So last night I had a dream that I was on a road-trip looking for housing and a few of my friends spread around the states were there along with my grandmother. I was looking at homes in Iowa, New Mexico, and of all random places a basement windowless apartment in California outside of LA (where I have never visited) and in the dream I remember saying to the strange man showing me the apartment, "am I staring in the movie Dangerous Minds?" Strange dream isn't it? I think I can go out on a limb and psycho-analyze it. I am feeling in limbo here and my mind has been wandering to ask the question, "what to do next after the UAE?" I mean my position here is nearly half over. Now remember this type of thinking is dangerous, you remember what I said about culture-shock in the UAE? There are two types of expatriates in this country those that make a life and find acceptance in this culture and those that count the days until they return to their home and constantly commiserate with other expatriates...I might be falling into the second category lately, but does this information fit accurate with teachers? Because we are all counting down at the end of the school year and so optimistic and energized at the beginning of the year, so I might just be experiencing the end of the school year teacher syndrome. I am fairly certain with this end of the year teacher syndrome we all toy with finding another position at another school and then are happy to return the next year. Or it could mean that I am dangerously in that place in my journey here where I can't help but think about going home, going home, going home.
The other interesting thing this dream brings up is that I an not sure where home will be after this experience comes to a close. Iowa, as much as I love my family and friends there, I just cannot live there again with the severe weather and mosquitos, New Mexico, as much as my heart wants to be with my best friends, beautiful nephews and in-laws, we sold our home to leave the crime and poverty and underpaid teacher scenario that plagued me there and vowed not to live there again. So, of course we are back to square one who is hiring teachers in America with all these budget cuts and teachers losing jobs? Well the good news is that as a special education teacher I have more choices, did you know that 12,000 special education positions go unfilled each year in the United States? If you are a teacher out of work have you considered going back to school for special education because hello job security. So maybe Alaska? Florida? Virgina? DC? Somewhere that will pay me what I deserve Insha'Allah...this is still another year out but cannot help but daydream about a nice rental home, grass, and taking Gavin to a pre-school that can accommodate him. I haven't had a chance to blog about this incident, have I?
Well my husband was diagnosed with ADHD as a young boy and I am pretty sure there was no mystery when he was kicked out of his first pre-school for escaping the classroom and obsessively jumping on the couch in the foyer of the school. I can totally picture this with my own son and can proudly say like father, like son. I am absolutely sure that Gavin is likely to have that ADHD label slapped on him at some point. As much as friends and family have chimed in to say he is only two this is how two year olds act! I still believe maybe this is true but am perfectly fine with the idea that my kid has more energy then most. I mean watch him as he learns his ABCs, he is super smart for a two year old (three next week), he knows his ABCs, all his shapes, colors, and can count to 10 and spell his name (found this out last night!).
http://qik.com/video/38855514/untitled
So prior to spring break I had visited and spoke over the phone to multiple nursery schools here in the UAE. I had been beginning to feel that for the sanity of my husband and for Gavin as an only child to gain some social skills, it was important for him to start nursery school. So after searching and searching and realizing many of the western schools were really pricey, had waiting lists, or you just cannot start until next year. So finally I find a school that is Arabic run with a bilingual program that teaches half the day in English and half the day in Arabic. This was the first Nursery school that I had walked into that was Arabic run that made me smile. Some alternatives left me a little concerned for safety and made me sort of feel like I would be dropping my kid off for battle everyday (25 two-year olds to 1 teacher not my kind of ratios). I kept thinking about that daycare in Mexico a few years back that the teacher was slipping benedryl to the kids to get them to take longer naps and the infant died because he was so sleepy he couldn't roll over.
So here were the choices:
House of Colours Nursery (UK run) I would only have to sell an organ to get him enrolled but wow it would be worth it! Licensed teachers, amazing curriculum, and I almost got a loan from the bank to sign him up... Here is their website: http://nurserycolours.com/home.html
The Jungle Book which was seriously, frighteningly under-priced and understaffed for the kids (1 to 25 ratio), there was coloring on the walls, which led me to believe there were moments that the kids were left to their own devices, lots of metal corners and edges, hard floors and concrete, but they speak English with the children so for a moment of insanity it was in the running.
