Category Archives: Teaching

More Scavenger Hunt Pixs . . .

Leave a reply
Green team “Even Better than the Best!” The winners!
With their fearless leader . . . yep, moi!
And more teams came running in to finish.
The Yellow team, the Yellow Butterfly Dragon
Orange team, Success.
Blue team, Blue Dragon.
Everyone!
Yahoo! That was fun!

and that’s all for now folks  . . .

Aloha!

-sj

Scavenger Hunt at FLO !

Leave a reply
For “Game Day Friday” with the older kids, I decided to do a Scavenger Hunt. I specifically chose this day because it’s Dani, Sean, and Kai’s last Friday here (they’ve been here for 3-weeks teaching two classes a day on natural science and environmental issues). The four of us accompanied each team as it ran around FLO looking for the envelopes that showed they had guessed right (and that also contained the next clue).
I dreamt up four clues that were (I think) just right for the Ss skill level–challenging enough but not impossible to solve. The clues lead them all over the grounds of FLO. There were 4-teams: green, yellow, orange, and blue. Each team had two captains (one each from my afternoon classes with the older kids) and Ss from both classes. I found some groovy nametag holders at an office supply store here in the aforementioned colors and with a happy smiley face. “Perfect!” I thought for showing the team colors. They even created team names: Yellow Butterfly Dragon, Blue Dragon, Success (orange), Even Better than the Best (green, and the winners, I might add : ).
“What were the clues like?” (that was our topic this week, btw, using “like” as a preposition, as well as a verb)
-When you’re coming and going, you pass through my side; sometimes, you even see me slide.
-Come rain come shine, I’m a cool place to be. And on some days, there’s a Japanese theme.
-Fill me with air, and I’ll take you everywhere.  What am I like? I’m helpful and nice!
-All FLO kids come from near and far when a certain sound rings a happy bar.
They go with either the front gate area, the gazebo, the bike storage area, or the kids’ dining area. I think you can figure them out. Hint: there’s a karate class by the gazebo every Saturday and Sunday.
 For prizes, each student received a pencil.
“That’s all?” you ask, “a pencil?”
Yes, a pencil. I found some fun ones with colorful designs on the side in the appropriate color. The “winners” (the green team) also got a lollipop.
And now . . . the pictures!
Where’s my name? (He was one of the captains : )
Reading the first clue.
What do you think?
Each team took this very seriously.
Lots of running!
We found it!
The winners, the green team, “Even better than the best.” First to the flag pole.
 More pix to come when I have a faster link to internet access . . .
-out
sj

Be an Email Foster Parent!

Leave a reply
I’m sitting in the office at FLO right now where they’re interviewing about 15-children who do n o t have email foster parents. I have gotten to know many of them; they’re
w o n d e r f u l human beings.
What does it mean to be an email foster parent?
You can read here for more information: http://emailfosterparents.org/FLO.htm.
But I do know that it means making a fiscal commitment to donate $360 a year, which goes to their education. You are also required (yes, required!) to write to the child at least once a month via email. They children love receiving emails!
Even more, they soak up any love that you can share with them. Mostly what they need (and want) is you’re a t t e n t i o n.
“But how can I give them my attention when I live so far away?”
You can write to them. You can *occasionally send them very, very small gifts like practical clothing.
When they get older and are ready to leave FLO for some type of higher education, you can buy some important items that will help them. “Like what?” A telephone. Some clothing. Paper and pens.
You can also come to FLO and visit them! Yes, you can come to Cambodia and get to know them in the flesh. Believe me, I’ve seen the children who have email foster parents who actually came to visit with them. The children were absolutely g l o w i n g in their foster parent’s presence. I also witnessed a new foster parent with their child right after they went on a shopping trip for a bike! Yes, I know you can imagine that child’s excitement to have his own bike.
How to proceed? Go to the website above and read further. You can contact Future Light Orphanage. How? Go to their website and proceed to their contact information.
Think about it. I expect it will be a decision that you will be happy to have made. Making a real difference in a person’s life is nothing to sneeze about. Can’t do it by yourself? Maybe a team of you can be team foster parents?
Looking forward to hearing about who steps up to the plate and shares their already generous heart. : )
With warm aloha,
-sj
*I say occasionally and very small because giving them too much creates discord here at FLO. What they really want and n e e d according to Rob Hail, founder of eGlobal, is you’re a t t e n t i o n.

