Final Bell

No, these aren't French maids but rather the 11th form, the graduating class.

6th Form Boys

I don't know how she does it, I like to secretly think that she's super pumped about Sex and the City II being released the next day.

8th Form

My gorgeous counterpart, Alla, who makes everything happen for me.

The women who break their backs for the school keeping it clean.

Champagne and legit cake in the teachers' room.

My family, this photo session is a tradition of theirs.

Thursday was my school's "Final Bell", where in the morning all students gather outside of the school, the students with the highest marks are rewarded, the 11th form is honored, teachers receive flowers from their students, and a symbolic bell is rung.

When I told people that we don't have this tradition, I got several looks of pity. I guess my comment that "we don't have this type of tradition" with the last dozen or so holidays this month makes my country seem soulless. Soon I'll request some yearbooks so that I can show that Americans do celebrate leaving school and when we do it's actually a celebration and not some sort of dexterity test of mandatory traditions. And, I like how when in America we leave school on the last day, we actually leave the school. Sure, teachers come back and finish up paperwork, but in Ukraine there's a whole month of exams and elective classes that make any sense of closure superficial. It was still a great day that once again caught me off guard because of all the generosity shown towards me by the students.

I've finished my first "year" of teaching, if you can call it that. I arrived at site at the end of December and the months have quickly gone by as seas of holidays and other events deter the rhythm of a semester. The past week of school was a series of tests that I had little responsibility for. In my time pretending to look busy, I wrote down some of my goals for next school year. I figure I'll add them here for two reasons. One, I recently pasted a guideline for effective project managers on my wall and one of the rules is to make it a transparent process. Two, I figure if I have a witness I'll be less likely to both forget and choose to pretend that there wasn't an opportunity to do so.

2010-2011

In the classroom:

• be the primary English teacher for 6 home rooms ages 10-15 (about 16 lessons a week)
  
• implement a fair grading rubric
• be a goddess of classroom management
• integrate writing components (journals) and spelling quizes weekly

Other school priorities:

• have a weekly English Songs & Games for 2-4th forms
• English Clubs for 5-7th forms
• Learning English through Music for 8th and 9th forms
• Business English and Entrepreneurial Skills class open to 9th form and up
• American Studies for the 11th form
• individual tutoring for most outgoing and advanced students as well as family members
• create audio supplements for all student books
  
• create an archive of visual material
  
• broaden students understanding of the importance of English for their futures
• Halloween Party
• Earth Day Scavenger Hunt
• English Week
• write grants and fundraise for an English Resource Center that will host a library, interactive classroom, and be a space for the following: English Club, Film Club, Young Leaders/Junior Young Leaders (creating a service-oriented group that would remind many people of Pioneers)
• HIV/AIDS training
  
• an end of the year roast/incorporating some parts of an American yearbook into the Ukrainian graduation experience
• strengthen student government by giving them more responsibility and teaching them how to fundraise

Other projects:

• summer day camp
• theater performance by students
• local history/oral history project
• partnership with the libraries and funding through the EU and IREX
• visit regional schools
• investigate playground renovation options
• investigate waste management (actually confront the mayor)
• expanding fitness options and having a wellness campaign
  
• creating support groups for young mothers and the elderly
  
• creating awareness for agrotourism in Ukraine
• spreading my American-ness through games and baked goods