch. The only problem is, when we get together, nothing good or rational really happens. So we decided to run away to Canada a few days ago. Did we know where we were going? No. Sleeping? No. Money? No. CANADIAN money? No, eh. Did we do it anyway? Of course. So Friday morning we packed up my car and headed to a little town we'd googled called Nelson, B.C. that apparently had a hostel that could sleep us for $25 each. We had meals at little dives on the side of the road in No Man's Land and stopped at little oddity shops along the way. After finally getting past Border Patrol on the border of a little town called Metaline (wasn't sure he would let us in... he apparently didn't think it was as funny as I did when I responded to his questioning of our possession of mace or other protective devices by showing my fists and saying, "only these, sir") we headed through the bustling metropolis (*cough* sarcasm *cough*) of Southern Canada. Salmo and Ymir were particularly chaotic. We made it to Nelson, rushed about (I guess I should say aboot) to find a way to exchange American currency for Canadian cash (it was a mini adventure, I was parked at a coin meter on the street with no coin. Let the hunt begin!) and then to find a place to sleep. Thankfully the Dancing Bear Inn/Hostel obliged us quite well. After that, we wandered around the town until we found a pub for dinner, headed back to our hostel and spent a few unfruitful hours attempting to work on student teaching stuff. The next day, we went to a little French Canadian bakery for breakfast, wandered along the riverfront and into thrift shops and bookstores, and then hit the road towards Spokane. All in all, it was just the adventurous change I needed :) it felt like Kazakhstan again (slightly... a lot more English in Canada though...).

Here are a few pictures of my adventure:

Absolutely gorgeous day and stunning drive up there, we were squeeling the whole time.

Our Canadian home, Nelson, B.C.

Our sleeping quarters... nothing like communal living while on vacation, loved it :)

Anyway, I'm just hanging around at home today until Richard gets off work and we can have our 10-month anniversary dinner :) I know, it's not much for you guys but it's the longest I've ever lasted! Well, the only I've ever lasted... couldn't be happier, feeling so blessed :) But until we speak again, I want you to know that I love and miss you all like crazy... I can't wait to come home for the summer and spend more time with family. Be well, live peace and see you soon :)

With love,

Chels

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-CHAnges

Hello beloved friends and family! Hope you are all healthy and happy. A lot has changed and developed since we last cyber-spoke, so I thought it might be a good idea to fill you in :) but where to start!

Student teaching just keeps getting better and better! My mentor teacher is extremely encouraging and challenging; he and I are able to be so transparent about our life philosophies and how we feel the classroom environment is shifting with my "monopoly of power" (muahaha! Okay, I'm done) so our conversations are always fruitful! I've been able to play with different classroom management techniques and informal assessments which has been nice. Myself and other student teachers feel as though no amount of classes or theory could prepare you for having 30 students staring at you, waiting for guidance. Mr. Gamon calls them "piranha-raptors", but I've learned how to fight them off when they start nibbling at my wrists. Each week has been massively growing and Mr. Gamon is pleased with my growth (as am I). Only have had one death while I'm in charge too! Rest in Peace, Reginald the goldfish... he dedicated his life to science so that students could see the blood stream in his tail under the microscope. But alas, he only made it through 4th period. Brave fish-soul.

So yeah, its been great! The principal has apparently been talking about me to others after I spoke up at the last staff meeting about reflective student voice strategies in the classroom (not by choice... thanks for the shout-out, Mr. Gamon) and Mr. Gamon has asked that I do a formal write-up of one of my lesson plans to be submitted for publication in a educational journal. Don't know if it'll actually happen, but I do as my mentor teacher says! After all, he writes the final recommendation :)

As far as Whitworth goes, I dunno how it goes. I know that I'm writing to several teachers who have been in this exact same position, so I feel supported in saying that most college ties are cut during student teaching. No this doesn't always include friendships, but I have no clue what's going on on campus! However, I do know that the School of Education is frantically preparing for the National Accreditation Board to come and give its seal of approval to our department. Many dinners, Q&A sessions and posters have been made to shed a bright, shiny light on Whitworth's teachers-t0-be and professors. As part of that, students are asked to participate in honest discussions about the program and some students are asked to represent the department. I just so happened to be one of those people. Tonight I will be representing the undergraduate teaching cohort (eep!) at the big dinner hosted by my professors. Should be interesting! But hey, it's a free dinner so I really couldn't say no...

Also at Whitworth comes my life-giving, refreshing Women's Choir. Music truly is my outlet, especially with everything going on right now. Presidential duties have ramped up a bit (good timing on my part), but I'm loving every second and our concert should be incredible this year. One song we're singing, called Mary Speaks, truly touches my heart. It's a song describing a conversation between Mary and Jesus as she holds him after the Crucifixion. She describes the experiences and memories she holds with her son, the Son of God, and how although He died for her she now holds Him in her arms. It turns into a beautiful description of our real relationship with Christ as well as how His death completed His work. If you can find it on YouTube (not pushing it, its just beautiful is all!) the DHS performance is quite good :) anyway, our concert is in May and I'm working to get the end-of-the-year dinner planned and concert underway (both of which are different for the first time in years, so welcome the starting-from-scratch mentality!) as well as getting sweatshirts out to women. Yup. That's about it.

I know many of you must be curious about what happened to my friend Sarah and her family. I was there every day after student teaching for about two weeks and even slept over one night so Salwa, the mom, could go home but those visits have stopped. I can't say too much other than I witnessed something concerning while at the hospital and had no choice but to tell the nurses. They made a CPS referral because of it and the proper authorities are investigating, but needless to say I am no longer welcome within that family. It has been truly painful; I've built strong relationships with them for three years and to completely end that relationship hurts. Especially with Sarah; she doesn't understand what is going on and blames me, regardless of how many times I tell her it is because I love and care for her. So I've been fielding calls from CPS and the hospital, not to mention hearing the anger of the family and avoiding their contact when I was still making visits. The stress truly got to me, but I've learned to leave it at the door when I come to school and make each day "the most important day of my life". Steph has been talking to CPS about related instances but her anonymity wasn't betrayed so she is still able to visit them. She assures me that Sarah is recovering well and last I heard she went home yesterday. Her skin graft was successful and her healing (although not easy) can be done from home. It's strange to think the last three years could have been preparation for me to advocate for these kids' safety. I guess His plan is bigger than I can imagine; I was obviously a witness for a reason, I just have to keep reminding myself sometimes. If you could continue sending prayers her way towards healing, it would mean the world to me. I hope there's a day when we can contact each other and I can hold her and explain to her my heart behind it all. If not, it will suffice to know that I tried to fight for them because I love them. It's not in my hands and it is so much bigger than me. I lay it at His feet; unless called again, my work is done.

