The Last Week

We made it! Even though the kids left (most of them) before 1 yesterday, I was working until 6:30 grading tests and assignments. It felt so good to finish it up though. And I even have a bit of a plan for what I will do after the break. Now I can enjoy the holiday!

We leave tomorrow morning for the airport. That means today will be a day of wrapping presents and packing up. I am looking forward to it. I also transferred the final chunk of money to the states that will pay off my student loans. That will be a good feeling! I am in quite the minority to be debt-free after four months of work. Not bad.

Wednesday was the Christmas dance for our school and two other schools combined. We went to a nightclub in downtown Rotterdam. This is really a nice solution because they set up, clean up, and offer security. Good thing we brought earplugs though. We left just before 11 and the place was packed. They claimed to be able to host 2000 and we had about 1400. The ventilation was terrible and lines for the coats took over an hour. The first and second year students were supposed to go at 11 so that the older kids could start drinking. In the crunch to leave, some students started passing out from the heat and noise while packed into a line. The street was jammed up with parents waiting to pick up their kids, so the police came. I guess the club was expecting 500 people. Not sure how that happened, but they were horribly equipped and we are lucky nothing bad happened. The party lasted until after 2 in the morning.

Anyway, Thursday we had Christmas drinks at school. Yes, you can drink alcohol in schools here. They did this instead of offering us a Christmas package with gifts in it. It was nice, and we even got to take a couple of nice bottles of wine home with us.

Last night we went into the city with our friends Clifton and Karmen for a couple hours of pool. It was fun, and afterwards we ended up talking until almost 1 in the morning and our place. I guess we are preparing for the time change...

To the Sea

This week was a bit rough. I was miserably sick on Wednesday and barely made it to school on Thursday. I got all of the things done that I needed to do this week, but barely. It did start off nicely though. I had my evaluation discussion on Tuesday. My administrator was glowingly positive. He said I did almost everything right and he was impressed - if all the teachers would do things this way then we would have the school we want. Funny how it went from almost as negative as possible with the first evaluation to this great success a matter of weeks later. Although I did change some things, I didn't change much.

Hoek van Holland (corner of Holland) Harbor

Friday was a long day. The last two hours were arts and crafts for the first years as this was their last Friday afternoon before break. There were no major disasters or fights (I had to break another one up Thursday and got hit in the face) so I consider it a success. After school the staff went out for a Vietnamese dinner. The restaurant was nice, but I didn't like the food much. The starters were nice, but the main course was too spicy and not that tasty. Afterwards we played some pool which went really slow as some people hadn't played before. It was still nice to see what Rotterdam's night life is like - can't say I am too impressed. 

Colder than it looks...

Today we went to the sea. It was a half hour train ride from the central station and when we got there a big, black cloud met us so we ducked into a cafe/bar right before the ice came. During our glass of hot cocoa, surrounded by pictures of ocean vessels and Christmas decorations, we watched some men play a game that looked like pool but was apparently billiards. There were no pockets. Just three balls. The object was to hit two of them. Eventually we got up the courage to ask how to play, and half the guys there helped us out. They were very friendly - and the game was pretty tough.

The beginning of Rotterdam's harbor/industrial zone

Once the sun came back around, we walked to the beach. It was much further than the advertised 10 minutes, and the wind kept getting stronger. By the time we made it to the sea, it was freezing and we could hear the roar of the surf from quite a distance. The waves were impressive but we chose not to walk all the way to the end of the pier as it was so cold and the spray would have been a problem. It was a nice little trip, but we were more than happy to be home. I still have that cold, and the end is not in sight. I can't wait to make it through this week, because in exactly one week we will be somewhere over the North Atlantic!

See the rainbow?

Skyscrapers!

This week I introduced my new project at school. It will take about three weeks – I wanted to get something in before Christmas break. We are talking about skyscrapers. One of my lessons was evaluated and I thought it went really well. I won’t hear the results for a couple days though.

The project grew rather nicely. I thought that for Mens en Natuur (Science) the students could work in pairs to answer some questions I had prepared about their own skyscraper that they were able to choose. They will put their answers into a PowerPoint and present to the class in English (quite scary for some students). For Wiskunde (Math) they are working on 3D objects and perspectives, so they can make a top, front, and side view of their Skyscraper.

The English teacher got in on it and is teaching them about building terms that have to do with houses and skyscrapers. In their art/building class they will be making their own skyscrapers. And in Social Studies they are talking about internationalization and why some countries have skyscrapers and others do not.

I guess I kind of started a project by accident. I think that this is what the school is all about though, so it would seem I am fitting in. The first week of the project went well, and I hope that we are able to finish everything in time!

Project Finale

This week was the final week of the 1.5 month project about human rights. The first year students (my students) ended things with a market where they raised money for Amnesty International. They made over 1000 Euros. The second year students made some sort of sculptures that are supposed to be on display in a public place like a mall, and the third year students had a debate. The mayor even came to be a part of the celebrations.

Antique cabinet for antique Delftware.

To scale replica of The Night Watch by Rembrandt - took two
master painters one year to recreate.

As a school, Friday was a success. Personally, it was also a success. I got in all four of the math lessons that I needed to this week - they were a bit tricky because the students were making something - a box that was just the right size to hold four ping-pong balls. Maybe a little more than half were able to. For the market, my students were making DVDs to sell about water. I had the deadline for the videos set to a week ago Friday, but had to keep pushing it back. Eventually I got them all except for 2 out of 24 groups. I was even able to burn 40 copies with Naomi's laptop among the chaos on Friday. I am learning to juggle a lot at once.

Kilns where Delftware is fired.

