The book is a quick read, it's like a series of blog posts. It's the book that will get you closest to what our lives look like in Ankara. Trust us, you'll enjoy it even if you never plan on visiting here.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Book Review: The Yogurt Man Cometh by Kevin Revolinski
Some friends of ours lent us a copy of The Yogurt Man Cometh: Tales of an American Teacher in Turkey as it's a humorous read about an American's crash course in living in Ankara and teaching at the same school where Justin teaches. We highly recommend the book to anyone living in Ankara or coming here for the first time.
Ankara was Revolinski's first real foray outside the U.S., he has since become a travel blogger. He captures the hilly slopes, the perils of public transit, and the difficulties of trying to teach English to private school students very well. Kevin was able to make friends quickly and accomplished a lot of sightseeing in Turkey in just a year's time, despite getting seriously ill in the process. The experience takes place in 1997-1998 and it's interesting to see how much the city has grown and changed even in just 15 years.
The book is a quick read, it's like a series of blog posts. It's the book that will get you closest to what our lives look like in Ankara. Trust us, you'll enjoy it even if you never plan on visiting here.
The book is a quick read, it's like a series of blog posts. It's the book that will get you closest to what our lives look like in Ankara. Trust us, you'll enjoy it even if you never plan on visiting here.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
The End of the World (Kıyamet Günü)
I wanted to chronicle something about the last week. Friday, December 21st was the day that supposedly the Mayan calendar ended (even though this supposedly isn't true) along with the world. This was a big deal in Turkey and the talk of my students and co-workers the past couple weeks. Şirince, a Turkish village on the Mediterranean, was somehow prophesied to be a "safe" haven and saw its population swell as a result. Tom Cruise was even rumored to be coming.
On Thursday, one of the 4th grade teachers had an "Apocalypse" (Kıyamet Günü) party and several students promised not to be in school on Friday. Indeed, Friday's attendance in my classes was the lowest all year.
One of the local malls had a clever marketing scheme around the day. This poster reads "The apocalypse is happening at Kentpark Mall! 110% (off)" The fine print says "100% Kentpark Mall, 10% off all purchases over 100 lira." Clever!
When I got to school on Friday I was reminded that we still had until about 1:20pm local time before the apocalypse was supposed to happen (times for each city were tweeted out quite a bit). Thankfully, the world didn't end while I was with my 2nd grade class. But the low attendance made it one of the most well-behaved classes of the semester.
On Thursday, one of the 4th grade teachers had an "Apocalypse" (Kıyamet Günü) party and several students promised not to be in school on Friday. Indeed, Friday's attendance in my classes was the lowest all year.
When I got to school on Friday I was reminded that we still had until about 1:20pm local time before the apocalypse was supposed to happen (times for each city were tweeted out quite a bit). Thankfully, the world didn't end while I was with my 2nd grade class. But the low attendance made it one of the most well-behaved classes of the semester.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Parent-Teacher Conferences and Other Meetings
(Justin) This past weekend I had a working Saturday; I had to be at school by 11am. I wish I had a picture of the freshly planted flowers in the front flowerbed, given that it gets below freezing every night now and these plants will be dead in less than a week. Why the urgency for a Saturday? It was Parent-Teacher Conference Day!
I survived my first veli toplantası, or parent-teacher meeting. For 90 minutes, parents queued up to talk to me about their kids. Most of them wanted to know if their 2-4th grader was speaking and pronouncing English properly. I wanted them to know more about their kids behavior, so that's what I focused on. Some parents were surprised that their child was naughty in my class, but most are used to hearing such things. This was the single best test I've had of my rapid-fire-mode Turkish, and it went well. Probably averaged something like 30 seconds per parent.
Much less fun have been the teacher meetings of recent weeks, including something called Şube Öğretmenler Kurulu (abbreviated ŞÖK, which sounds kind of like "SHOCK!" This is a teachers' meeting where every student in every grade is discussed individually by the homeroom teacher and all of the branch teachers, like myself. These averaged 2.5 hours for each grade, and are held three times a year(!). What's frustrating about meetings is that there is a lot of talk about problems without much hope of solutions.