Looking for CELTA or TOEFL trained volunteers for FLO

Leave a reply
Future Light Orphanage

Hi Everyone,

Friday, September 16th will be my last day volunteer teaching at FLO (Future Light Orphanage). It would be so great if there was someone lined up to step into my shoes on the following Monday.

Do you know of anyone qualified and interested? In my dream scenario, the person would arrive sometime during my last week, so that I could show him/her the ropes.

How does it work when you volunteer here? You pay for your lodging and meals; currently, that rate is *$38 per day. They were willing to give me a 10% discount because of my qualification and length of stay (2-months). Rob Hail has told me that they can make further cuts if you’re willing to stay at least several months and sleep in a room with a fan and shared bath (rather than the a/c and private bath I have).

Why would it be nice to have a volunteer continue what I’ve started? Because the students are responding! They want to learn!

So, if you would spread this email around with friends who you think might be interested, I and all the people who love the children at FLO would be deeply appreciative. Visit: http://flo-cambodia.blogspot.com/ and  http://emailfosterparents.org/FLO.htm to learn more about FLO.

Mahalo,

-sj

*Perhaps $38 per day seems like a lot to you, but they have a great number of expenses. Inflation is increasing in Cambodia everyday. The orphanage is located about 45-minutes outside the downtown Phnom Penh area, which adds to their cost in terms of transportation, fuel, supplies, etc.

Maybe you can find a sponsor who wants to contribute to a most valuable cause? I’ve been getting to know these students, and believe me, they are v e r y valuable human beings.

Monday at the Water Park!

1 Reply

Classes were cancelled for the day. Over 100-students joined in the fun.

That’s Andrew with EGBOK playing with the kids.
It was a fun free for all!
She looks like she’s having a blast, doesn’t she?
So many different places to play in the water!
 May you too have some fun in the water, wherever you are, and whenever it may be.
Aloha,
-sj

Talent Show Night at FLO !

Leave a reply
The woman in pink works at FLO; she made some yummy curry which was the impetus for this “party” night.
Three of my students having fun while waiting in line for chow time to begin.
Yum! They all got apples for dessert.
Each child rinses off their breakfast, lunch, or dinner plate.
It was a phenomenal sunset. The barbed wire? It’s on top of the fence which surrounds FLO.
The water is on FLO’s property.
The colors just kept getting more and more vibrant!
Hmm, which prize do I want? Rob’s (eGlobal founder) daughter is on left; she did an excellent job organizing the evening’s activities.
One of my students. He won a prize for his fabulous drawing, and then he gave it to me! What a wonderful gift. : )
Sean and I also loved this drawing; the artist gave her creation to Sean. Nice!
Chancy cooking up some delicious popcorn, complete with melted butter.
And then the dancing really got going!

Fun was most certainly had by all !!!

With warm aloha,

-sj

Week 4 teaching shots at FLO shots . . .

Leave a reply
At full attention!
One of the two classes of younger Ss learning from “Gogo Loves English 1”
Wednesday the lesson plan focus was speaking : ) The Ss really got into being someone else and meeting “new” people. The young lady taking a photo was participating in a photography class that day. A former videographer/editor/photographer is traveling the globe with a NGO (non-government organization) teaching photography classes to children like those at FLO.
An eGlobal volunteer’s wife bought 3 puppets for FLO. They came in handy during this particular lesson with the younger Ss. And, the kids l o v e d them! Please tell her thanks, George!
Watching Sesame Street’s “Elmo’s World.”

More pix to follow . . .