Master painter working on a vase that will sell for well over 10,000 Euros.

Sinterklaas.

Yesterday Naomi's mother and significant other, Marinus, came to visit for Sinterklaas. We went to the Royal Delft Museum/Factory. It is nice to see how the Delftware is made. After we got back we had a nice traditional Dutch meal - mashed potatoes, broccoli, leek with cheese, and sausages. It was tasty. Then we impressed them with a movie on our wall in the living room. Now it is time for breakfast (croissants from France) and the opening of presents. We exchanged gifts with a poem. Naomi had to write it in Dutch since Marinus doesn't speak English. Anyway, time to set the table...

Small container ship.

Is this Earth or the Moon?

...A few hours later...we got back from a driving tour of Rotterdam's port. Or parts of it anyway. It is too big to see everything in one day. Up until recently, it was the largest on earth. I can see why. Docks, piles of containers, and refineries that seem to never end. There are even a few wind turbines sprinkled in here and there. I am surprised they don't have more - I mean it is not like visual pollution is an issue there. Now I have no shortage of things to do...but no motivation to do them. Looks like the rest of today might be a lazy one.

The ferry to England.

What does it do?

Zwarte Piets

I don't have too much to say about this week. School was hectic as usual. I gave my first real test on Friday. It got a lot of criticism from the students and some other teachers, but I was quite happy with the result. I was there until 7 grading it. And for another almost two hours after that drinking wine and talking with colleagues.

Eindhoven's Main Cathedral (a little different from what we saw in Band of Brothers)

Thursday was Thanksgiving, and I don't know how, but I totally forgot about it! We even had a couple friends over for dinner, so it would have been the perfect way to celebrate. It was Naomi's day off, and she could have even made something nice. A chicken is the biggest thing that will fit in our oven though...

Museum of Modern Art

Yesterday we left for Eindhoven. Naomi's best friend had a housewarming party and we were also able to visit with her dad. Eindhoven is the technical center of the Netherlands. Phillips is from there. It is the 'smart' city. Bombed out during the war, so it is a modern sort of place. Nicer than Rotterdam though. We went to a modern art museum this morning which was mostly strange. I don't think Naomi or I care much for modern art.

A central street at sunset.

On the way to the train, we saw a parade of Zwarte Piets. Kind of a long story, but there is a Dutch version of Santa Claus - Sinterklaas. He lives in Spain for most of the year but arrived here two weeks ago by boat. He rides around on a white horse and has lots of little helpers - like elves but a bit sillier. They make lots of funny mistakes. They are also black (they paint their faces). Some people are upset because they think it is racist. I find it a very interesting tradition - and am a bit surprised it still exists. They also celebrate Christmas here, but it is not as big due to Sinterklaas. There is more to the tradition for older people - a bit of a white elephant joking thing with poems designed for gift exchange. This can turn into quite the long story...

Random parade of Zwarte Piets.

Twenty-Six

This week was worthy of pictures - but I kept forgetting my camera. Monday was my birthday. Naomi got me a museum card so that we can go to the many different museums in the area. It is good for a year. My parents got us dinner, so we asked around at school for restaurant suggestions. We ended up going to an African place. It was just perfect. We even sat next to the map of Mali - by accident! Naomi had lamb and I tried ostrich - very tasty. It had the texture of a fine-grained steak with a taste that was slightly different. I would definitely get it again if I could afford it.

School has been hectic this week - but mostly in a good way. The schedule has just changed, so I have all first-years now. It is so much better. I am able to take more ownership, work better with colleagues, and get to know the kids better now. Being stretched between two worlds - the first and second years - was not working very well. I am very happy that the school was able to make this change as it really makes a lot of sense for everyone. Except Naomi. Her schedule got worse. Now she sees students for long blocks of time which does not work well for giving and collecting assignments.

The big administrative task this week was figuring out how to transfer money to the states. There is speculation that the Euro might tank sometime soon, so I want to get as many dollars as I can right now. My loans need to be paid off. So I went to the bank and asked for a money order. Nope, they said, this country no longer uses paper. Great. So the only way is to get it in cash, or pay 35 Euros for a wire transfer. I was not happy. Naomi talked to her bank and it sounds like they could do it cheaper - but they insisted on an identification number that my bank in the states does not have. So I had my mom call around for options, but it turns out that Naomi seems to have been misinformed. Looks like we don't need that number in the first place. Why is everything so much more complicated than it has to be??

Thursday a friend and I went to Amsterdam for a Charles Bradley concert. It was a lot of fun. The venue was quite small and we were up on a balcony just a few feet from the band. They were quite good. My friend made a couple comments that stuck with me about the area. The first was about money. Rotterdam brings it in, The Hague collects it, and Amsterdam spends it. I thought it quite the apt summary. Secondly, he was impressed with the life of Amsterdam on a Thursday night. There were people all over the place - even street musicians. He said that in Rotterdam the only people you would see on the street at this time are junkies. It makes sense because Rotterdam is a working city, and everyone has to get up early.

Last night we had a nice dinner at a different friend's place, and we taught Naomi how to play cribbage. She liked it. She also recently learned Backgammon and Chinese Checkers. She likes those too. Next up will be Chess, but I think that is too much concentration for her. It has been fun to teach her all these games that I grew up with. We are starting to collect them.

Today I will take care of more administrative stuff, work on the pictures (we got a bunch of frames from a second-hand shop and a new photo printer), prepare for school, and get some exercise. There is never enough time.

Back to the Eastside

Right now I am sitting in Naomi's Mother's living room filled with antiques. Naomi and I were up a couple hours ago and we went for a nice run this morning. There was a frost on the ground but the sun was shining. A perfect way to start the day.

