Celebration day at BISS.\u00a0 The preliminary accreditation report is very good.\u00a0 \u201cArts\u201d receives a commendation, so they are struttin\u2019 around pretty good.\u00a0 Of course the students don\u2019t know what\u2019s been going on, except the teachers have been a little more wired up than usual, and there have been a lot of visitors in and out of classes.\u00a0 There is huge relief all over the campus.<\/p>\n
The trains are better today for me.\u00a0 Of course, it\u2019s not \u201cprime time\u201d when I\u2019m travelling, so that helps.\u00a0 Grades are due today, so I\u2019m figuring out how to input everything into yet another confusing grading program.\u00a0 The hardest thing is to write a personal comment about each student.\u00a0 With only two classes a week and 13 total class sessions, I haven\u2019t managed to tie all the names to their faces.\u00a0 I recognize the \u201ctrouble-makers\u201d and the active participants.\u00a0 The majority of the students are quiet and attentive, so they\u2019re lost in obscurity.<\/span><\/p>\n Tonight, the drama teacher at BISS, Kelly, is celebrating her birthday. \u00a0She works closely with Judy on the musical \u201cAnnie\u201d.\u00a0 She\u2019s invited several of the faculty to join her for dinner.\u00a0 We meet at \u201cFlamme\u201d, a restaurant specializing in steaks and other \u201cwestern\u201d specialities.\u00a0 The food is great and we have a blast.\u00a0 The accreditation stress is gone, so everyone\u2019s \u201chair is down\u201d.\u00a0 There is lots of talk about things that went on during the week.\u00a0 Also, some of the faculty are beginning to reveal their decision about whether or not they\u2019ll be returning to BISS next year.\u00a0 Many are undecided.\u00a0 They feel the lure of a new destination, but fear the uncertainty of cutting their ties at BISS.\u00a0 It could be March or April before they have a chance at a job, if they get a chance at all.\u00a0 There\u2019s no guarantee the next assignment will be better.\u00a0 It\u2019s just another of aspect of international teaching.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Celebration day at BISS.\u00a0 The preliminary accreditation report is very good.\u00a0 \u201cArts\u201d receives a commendation, so they are struttin\u2019 around pretty good.\u00a0 Of course the students don\u2019t know what\u2019s been going on, except the teachers have been a little more … Continue reading