Friday’s “Game” day at FLO, Future Light Orphanage

Leave a reply
Hi Everyone!
Greetings from the Future Light Orphanage, FLO. We had a rocking party last night! The kids competed in several fun events: singing, drawing, dancing, and “individual” talents (such as doing a backbend so that the kid’s mouth landed perfectly next to a dragon fruit; he proceeded to take bite after bite until all the fruit was gone; then he bit it and stood up with the peel in his mouth. Yep, it was awesome! And my friend from the beach won a prize for dancing in the style of a Korean pop star; he nailed it! Boy, can that kid move.).
After the competition there was popcorn for every one and lots and lots of dancing. And oh, I got to be a judge in the contest. So much fun! When they introduced Sean, he started dancing. Then when my name was announced, I jumped up and started shaking to the music with Sean. The kids went wild! “There’s teacher rocking her socks off!” they said (or something like that in Khmer).
Today 100+ kids and some adults are heading to the water park. I’ve been told that it’s an injury attorney’s dream, as in lots of accidents could happen and they could make lots of dough. But since this is Cambodia, I expect the kids will be a little more in the “take care of yourself” mode. They also watch out for and help each other; it’s lovely to watch.
But last night and today’s activities are not the main points of today’s post (hmm, but they do have a play theme also . . . :~). I wanted to write about last Friday’s lessons.
Before I came to FLO, I had ideas about how I’d plan each week’s lessons. The first day of the week I would introduce the topic and grammar points. Perhaps one day would be a “story” day. One day a “game” day.
Friday could be a review day (a tip from Gerald, a teacher in Bangkok).
I also initially thought that I was going to sketch out my curriculum for the 8-weeks I’d be at FLO, as in what I wanted to cover. But as I thought about it more, I realized that the students had probably been taught “colors” a zillion times, “How are you?” a ka-gillion times, etc. (Last night at the party which Boo Rob–Rob Hail, founder of eGlobal—dreamed up for the FLO kids, I met an American man who’s been volunteering for the past 4-years at another orphanage in Cambodia. He says the kids are good at “volunteer-speak,” i.e. “How are you”,? “How many sisters and brothers do you have?”, etc. But not things like, “What did you do last Saturday?” So my gut feeling was on track. ; ~).
For these different reasons, I decided to wait and design my classes based on the Ss’ needs and weaknesses (keeping in mind the director’s request that I focus on speaking and writing). What I learned is that the Ss can write pretty well, but they almost never have an opportunity to speak (they’re not encouraged to speak in their state school). Bearing that in mind, my weekly outline for the older kids is as follows:
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays lessons are speaking focused. (after introducing a grammar point, or new vocabulary, etc.) Tuesdays and Thursday are writing focused.
It also became apparent that in the FLO culture, Fridays’ lessons were more game-based. Or, in one class they simply watch movies (whether they really are appropriate for kids or not). I decided to incorporate that philosophy into my weekly plan. Hence, Friday became “game” day.
This past Friday, I decided to show a Sesame Street DVD (Elmo’s World: jackets, hats, and shoes : ) in the two classes with younger children; they loved it! I wrote on the board the key words and also drew pictures of these items. Some of the more motivated students wrote all this down as they watched. I didn’t instruct them in any way really. I wanted to watch and see how they reacted. (Remember, I’m learning too.)
But for the older Ss, I wanted to do some activities that involved speaking more specifically focused on the past week’s theme (goals and dreams). “How to do that?” I thought. So I dreamed up a “game” for them, and it worked great!!!! I was so jazzed when they got into it and actually used the target language for specific points.
So . . . what follows is my lesson plan outline. I realize that my last entry might have made it seem like I haven’t been making lesson plans; I have been. I’m just not typing them into the CELTA-approved-form®; it’s just too time consuming for the moment. I’m using Word and organizing them by folders, i.e. week 1, week 2, etc.
And with that, SJ’s lesson plan for the two classes with older Ss this past Friday, August 19, 2011:
“Game” day
Focus: Speaking
Aim: to review the marker sentences: I’d like to (work with computers). I want to (be a pilot). I don’t want to . . . I hope to . . . I’ll . . ., and the new vocabular from Thursday’s lesson.
Materials: marker pens, list of words to listen for, red card, flash cards of people (a simpler batch for Elem. level Ss)
Intermediate:
I’d like to . . .
I want to . . .
I don’t want to . . .
I hope to . . .
I’ll learn . . .
In fact,
There were/there are . . . ,
often (is this once? no),
sometimes (every day? no),
practically disappear (almost and mimed hiding)
view
one day
traveling salesman,
wagon,
each month
when no one was looking
blanket
When she (awoke)
Elementary:
one day, lives on the mountatin top still,
I’d like to . . .
I’ll . . .
for now
every day
save money
guide (tour guide)
relax
I hope to . . .
My dream is to . . .
someday
Game One: 3 Ss sit in the front of the class. They are given one of the *flashcards from Wednesday’s speaking lesson. There is a moderator (teacher for this lesson until they were familiar with the game) who asks them questions about themselves (based on the flashcard they received). They get a point for each time they use one of the phrases or word chunks used this week in a lesson. There will be two students assigned to “judge” the participants; their job is to listen for the phrase/word chunks. Each judge will have a list of the words to listen for. The score keepers will have a red card to hold up each time the student uses one of the phrases/word chunks. Note: I made to myself right after class. This game went really well! Especially with the Int. level Ss. At the end they loved asking me questions. But the Elem. level took a little longer to get it; it was good practice and all got a chance to speak. Rob stopped by during the second class and gave me two hats to give as prizes; they went to the boy and girl who really outshone the rest. It was cool that it naturally happened that the “judges” selected them.
Played this one game the entire time; it was a really good way to review “I’d like to, I hope to,” etc.
Game Two: Do what I say, not what I do.  
Game Three: Knot Game
(These were back up games which we didn’t play. The previous weeks the Ss really loved game #2; it’s a variation of Simon Says and works well with older and more advanced Ss.)
And with that, I’ll sign off. Hope you’re all well and enjoying the end of August. Happy early Birthday to my friend, Deb.
Aloha,
-sj
p.s. lots of new photos to follow . . .
*Flash cards. One set came for a Pre-Intermediate Review book I have; the second set I created. They had a drawing of a male or female and gave basic information such as: occupation, whery they came from, where they lived, how many brothers and sisters (ut oh, that ubiquitous theme!). I went further and asked them to tell me what they liked to do. Some of my friends were in class this past week (in the second set of card I made). Who? Katie Beer, Bobby Downs (sorry for the misspelling Bobbee, but I didn’t want to confuse matters more than necessary : ), Jocelyne Champagne. : ) It was kind of fun to hear them say, “I’m so and so . . .”

