School life

I have been in school now over one week. Kids arrived today but only for orientation. I met with the homeroom, made sure they understand the way block classes work, and set the combinations for their lockers. Classes are tomorrow. Normally classes are 85 minutes long but with an extended homeroom they will be a little shorter. I have 3 classes tomorrow and they are my toughest. One IB Biology HL (high level) which is fast paced and two IB Biology SL (standard level) which goes a little slower. HL goes more in depth on the topics.

I have had lots of time to plan. It has been punctuated by meetings but I am grateful for the time to plan as the pace and content of IB Bio is quite a lot. As with any new place you have all kinds of ideas of what you can do and I am not sure what activities work and like any other year you do what you think and then adjust.

Besides co-advising Student Council, I am also assistant coach for cross country. Should be interesting. I’ll be running with them so at least I will still get my workout in.

Here are a smattering of notable things about this school that I thought is very interesting. First it is not a comparison between schools. This is a very different school. It is private but not for profit. They take in a lot of money in tuition.

There are a bunch of dedicated staff bathrooms and there is one really close to my classroom. Always one of the first things you need to find around your classroom. We were actually given two days before the rest of the faculty arrived to get our bearings. I was able to go through my room and figure out how to get places. I love how classrooms have air but stairwells (and then hallways) all open to the outside There are storm doors that they have but it is all very open.

Right around the corner of my classroom is coffee and a barista. We load money onto our school ID through We Chat and can use it to buy sandwiches, bread, and coffee. I have only bought one coffee so far and not making it a habit. Nice to have though. There are great places for the students to go hang out and they have done a great job of creating a variety of spaces everywhere.

I have a microwave and frig in the prep area that is in the middle of all of the science rooms. The TA preps whatever labs that we need and can get us equipment and does the ordering with companies.

There are really nice staff rooms on all floors with comfy couches and even a library of books and DVD’s you can check out. Over the summer, the ayi’s (house staff) takes care of all of the plants and then brings them back to the classroom. I will have to get an ayi for my apartment to take care of my plants and check the air conditioner when I come home next summer.

Each classroom has its own air conditioner remote. Which is great! Finally I get to decide the temperature! My computer connects to the projector through apple tv. The school is BYOD including the use of phones in the classroom. It is all about accountability. We also have water coolers in the classroom and they can also be found in the hallway. It is hot here and have to remember to keep drinking water.

There are lots of windows and even though the science room is not as up to date as I thought it would be, the materials you can use for labs and what they will order makes up for it. It is all very functional but definitely needs updated. There will actually be more building on the campus and we will be getting new facilities here.

I am amazed at the level of support for students and the faculty. We have access to the laminator and when we need supplies we fill out a list and we get it that day or within a few days if it needs ordered. It is nice to know I can find a new lab or material I want and can just request it (obviously within reason) and get it. Science department has its own color printer and when you print, there is a screen that attributes the printing to your name. You scan your ID on the control of the printer, and then a button for something called Follow You Printing. It is pretty neat because I can print anywhere in the school doing this. If you want things stapled or punched, you have to send it through the materials secretary.

The weirdest thing was having a TGIF last week. they but standing tables around the meeting room we use and had sncaks and wine. Was not expencting that. It does not happen every Friday, but definitely at the end of inservice week.  That afternoon bus is also a party bus. People bring snacks, wine, and beer and you pay a little money into the pot to purchase.

Quite a few continued the party after the bus. A drink is fine but not that much. Instead I went to buy a bike. Pretty cheap at about 2295 rmb outfitted (about $335 US). It is a really decent bike. It is nice to have one with shocks and be able to go longer distances. There is a group of people who bike to the school from the apartments. It is 10 miles away and takes about 55 minutes to an hour. About 3 miles can be nail biting but we go at a time when there are not as many cars on the road. (We never ride bikes home – too much traffic. The bus is not a school bus but instead from a bus company and has storage underneath.)

I found out that people here walk however they want, bike however they want, and drive almost the same way too. When you are biking, pedestrians, other bikes, etc. can pop out in front of you. However, they are very accomodating if you are changing lanes. They are not aggressive whereas in the US people are much more aggressive on the road. There is also an absence of road rage here. People are pretty polite and their worldview seems based on cooperation and common good.

Those who have been here awhile are really helpful. When you are looking for something, they know where to get it and will take you with them. It is really the only way to learn how to use the buses, metro, water taxi, didi (uber like service that also has auto taxis)… It takes awhile to know how to get around. One of the most convenient things they agve us on the first day was a card that has our address in English and pinyin and the school address on it.  When we don’t know where we are, we can show that to the didi!

The downside: There are very long days. We have faculty meetings after school one day a week and everyone stays for the late bus which leaves 80 minutes later. That bus also takes people home from practices and activities. Teachers and students can also stay late to work and take that bus as well. The long day is really only long because of the commute. The elementary school does not have that as they are really close to the apartment.

That is a lot but a few things I was thinking about this week. A new school always takes times with the different requirements and ways of doing things. So far pretty impressive and it is really nice to see how hands on all the administrators and staff are (you just ask and someone puts up colored paper on your bulletin board!)

Nice!