We are here to celebrate Naomi's Grandma's 91st birthday. I will get to meet much of her family today. Her aunt who lives next door will be hosting the party. Hopefully it will be a nice time. Maybe before that happens we will be able to go to a castle or an old church something like that. The weather looks perfect.

This was a difficult week at school but I also had some successes. Tuesday I had a meeting with the director that made me pretty upset. Yesterday we met again, with Naomi this time, and things were sorted out for the most part. I was happy to reach a conclusion, even if that conclusion is not what I had hoped for.

Everything else at school is going pretty well. The schedule will finally change next week so that I will not be sharing classes any more and I will be with first years for the whole time - not second years. I am extremely relieved by this. It will solve a lot of problems; this I take as a sign that my direct supervisor is really trying to help me succeed. I also like working with the first years a lot more - they are cuter, more moldable, and fun. They actually listen (most of the time).

I am working with the drama teacher on having the students make a DVD about water. They will sell it at their marketplace. The marketplace raises money for Amnesty International. The whole school is working on a project about human rights. I hope that the DVDs turn out well, but we are definitely behind schedule. Next week the students should be working well on it. Especially since I will be there more often.

I am feeling much more confident with my teaching and the schedule change will really make me more effective. Life in the NL is also becoming more normal. I think that I am getting beyond the culture-shock phase. There was much more that I needed/need to adjust to than I had anticipated. But for now, breakfast is on the table, so it is time to eat.

Spending Money

This week was a good week. It was also a busy week. On Tuesday school was cancelled for the students because Naomi and I, along with four other colleagues, attended a conference in Ede. It was nice to see all the other teachers, although it was geared toward higher levels of students as it was a bilingual conference. Finally, English!

We did not make it home in time to pick up my bike. So we had to get it Wednesday. And it is nice! Of course the first thing I do is drop it on the ground and break the fender. I think it is working now though. The rack and saddlebags, although not terribly stylish, have already proven quite handy. It is good to finally have my own bike, as it is takes the place of my car...

The new bike.

Thursday I went into school for the morning, but then left to Utrecht for Naomi's graduation. I was rather uncomfortable and upset by the timing of this ceremony. I found it quite strange that they would hold it during working hours, forcing everyone to take the day off. I guess that is one more of those cultural differences...

While we were waiting for the train (delayed due to suicide) a tiny English lady in her early 20s asked us about the delay. Naomi explained and after we had met her parents and her dad's partner at the train station, had a very nice lunch, and were walking out of the cafe, we saw this same English lady eating lunch. Quite the coincidence!

Lunch in the 400 year old cellar of a canal-side cafe.

The ceremony was nice and personal. There were only 18 students in Naomi's program so that was possible. Drinks were served afterward and it was nice to meet some of the people that Naomi talked a lot about. The same questions (how do you like the Netherlands...how is school) got really old after awhile though.

Graduation.

Friday was a good day at school. I finally felt like I was gaining the upper hand in the constant battle for control with the students. I took charge even when I was working with more experienced teachers. My confidence is going up.

After school, we picked up our new printer at the post office! We tried to buy it two different times before this and the stores had run out. This time it was 30 Euros cheaper. So the frustration was worth it. Yesterday we set it up, and today I will try to use it.

The new printer.

The printer did not come with a cable, so we had to go into town to buy one yesterday. We also picked up some photo paper. At the store, we ran into a friend and ended up having drinks and burgers at an Irish Pub. It was a nice evening. The only problem with this week is that most of my salary for the month is already gone...

The Review

Before the break, my administrator observed one of my 'lessons'. It wasn't really a lesson but was, in fact, leerplien time. This means that I was with another teacher in one big, open classroom with tables and computers. The students were able to choose what to work on. I was checking their math assignments.

The administrator was looking for things that would have been found in a more traditional lesson, but I was not made aware of this, or of the significance behind the observation. On Wednesday we sat down to talk about what had happened. Overall the discussion was a very good one and lasted an hour and a half. I was caught rather off guard though.

He explained his observations and then gave his review of my teaching. I was hard-pressed to find anything positive in what was said and he basically summed up by saying that if I didn't change I wouldn't have a job there next year. I guess there are just a few of these reviews that determine whether or not we will be asked back.

I was able to explain my side of what was going on. Essentially, I was on the leerplien with a more experienced teacher, so I expected her to take the lead while I focused on checking my assignments. This did not really happen so the noise level and such became a little high. I was too busy to be bothered. I guess now it is time for me to be bothered.

It would seem that the administration has some expectations of us that were either poorly communicated or not communicated at all. I guess that is part of the point of these reviews. Now that I know a bit more about what they are looking for, I can work toward it. It is also a bit of a relief to start from the bottom, because it will be easy to show significant progress in a short time frame. It would be nice to get a little credit for things I have done well though.

For example, I was supposed to be co-teaching math with a more experienced teacher. Perfect. He could take the lead. Except he quit in the first week. I was left without expectations or much of any guidance. But I did very well with the course because it was mine and I chose to focus on it. The grades are in order and objectives being met.

My other two classes are co-taught as well. Again, by a more experienced teacher. I assumed that she would take the lead with things, and in many ways she did, but the arrangement has not been working well for some time. Over a month ago we requested a change in schedule. It won't happen until after this coming week. But we didn't know that at the time. So we coasted until we got our own classes, and not much got accomplished.

Each class is supposed to have four grades in the books by Wednesday. Math is in order, but I get no recognition for that. First year science will have two grades. For the second years...we aren't really sure. They had some assignments but less than half turned them in and the quality was terrible...so how can we give grades? Ten weeks with no grades. That is embarrassing.