Gogo Loves English 1 is about to begin . . .

Leave a reply
Koko, the dog. This entry is dedicated to Rudy Williams, who left this earthly plane earlier this week. May Rudy and Fido have fun playing together again!
Note from my 8 a.m. class:
(the class for “slower” learners—FLO’s description, I don’t know what the “correct” word is. Enlighten me please. Thank you.)
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Today was our first “class,” though it “officially” begins on Monday the 22nd when the Ss will receive their books.
The Ss who will be starting Gogo Loves English 2 at some point (no one seems to know when) also came to class this morning. ST1 told me that they’d rather be in my class than just go play. So I simply asked them to sit in the back.
“Why?”
So that I could clearly see who the Ss in this class (officially) are. (I offset “officially” because I’m learning that things are very fluid in Cambodia; something will be planned, but that’s not necessarily what will be done. It may be done, or it may be done slightly differently, etc.) Of course the Ss from the other level were welcome, but I didn’t want them to call out the answers to something that was new for the Gogo Loves English 1 Ss. It worked out fine with them sitting in the back; they watched the class and mostly restrained themselves from calling out the pronunciation of words.
First, I made sure that all Ss in GLE 1 had made their name cards; there were 5 who hadn’t. Then I called all the GLE1 Ss to come up front. I shifted the desks some so that they could gather around my computer. I’d wondered if it would work with 17 Ss; it did. The audio level was high enough and they could see the screen. I played the Silent E song from the Let’s Start Smart Long Vowel Word Families DVD (which I played for the more advance Ss earlier in the week).
Whereas I was able to include a fairly long list of words (mentioned in my post on Tuesday, August 16th) with the other class, I only included 4-sets (8-words) with this class: tot/tote, kit/kite, rip/ripe, pet/Pete. I also only played the song once. I had my flashcards on-hand and went through these 8-words. To elicit the meaning, I drew on the board and mimed different actions representing the words. To confirm their understanding, I asked simple CCQs, such as, “I fly a  . . .” “Kite!” they called out. The most difficult words for them in terms of pronunciation were: rip/rip and pet/Pete.
To mix it up a little and add variety to the lesson, I then called them up to stand up and form a line (this introduced nicely the phrases/words, “Stand up.” “Sit down.” “A line.”) One by one they pronounced a word, some correctly, some incorrectly. Regardless of their performance, I asked them to go to the back of the line. This continued for several passes for each student.
From this exercise, I could see that some still had problems with the words. (Duh! They’d just been introduced this. : ) So after these initial rounds, I asked them to sit again, and I reviewed the 8-words with the Ss. Holding up a card, putting my hand on my ear, “rip,” “Ripe!” some would call out. But sure enough, there was always at least one, if not two or more, who knew the correct pronunciation. After going through the words in this manner, I then called on specific Ss. Repeating, repeating these same 8-words.
When it looked like most were “getting” them, I asked them once again to form a line. This time when they answered correctly, I said, “Awesome!” raised my arm for a high-five, and asked them to sit down. It came down to about 3-Ss who still had problems. I noticed before when I was “assisting” in the review lessons with STs 1 and 2 that these same couple of Ss had more difficulties learning. Just after class I spoke with the director about some things on my bullet list (I need to renew my visa next Monday, I’d like to get a lot of copies of the alphabet work sheet, I’d like to get a lot of copies of lesson plan templates*, etc.), I also mentioned that a few Ss need extra help. He suggested that some of the visiting volunteers . . .
(It’s interesting how I’m not really in that group any more when speaking with the director . . . yesterday Rob went so far as to say that I’m the “best” volunteer they’ve ever had . . . hmm . . . that’s cool . . . but does that mean I feel pressure to keep it up? Nah, my goal is to continue to have fun learning, teaching, and simply being here at FLO. : )
