Ms. Who?

Last Monday was the first day of school. But with the 20th anniversary and it being the first day, the schedule was totally different. So today was really the first Monday we've had.

I truly cannot complain about the schedules I've been given in the past. Two consecutive years of specials at the end of the day. Three specials in a row on Friday afternoons, essentially meaning I was 'done' at 12:30. Yeah, it was amazing!

But this year, things are a bit different.

I hardly see the students on Mondays. And I'm not exaggerating. They came in at 8:30, left at 8:35 for PE and library and I saw them again at 9:55. Then they left at 10 for recess. At 10:20, I saw them for a whole 40 minutes before they left again not to return again until 1:45. When they came in, I totally forgot what my plans were because I was just happy to see them! I missed them!!

I'll need to be reminded of that on Friday when they only have two special classes. Both of which occur in the classroom, meaning I am with them ALL day Friday. haha! I have a standing date with silence at 4pm on Fridays. It will not be cancelled. It will be Necessary.

After school, I was talking with Kristine- my teaching assistant who spent more time with them today than I did. We agreed that if I just didn't come to school on a Monday, it might go unnoticed. I told her I actually missed them and she just laughed!

I think know I will appreciate this schedule some week! And it certainly makes 'surviving' a Monday easier.

What is on me!

My afternoon mishap... as told in comic form... enjoy!

 I should have known that was a poor choice....

I really did say "What is on me!?" and a random  old man entering the store really did laugh. As did the little security guard. He kept asking if I had a tag on my clothes. Of course I do... most clothes have tags. I have noticed the tag on the pants before-- when it starts to scratch at my leg-- but it never seems to happen at an appropriate time or place for me to remove it. 

And be thankful I packed the #fancypants instead of wearing them to the airport!! 

standing proud

When I announced that I was moving to Latvia, most people asked about the relations with Russia. With the events in the Ukraine and what happened in Crimea, it's a fair question.

I've asked a few Latvians at school about their opinions, concerns, thoughts, but their general answer is that 'Latvians are proud to be Latvian.' They love their traditions. They treasure their language. They value their past and they are happy with where they are now and the continued growth of the country.

Riga is the current city of culture, but this weekend most of the festivities were surrounding the 25th anniversary of The Baltic Way. For more information on it check out these sites...

http://www.thebalticway.eu/en/history/
http://www.balticway.net/index.php?page=baltic-way&hl=en

They explain the amazing historical event far better than I could.

Firstdays@school.com

After a weekend that went FAR too fast, it was ready-or-not, here-they-come, the first day of school!!

Kristine (assistant) and I

This year is the school's 20th anniversary! So it was decided the celebration should be Big. There was a flag raising ceremony and the national anthem. The Latvian Minister of Science gave a speech, as did the school's director. The (temporary) US ambassador and a few others came, lots of embassy people, all the students, most of the parents, reporters and photographers.... it was quite the scene!

It is also tradition here to give flowers for just about everything. So as I was attempting to meet and remember several new names I was also juggling more and more beautiful bouquets of flowers. They are now in beakers and pencil jars all over the classroom and in cups and pitchers throughout my apartment.

At the end of the day, students were given little cupcakes to celebrate... that was definitely their favorite part!

The first day was full of get-to-know-you's, welcome back to school's, an assembly, and of course those cupcakes. I have 17 students again this year. All 17 of them came! Latvian schools don't start until September, so to have all the students there is a pretty big deal... I already have one who has missed a few days for vacation, and a few others who have left early for sports practices. (hmm)

All this week, the focus has been on making school a nice place, teaching the kids the routines and rules of the classroom, and getting them to work together. The school is small-- most grades only have one class. But there are two third grade classrooms. They didn't mix the kids at all from last year, so they are quite familiar with each other. Thankfully, the few new ones are fitting in well. We have also been doing a lot of large group activities this week where the two classes are mixed together. Our goal is to create a unified third grade.

We were told not to worry about teaching curriculum for the first few weeks but instead to make the kids as comfortable as possible in school. But I think most of us are ready to establish a more solid routine in our classroom, which involves using the curriculum.

Today, the students made a heart map. It's an image they will be able to use throughout the year for story ideas if/when they get stuck. Sometimes these activities sounds silly, but I was able to see who doesn't really listen to directions, who takes their time, who rushes along, who has lots of ideas and is confident in sharing, who is more shy and afraid to share. It did get them talking, that is for sure!

After lunch they had technology class. Technology is a big thing here! I have a Promethean board in my classroom (confession: I have ZERO idea how to use it) and each student K-5 has their own netbook to use throughout the year. Today my students practiced opening their email and played a little with google drive. We had a small block of time in between their tech lab and a group activity with the other third grade. I was going to have them do a writing piece of some kind, but decided instead to let them email me.

I wrote my email, and my assistant's email as well, on the board and told them all to email me about anything. Their thoughts on the week, a funny story, what they were nervous about, anything at all!! Most of them had to finish up their heart map, so the email was a perfect 'I'm done' activity. And they were obviously thrilled about it!