In other news, life is a beautiful and growing mystery. Relationships have continued to surprise me. You can imagine that some friendships, as they would have anyway at the end of senior year, have shifted quite a bit. I've learned what selfless friendship looks like and have built some incredible relationships with fellow teachers-in-the-making that I know will be lifelong. My housemates are confused as to their futures which has caused them to take a different path than I have chosen. This is fine, but has shown me what I really had invested in these friendships and whether they were worth maintaining. And of course, Richard has been the most incredible support and friend. He is always looking for ways to help me unwind from a long week and relax, to laugh and play again. I am so grateful for the people in my life :D

Well, next weekend he and I are travelling back to good 'ole Gig Harbor to spend the weekend with my parents. It's my Spring Break (kinda... Whitworth's break and the Mead school district's break are off by two weeks so I still have choir but no student teaching.... awesome) so I'll be hanging out with the parents for a few days until I need to go back to my singing life. Also, it'll be full of certification assignments (good thing my professors don't read this... my TPA hasn't been touched since the first meeting. Good thing it's due the week after break! :/ ) and job searching along with lesson planning and other preparations. Still, sleeping in and wearing my footie pajamas for the majority of the day will do wonders for my soul!

I think I got it all out... I love you all so much and am thinking of you constantly, let me know how best to support you from here and I hope to see you guys soon.

Peace and love,

Chels

P.S. I graduate in less than two months... trippy.

Nada Te Turbe

Hola! Hope all is well, another quick check-in to fill you in on the last week. I survived my first week of student teaching as the lead teacher! YAY! That basically means that, starting this past Monday, I was the primary in charge of planning, teaching, disciplining, and other the other goodies involved with teaching (minus taking attendance... Mr. Gamon helps me out with that one :) ). We still team teach, meaning that he takes parts of the lesson throughout the day, but I'm the primary decision-maker as to where the lessons/unit heads and how instruction is given. My biggest challenge with that this week, as you can imagine, was classroom management. I stumbled a few times and, as much as I would love the escape from it and Mr. Gamon offered it to me, I stayed on the horse and kept trying. By the end of the week, I had a much better grasp of it and my students are beginning to recognize me as an authority in the classroom. It's one of the scariest parts of teaching for me, so to be growing so much and shaping my discipline philosophy helps make me feel like these next seven weeks will fly by and I will be proud of the progression of my students. All is good on that front :)

He wasn't kidding though, he said that I would be exhausted by the end of my first week. And he was absolutely right. Only part of that was due to my classroom. Outside of the classroom, however, has been both heartbreaking and stressful. You all have heard me mention my Sudanese friends the Zakis, yes? Well the 11-year-old Sarah, whom I've grown very close to especially over the summer, has been hospitalized for the past week and will continue to be so possibly for another three weeks. She has severe third-degree burns on her left underarm and back. Not only has it been extremely painful for her (she waited three days before telling even her parents that it had happened) but there is also a lot of confusion and mistrust behind it. CPS and the police have been involved; there aren't many self-inflicted, accidental oil burns that harm a person's armpit and upper back, especially by the way she explains it. We've always had trust issues with her father, but through our investigations we've discovered that he beats the kids. Steph and I feel betrayed and compelled to advocate for these kids, but we also don't want them in the system and it's a hard line to draw as to what is cultural and what is universal. Anyway, the way in which it occurred is an understood lie and we think we have an idea of what happened thanks to the 6-year-old, but CPS has considered it a closed case due to budget cuts and I'm trying to find my role as a support. Needless to say, our relationship with the family will never be the same, especially the father. Her parents see this as more of an inconvenience than anything so I've been going every day to the hospital after school to sit and talk with her. Thankfully, she's had an immense number of visitors so she's been preoccupied. I usually come in the evening after I'm done with school and other meetings and visitors have slowed; makes it easy for me to talk to her, braid lanyards and sing her to sleep when she's ready.

I stayed at the hospital with her last night so her mom could go home and care for her house (also have a good night's sleep in her bed), but it was a rough night; she's been having anxiety attacks and the itching/pain is driving her crazy. So I think I'm going to go take a nap. I would deeply appreciate your prayers and good juju vibes for her; it would mean the world to me. Anyway, didn't mean to be a Debby Downer. Hope you're all well, I love each and every one of you, and (side note) two months from now will be my last day of school. Oh holy crud!

Peace and love,
Chels

Plugging Along

Hello! This is a really quick note to validate my existence and say hi. It's been a crazy last few weeks, I've completely lost all balance in my life... it's ridiculous what the university is having us do, and only to be made better by our accredidation institution coming in in a few weeks. "Pile it on, they'll look more intelligent and prepared that way!" Oh well, one bite at a time. I just finished Block classes with my crazy professor Margo and am excited to get back into the schools full time. I was going slightly insane there; well, not slightly, completely. Anyway, gotta get back to work and try and hammer some stuff out before I leave tomorrow for Payton's first birthday! YAY! So stoked :) will sadly be bringing work with me but the change of scenary will be much appreciated, especially with the foot or more of snow that was dumped on us out of nowhere the other night. Okay, off I go. Love you all, you're in my thoughts.

Peace and love,
Chels

*Bang* Starts the Race

Why howdy there! How y'all doin'? Okay, I'm done being a yokel... hope you're all wonderful and happy! Life in Spokane is pretty phenomenal as well; overwhelming, but great :)

I had no idea student teaching would be like this. NO idea. The past two days they've basically just been sitting us down telling us preCISEly how we are going to die in the next few weeks. They keep prefacing it with, "this is why Whitworth grads are so sought after!", to which I respond, "yeah, if you can find them in the dark room they're still hiding in". But that's okay! I just keep telling myself, "the past 17 years of my education have worked up to this moment right here, there's nothing more idiotic than giving up now." I guess I'll fight for it.

You're probably asking yourself what they're making us all do. To be completely honest, I don't know. I can't list it out, it's too overwhelming and my mind won't let me wrap around it. Oh well, we'll let Future Chelsea worry about it. One step at a time...

This past week, I spent Monday and Tuesday in my classroom and started my Whitworth Block schedule on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Basically we're in the schools for a little while and then they pull us out for the last few days of the next three weeks and sit us down in seminars for 7 hours. I've been learning quite a bit about classroom management, assessment and etc. through it, but I'd rather be in my class with my kiddos :) Mr. Gamon's not very happy about it either. We mesh so well, we've already kind of become a team. But it's what has to happen! I've been trying to plug away at assignments and big certification junk, but have found that I can't stay up past 10pm. And I still haven't learned that homework can't always be done at night (thanks to my unstoppable coma) and that I should probably take care of the important stuff before catching up with friends. It's been so wonderful seeing everyone after my trip though; have really been trying to invest in the quality relationships I've built over the last few months and years.