Suppose there is a child who is violent, curses his teachers and classmates, gets his friends to behave naughtily, and destroys school property. Suppose also his parents think it's the teachers' job to teach the kids proper behavior and respect-- not the parents' job. In America, such a kid would be held outside of class in detention, sent home, or suspended in order to preserve the classroom environment for the rest of the students. In Turkey, that's illegal until at least 5th grade. Some schools do it if their administration is brave enough. Not ours. So, the solution to really problematic kids is often... to do nothing. "Sabırlı olmamız lazım," or "We need to be patient." I mentioned previously that there is no special education in the schools; for kids that are physically or mentally disabled, there is little to do other than love the kid and hope for the best. The school psychologists can help kids deal with anger and emotional issues, but can do little to help a kid with a disability. This can make for a very difficult classroom environment.
So, ŞÖK serves more as a way for teachers to share information about the child's background. In many cases, I felt greater sympathy for the child. She cries because her dad is in jail, he is violent because his parents are divorcing, etc. But then you think, "We're going to meet three times a year to hear these stories again for as long as this kid is at the school. I've seen plenty of 10th graders who behave very badly and have been the subject of these meetings for 10 years without any change. This is depressing."
In the end, it's mostly the good kids' parents who come speak to you. The really difficult children have neglectful parents or their parents just don't want to hear about their kid's behavior. I think every teacher reading this can nod their head and say, "Exactly."
I won't write about the "teacher's council" meetings we have with all teachers and the principal, but these are also interesting depending on the principal's way of running things. The "normal" way in Turkey is for it to be strictly controlled top-down with no speaking by subordinates. My principal, however, opens the floor to new ideas and thoughts, which sometimes create controversy leading to longer meetings...
I survived my first veli toplantası, or parent-teacher meeting. For 90 minutes, parents queued up to talk to me about their kids. Most of them wanted to know if their 2-4th grader was speaking and pronouncing English properly. I wanted them to know more about their kids behavior, so that's what I focused on. Some parents were surprised that their child was naughty in my class, but most are used to hearing such things. This was the single best test I've had of my rapid-fire-mode Turkish, and it went well. Probably averaged something like 30 seconds per parent.
Much less fun have been the teacher meetings of recent weeks, including something called Şube Öğretmenler Kurulu (abbreviated ŞÖK, which sounds kind of like "SHOCK!" This is a teachers' meeting where every student in every grade is discussed individually by the homeroom teacher and all of the branch teachers, like myself. These averaged 2.5 hours for each grade, and are held three times a year(!). What's frustrating about meetings is that there is a lot of talk about problems without much hope of solutions.
Suppose there is a child who is violent, curses his teachers and classmates, gets his friends to behave naughtily, and destroys school property. Suppose also his parents think it's the teachers' job to teach the kids proper behavior and respect-- not the parents' job. In America, such a kid would be held outside of class in detention, sent home, or suspended in order to preserve the classroom environment for the rest of the students. In Turkey, that's illegal until at least 5th grade. Some schools do it if their administration is brave enough. Not ours. So, the solution to really problematic kids is often... to do nothing. "Sabırlı olmamız lazım," or "We need to be patient." I mentioned previously that there is no special education in the schools; for kids that are physically or mentally disabled, there is little to do other than love the kid and hope for the best. The school psychologists can help kids deal with anger and emotional issues, but can do little to help a kid with a disability. This can make for a very difficult classroom environment.
So, ŞÖK serves more as a way for teachers to share information about the child's background. In many cases, I felt greater sympathy for the child. She cries because her dad is in jail, he is violent because his parents are divorcing, etc. But then you think, "We're going to meet three times a year to hear these stories again for as long as this kid is at the school. I've seen plenty of 10th graders who behave very badly and have been the subject of these meetings for 10 years without any change. This is depressing."