. . . could work individually with these Ss. Hmm, now I need to look through my photos and find their names. The list of student names I want to learn has jumped from the initial 64 to 111 (32 + 32, 64 + 9; 73 + 17; 90 + 21!) !!! Wow, that’s a LOT of names!
Okay, back to today’s first meeting with the first of two Gogo Loves English 1 classes per day (with younger Ss, How young? About 7 to 13-years old.)
What did I learn?
I learned that it takes a long time to really go over new words/ideas/pronunciations/etc. I learned (confirmed) that I do need to break it down into bite-sized chunks for them (like I did today). I learned that they love it when the “get” it and receive a high-five from the teacher. I learned that some really do learn more quickly than others. I learn that some who learn more slowly CAN learn; they just need a little extra attention. I learned that I do like working with the younger Ss; they’re just so excited to learn!
Now, what else is on my agenda for the day?
-Finish the next “chapter” of my “Patty, the Pig” story for the two different level of classes this afternoon (with the older Ss). I’m including “I’d like to,” “I hope to,” and “I want to” from this week’s lessons (in the story). I prepared the lesson plan last night except for this part.
-Teach the 1 p.m. class with the 21-younger Ss who are also going to “officially” start Gogo Loves English 1 on Monday. This class is with student teacher number 2 (ST2).
-Prepare my list of what I was a lot of copies of. Organize the names cards into the appropriate group. Organize the photos for copying into a word doc and printing. (Okay, this last item will most probably be pushed back to later in the day or for this evening.)
-Teach my 3 and 5:45 p.m. classes.
-Mark their stories which they’ll be writing in today’s lesson.
Yesterday after my 3 p.m. class, I met with the two student teachers. We discussed (okay, I talked mostly) what we plan to do over the course of the next 4-weeks (while I’m still here at FLO). Essentially, I told them that I want to think about it first, write the initial lesson plans, and then add more for them to do in regard to the planning, etc. I’d like to think it through first and give them a model (okay, several models).
Later last night as I thought about it, I realized that I really should prepare the very formal CELTA-style lesson plans for these Gogo Loves English 1 classes.**
“What? You haven’t been doing that?” you ask.
“Well, not exactly,” I reply.
Part of what I didn’t particularly enjoy while studying in Bangkok this past June were the many, many hours I spent typing into my word doc template my lesson plans. I really didn’t mind writing them (I enjoyed this, in fact.), but I found it to be annoying to type them in that awkward word doc. (I still think an Excel file would be better, or maybe the combination of the two, but I never had the time to design a template.) I think I’ve come up with the perfect solution (read below).
So, it’s 10:37 a.m. and I have my next class at 1 p.m.; lunch is at noon. Time to get to work!
Aloha everyone. I hope you’re well, happy, and enjoying your summer (wherever you may be : ).
In the Divine Light which encompasses us all,
-sj
*lesson plans. Bright idea from last night. Delegate the typing of the lesson plans into the computer to the student teachers! They will (hopefully) learn while doing so, they’ll see an example, and I won’t have to do it! Yahoo! Sounds good to me. As a self-employed person for the past 25-years, the idea of delegating is new to me. I like the thought of it!
**A lot of copies of the lesson plan templates? Why?
FLO is essentially asking me to train these two young student teachers (ST1 is 17-years old; ST2 is 20) how to teach. The director gave me a sheet yesterday that I surmise is the current teacher’s lesson plan. It’s an outline of the subject matter with a note that it will take 2 to 3 lessons or 2 to 3 weeks for any given item. There’s no more detail noted than that basic information. So when I prepare the lesson plans, I expect that they will continue to use them as a guide. Also, I plan to assist the student teachers as they look ahead for the lessons, which will follow my departure.
Ah, this leads me to a very important side note. Rob Hail, founder of eGlobal and major supporter of FLO, would really like to see a more developed volunteer program evolve where trained and/or experienced ESL teachers sign-up for specific time period. For example, I depart on September 17th. Who wants to sign-up to start teaching on the following Monday the 19th? And ideally arrive my final week, so that I can show you the ropes????? Enquiring minds want to know! : )