We started the pilot for the TPA (I call it the Toilet Paper Association... really means Teacher Pedagogy Assessment)... can't remember if I told you, but I'm helping Whitworth pilot a new certification assessment that'll be used by everyone in the state next year. Myself and two other education nerds decided to head it up (I was actually volunteered by a professor... can't figure out if that professor did it because she likes me or because she hates me. I'm thinking the latter). Sadly, we've already lost one to stress, so it's just me and the other secondary science person in the program! It'll be a lot of work and a lot of collaboration with the School of Education's professors, but it's said to be a good preparation for becoming Nationally Board Certified. So good juju vibes about that would be much appreciated :)

Everything is awesome though! Sorry, don't mean this to be a doomsday blog... I've truly never been happier :) been working hard, sleeping hard, waking up to work harder, and so on. Oh, and don't forget the amazing food here in the states. I've been spending my free time (aka time I force myself to stop and breathe) looking at pictures and videos from Kazakhstan. I miss it so much, it's nuts. I think it's finally hit me that I'm not there and, even if I go back, it'll never be the same experience or situation again. But I've loved reliving it through the memories and pictures... that and all the friends I'm reconnecting with want to hear the stories so I'm in heaven!

So yes, everything's plugging along. Next weekend Richard and I will be heading over to Gig Harbor to celebrate PAYTON'S FIRST BIRTHDAY WOOT! with the family :) and the weekend after that, I guess I'll be flying down to Oregon to party on the REAL birthday. I'm excited :) and then, when I get back, my unit will be due and I'll be expected to teach it full time at Northwood. Eek. So incredibly happy though :)

Anyway, I love you all and can't wait to see you soon. Prayers going out to you all for health and happiness.

Peace and love,
Chels

Back to Reality

So I'm sure you all figured, but I made it home safe and sound from Kazakhstan after a quick 20 hours of travel :) I'm still slightly jetlagged but have been attempting to kick it prematurely... the reason I'm doing so is also the reason why it's not happening. I started student teaching this past Monday; it's already quite the trip! I'm so thankful for all my experiences in Kazakhstan, I feel as though it was the perfect preparation for this journey. I'm already in love with and building rapport with my students which is a huge blessing, and my relationship with my mentor teacher Dave is growing every day. I honestly couldn't be happier :) between school, three hour seminars most days afterward, choir taking up some time, jetlag and a massive portfolio (don't even get me started about how ridiculous it is... basically had less than a week to do it and it turned out being over 50 pages) I've had quite the week. I've never been so happy though. I know every step towards my goal of having my own classroom will be completely worth it! In the future lies more seminars and junk, job-searching and applications (CRAZY) and making plans for when I graduate college and have to grow up. Should be fun. I'll keep you posted :)

Hope you're all well! I missed being close to y'all, hope I can see you guys soon.

Peace and love,

Chels

P.S. I can't post this to Facebook because I want to be a good guardian of my students, but I trust you all and want to share this with you... the picture below is of me with my classroom of 7 year olds :) can't begin to tell you how much I miss them.

Day 23: Goodbye, No Problem, It's a Wonderful Life, Barack Obama

Well, this is it. My journal "swan song". I can't believe its over... we fly out tomorrow morning and it could not have come any faster. I really feel ready to go and as though I have no regrets; it feels like I've accomplished what I'd hoped to and kind of as though I've taken from this particular experience about as much as I could have given the time frame. But, at the same time, I don't want to leave my kids or the relationships I've built or the exhiliration of exploring another culture. We all have to say dasvidanye at some point though.

Today was a fairly usual morning; as always, I circulated the room constantly to work one-on-one with students. When the kids found out it was my last day, many of them were curious as to where I was going and were asking why I wouldn't stay. The beautiful thing about my age group is I still got to have a little attachment to them; I feel like the older age groups are mature enough and saavy enough about the nature of international education (changing schools each year and meeting all sorts of people temporarily kind of allows kids and people in general to disconnect or easily move on from relationships) and aren't as outwardly impacted by the loss of contact with someone. The youngin's, however, still want you there forever. I'd only been there a little over two weeks, and they were all begging me to come back and not to go! My mentor teacher took a picture of me with all my kids and printed it out immediately, gluing it to purple backing and allowing the students to sign the back of it. It is probably my most prized possession I will be bringing back from here, without a doubt.

Saying goodbye to all the staff was hard too. They have been so wonderful in accepting us and "showing us the ropes" around Astana. Its incredible how adaptive and cest le vie the teachers are; its probably their semi-nomadic lifestyle :) but saying adios to them hurt about as much as saying goodbye to the kids. Their kindness and welcome will not be forgotten and I intend to pay it forward with newcomers and the like.

After classes, we moved all of our things to Tim's apartment and traveled one last time to Baiterek Tower and then continued to walk for 3 miles (it was cold, but we didn't realize it was -30F cold...) to Akorda (the White House, so to speak... President Nazarbayev's house) and then through the "oil arch" as I call it towards Chan Shatyr. Needless to say, we felt as though we got a good last impression of Kazakhstan and look forward to seeing how it will grow. Then it was time for dinner, ice slides and ice skating (for Keri) at the Ice City and then finishing up the "pack up your life" process. Now it's a little after midnight my time and I'm exhausted, but can't decide if I should try and tough it out by staying up the three hours until we leave for the airport... hmm, decisions, decisions...

I will let you know when we land safe and sound in Seattle. Thanks for coming along for the journey, see you back in Spokane soon :) hopefully with a complete portfolio!

Chels

Day 22: Lady Models

Why hello Suzie! I can't believe it's already here... we're supposed to leave now?! Just when we're feeling comfortable and accepted? So is life, I guess. I'm so unbelievably thankful for this whole experience, I've never felt so culturally aware or explorative. I'm in love with this place and its people, even with all its quirks :) Anyway, off to the races!

Today was a great 'ole QSI day. All was normal except we went to School 17 to see a Kazakh public school. It was very different than expected in more ways than one. We thought we were coming in to see a few lessons, tour the school and ask questions of the staff. Nope! We sat in and participated in an English lesson and then were led to a conference room where the high school students asked questions of us. It was kind of funny though, most of the questions were aimed towards, "I want to go to an American university, how do I get in?" or the one question we received, "What do you think of Barack Obama?" This question made the staff very uncomfortable and they reassured us that we did not need to answer the question. We were in no way offended and would have responded if asked again, but the culture here in regards to leaders is very different. Nasarbayev, Kazakhstan's president, is much beloved and considered to be the end-all-be-all for many. He is a poet, song writer, peace keeper, everything! And it is illegal in Kazakhstan to besmirch the name of the president or his family, punishable by jail, regardless of diplomat status or the like. I think the thought of insulting a president in public was too uncomfortable for them... very interesting.