Thursday night was the halloween party. It ended at 11 and we were there cleaning until midnight. The kids really seemed to enjoy it, and on Friday the first two hours were free. Maybe it is because the kids were still tired from the night before, but I had quite some success with teaching on Friday. For the first time, I taught two classes at once. They were quiet. They listened. They worked on what they were supposed to afterwards and most did it correctly. It was amazing! And it happened twice!

Needless to say, I was exhausted by the end of the day and slept well that night. Saturday, yesterday, was a big day. I finally made it through a whole Saturday without getting some form of culture shock. I also ordered a bike. I have been thinking about what kind of bike to get since shortly after arriving in this country. I wanted a sporty bike, but slowly had to admit that this wasn't terribly practical. I tried to find something in between, but in the end had to choose practicality over fun.

The bike shop is a tiny little place just down the road and around the corner. I had kind of already made my decision on what I wanted so the task was much easier. I wanted a Trek. They are big here. And expensive. But they come from where I come from and I really liked the Trek I relied on in Mali. Here it would be my main form of transportation as well. So I decided to invest. It was one of the cheapest bikes in the shop at around 500 Euros - 50 Euros cheaper than the bigger bike store.

The owner was a nice guy who didn't speak too much English, but it turns out we teach his daughter's friend and he knows some people we know. Good start. He let me try out a couple bikes and I liked the one I had already picked out best. I also decided to get some bags for the back so I wouldn't have to carry my teaching bag on my back every day to work. Those were an extra 60 Euros. Insurance for the year was 41 Euros, but I opted out of that. A decent lock was 36, but he said that he would throw that in if we buy the bike from him. At the end we also negotiated for a free pump. He let us take that home with us as a sign of good faith. I pick up and pay for the bike on Tuesday. I am excited!!

Fall Break!

We had a whole week off. It was a much-needed break. I am not sure where the time went. We were busy for pretty much the whole time…but there is so much that did not get done. I am not ready to head back to school tomorrow. At all. 

Last Saturday was like a hangover. We were both so exhausted from school. In spite of the tiredness, we still made it downtown for a nice lunch with friends and to search for a game of Chinese Checkers. The guy at the game store thought we were strange for asking…but we ended up finding one at a Chinese store near the train station. Good thing we did too, because it made the train rides much nicer.

Naomi's Grandma

Sunday we went to Naomi's grandma. She is 90 years old and lives alone. She speaks not a word of English, but clearly has a beautiful spirit. I asked her about what she remembered from the war, and it was very interesting to hear a well-known story from a totally different perspective. 

She told us all about the American soldiers she met, the dangers her family faced, and even how her favorite sister (she had a big family) died. The story that stuck with me most was how she almost lost her own life. 

The Americans were pushing back the Germans. Liberation was in the air - mixed with terror. The fighting was fierce all around. Bombs falling. Bullets flying. To find shelter, her family went to a nearby farmhouse with a basement. They packed 19 people into that basement (which was the size of a bedroom) for three days as bombs shook the ground.

It was Naomi's Grandma's job to take the bucket filled with human waste topside. As she dumped the contents, a bomb fell very nearby. The explosion blasted all of the windows out of the house and everyone left in the basement assumed she was gone. Somehow, a few minutes later, she made her way back down the stairs to join the others. Good thing she did too - or Naomi wouldn't be around today.

After saying goodbye to Oma (Grandma) we took an excruciatingly long bus ride to Naomi's mother's house. She was sick for much of the time we were there, but we still managed to get some rest and see some cool stuff. She lives in a beautiful area full of small towns, old churches, plenty of farmers, and even a few castles.

Twickel - about ten minutes from her mom's place.

Only an hour away is the German town of Munster. We spent one day there and it was a most enjoyable day. Known for its cheese and churches, it has a lot of history packed into its center. There are three beautiful cathedrals all right near the center. We were able to see all of them - even though the main one was being restored. Even though it was cold, the sun was shining and I took some very nice pictures. 

Munster, Germany

After picking up a touch of the flu (maybe from some suspicious soup we had at a touristy place to eat - they called it minestrone but it was clearly vegetable) we made our way back to Rotterdam. Yesterday we went to The Hague (a cheap and short train ride) to enjoy the city, eat Mexican food at our favorite restaurant, and swing by a birthday party. 

The Hague

Parliament on the right - the reflected light comes from the
Prime Minister's octagonal office. 

We ended up getting home too late so today is crammed full with things to do. The weather is once again beautiful (strange) so we will ride down to the library, head over to a colleague's place for dinner, and wrap up all sorts of odds and ends before having to return to school on Monday. The break was much needed, and I hope it won't be too difficult to get back into the swing of things. 

To Coast, or not to Coast

I went into this week thinking it would be an easy one. That was a mistake. Monday the students didn't show up and we had some workshops. Three of our more experienced colleagues had just returned from visiting High Tech High in San Diego for the past 9 days. They spoke about what they saw and it was obvious that they had quite the new perspective, energy, and enthusiasm for Wolfert Pro (the model of Wolfert Pro is loosely based off of High Tech High). It was nice to see and hear the inspiration.

We also spent some time talking about educating the students about alcohol. Boring for me because it was in Dutch, but an immediately relevant topic for some of our 13 year olds...

I was able to wrap up the book work for math this week. Something like 80/84 students completed the book-work assignment with all the correct answers. Other teachers have been getting around a 50% completion rate. I have to bug all the students about their work, sit down with all of them individually, sometimes 3-4 times until they get it right, others have to stay after school until they are finished. It is the brute-force method, but it works. Hopefully it will get easier when the students pick up on the routine.