Silent E Words Lesson

Leave a reply
Puthy

Puthy

Notes from my class that just finished . . .

I just had a very good class with the 9-younger kids. Yesterday I’d played the Silent E song from the Long Vowel Word Families DVD. I decided to make flash cards with these words and review/continue with them.
The words are:
rob/robe
cub/cube
fin/fine
cap/cape
pet/Pete
cut/cute
tot/tote
man/mane
not/note
rip/ripe
kit/kite
dim/dime
her/here
man/mane
First, I held up each one one-at-a-time to see which ones they knew/remembered. I then modeled and drilled the ones they didn’t know. When it was a new word for them, I elicited the meaning either by miming, drawing on the WB, or using the surrounding posters (such as the giraffe and horse for mane). Also, I happened to have an art kit, which was a perfect example for the word “kit.”
I then went around the room holding the flashcards face down (spread out like a deck of cards). Each student chose one and then said the word. Several of the Ss were able to correct the others, and when no one remembered it, I modeled and drilled it.
Then I played a “game” with them. I arranged them in a line. “Form a line.” I figured it’s time they learn that expression/sentence. “Form a line.” With 9-students it’s so much easier (than with 32)! I then turned over all the flashcards. Each student selected a card. If they said the word correctly, they were able to pass through to the other side. If not, they sat down. Each student tried again until they got one right. Then we all cheered that everyone had gotten “passed through to the other side.”
I then did a quick review of all the words, holding the cards up and not saying anything (unless they couldn’t remember the correct pronunciation). I then divided the cards into 3 and had 3 groups of 3 Ss. They then said the words on their own and corrected each other (or asked for the pronunciation of a couple of the words when they weren’t sure). There was enough time to make one change of the cards between the different groups.
I then did one final review of all the words, holding one card up at a time.
Lastly, I had written on the board a few of the words written using the phonemic symbols. I simply pointed them out to the Ss at the end. Perhaps that was a silly thing to do since I hadn’t built up to it. But it felt like a simple way to introduce them to a few phonemic symbols using words that they’d just been pronouncing. I wrote them for Pete, pet and cut, cute.
At the beginning of the class, I gave them each a half sheet of paper for making their own name cards. At the very end of class, I took their pictures with their name cards (on the back of which I wrote the phonetic spelling of their names). Then ST1 showed me the list of the other Ss and that she and ST2 have divided them into two groups. Both groups will learn Gogo Loves English 1, but one group is comprised of the slower learners (17), and the other group is comprised of faster learners (22, I think).
“Are the Ss I’ve just been working with in this group?”
“No,” she replied. “They go to Gogo Loves English 2.”
Well, I took their pictures just in time. I do want to learn their names; I see many of these Ss around the school at various times. Several are in the dance troupe (which I watched rehearse last night).
It hasn’t been decided yet whether ST1 or ST2 will be paired with the faster or slower learners. Either way, I think it’ll be a fascinating challenge to be their teacher for a specific book. They’re not the only ones who will be learning!
And when will these new classes begin? Either tomorrow (Wednesday) or the next day. It depends on when the director gets a chance to type up and then post the list. (I noticed that my other class lists are posted by the Ss dining area.)
And now it’s time to get ready for my next class . . .
aloha,
sj
p.s. I was just told that the classes can meet starting tomorrow, but I won’t get the “official” teaching materials until Monday (or maybe sooner). It’s up to me to decide which student teacher is paired with each class . . . giving this some thought . . . :~)

p.s.s. I was just about to post this when the power went out; this often happens as the surrounding factories in the area draw more and more electricity from the main power grid. “Start the generator,” called out Rob from another desk in the office. “Yes, it’s happening,” the director replied. A little while later I learned that a rat was fried in the process. Yes, one’s timing and location are everything—even for a rat!