A cool parallel I saw today though was found in a student's question: "I will probably be going to America in the summer, where should I go to see American culture?" I began to think about it and thought, "hmmm... what kind of America do you want to see?!" I started thinking about how many different cultures America sports; there's Texas with its stereotypical cowboy culture (not always correct), Boston culture, NYC Big Apple Culture, Maine lobster fisherman culture, deep South culture, California culture, Pacific Northwest culture... I began to think, "pigeon-holing a country to fit a single culture simply doesn't work! Just like America is diverse, every country is diverse. To assume each country follows a culture we see glorified in cinema or embodied in one acquaintance is unfair to their culture." I answered her question by saying that the cultures in America are as different as the cultures in Astana and Almaty. The students all nodded their head in agreement, so there's always a cultural universal understanding that one's home country is diverse in its own right; it takes traveling to other cultures to see that others follow the same rules.

In the English class, the students read poetry (memorized by some... in English!) and discussed how poetry affects their lives. They then asked our opinion and such, it was good :) after that we left and Keri and I wandered around Astana (a favorite pastime) taking pictures and playing in an Ice City close to our house. IT WAS AWESOME. I was particularly fond of the dragon-themed ice slide... anyway, went home and actually had a good, stress-free dinner with our host family ('bout time! And good thing, too, it's our last one...) and got all packed to leave. Tomorrow we'll be moving back with Tim so we don't have to wake everyone when he picks us up to go to the airport. One less stop, and Keri and I can't say we weren't glad to escape our host family early!

I still am in shock, we leave day after tomorrow. My kids were asking me to stay when they thought I was just going to the public school for the afternoon, I don't think they know tomorrow's my last day.... I don't wanna say goodbye to them, they make me want to stay forever. If you met them, you'd see why. But the thought of my future students in Dave's class make the switch worthwhile :)

Okay, final day! I apologize in advance if there are tear drops on my email (not possible, but you get the idea). Dasvidanye!

Chels

Day 19: France v. Switzerland

Phew what a day! It took a whole day of mulling it over and recovering just to begin to touch on it! Yesterday (Friday) was a whirlwind of school activity, and not just for us newbies. It was International Day, the day that 15 countries all crowded the small, four story preschool building with displays, presentations, fabrics, foods and native crafts/activities. The countries involved included the United States, Kazakhstan, Poland, Lithuania, Pakistan, Iran, India, South Korea, Japan, Belguim, France, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, and Canada. It was chaos, and as much as I adore Tim it didn't have nearly half as much planning into it as it should have. It was chaos, but not the kind of comfortable chaos that you expect in those kinds of big events. It was general confusion chaos... it was totally fine, I'm not saying that it cheapened the experience and I'm not putting down anything or anyone, but I think the teachers and staff have so much on their plates that two weeks wasn't enough time to logistically plan it. Anyway, I had a group of six of my 7 year olds and they were awesome; exhausting, but awesome! One of my boyos wasn't excited to start in Pakistan and started booing (we had to start where our schedules dictated because we each circulated in order to the rooms, going up floors each time), so naturally I pinched his cheeks together and made some joke. He stopped though, and wasn't miffed with me so that was good! I have never seen so many diplomats or country informational pamphlets or hand foods or video cameras in my life!

At the beginning of the event, we had the "opening ceremonies" in what is called The Garage at the school; it's basically the building next to their gym that, at times, holds the school company car but also can hold school-wide assemblies. Gotta love a school with 120 something enrolled :) we started with an awesome dance from the India Cultural Center and then did a parade of each country with the students from that place and whoever in the community came to represent it. All the countries of the students were there, regardless of whether they had a booth at International Day, and the flags were made by my ELL class the week before. It was one of those moving moments where you see people from all over the world, people who normally might HATE each other because of politics or conflict, walking side by side in their traditional dress and sharing their heritage with each other. I just saw everyone walk by me in the parade and swelled with emotion. If only the world were an international school, I feel like there would be so much less fighting. These places allow students to comfortably be out of their element and look to their classmates, saying "they're out of their element too, I understand where they're coming from". There's just this deep sense of understanding and empathy as well as curiosity towards other cultures. Yes, if the world were an international school the world would be a better place.

The day before was fairly uneventful, although it was a good lesson in how to teach on the fly. All the kids knew it was a big school event later and were the squirreliest I have ever seen them. In the mornings, we usually read to them, do language arts and writing, work with them in reading groups, do some math and finish up with a good chunk of cultural studies. This day, we read to them, had them do some writing and hardly touched reading... in the entire morning! My teacher was getting frustrated, I could tell, but she wouldn't let the kids onto it and was patient with them as always. She's a great role model for teachers hoping to influence the younger ones :) but after international day, the kids all went home and so did we. We got home and basically got ready to leave for dinner at one of the teacher couples' house (attended by half of the QSI teaching staff) and left from there to go (late) to a local hockey game (attended by the other half of the QSI teaching staff). Both were awesome and we're glad we did it.

I can't believe we leave in just a little over three days from now... we honestly do and don't want to go! We finally feel welcome and comfortable here, its hard to leave new relationships and cultures behind when they've become so comfortable and exhilirating. But I know we're also ready to come back to our loved ones. Anyway, we'll be back soon and have a lot to do between now and then! There's a list of things we want to make sure we do/see before we go and we're afraid we're going to run out of time or them... if so, I guess we'll just have to come back :) in the spring though, I wanna feel my face the next time I'm here.

Chels

Day 18: Goose and Geese

Why hello!

Today was a much better day. After I sent you my message, everything seemed to go downhill. I know Keri told you about what happened with Alexander when on our way home, and it stuck with us the rest of the day. I felt terrible for making him cry, but Keri assures me I didn’t say anything terribly hurtful. I was just in shock that he hit her and continues to try to... I grabbed him by the collar after it happened to pull him close and told him that we would leave if he hit us again and that only bad boys hit people. I truly felt awful, but the behavior is not okay and apparently he’s been hitting his resource teacher at school too. I think he’s modeling the behavior his mother has been showing him is the way to deal with frustration... I don’t want to assume or judge, but it seems that way. There was a lot him screaming and yelling at us yesterday. We’re not too excited for the next few days because his mom is gone on a business trip and he seems to have realized that the authority in the house is gone. He snuck candy all night and wasn’t hungry for dinner which was another battle... it was just a hard night. Not to mention I wanted to let Keri have a break after what happened so she was upstairs decompressing and I was feeling terrible. I finally had to escape and take a nap on the bathroom floor haha. A flu bug has been going around and it was really quick for me but also intense. I’m passed it though! And as far as the house is concerned, my mentor teacher has offered us her home for the remainder of the trip and we will be out doing things with school people most of the time so we won’t really be around much anyway. Just an update, don’t mean to worry you. All is well; we’re just getting a little burnt out with our host home... so we’re finding escapes!