In the end, it's mostly the good kids' parents who come speak to you. The really difficult children have neglectful parents or their parents just don't want to hear about their kid's behavior. I think every teacher reading this can nod their head and say, "Exactly."
I won't write about the "teacher's council" meetings we have with all teachers and the principal, but these are also interesting depending on the principal's way of running things. The "normal" way in Turkey is for it to be strictly controlled top-down with no speaking by subordinates. My principal, however, opens the floor to new ideas and thoughts, which sometimes create controversy leading to longer meetings...
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Commemorating 10th of November in Ankara
(Justin) A couple weeks ago I wrote about how Turkey would celebrate its Republic Day holiday just after Kurban Bayram. I unfortunately forgot to take my camera to school to take pictures of that morning's ceremony. Just a short time after Republic Day, Turkey annually commemorates the death of Atatürk, which took place on 10 November, 1938. (This travel blog post gives a brief overview on Atatürk for more info.)
10 November is much less appropriate for amateur picture taking; it's more like a funeral, so I grabbed these pics from the school's Facebook page. Even though the holiday fell on a Saturday, all students and faculty were required to be at the school gym by 8:30am for a ceremony. Students first filed solemnly by a stage with a bust of Atatürk, guarded by two high schoolers with mock flames.
It is difficult to describe to people the love and devotion that Türks have for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He is, in a word, everywhere.
10 November is much less appropriate for amateur picture taking; it's more like a funeral, so I grabbed these pics from the school's Facebook page. Even though the holiday fell on a Saturday, all students and faculty were required to be at the school gym by 8:30am for a ceremony. Students first filed solemnly by a stage with a bust of Atatürk, guarded by two high schoolers with mock flames.
Many students brought flowers to lay on the stage and there were funeral wreaths around as well. Here are the 3rd graders posing with their flowers in front of a larger bust of Atatürk in the school's foyer.
Then everyone formed lines with their classes and stood at attention. There were speeches, a Powerpoint of Atatürk's life and honors, poems read by students, and
we joined the entire nation in a moment of silence at exactly 9:05am, the
moment of Atatürk's death. All students and faculty (except K and 1st grade) stood at attention for
the entire ceremony, which lasted about an hour.
I would say most Americans can't fathom dressing up and then loading kids onto school buses in the pouring rain for an early Saturday morning ceremony that will only last an hour, and then everyone goes home. But everyone does it with pride and contentment. This ceremony was much more silent and solemn than other holidays.
Much of Ankara's population braved the pouring rain to visit Anıtkabir, the mausoleum where Atatürk is buried.There was an official ceremony there at the same time as ours.
Below is what it would look like on a sunnier day.
There were similar ceremonies all over the country. At the 9:05 moment of
silence, sirens wail, people park their cars, and most everyone stands at attention. This picture got my attention via Twitter. It shows a man getting a shoeshine at 9:04. The captain is "A photograph that explains many things."
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Halloween Party at Elias' School
(Joni) Although Halloween isn't celebrated in Turkey, Elias' school teaches American holidays. So they'll celebrate Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, Columbus Day, etc., and they've also been learning about Halloween - things like pumpkins, ghosts, bats, and saying "Boo!" Next week is a huge Muslim holiday, and Elias' school will be closed all week, so they chose to celebrate Halloween a little early with a party on Friday. The parents were invited to come see the kiddos dressed in costume and having a little presentation. It was fun! Each class had their own party, so this is just Elias' Pre-K class.
First the kids paraded out and showed off their costumes (Elias borrowed a Thomas costume from some friends.), and then their teacher, Ms. Janet (an American), made a little introduction.
Then each child came up to the microphone and introduced themselves in English by saying "Hello, my name is ____. I am __ years old." Only a couple of the kids actually seemed to know what they were saying. My child is the only native English speaker in the class - I think the rest are Turkish - and he didn't speak clearly into the microphone either!