I am proud of myself for getting these results. Part of the reason is because I feel the (almost) full responsibility for my math classes. I started out with a co-teacher who quit, and the new one who is supposed to share the classes with me is more focused on other things, so I took charge.

The problem lies with the science classes. I also share the four first-year classes with a more experienced teacher. And the four second year classes. I expected this more experienced teacher to be taking charge but that hasn't really happened. So we have been in school for two months and there is not a single grade yet. We did just finish up with some balloon cars (a cool idea, but poorly planned) so there will be some grades soon.

I am a bit embarrassed about all this, but we asked to stop sharing classes a few weeks ago (so I had been coasting until the division) and it turns out the split won't happen until two weeks from now. This setup is simply not working. We both feel some responsibility for eight classes and it is overwhelming. Simple questions students ask like 'where do I put my poster now that it is finished' are difficult to answer. There isn't a place. And when only half the kids hand something in, and many of them write it in Dutch, how can I grade it?

Somehow the balloon cars with the first years turned out better than expected. We had the races Friday afternoon and maybe 75% of kids had at least something. The record went 6 meters. Pretty impressive. Mine went almost 5 - but I only took an hour to make it.

My Balloon Car

Before that excitement happened, I was on the leerplien (common area with computers where 2-3 classes can be working) with the second years. They were not working (it was the Friday before break) but they were also starting to get a bit out of control, so that was taxing. There is a 'silent room' where students should not be talking, and if they do, they have to join the rest. So I told them to stop talking. Five minutes later, I asked one girl to leave. No problem. Standard procedure.

Overseeing the Races

Five minutes later, I asked another girl to leave. I got complete disrespect from her, she would not move. So I said she would stay after school. It escalated until she was there after school for a long time. She still wouldn't leave. I was so upset that I left.

For the most part, the tools we have to exercise our role as 'police' work, and it is part of the job. But sometimes they don't. I don't get what to do in those cases and it makes me want to quit. The biggest problems I have are with the popular girls. Some of them have horrible attitudes and think they can do/say whatever they want. When they find out they can't manipulate me like they do most other males, they explode. These confrontations get exhausting, and are a real distraction to the rest of the class. Some advice on how to deal with these girls would be most welcome...

Now it is finally Fall Break. We get a whole week off. It is much needed, although I think I am feeling better than most starting teachers. Overall I am very happy to have started off at Wolfert Pro. I work pretty well with the chaos and enjoy the freedom and flexibility to try out new things and make mistakes. Being part of building something so difficult is quite the challenge. Most of the kids are good kids. The first years especially are fun to work with. They still listen.

Digging In

My usual pattern of getting upset on Saturdays seems to be continuing. I don't like it. Pretty much every Saturday something has triggered it. Mostly administrative stuff that should have happened but hasn't. Things have not gone well from that standpoint. Stores close early, money hasn't been deposited, paperwork is incomplete, banking is screwed up, etc.

This week it was plane tickets. Naomi and I tried to buy a couple so that we could visit my family for Christmas. She still hadn't gotten her credit card that she had applied for five weeks ago, but I figured it wouldn't matter since I had mine from the states. We found the flight (Christmas Day) and after I put in my credit card information, the price mysteriously jumped 100 Euros per person.

There was no explanation, but I assumed it was because I tried to pay with dollars instead of Euros. If her card had come, we would not have this problem. So she called the company. They said her order had been stopped because they needed more information from her. But they never contacted her.

This set me off. Something along these lines has been happening pretty much every Saturday. It makes me feel upset, powerless, and homesick. As Naomi tries to put it nicely, 'this is not a service-oriented country'. Well, I am sick of it. Everything seems to go wrong.

On the other hand, we may have found a solution. One of our colleagues offered to help us out with financial difficulties, so I called her up yesterday and she said it would be fine to try putting the tickets on her credit card. I thought this rather generous after only knowing us for less than two months. The Dutch people I have met so far have been, for the most part, quite friendly and helpful. The institutions seem to be the problem.

The week at school seemed to go pretty well. I had to leave early on Tuesday because I felt strangely sick. Really sick. No idea why. I did what I needed to do, though. Managed to give my first test. I had to give it twice to one class because most failed it the first time and had to keep another after school to take it because they wouldn't stop talking, but I still consider it a success.

It was about perimeter and area. Strangely enough two classes had a C-average and the other two classes had just below a D- average. I don't have an explanation for that one yet. Math is quite difficult for a lot of these students.

In science they are making balloon-powered cars. It is a pretty cool project. We made rubber band cars when I was that age, and I won the competition to go the farthest because my dad helped me. I wonder how many of these students will get help from home...

Now it is Sunday. The day of rest. As it is not raining yet, I need to go out for a run while I still can. I really hope I don't get rained on with my new shoes. They are very nice. Seems that they solve my knee problems. And the route I get to take is beautiful. It is about 6k and it starts out with a skinny path next to a wide canal full of ducks and trees. Then it turns and an isthmus takes me between a river that carries boats which are above my head, and the lake full of sailboats that are below my feet.

The height difference is incredible. The reason for it is located right around the halfway point. A beautiful windmill dating from the mid-1600s. It pumped all that water out of the lake and into the river so that people could live where I live.

I continue to run over a small drawbridge and turn the corner into the wealthy area of town. BMWs and Mercedes line the streets and driveways of stately homes and mansions that overlook the water. We live on the rich side of town. Anyway, enough writing about it, I better do it before it rains again...