Anyway, something very cool happened today. The kids all ran into the classroom at the start of the day, as usual, but they all stopped after they entered the door and busied themselves with something. I was on the other side of the room and thought, “what are they up to over there?!” When I got up to see, I noticed that each student was taking off their shoes. I then remembered the tea ceremony yesterday and smiled. The kids were quietly (though quickly) entering the room and removing their shoes because they still saw the room as a sacred place. Every last student removed their shoes before story time; one or two of them even came up to Mr. Denis and I to tell us we should take our shoes off as well! Yesterday, Mrs. B and I very seriously observed and showed respect for the Japanese rituals involved in tea ceremonies and the children followed them even after the fact. I guess this showed me that the respect and understanding of a teacher is a great model for students. If the teacher respects and values other cultures and belief systems, the students are likely to do the same if they have a good relationship with the teacher. It was almost humbling to see them so serious about it. That was an awesome thing today :)

I also interviewed Mr. Cloyed today, the vice principal and one of the IE (Intensive English) teachers, about his experience at QSI. It was helpful to see the administration aspect of it and talk through some things with him. You’ll be seeing that later though :) Then some ELL and some science and now some journal! My big take away from today though was how a teacher’s attitude towards cultures and differences greatly influences how their students approach those same subjects. In all, good day :) and it’s just going to get better from here!

Well, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Hope you’re continuing to feel better!

Chels

Day 17: Take a Bow

Haha yes, I fell down... it was a great sight apparently; I hadn’t caught my wind before I realized that Keri was crying from laughing. I don’t blame her, I was laughing pretty hard too. It was one of those epic falls you only see in movies, the kind where the person is basically horizontal in midair at some point... no piddly slips with splits for me, I’m in it to win it :) I’m totally fine though minus the bruised bum and ego. Both will heal! And no, haven’t had another migraine (thank goodness) but have been feeling ill to my stomach all day starting last night. I am usually in science right now (I’m beginning my journal at school) but have been feeling progressively fluish so I decided to stay in quiet, dark Mrs. B’s room for the next 50 minutes until school is out and I can go home. I’ve been hearing a lot of stories about kiddos getting parasites from the local food when they first arrive, I don’t know if that’s what’s causing me so much upset on this trip. That and the bacteria here are different and I’m not used to them, not to mention the way they cook meats. Haven’t had sheep head yet and it looks unlikely that I will before I leave (even though Tim does want to try and get Keri and I to a restaurant that serves horse before next week) but most all of the meats are served after being boiled. Just boils my stomach a little... myself and the other teachers here who have traveled from around the world to staff the school dream of lettuce, the only vegetables available right now are questionable tomatoes and cucumbers, cabbage, and of course spotless, perfect beets. So that’s why this is a primarily meat and milk society! Sorry, I feel like I go on food tangents quite often. It’s not the only cultural difference I have been noticing, I swear! It does press on my mind (and my tummy) often though.

Today was Mrs. B’s and my “Cherry Blossom Tea Ceremony” and it ended quite differently from how it started. We began by reading a book about Sakura trees and the significance of cherry blossoms to the Japanese people and the kids were already squirrely. Next we made cherry blossoms from pink tissue paper and some stencils I drew out yesterday, some ribbon and a few staples. I was playing my low key Japanese music from my laptop, turned up the volume as high as it would go, but the kids couldn’t hear it over the chatter. So Mrs. B explained how important meditation and reflection is, and used that as a way to gain silence. It didn’t quite work until she told them to “stop talking” altogether... the symbolism may have been a large expectation right after recess, but they follow commands just fine :) After cherry blossoms were made, we handed out the worksheet I made for the students’ music-listening exercise. We played some of my music for a few minutes, had them close their eyes, and then had them draw a picture of what the music looked like to them in their heads/made them feel and write a sentence or two about it. They started quieting and calming down after that; at one point, I looked around the classroom and saw them meditating (well, the version of meditation most all of us know and I’m not sure if it’s correct... from my kids I saw legs crossed, hands on top of knees, fingers creating the “okay” symbol, head thrown back and mouth agape) while listening to the music. After this, Mrs. B took them into the hallway to explain tea ceremonies and the customs involved while Mr. Denis (the aide) and I set up the classroom for the tea ceremony. We put down some yellow butcher paper to represent the eating area, scattered the cherry blossoms the kids made about the middle, and set each student’s place. We didn’t have paper plates at the school, so we decided that coffee filters resembled the shape of Japanese fans and therefore would not only work but were cultural :) we also put each of their names on a label on the filter so that each student had their very own place. Made it more intentional and a bigger deal to them, and also allowed Mrs. B and I to practice a little classroom management by putting kids where we wanted them. After the little plastic teacups were all placed and the small tea cookies were precariously perched on the coffee filters, we went and retrieved the class from the hallway. You could tell when they walked in that the room had transformed into a pagoda before their eyes. They silently filed in, took off their shoes and bowed to Mr. Denis and I (the hosts, apparently). It was remarkable; they quietly sat down and waited for their tea, listened to the music, and contently nibbled on their cookies. There were no, “I don’t want to sit next to so and so”, or “what’s her name got a bigger cookie”, or “why do we have to sit here like this? I’m bored”. I greatly underestimated my guests. They took everything very seriously and seemed to truly enjoy the experience. As they all munched and sipped in practical silence, Mrs. B read the haiku’s they had written the day previous and students beamed as they heard theirs being shared with the class. It was very special, and I think the kids took a lot from it. Sadly, there wasn’t enough time to do everything we’d planned (we even skipped math today to fit it in!) but we will continue tomorrow during cultural studies time and hopefully I will have enough time to slip in my student voice aspect at the end (I want to video a few students talking to me about what they learned about Japan).

Working at an international school is so different from any other experience I’ve ever head, especially in schools. The kids here have been all over the world, either living at or on vacation to other places. Their cultural awareness and respect for the cultural differences of others astounds me, even at the younger ages. It seems as though there is a general understanding that a person’s background contributes to who they are but doesn’t define them. The focus remains on the person as an individual and, since everything is different here, uniqueness is cherished and seen as a valuable asset. It spills over into other aspects of school as well. Kids with speech difficulties, due to language or otherwise, kids with attention issues, kids with strange behavior... all of the above are given ample opportunity within their classroom to be an equal part of it. I know that teachers are supposed to do that regardless and facilitate its happening in their classroom culture, but it actually happens here. Everyone is valued, and (as Anastasia said in her interview yesterday) each child is considered for the person they are and not what they know. It’s been a neat thing to see, especially in a classroom with such little kiddos :)

Well, it’s my host brother Alexander’s 11th birthday today so I went up to his classroom during lunch to sing to him and have the birthday cake he was so excited about! I didn’t want to eat cake before having something more substantial for lunch (especially with a sour stomach), but thankfully a kid didn’t want their school lunch so Keri and I thought “Jackpot!” and snatched it up. The college kid in us follows everywhere I’ve learned; free food is still free food, even if it is a questionable sandwich from a Kazakh restaurant. After that was ELL with Mr. Cloyed and now I’m here!