Suddenly my inbox was bursting with new emails!! I ended up with 25 emails total, even though I only had 16 students in class today. They really did write about anything! Most included little stickers or emojis and some even attached pictures. One little guy had me laughing out loud... he sent SIX emails. The first one was about stepping in dog 'droppings,' the next two were empty. The fourth was identical to the first email. The fifth one was just too adorable...

"so what pet would you rather have? a dog, a fish, a cat, (ect). I would have a dog and I have one, too. So once this time, I had a pet fish, I took very good care of him. I named him Simon. But one day, I forgot to feed him in the morning. so that time I checked on him, he was...DEAD! I cried super hard and I Woke up papa and he also checked, and he saw an upside down fish that didn't move. We just knew it was dead. we put food in it, he didn't eat it. we tickled him, He didn't Budge to move. So that's when we buried him dead and a few weeks later I cried again and I wanted to check him so bad, so papa let me check on him. I brought my plastic shovel with me and when I dug, guess what I saw? NOTHING WAS SEEN! I tried to look all over that area, and he was gone. that's when I felt happy. he was taken to heaven! I was so happy, I nearly jumped like a kangaroo."

And his last email said "Dear Ms. Mikyla and Ms. Kristine:"
That was all it said.

Friday is a long day in our classroom. I might keep this block as a catch-up, review, email the teacher time. Their number one question was, "will you respond?" and of course my answer was "YES!" I was actually excited to rush home, get comfy, and read/respond to their thoughts, stories, questions, and anything else they wanted to share. I think one of my goals for the year will be to continue this. I love the direct communication and I think my quieter ones were thrilled to finally have an outlet.

Overall, it was a wonderful week! I really like the kids and I think we will have a great year. My assistant and I are slowly but surely figuring out how to communicate and operate together in the classroom (I may have some control issues in this area). And I like to think I have a better idea of what's going on here at the school.

One thing is for sure though... after this past week, some serious sleep is in order!

R I G A F E S T

Riga is the current City of Culture... so there are even more festivals and things happening here!

Before I even arrived, one of the museums started advertising their re-opening with giant painted snails throughout the city. The snails are large and heavy but apparently can be moved. They've been missing lately, but reappeared over the weekend with a fresh coat of paint! They were all a bit different: skulls, cows, polka dots, rainbows.... no two were the same!

We worked our way to the snails through the market that was going on for Riga Fest.... a celebration of the city. There were huge stands and stages. A full on carnival. Fireworks. Concerts. Swedish Acrobats. Naval ships. And good size craft market. There are some really fun and unique crafts here. Including wool mittens, hats, and sweaters.... wonder if I'll be needing those. Sadly, we missed the giant mascot and doll parade... maybe next year. Maybe not.

After spending all day Saturday at the school, a few of us got some dinner and then stumbled upon yet another festival going on.... the Albertes Ilea 100th anniversary. Celebrating 100 years of ... being a street? Okay, we aren't entirely sure what the festival was about but according to the name it was in fact the 100th anniversary of a small side street here in Riga. People were in period clothes, making fancy hair pieces, and playing ole time music. It was pleasant... despite the rain.

I love all the festivals and markets here. They are certainly one of my favorite parts. As it continues to rain and the temperatures droop lower and lower, I better soak up all these 'summer' events while I can!

On your mark, Get set...

We had two weeks of staff orientation.

In two weeks we were introduced to a new city, culture, home, school, language, food, traditions, positions, expectations, lots of people, a few students, .... two weeks. No big deal, right. 

There were multiple meetings where I looked at other new hires only to see the same 'deer-in-headlights' look upon their face. Sometimes, I saw that look on the returning staff faces. That always made me feel a lot better! 

As overwhelming as those weeks can be, and they certainly have their moments, there was also an emphasis on doing what we needed to do to feel good about life here. The director of the school is Incredible and she has cancelled several meetings or plans to provide us more time to prepare, work in smaller groups, attend to life-things instead of school-things, and even just to relax. She built several 'fun' activities into the schedule and forced us to leave the school early on several occasions. (Before school begins, the classroom is really not the place teachers want to be, and yet when you're setting up the classroom for the first time it's also tough to get us out! So much to do!) 

One activity was a trip to the beach town, Jurmala the school is in between Riga and Jurmala. All the new hires were taken by school bus and left there, forced to take the train back into Riga so we wouldn't go back to the school. We enjoyed some great pizza, and so did a swarm of wasps. Then walked down to the water. We were actually in the Gulf of Riga, and not the Baltic Sea... I wouldn't normally claim a difference, except that the water was flat. I've seen bigger waves in a bathtub! The water was surprisingly cold since it was in the 80s and had been hot for a the past few days. I went in up to mid-calf and by that point I couldn't really feel my toes anymore. It felt kind of good in a refreshing way! 

A week later, all the returning staff was back and the week seemed to have more stressful moments and a stronger sense of urgency. So, on Friday, with school starting first thing Monday, everyone was told to leave the school no later than 3:30 and a trip on one of Riga's boat cruises was booked. 

 Although most of us were completely exhausted and the weather was threatening rain, we had a great time on the boat cruise! The rain held off and we even had sun for a bit.

It was a great way to wrap up orientation and get ready to GO on Monday!