Something to Celebrate

Once again, my week started out a bit rough and got better as the days progressed. We had the conclusions of the first projects for the first and second years this week. This was a bit stressful. I had a lot of grading to do and students were not finishing on time. They were not following the assignment. I had no idea how to continue after this project was finished.

Naomi was in charge of the exhibition for the second years. This was quite the task and she even had to come into school on her day off Tuesday to get some work done. This added some extra stress for both of us.

Slowly I made progress with checking my assignments – which turned out really well. The students were supposed to use some online software to make a floor plan of the school. Even with lots of mistakes, the software made the floor plan look rather professional. A nice display for parents night (Friday and tomorrow) when the parents come to see what the students have been working on.

I also made progress on planning for the next weeks with the teachers I share classes with. We should be splitting the classes soon, but without knowing the date, it makes planning a bit difficult. We are also supposed to request our classrooms on the schedule, but by the time we got to it, the rooms were all taken. How are we supposed to teach without a classroom? Not sure. The schedule thing has been a huge problem from the beginning. I think they need to pay someone just to organize it. Otherwise all of the teachers each waste a lot of time negotiating with each other for who gets to use the classroom…

Somehow Naomi’s exhibition and the parent’s night went smoothly. It was as if there was an unseen director making sure the timing of everything worked out. After school Naomi and I celebrated with a nice dinner. If you remember the link about the school I posted a couple weeks ago, we have another cause to celebrate. Our school has just won a 50,000 Euro prize for being the most innovative school in the Netherlands! That is what the video was about.

Naomi and I spent about 300 Euros yesterday getting some things in town. A couple of the department stores had sales going on and it was a bit like Black Friday. There are so many people in this country. We founded what we needed though, and I even got some new running shoes. The store was nice – they did a little video test to analyze my run and recommend certain types of shoes. Of course the ones that fit the best were the most expensive…I always seem to have that problem.

Speaking of running shoes, it is a beautiful morning and just about time to try them out. Afterwards I think we just might take a bike ride over to Delft. The weather has been beautiful this week, so it needs to be enjoyed before it gets terrible again.

P.S. If you want a taste of some Dutch humor...they boys at school have been doing these little dances in class: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmsvEhce_GQ

Wrestling for Control

This has been a hectic week - but not one without its share of successes. I have been sick with my standard fall head/chest cold. It started in the Ardennen 10 days ago and is still going strong. I started the week off on Monday with what felt like quite the failure. I had prepared a lesson for the most difficult second year (8th grade) class of the school and we ended up staying for almost half an hour after school to finish it. They would not stop talking or follow simple directions. I was pretty upset afterwards.

The next day I made some changes for the next class: added a seating chart, assigned groups instead of numbering off, and took attendance at the beginning. These things helped, but we still ended up staying for half an hour after school. It felt more under control though.

Wednesday I had the chance to try again with a new group. They had seen the other groups staying after school, so they knew I wasn't messing around. It worked. The lesson was simple. I split the class up into five groups and they each had to find the answers to some questions I gave them about DNA and present their answers to the class at the end.

By the time Thursday rolled around I had the first difficult group again. We talked about how things went on Monday and I informed them that we would be trying the whole lesson out again, or else they would be here after school. Again. Things started out a bit rough: I had to kick one especially difficult girl out because she would not sit in her assigned seat and she was fighting with the whole class because they told her she should. Kicking students out of class is a big no-no at Wolfert Pro.

After she left, things started rolling, and the kids did very well. Until the final two groups. Another big fight erupted which took us to the end of our time. So we stayed after school - but not for long. The students understood. I felt like I was bringing them around.

On Friday, I had the final of the four second year classes. I was feeling pretty sick and tired and it looks as though I won't be teaching this particular class for much longer because my schedule is about to be completely re-arranged. Needless to say, I didn't have the willpower do deal well with the behaviour issues. We finished the lesson by staying for an extra few minutes - I really didn't want to come back after school, although I probably should have. I did confiscate a few cell phones though.

One nice thing about Thursday and Friday is that the first-years came back from camp. It was good to have them back as they are much more fun to work with than the second-years - I hadn't seen them in a week and was starting to miss them! There is quite the difference between the two age groups.

I am a bit unsettled about next week as I don't really know what to teach, I don't know if I am teaching math alone or with the new teacher, and I don't know when my schedule will be re-arranged or how much time I will have with the students in classrooms. In light of all this, planning is a bit difficult.

Yesterday we had a very nice day. Naomi and I went out to lunch and played squash with Clifton, the gym teacher, and his girlfriend. They are a very nice couple to spend time with and we are already talking about spending some of summer vacation together.

After that we went to the market, Little Italy (an italian grocer), and the library. The library here is a big disappointment. It looks beautiful - right in the center of town with a very open, comfortable five stories. The problem is that it costs 36 Euros a year to be a member. I was willing to accept that, but after signing up we discovered that to borrow a single DVD costs 2 Euros. I am afraid to try to learn the process/cost for borrowing a CD.

Sometimes...I really, really miss Ann Arbor. Life seemed a whole lot simpler. Things were more accessible. Lots of tasty food choices whenever I wanted. Shops were open when I needed them to be. I had a car. I didn't feel like I had to jump through a million hoops just to get something simple like a cell phone or running shoes. On the upside though - I do have a phone now and pay, get this, 6.25 per month. I have 150 minutes and 100 text messages - but am only charged for what I send...for when I call. I guess living here is like anything else in life: a series of trade-offs, some good, some not-so-good.