School is almost out and my bus comes soon, that and I’ve about unloaded the whole day, so I guess I’ll leave you alone now :)

Chels

P.S. We have talked to Tim about everything we’ve learned and seen with our host family, especially since the kids’ home life is such a mystery to the staff and administration. We’ve heard her hit the boys and yell/cuss at them, and sadly the boys also talk about it, but there is neither Child Protective Services here nor any jurisdiction for the school to intervene apparently. It’s a really painful situation, so the best we are trying to do is help the boys to make good decisions and work with them through their homework and questions in a manner that shows patience and understanding. We sadly can’t control what their mother does, but we can control what we do; so we’re trying to be kind and helpful to the boys, and helping them to keep out of trouble. All is okay though, I don’t think it’s because she’s a particularly angry person, I think she just gets frustrated with them. If we can chip away her frustration, she’s usually fine. So that’s the game plan! And prayer... lots of prayer.

P.P.S. Yeah, I think Keri and I would love to talk about our experience to the SOE faculty! We have a lot we would love to share, that’s for sure :) and just so you’re aware, Tim and his family took a position at the QSI school in Chengdu, China for the upcoming school year, so I don’t know if JanTerms in Astana will continue unless other relationships are forged... it seemed as though the other teachers were extremely receptive, but a contact person to coordinate may be another thing. Just wanted to let you know! And I’ve been considering a place like QSI Astana or QSI Astana itself for my first teaching job and don’t know if I could do international teaching with the distance from family and such, but hey anything can happen :)

Day 16: Wipeout

Hello! I'm so sorry to hear you were so sick, Suzie... we knew if we hadn't heard from you it would have been for good reason! We were somewhat afraid that our emails had been going to your spam or junkmail by accident but ruled it improbable since our parents haven't heard from you and since the Kazakh police haven't shown up at the school :) I hope you're feeling better! Let us know if you need any Kazakhstan remedies that you've run out of at home!

Today started a little rough at our host home but we got to school just fine and plenty early; Keri had a middle school math class to sit in on so I walked with her (face almost fell off in the cold... can't believe that I'm looking forward to Spokane's weather) and met my mentor teacher early to discuss my lesson from yesterday and hers and my joint lesson plan for tomorrow. She had a lot of good feedback and some great tips about classroom management that were really helpful and she allowed me to unload what I felt wasn't great about how the lesson went. In all it was a really fruitful conversation. Then Lindsay and Tim came asking me for help with International Day which is this Friday, so we went through the preschool building and assigned all the 16 countries represented to rooms and divided the classes attending into smaller groups headed up by teachers and aides. Not too in depth but I spent a good chunk of my after-lunch time typing it all out and making it nice enough to present to the staff. Anyway, it was another good day in the life at Kazakhstan.

Sorry, I should have kept you updated about my host stay! It's much better. It is still a little uncomfortable at times but we're learning how to create boundaries for the boys and, although we don't always agree with her parenting, we've built a good relationship with our host mom. The variety of diversity we've encountered here still amazes me though... we've been to completely Russian-speaking places, partook (partaken? Partooken?!) in Kazakh relationships and traditions, work at an international school where most of our students represent different countries, dealt with people both in poverty and in extreme wealth, and live with a Russian woman with a Louisiana accent and two severely developmentally delayed boys. Needless to say, I feel good about our well-rounded experience :) have a huge week ahead including babysitting for some teachers, a hockey game, the indoor bazaar for my souvenir shopping, a birthday party at the super fancy indoor tropical resort, a visit to a public school, dinners with QSI staff to say goodbye, and oh yeah, teaching! I feel comfortable in saying that we've taken advantage of every opportunity given to us to integrate into the culture and I have no regrets. Relationships are being built and I'm honestly sad to be saying goodbye to the staff and kiddos at QSI. They tell us daily though that we can always apply for next school year :)

I actually had a planning period today with my teacher so we spent some time preparing for our Japanese tea ceremony/cherry blossom ceremony/music experience for cultural studies tomorrow. Missed ELL and science for it, but it was a valuable time to work with my teacher. Afterward school Keri and I had an interview with our Russian mama (Anastasia) and I spoke at the staff meeting about International Day. Went home, worked with the boys on their homework, had dinner, and am now in bed nursing my bruise from a very comedic and painful fall I had earlier today :) minus the slip, it was a normal day! We're starting to get into a routine, we don't even have qualms or much difficulty communicating with Russian speakers anymore! We've found ways to use the words we know and universals signs to communicate our needs or questions. It feels really good to be learning so much :)

Anyway, so happy to hear you're okay (or at least getting better) and thanks for answering those questions! Some of them we still went ahead and did enough to cover our bases so I'm sorry, you may have a little extra reading :) get well soon, and dasvydanye!

Chels

Day 15: Corpus Collosum

Hi Suzie! Please talk to us, we have lots of questions! Hope to hear from you soon...

This weekend was delightfully cultural. Keri and I both felt as though we had finally migrated away from tourism and were just, well, living! It was wonderful to integrate into the culture and feel comfortable with it instead of petrified and unsure. On Saturday, we did have quite the getaway. My mentor teacher Nina and her husband picked us up at a mall just five minutes’ walk away from our host stay (it’s called Mega, we go shopping for groceries at the PAMCTOP, or Ramstore, inside of it all the time) and took us to a little place called the English Book & Coffee Store. I’ve adored this cultural immersion, I really have, but this place was a slice of heaven. Mostly English speakers, the first real coffee I’ve seen around here that’s not “instant”, and an older American woman who owns and runs this little library-like place with comfy booths and broccoli quiche. Twas amazing and exactly what we needed. Also, the woman who owned it was part of a mission I was given at the beginning of my trip! I was trying to be friendly to a nice older couple on my airport shuttle and found out they were going to be on my flight to Frankfurt; they were on their way to moving to Turkey indefinitely. They said, after extensive conversation, that they had a friend in Astana named Martha who owned a little coffee shop and if I ever saw her to tell her “Tom and Pauline said hi”. It had always been in the back of my mind, so it felt good to accomplish my mission J After that, we walked to the Artume indoor bazaar and met the Kruger family to look around. Found out some interesting Kazakh superstitions though... we were waiting for the Kruger’s to arrive and decided to sit on the floor until we did. We got a lot of interesting looks, especially from young men and older women. We asked Shari, Tim’s wife, why that was and she looked at us with wide eyes. She said that it’s a common medical belief that if you sit on the floor you will freeze your ovaries and kidneys. Apparently everyone was staring at us because we were voluntarily making ourselves infertile. Well, sometimes learning is hard and awkward!