Then they sang a few songs in English, some about Halloween and some just kids' songs. Below you'll hear parts of a song about feelings - I make a happy face, I make a grumpy face, etc. - and Farmer in the Dell. Elias doesn't like to sing along, but he obviously enjoyed watching his friends' performance! Some of them were quite enthusiastic! You can hear the parents laughing. :)
School Halloween party from Joni Tapp on Vimeo.
Then there was a big spread of snacks and treats, which was enjoyed by all.
And they sent each child home with a great bag of Halloween-themed crafts they had made at school and lots of candy.
Fun!
First the kids paraded out and showed off their costumes (Elias borrowed a Thomas costume from some friends.), and then their teacher, Ms. Janet (an American), made a little introduction.
 |
| Ms. Janet is the one in green. The other lady in the witch hat is Ms. Olga, the school psychologist and phonics teacher. Elias really likes both of these ladies! Elias is seated on the far right. |
Then each child came up to the microphone and introduced themselves in English by saying "Hello, my name is ____. I am __ years old." Only a couple of the kids actually seemed to know what they were saying. My child is the only native English speaker in the class - I think the rest are Turkish - and he didn't speak clearly into the microphone either!
 |
| Standing on the far left is Ms. Ebru, the school principal/owner. Also notice the father in front using his iPad as a camera. I laughed at the number of smartphones and tablets being used as cameras there! I was the dinosaur using a real camera! |
Then they sang a few songs in English, some about Halloween and some just kids' songs. Below you'll hear parts of a song about feelings - I make a happy face, I make a grumpy face, etc. - and Farmer in the Dell. Elias doesn't like to sing along, but he obviously enjoyed watching his friends' performance! Some of them were quite enthusiastic! You can hear the parents laughing. :)
School Halloween party from Joni Tapp on Vimeo.
Then there was a big spread of snacks and treats, which was enjoyed by all.
 |
| Elias loved the marshmallow pops on a stick! He also loved wearing the Thomas costume - he didn't want to take it off to go home! (But I insisted - no way I'm taking him on public transportation wearing that costume.) |
And they sent each child home with a great bag of Halloween-themed crafts they had made at school and lots of candy.
 |
| Counter-clockwise from top: Monster bag, bat, and jack-o-lantern crafts made at school; Hershey bar ghost from Ms. Janet & Ms. Olga; Pumpkin cookie on a stick; Pumpkin bag of candy from Ms. Ebru; Fruit by the Foot |
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Special Delivery: Present from New School
(Joni) This morning we had an unexpected knock on the door. I don't usually answer the door when Justin isn't home, because I probably won't have the language to talk to the person on the other side. However, through the peephole I could see this was a deliveryman with a small box, so I opened the door. It was a small present addressed to Elias, and the crest on the envelope was from his new English school, which he will start on Thursday!
Elias was VERY excited to get a present, and he eagerly opened it up!
It was a cute inflatable penguin that you put water in the bottom section so when you hit it it stands back up! There was also a sweet note from the principal saying how much they were looking forward to having him in their school this year.
What's really funny is Justin had found a toy like this for Elias last week, so he already had a tiger. Now his tiger has a friend!
Elias loves them both and is excited to have them "play" together. In celebration of his new penguin friend, we put in the Go, Diego, Go! episode about Pepito the Emperor Penguin, and Elias put his two friends on the couch with him to watch the episode together!
I thought that was such a sweet gesture from his new school, and we're looking forward to him going there and benefiting from their care!
Elias was VERY excited to get a present, and he eagerly opened it up!
It was a cute inflatable penguin that you put water in the bottom section so when you hit it it stands back up! There was also a sweet note from the principal saying how much they were looking forward to having him in their school this year.