The final choice was so amazing at first! I toured and they had a bilingual program, reasonably priced (around 500 a month) and they didn't have a waiting list and you could start at any time. I was really excited! We toured and it seemed it would be a perfect fit for Gavin. Here is their Facebook which is mostly in Arabic, Kids Land Nursery
So Gavin was off for his first day and I realize now it was a mistake to not stay with him for a bit on his first day, and it was a mistake to make his first day a full day, all again mistakes. But honestly every time I have left Gavin with anyone I hear nothing but wonderful things. At his in-home daycare back in the states he was one of her favorites (ok so she is one of my best friends and has to tell me this) but she had nothing but wonderful things to say about him! So around 10 am I decide to call and see how it is going for him. I am told he has not cried, he is happily playing with the other children and having a great day. So I am smiling and happy. Then I go to pick him up from his first day at Nursery school. When I get there the teacher's aid is standing there with all of his things packed and he is ready for me. She hands me the phone, the head teacher wants to speak to me, over the phone...I am assuming she has forgotten the English forms again so I grab the phone.
Here is the conversation:
What is wrong with your son?
Excuse me,what? Nothing is wrong with my son.
Have you taken him to the doctor for hyperactivity?
No he is only two years old. He has a family doctor and has gone to all his regular check-ups
He is very hyper.
He is two and yes he is very active.
He doesn't listen, he doesn't sit, he doesn't play with the other kids. He is very hyper. I think he is hyperactive and the ministry of education states that children like him must be serviced at special schools.
(at this point I guess I just panicked and again I am not proud but I start to cry. In hindsight I should of asked for her credentials to make such a statement).
She goes on to tell me she will try one more day if I want to bring him back but she just does not believe that her school can provide my son with the services he so clearly needs. I hang up crying and run out of the school crying. Again not my finer moments. So we left the Nursery school and haven't been back and we are back to having Gavin stay at home with Daddy.
We joined the health club at one of the hotels and I am hoping that some pool fun will help him with socialization (a lot of the families from my complex have joined) and I am also going to start going to church with him so maybe he can make some friends at Sunday School (or is it Friday School lol?). Not sure about next year because I know my son learns differently and I know that he is going to need some patient teachers and unfortunately lack faith that they exist here even in a Western capacity. Maybe I should try a western pre-school next year I am planning to take a tour at Sunflower Nursery and may find out how they work with more active children but am thinking that I can just wait until we are back in the states and begin him in a pre-k program for the 2012-2013 school year; at least I know that the right protocols will be followed before I am forced to staple a label on my son's forehead.
I have to admit this blog has really become a stream of conscienceness piece and I wish it could take on the form of a narrative essay but unfortunately I cannot seem to keep on one topic. So back to my thesis at the beginning which for the record my pre-school experience weaves into because it is another reason I miss home. I have taught special education and I have a clear understanding of the process in which goes into trying interventions before jumping the gun and labeling a two year old with ADHD. In contrast I have a few students in my class that have undiagnosed learning disabilities and unfortunately if they get the services they need then they get a label which could make them "unmarriable" later in life. So I work to find alternate ways for them to learn which is what this pre-school teacher was unwilling to do for my son.