After Artume, we had pizza with the Kruger family and decided to walk the 2 or so miles home. We were in a new part of town and wanted to explore, so it made sense! It was wonderful to feel so self sufficient. We were able to ask questions and have people understand us, it was awesome. On Sunday, after homework and rest, we went to a local ballet production of Swan Lake with our host family and beforehand went to a Kazakh friend of our host mom’s for dinner. It was great, we asked questions about family culture and the Soviet Union, and ate the first good manti I’ve had since coming here (still made me sick though... fourth time in a row, but it would be rude to refuse. Fun stuff). The culture here seems to have an iron exterior since smiling at strangers is considered foolish, but when someone knows you or knows a friend of yours than they do everything they can to make you feel welcome. It was wonderful! P.S. Our host family situation is much much better. Our relationship with our host mom improves every day and although we don't always agree with her parenting we know we'll be fine through the rest of the trip. So yay!

Today I taught a lesson in the math hour for my second graders. It was really scary, I’m not used to that age group! And I know that every child is a culture of one and as diverse as they come, but haven’t really dealt with diversity on that scale before. I was told that the lesson was going to be regrouping and I had the weekend to prepare; thank goodness, because I had to relearn the addition tricks for 2nd graders! I thankfully had an “aha!” moment and thought of a new addition trick I called the “Dragonfly Trick”. It involves breaking the tens down on one side, the ones down on the other and combining them in the tail. You’ll see the lesson plan and worksheets J I felt okay about it, of course it didn’t go as I expected and I wished I had done things differently. I will be debriefing with my mentor teacher tomorrow before classes start (she had to jet right after school) and will have a better brain about the experience. It just helped me to realize how difficult it can be to keep all the cultures represented in a classroom in mind when planning a one hour lesson. I tried to scaffold it down by modeling first, having the whole class work through it, have partners create problems for each other and solve together and finally independent practice with a worksheet. The big thing I realized, and I know for all age groups but in a different way with these 7 year olds, how much of teaching is classroom management. The big issues I had weren’t necessarily confusion, they were “I don’t want to work with so and so” or “quadruple digit numbers are so much cooler!” I learned a whole new breed of patience today, and I think it was both humbling and good for me. Anyway, after hearing from my mentor teacher I will have more to report on.

So basically I went about my normal day, went to my ELL class and traipsed up to Mr. Burkey’s middle school classroom to distribute the chocolates I had forgotten to bring on Friday for my Jeopardy winners. I’ll be staying there in the afternoons for the rest of the week and it sounds like Mr. Burkey is very willing to share his classroom, so we’ll see what happens! Off to bed now though, can’t believe the last day is a week from tomorrow... oy, how time flies when you’re learning!

Chels

Day 12: Kit Kat

Hi Suzie! So today was a great Friday, full of different things... Today was our visit to a nearby village school with the U.S. Embassy to distribute toys to some 1st graders. It was incredible, the press was out and everything. Three or four reporters jammed into this little room with 30 some odd 3 to 6/7 year olds... was quite the sight. Some of the kids were wearing traditional Kazakh garb and the event was opened with gift giving followed by a song by a little girl and an old Kazakh dance. This cultural experience was great and so different from anything we've had thus far. It was great to be a part of seeing so many happy kids thanks to QSI and the Embassy. One eye-opening thing was talking to a woman from the school while we were there. She said that the three classrooms we visited and gave gifts to were the only three rooms in the entire three story building (educating over 270 kids throughout the day) that had heat. And without the big buildings in Astana available to break the wind passing over the tundra steppe, it gets to be mighty cold in the winter. The children were so disciplined, the older ages stood when we entered and exited a room. They were also wearing similar clothing; not uniforms, but looking almost exactly like uniforms! Just with small differences. They sang to us in Kazakh and were quite like most all the Kazakh's I've interacted with here; they didn't smile much. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it, just different! We Americans are so used to smiling at everyone and all the time, but here they probably think we're obnoxious for it. Their culture is much more reserved and private. It's just something to recognize and I've been trying to respect it. Anyway, the school seemed glad to have us and it was quite the whirlwind event.

Well, as you know, it is Friday. You also know what that means. Kids are living in Zero-Motivationland. My ELL teacher had them work for the first 20 minutes or so and then they could play games, so I of course played Mafia with a group of middle schoolers... you know, it's funny; no matter where I go, the arguments of kids and preteens are always the same, especially when playing games :) one universal that I've found among many! After ELL I went to my science class and prepared my classroom. I decided I couldn't take it anymore and I was shifting my sub-ly duties into a more creative, teacher role. I planned a Jeopardy review game for their lesson, complete with increasing difficulty and rules. It was wonderful to kind of loosen things up in there, the kids were laughing and
joking. I of course had to explain what Jeopardy was and they wanted to hear more about Alec Trebec, go figure. At the end of the day, one girl came up to me (very quiet girl, didn't say much except to ask to go to her locker and get the right notebook every day at the beginning of class) and asked if their normal teacher was coming back and I said that he was on Monday. She sighed and said, "oh no, but you made this fun" and shuffled out the door after a hardy goodbye. Its those little interactions you don't expect that are most affirming; here I thought nobody wanted the sub in the room trying to crack jokes and discuss learning... I guess it just made me happy to think that my review lesson was received well :)

And now for a weekend full of studying and other frivolities! This Sunday we'll be going to Swan Lake with our host family and tomorrow we'll be going to a coffee shop owned by an American woman I was told (by a stranger on the plane/airport shuttle actually!) I should say hi to. That and the indoor bazaar's supposed to be pretty cool. We haven't heard from you in a while and are starting to get worried, if you're receiving these please let us know! We aren't sure if you're getting them or if something has happened to you... anyway, would love to hear back. Thanks :)

Chels

Day 11: 4th Floor

Another day, another dollar... well, paid by me that is. Oh well. Was able to talk with my teacher and feel comfortable with the differences between elementary and middle school and will be teaching math on Monday! That and I'm planning a lesson for my science class tomorrow as review, so it's a big time right now :)