Elias loves them both and is excited to have them "play" together. In celebration of his new penguin friend, we put in the Go, Diego, Go! episode about Pepito the Emperor Penguin, and Elias put his two friends on the couch with him to watch the episode together!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Turkish Preschool
Today was Elias' last day at Turkish Preschool. The Fall Semester begins next week, and we have decided to send him to an English-speaking preschool instead. We feel like his social and English language development will do better in a place where he understands the language. However, we are so grateful for the opportunity to send him to the Turkish Preschool last year! The ladies there were so kind and patient with him, and he absolutely loved going there. He got to take all kinds of field trips to fun places we've not been. We wouldn't hesitate for a minute to recommend this school to any other expats considering sending their children there. So in honor of his last day, I thought I'd post some pictures from the school's end-of-year celebration that happened in June but I never got around to posting pictures on here.
 |
| Elias' 4-year-old class. He is on the far right standing with the teacher's assistant. The head teacher for his class is standing on the opposite side. |
 |
| They sang a song with pom pom choreography! |
 |
| His class singing a song while dressed in duck costume! Elias only went in the mornings, so he wasn't there for music class in the afternoons, and so he didn't participate in this part of the presentation. We enjoyed it anyway, though! |
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Elias' Birthday Party at School
Yesterday, Elias' school had a party for him, and it was so precious!! Justin and I both went, and we're so glad to have been there. It was a lot of fun, and Elias felt very special! The first thing we saw was his name and picture on the door when we arrived wishing him a happy birthday! (The literal translation is "It's good that you were born.")
The first thing they did was give all the kids a crown hat, and then they brought out the cake I had made and sang happy birthday in Turkish - the same phrase that was on the door. It was the same tune as the English version, though, so Elias knew what they were saying!
Truthfully, I was surprised and pleased that he managed to blow out the candle himself - I was leaning in to help, but he did it himself!
Then they turned on some music and had a dance party! It was so adorable seeing the kids boogie!
Then they played Musical Chairs, and they arranged it so Elias would win. Umm, happy birthday!
Then came what I think was the sweetest part. The kids all lined up and one by one came to give Elias a birthday greeting! Justin sat by him so he could translate. They all said some variation of happy birthday, but several of them gave him a birthday kiss too! (I was pleased that he let them!)
They also gave him a card with greetings from his classmates, and a present - a mug from the school.
Then it was lunchtime - the kiddos had to eat their lunch before they got cake. Except Elias, since he still refuses to eat the school food. So he sat with his school lunch for a few minutes and then got cake anyway - only because it was his birthday!
So he had a very special birthday party at school! Happy birthday, my big 4-year-old!!
Truthfully, I was surprised and pleased that he managed to blow out the candle himself - I was leaning in to help, but he did it himself!
Then they turned on some music and had a dance party! It was so adorable seeing the kids boogie!
Then they played Musical Chairs, and they arranged it so Elias would win. Umm, happy birthday!
Then came what I think was the sweetest part. The kids all lined up and one by one came to give Elias a birthday greeting! Justin sat by him so he could translate. They all said some variation of happy birthday, but several of them gave him a birthday kiss too! (I was pleased that he let them!)
They also gave him a card with greetings from his classmates, and a present - a mug from the school.
Friday, April 20, 2012
23 Nisan
The 23rd of April (23 Nisan in Turkish) is a national holiday in Turkey called The Holiday of National Sovereignty and Children. It's a really big deal, and Elias' school will be closed, so they celebrated today with a costume party! Elias was SO. EXCITED. this morning to be able to wear this Thomas costume we borrowed from some friends.
But then when I picked him up from school, he looked like this!
Toting a Turkish flag and a sucker, and with face paint! I was shocked he let them paint his face, but he was totally excited about that too. Not that you can tell from this picture, but he was. (He was just more interested in consuming the sucker.)
So this will be our first big holiday in Turkey, and we're looking forward to seeing how they celebrate!
 |
| Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen?! I don't even have to ask, because I know he is. He's wearing two Thomas shirts and his Thomas socks to complete the ensemble! |
 |
| Best as I can tell, he's a mouse. White ears over his eyes, red nose, and yellow/white whiskers. HE says it's a mouse! |
So this will be our first big holiday in Turkey, and we're looking forward to seeing how they celebrate!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Going to Preschool
When we moved here, we hoped to be able to find some kind of preschool where Elias could go a few mornings a week in order to make friends and build social skills, as well as learn Turkish. We were so blessed to learn that some of the first American friends we made here have a 4.5-year-old son who goes to a preschool right around the corner from us! That sure simplified our school hunt - we definitely knew where to start looking!