I have been having a lot of missing family and friends moments. I miss Surekha, Liz, and Tamara. They were my friends back home. Liz since I was eleven, Surekha since my early twenties, and I met Tamara just a few years ago and we instantly clicked and I never felt like we skipped a beat with our friendship. Do not get me wrong I have made some wonderful friends here, like Sylvia from South Africa that I ride to and from school with every day. I honestly do not think I have ever had such a wonderful friend with such amazing advice and she has become a wonderful confident. I am raising my virtual glass to Liz and I's hikes at the dog park, cooking breakfasts together, chats in the yard with a glass of wine or a beer, checking out a local live music show, or shooting pool. I am raising my virtual glass to making curry (or watching her make it lol) with Surekha and watching "So You Think You Can Dance" and bad chick flicks. I cannot tell you how much I miss nerding it up with Tamara talking about the latest teen fantasy novels we have read or standing in line to watch the latest Twilight Saga movie or playing Apples to Apples, or an awesome garage sale with a kiddie pool and too many drinks the night before.
So here I am counting down the days until the end of the school year when I get to return home for a month. And I know next year will be a breeze compared to this year because I won't have to reinvent the wheel I have everything I put together this year. I have a clear understanding of all of the things my employer requires so knowing this going in I shouldn't have too many surprises. I am thinking hard about our future after this adventure and I think this is healthy because as much as the free spirit in me would like to float around I am realizing my body, mind, and spirit needs some roots, needs to see family more often, and I need to make some friends in a long lasting community (this one feels so temporary). So I leave this blog contemplative....
The other interesting thing this dream brings up is that I an not sure where home will be after this experience comes to a close. Iowa, as much as I love my family and friends there, I just cannot live there again with the severe weather and mosquitos, New Mexico, as much as my heart wants to be with my best friends, beautiful nephews and in-laws, we sold our home to leave the crime and poverty and underpaid teacher scenario that plagued me there and vowed not to live there again. So, of course we are back to square one who is hiring teachers in America with all these budget cuts and teachers losing jobs? Well the good news is that as a special education teacher I have more choices, did you know that 12,000 special education positions go unfilled each year in the United States? If you are a teacher out of work have you considered going back to school for special education because hello job security. So maybe Alaska? Florida? Virgina? DC? Somewhere that will pay me what I deserve Insha'Allah...this is still another year out but cannot help but daydream about a nice rental home, grass, and taking Gavin to a pre-school that can accommodate him. I haven't had a chance to blog about this incident, have I?
Well my husband was diagnosed with ADHD as a young boy and I am pretty sure there was no mystery when he was kicked out of his first pre-school for escaping the classroom and obsessively jumping on the couch in the foyer of the school. I can totally picture this with my own son and can proudly say like father, like son. I am absolutely sure that Gavin is likely to have that ADHD label slapped on him at some point. As much as friends and family have chimed in to say he is only two this is how two year olds act! I still believe maybe this is true but am perfectly fine with the idea that my kid has more energy then most. I mean watch him as he learns his ABCs, he is super smart for a two year old (three next week), he knows his ABCs, all his shapes, colors, and can count to 10 and spell his name (found this out last night!).
http://qik.com/video/38855514/untitled
So prior to spring break I had visited and spoke over the phone to multiple nursery schools here in the UAE. I had been beginning to feel that for the sanity of my husband and for Gavin as an only child to gain some social skills, it was important for him to start nursery school. So after searching and searching and realizing many of the western schools were really pricey, had waiting lists, or you just cannot start until next year. So finally I find a school that is Arabic run with a bilingual program that teaches half the day in English and half the day in Arabic. This was the first Nursery school that I had walked into that was Arabic run that made me smile. Some alternatives left me a little concerned for safety and made me sort of feel like I would be dropping my kid off for battle everyday (25 two-year olds to 1 teacher not my kind of ratios). I kept thinking about that daycare in Mexico a few years back that the teacher was slipping benedryl to the kids to get them to take longer naps and the infant died because he was so sleepy he couldn't roll over.
So here were the choices:
House of Colours Nursery (UK run) I would only have to sell an organ to get him enrolled but wow it would be worth it! Licensed teachers, amazing curriculum, and I almost got a loan from the bank to sign him up... Here is their website: http://nurserycolours.com/home.html
The Jungle Book which was seriously, frighteningly under-priced and understaffed for the kids (1 to 25 ratio), there was coloring on the walls, which led me to believe there were moments that the kids were left to their own devices, lots of metal corners and edges, hard floors and concrete, but they speak English with the children so for a moment of insanity it was in the running.