The Ardennen

The Helicopter

After 14 hours of sleep on Friday night and 12 hours last night, I think I have finally recovered from three days of camp in the Ardennen - a hilly area in southern Belgium with lots of nice outdoor activities. Hiking, climbing, rivers and caves make for a nice vacation spot that is only 3 hours away from Rotterdam. It is also fun to see that everything is in French. Good thing Naomi can speak the language.

We were 6 teachers in charge of 44 eighth-graders and they really wore us out. We had a bit of an adventure upon arrival. After splitting into three groups (I was with a teacher much more accustomed to luxury hotels than hiking in the woods) we set off down the road with only a card showing which way we should go at the next intersection - no map.

The kids were horrible. They started out whining about having to walk uphill (as there aren't any hills to speak of in the NL), yelling into people's houses, and eventually getting into a shouting match that would have turned physical had we not broken it up. Not long after the fight, we missed a turn and ended up walking a couple kilometers out of the way. This time was filled with more whining, rock throwing (at each other and trees), and incredible rudeness toward any Belgian we saw. So I had a talk with them about how they were ambassadors for their country...and that calmed them down for about 5 minutes.

Ropes Course

Eventually I decided we needed to turn back and needed to institute the rule that if anyone was walking behind me they would be cleaning toilets when we got back to camp. This worked like a charm as we had more than a few stragglers. Finally we were back on the right trail and were making good progress for about half an hour. Then the trail narrowed until it disappeared up a steep hill, and we were lost again. This time some distance away from any civilization. The students began to cooperate a little bit and made the decision to press on instead of going back down the hill.

After littering the forest with garbage from the break, we stumbled upon a road. Of course the little chart we had was useless at this point because who even knew if we were supposed to be on this road - but the other teacher continued to use it anyway. Eventually we came to a crossroads and the kids were getting tired. I recommended we turn back so that we could find our way home, but the group chose to take the path that lead downhill. So we did. They were beginning to work together - this was the goal.

The path that started out wide enough to drive a small car on eventually crossed a couple streams and narrowed down to nothing. It simply ended. I had absolutely no idea where we were and it would take a couple hours to find our way back - although I hoped to follow the stream down to civilisation. The sun was going down. Everyone was tired and hungry. We were completely lost.

Rock Climbing

A few students were scouting the area when things went from bad to worse. I heard some sliding, a scream, then tears. One of the children had slid down a hill (certainly not the first time that day) and had twisted her ankle badly. I sat with her for awhile and determined it wasn't broken, but she was unable to put any pressure on it. At this point, the students began to realize our predicament and this made them cooperate. I figured we would be lucky to make it out of the woods before dark.

Some people continued to explore, and they found a path nearby. In fact, you could even call it a road. It was just 10 meters away up a steep bluff. Now the challenge was getting our injured explorer up the slope. After a lot of sobbing and help from me and some of the boys (the other teacher kept his distance) we somehow made it to the top without slipping again. Serendipitously, there happened to be a man walking toward us. The language barrier was breached just enough to gander the information that the main road was a mere 500 meters away.

So we set off as one quiet, cooperative group (this was the goal, right?!) and slowly made our way for about 250 meters until we heard more voices. I heard yelling and shouts of joy from up ahead as word trickled back that we had met another group! We had somehow regained the original trail! It was incredible.

Now the students returned to their terrible states as the end was in sight. We were unable to speak to the group as they refused to listen. I asked my parter to call for a car that could come pick up our injured young lady so that the rest of us could walk back at a normal pace. We were only a couple kilometers away - but it was already half an hour past the time we were meant to arrive.

When we eventually made it down to the parking lot, there was a bus waiting for us. All the students joyfully ran towards it with my parter pushing them along. The three teachers that remained (me, Naomi, and Ans) were furious. The walk was not finished, our students behaved miserably, and they most certainly did not deserve a free ride back to camp. But at this point there was nothing we could do as the driver was in a massive hurry.

Raft Building Activity - good thing it was sunny.

Later that night we had an extensive talk with the group and they seemed to be willing to cooperate. The next day they did. We went on quite the adventure. The bus unloaded and everyone donned climbing gear, including helmets. We made our way through 500m of pitch black tunnel. When the light grew on the other side, it blossomed into a hidden grotto that my sister would be quite envious of. An old helicopter was suspended from the cliffs and was the centerpiece of a massive ropes course. Their were trails through the steep hills that lead to caves. The most impressive sight was the 80m tall zip-line. It was a bit terrifying and many girls took about 10 minutes of tears before taking the plunge.

The rest of the camp was mostly enjoyable with some difficult disciplinary moments. We even worked in some American football which the kids took to pretty well - although at one point they were kicking it around like a soccer ball, and then pitching it like you would a rugby ball - but I was sure to fix those problems. Anyway, we made it back in (mostly) one piece, and tomorrow seems way to soon to start school again.

Speaking of school, if you would like an impression of what it looks like and who I work with, check out the video: http://www.leraar24.nl/video/2953. We are competing for a 50k prize for the most innovative school in the NL, and we are finalists.

The Break-In

It has been a heavy week. The students were rather difficult and I ended up getting rather sick. The worst moment was when I could not get a class of first-years to quiet down and I ended up taking my last resort of getting the assistant principal to come in and have a talk with them. They were much better afterwards, but I still ended up having to break up a fight between two of the boys. This was Thursday.

A nearby windmill built in 1648 that was able to pump 30,000-35,000 liters
 of water per minute from the lake into the river.

Friday I ended the day barely standing after keeping a group of students for 45 minutes after school because they did not finish their assignment. After this I had to sit through a long meeting in Dutch where I almost fell asleep. The purpose of the meeting was nice though - Naomi and I are helping to chaperone two classes to the Ardennes (where the Battle of the Bulge took place) on Wednesday. It is common practice for schools in the Netherlands to camp out for a couple days in order to get to know each other a bit better.