We visited the school last week and met with the director, and it seems like it's going to be the perfect fit for Elias. Although they prefer having the children full-time, they agreed to let Elias come only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9-12:30. It is a Montessori preschool, so there is a lot of freedom for the children to choose their activities, and there is also a large emphasis on teaching the children independence, which Elias really needs! The school is completely Turkish language, but the director went to school in England, so her English is very good. I've heard at least a little English from some of the other teachers too. And of course, Elias has a friend in the older class who can be called upon for translation if needed!
So on Monday Elias and I went just for 1.5 hours, and I stayed with him in the classroom, but he did very well! He jumped right in and played, and he even participated as much as he could in some activities! The lady who is going to be his teacher doesn't speak any English, but she is so great with the kids, and Elias liked her right away.
We went back on Tuesday for another experimental day, and he just ran right into the classroom and joined in! He was so comfortable, they told me to stay in the office instead of in the classroom with him, and then they told me he was doing so well I could just leave and come back to get him after lunch! They had my cell phone and could call if things didn't go well, but they did! No phone calls; I just picked up one happy boy at 12:30!
Then Wednesday I just took him and dropped him off, and went back again after lunch to pick him up. He did so great and I'm so proud of him! He really loves it, and I know this is going to be such a good thing for him!
It's about a 1 km walk to get to the school, which is a bit far to ask Elias to walk both there and back. What we've been doing is catching a minibus to take us there, then I walk home while he's at school. Then, I walk back to get him, and we both walk home together. As long as the weather holds, which it's been perfect this week, I think that'll work out well. Not only is Elias having a great time at school, but I'm getting some good exercise too! In fact, the road we walk down to get to his school has a dedicated walking/running track all the way down it, so this is what our walk to and from school looks like!
We sure are excited about this opportunity, and we are so pleased that Elias is doing so well after only 3 days there. We can't wait to see how he flourishes in this program! You can check out the English version of the school's website here.
We visited the school last week and met with the director, and it seems like it's going to be the perfect fit for Elias. Although they prefer having the children full-time, they agreed to let Elias come only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9-12:30. It is a Montessori preschool, so there is a lot of freedom for the children to choose their activities, and there is also a large emphasis on teaching the children independence, which Elias really needs! The school is completely Turkish language, but the director went to school in England, so her English is very good. I've heard at least a little English from some of the other teachers too. And of course, Elias has a friend in the older class who can be called upon for translation if needed!
 |
| The school's front door |
We went back on Tuesday for another experimental day, and he just ran right into the classroom and joined in! He was so comfortable, they told me to stay in the office instead of in the classroom with him, and then they told me he was doing so well I could just leave and come back to get him after lunch! They had my cell phone and could call if things didn't go well, but they did! No phone calls; I just picked up one happy boy at 12:30!
 |
| Elias was tickled to find this "Welcome, Elias" sign on the front door when we got there the second day! |
Then Wednesday I just took him and dropped him off, and went back again after lunch to pick him up. He did so great and I'm so proud of him! He really loves it, and I know this is going to be such a good thing for him!
It's about a 1 km walk to get to the school, which is a bit far to ask Elias to walk both there and back. What we've been doing is catching a minibus to take us there, then I walk home while he's at school. Then, I walk back to get him, and we both walk home together. As long as the weather holds, which it's been perfect this week, I think that'll work out well. Not only is Elias having a great time at school, but I'm getting some good exercise too! In fact, the road we walk down to get to his school has a dedicated walking/running track all the way down it, so this is what our walk to and from school looks like!
We sure are excited about this opportunity, and we are so pleased that Elias is doing so well after only 3 days there. We can't wait to see how he flourishes in this program! You can check out the English version of the school's website here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)