Two things I wanted to address. My substituting for science has been really disappointing because the curriculum is so strict that the only way the specifications can be covered (especially since I don't know what they are exactly and saw the lesson plans 10 minutes prior to being in front of the class full of students) is through writing vocabulary words from the section, reading it, doing the section review problems and completing a worksheet recommended by QSI. I know with more time and freedom, I could meet the standards of the school and help them learn in more creative ways, but it's been frustrating feeling powerless over the absent teacher's wishes. I feel pretty useless; thankfully some kids had questions about the section today and I secretly said "hallelujah! I'm worthwhile in here!" Anyway, it was a very different experience than I've been used to, but hopefully tomorrow will put a little zing back into it :)

So it's been interesting at our host family. The host mother gets very easily frustrated with the youngest and we feel as though she's pouring all of her high expectations into him. It almost seems as though she's, for lack of a better phrase, given up on her eldest son and he does much of the housework when they're home. This morning, we heard lots of frustration and anger from her towards her son. They get up every morning and sit in the kitchen from 6am until breakfast and she reviews his coursework with him. She leaves little time for him to process the question (which is huge for him! His disability causes him to process longer and have slower responses, much of the time she cuts him off before he's had time to process the question...) and berates him in frustration. At one point, I may have heard a hit of some kind. We told Tim all this this afternoon when the oldest son's aide came up to Keri and I after school asking if we'd seen Alex, the youngest. Needless to say, most of the staff searched for an hour and couldn't find him. He was supposed to be in after school art class but wasn't there and some of his things were still at the school. We didn't know what happened to him! Finally the staff called his mother and she went home to find him there, he must have gotten on the bus instead. This didn't make mom happy either... we had dinner at my mentor teacher's apartment tonight and didn't see her for more than 30 seconds tonight, but this may become an even stranger and more awkward situation. Thankfully Tim has urged us to be completely honest with him and has offered us residence at his house again, but we don't want to inconvenience him and his family and want to at least try to see this through. Keri and I talked about it and we'll at least be staying here through the weekend, giving the benefit of the doubt that its a stressful time and they're still adjusting to school/work after vacation, etc. In all, it's been rough but we're making it.

Today was fairly stressful, I apologize that I have just Negative Nancy things to say today. But tomorrow's another day in Astana! And we're going to a village orphanage outside Astana tomorrow with the U.S. Embassy to give away toys, so that'll be incredible to see some Kazakh villages and such. We live, we learn and we move on. Crazy to think we'll be back in 12/13 days though...

Chels

Day 10: Snakes on Planes

Ahh today was a much better day in headland! Migraine was gone, hopefully never to return, and I felt well enough to involve myself in my classrooms to a degree that I'm happy with. My second grade kiddos were rambunctious but awesome as always (there's a six year old that was moved up to the 7 year old class and he's almost surpassing everyone in his third day... its incredible to see!); some of these kids have thought processes and minds that amaze me! After working with them on reading and math, they went to lunch and I had my Kazakh quesadilla (the school lunch for the day... more like a strange vegetable and cheese burrito wrapped in a non-sweet crepe. I loved it though! First time I've seen broccoli since coming here!) and discussed my new host family with Keri and her mentor teacher who teaches the youngest. Wasn't intending to be gossip, just as it isn't now, we were just trying to get a feel for what's going on at home.

The situation is somewhat strange as we're learning more about their home life; dad is in New Orleans and referred to by first name by the kids, but mom still refers to him as her husband... the teachers don't know what's going on and how that affects the kids, so its kind of a mystery. Also, we learned of their coming to the school and what took place. The mom alerted the school of her eldest's arrival and his need for special education, so the school hired a specialist to work with him. On the first day of school, she arrived with both boys and said that her youngest was ready for his 5th grade class. She said he never had an IEP back in New Orleans and was almost offended by their questions. I mean this in no slight whatsoever, but her youngest is quite noticeably severely developmentally delayed and in need of special services, especially speech therapy, but it seems as if their mother is almost in a little denial of that fact. I can imagine having two sons with special needs, no spouse (we think) and a very high-paying, powerful job must be taxing and not as she expected... I don't know, we're speculating quite a bit as to how that plays into Alexander's education.

After lunch I went to English and helped students write descriptive paragraphs on the animal of their choice. Also I spoke to the teacher about standards since I heard a lot of conversations about Environmental standards during yesterday's staff meeting. He handed me a huge book about QSI's standards as an institution and explained that it was very prescriptive. It tells you exactly what you need to teach, how they want you to teach it, what materials to use down to the edition of the text, and even which problems in the text are to be done. I was shocked at how constrictive it was. Mr. Cloyed said that the experienced teachers (who know how they like to teach and what they spend time on) complain about this curriculum, while the younger teachers are thankful for the framework seeing as they haven't begun to build a routine and curriculum of their own. I find this interesting because I began to think; I wonder if QSI does this intentionally. They probably expect more novice teachers to be younger and more willing to move and travel internationally, while they probably expect more expert teachers to be happily settled into a comfortable school district where their families and themselves have no want or need to go abroad. This may be speculation, but it makes sense; although it is not typical here. Some of the teachers are relatively young but most have teaching experience and spouse, not to mention children that have been moving with them between countries. Anyway, the curriculum is very set-in-stone and emphasizes rote learning; lots of out of book work and worksheets provided by texts. Leaves very little room for creativity. I started asking myself when I got here: could I work in an international school like this in another country?! For these kids, absolutely. The different cultural dynamics and learning based on that are incredible and I've fallen in love with it. But do I want to be under this curriculum umbrella with little to no room for my own ideas? And can I be that far away from my family and feel somewhat isolated from my host society? I don't think so... I kind of want to explore possible international schools in the U.S., if they exist. Either that or I'll just find a very culturally diverse city to teach in in the Pacific Northwest :)

Grading is also different at QSI. Students either meet A mastery, B mastery, or are P "in progress". Their rubric basically says that any student receiving a P is not failing but the teacher will focus on that subject with the student until they reach at least B level. Those are the only three grades, besides W for withdrawal. Quite interesting, not sure how I feel about it yet...

After English came science with my middle school/high school class. It once again reemphasized their importance on rote learning. The students every day have a section of the text to read, write down the vocabulary words and define them, answer the section review questions and fill out a worksheet. Yup. Awesome. They have a chapter review assignment on Friday that I'm hoping won't take too long because I want to plan a fun review game... can anyone say Jeopardy?! :) it was fine, I wanted to discuss the chapter in greater detail and discussed how the students learned best at the beginning of the class (asking if they preferred to read alone as they have been or if they preferred to popcorn or group read and discuss the work; they chose working alone) but ran out of time for class discussion. Boo.

Anyway, I was taught numbers one through ten in Russian by a 7 year old American today :) and finally learned a word in Russian I've been wanting to know and struggling to keep in my head since I got here: I'm sorry! Very important since I mess up constantly here... well, and in the U.S., nothing's changed much it's just amplified!

Keri sent you some questions we both had about our portfolio assignments, let me know if you didn't get them and I can send them along! Thanks

Chels