Close-up of that same windmill.

This weekend has been quite the recovery period. I still feel sick and exhausted. Saturday morning was quite the experience. We got up early to run some errands and kept forgetting things, so we would return to the house. Many Dutch doors do not have knobs that turn - so they lock behind you. On one of these trips into and out of the house, I shut the door behind me, only to realize I had left the keys inside the house. Hiding a key has been on my long list of things to do...

A small regatta in front of expensive houses.

So we had to figure out how to break into our own house. After a few failed attempts with a piece of bamboo through the mail slot, I surveyed our options, and became fixated on the small window over one of the doors. I was able to open it from the outside, and felt the wood frame start to give. After removing the rotting chunk of wood I precariously balanced a garden chair on the small stoop and began to push in the screen. Finally, a way in had been made...now all I needed was to find a way to stay out of the hospital...

The Aftermath.

Naomi to the rescue. I convinced her that because she is small and likes rock climbing, she makes the perfect candidate. I helped her through the tiny window, but we realized there was a problem because we keep the bottom deadbolt locked. Luckily there was a hula hoop within her reach, and she was able to use to to pull the latch open. Magically the door moved - we had forgotten to lock the deadbolt! Naomi got a bit scraped and bruised (hard to see in the picture), but with a whole lot of luck we managed to stay out of the hospital.

To pour salt in the wound, after we had finally made it to the grocery store, Naomi locked up her bike and realized she had left that key in the house. One more trip home. So much for that early start.

The tallest hedge I have ever seen.

This morning we took a nice walk around the lake that is very near to our house. The other pictures on this post come from that walk. Hopefully the rest of the day can be restful as this coming week will require quite some energy.

Time Vacuum

Eerde - A school where I had an
interview (near Susan's farm).

I have been in the Netherlands for over a month now. So much has been done - but there is so much left to do! The first two weeks Naomi and I were a bit homeless, traveling between her obsolete student room and her Mother's place. We even made it up to her friend Susan's farm. It is a beautiful place with lots of history. The land has been in her Father's family for over 800 years. The house itself was recently rebuilt (in the 40's) as it was destroyed by the war (very near to the German border). Through a series of unfortunate events, her parents are forced to give the place up. It has been, and will continue to be, a difficult process for them.


The party we had at their farming complex had an Alice in Wonderland theme. Although it was put together well, and the guest were very friendly, I experienced quite some culture shock. Parties like this make me feel a bit awkward anyway, but the fact that everyone was speaking Dutch (except to me) along with the addition of children's games and the strange Dutch custom of sitting in a large circle really threw me off. Even though there were plenty of enjoyable moments, I did feel a bit traumatized after we left.

Not too long after the party, we finally were able to move into the new house. When we arrived, a couple men were working on the garden. In needs a whole heap of work. The little bungalow is a bit depressing though - in the sense that we will only be able to stay there for a year. It is perfect. Surrounded by trees and water, plenty of space, and a 12 minute bike ride to school, 3 to a shopping district, and 20 to the center of Rotterdam. They are even fixing up a park right across the street.

The front yard - enough space for 5 families in the NL.

A couple days after arriving, school began. Although the students did not arrive for a few days after that, we had a chance to meet our new colleagues and learn about the school. It is a new, innovative place that is competing for the honor of being recognized as the most innovative in the country. What people from outside the system may not realize is that 'innovative' is often synonymous with 'chaos'.

A fun Dutch game - Sjoelen - that we played at her Mother's.

Wolfert Pro has a little less than 300 students and is a part of the larger Wolfert van Borselen school group. Wolfert Pro is for vocational students who are not destined for higher education (schools are heavily tracked in the Netherlands). The students are mostly good kids - but it only takes a few to ruin a lesson. Some have pretty low mental capacities; others are just lazy.

I teach first and second year students. This is the equivalent of 7th and 8th grade in the States. The first years are great. They are still cute and they listen well. Wish I could say the same about the second years. Thus far is has been nearly impossible to give a lesson as they will not stop talking. As this is a project based school, most of their time is spent in the 'leerplien', a common area where two classes can comfortably work at tables or computers.

Scheduling time has been a bit of a disaster as there are 12 half hour blocks in the day and as teachers we move all over the building(s). We don't get our own classrooms - space is shared which helps to create more of a dynamic, cooperative environment. The problem is often times we are not sure where to go - and what sort of lesson to prepare. Who knows if we will be able to use a Smartboard or if students will have access to computers.

A day in Amsterdam - only an hour away.

Not only to I share space, but I share classes. The groups of students stay together all day. The same group will see me for math one day, and another teacher for math later in the week. This is nice for them because I don't speak Dutch. It is also nice for me because I get to cooperate with another, more experienced teacher. The problem is: He just quit. Couldn't handle the chaos. Makes sense as he recently held a job with the Dutch version of the IRS. Not sure what will happen now.

The language barrier is not a huge issue. There are a few students who don't seem to speak any English - but others who are nearly fluent. The spectrum allows for plenty of translation, and as little time is devoted to instructing a whole class (because they can't sit still), the message gets across. I spend most of my time helping groups of students and this means I can check for understanding more easily. Most of them really make an effort with their English and I think the grand experiment of hiring me as a non-Dutch speaker will pay off.

There is much more to tell, but for now I continue to lack in time (no surprise there). I will make an effort of updating this more regularly, and if you happen to read it, I am curious to know what you are up to as well!