The final choice was so amazing at first! I toured and they had a bilingual program, reasonably priced (around 500 a month) and they didn't have a waiting list and you could start at any time. I was really excited! We toured and it seemed it would be a perfect fit for Gavin. Here is their Facebook which is mostly in Arabic, Kids Land Nursery
So Gavin was off for his first day and I realize now it was a mistake to not stay with him for a bit on his first day, and it was a mistake to make his first day a full day, all again mistakes. But honestly every time I have left Gavin with anyone I hear nothing but wonderful things. At his in-home daycare back in the states he was one of her favorites (ok so she is one of my best friends and has to tell me this) but she had nothing but wonderful things to say about him! So around 10 am I decide to call and see how it is going for him. I am told he has not cried, he is happily playing with the other children and having a great day. So I am smiling and happy. Then I go to pick him up from his first day at Nursery school. When I get there the teacher's aid is standing there with all of his things packed and he is ready for me. She hands me the phone, the head teacher wants to speak to me, over the phone...I am assuming she has forgotten the English forms again so I grab the phone.
Here is the conversation:
What is wrong with your son?
Excuse me,what? Nothing is wrong with my son.
Have you taken him to the doctor for hyperactivity?
No he is only two years old. He has a family doctor and has gone to all his regular check-ups
He is very hyper.
He is two and yes he is very active.
He doesn't listen, he doesn't sit, he doesn't play with the other kids. He is very hyper. I think he is hyperactive and the ministry of education states that children like him must be serviced at special schools.
(at this point I guess I just panicked and again I am not proud but I start to cry. In hindsight I should of asked for her credentials to make such a statement).
She goes on to tell me she will try one more day if I want to bring him back but she just does not believe that her school can provide my son with the services he so clearly needs. I hang up crying and run out of the school crying. Again not my finer moments. So we left the Nursery school and haven't been back and we are back to having Gavin stay at home with Daddy.
We joined the health club at one of the hotels and I am hoping that some pool fun will help him with socialization (a lot of the families from my complex have joined) and I am also going to start going to church with him so maybe he can make some friends at Sunday School (or is it Friday School lol?). Not sure about next year because I know my son learns differently and I know that he is going to need some patient teachers and unfortunately lack faith that they exist here even in a Western capacity. Maybe I should try a western pre-school next year I am planning to take a tour at Sunflower Nursery and may find out how they work with more active children but am thinking that I can just wait until we are back in the states and begin him in a pre-k program for the 2012-2013 school year; at least I know that the right protocols will be followed before I am forced to staple a label on my son's forehead.
I have to admit this blog has really become a stream of conscienceness piece and I wish it could take on the form of a narrative essay but unfortunately I cannot seem to keep on one topic. So back to my thesis at the beginning which for the record my pre-school experience weaves into because it is another reason I miss home. I have taught special education and I have a clear understanding of the process in which goes into trying interventions before jumping the gun and labeling a two year old with ADHD. In contrast I have a few students in my class that have undiagnosed learning disabilities and unfortunately if they get the services they need then they get a label which could make them "unmarriable" later in life. So I work to find alternate ways for them to learn which is what this pre-school teacher was unwilling to do for my son.
I have been having a lot of missing family and friends moments. I miss Surekha, Liz, and Tamara. They were my friends back home. Liz since I was eleven, Surekha since my early twenties, and I met Tamara just a few years ago and we instantly clicked and I never felt like we skipped a beat with our friendship. Do not get me wrong I have made some wonderful friends here, like Sylvia from South Africa that I ride to and from school with every day. I honestly do not think I have ever had such a wonderful friend with such amazing advice and she has become a wonderful confident. I am raising my virtual glass to Liz and I's hikes at the dog park, cooking breakfasts together, chats in the yard with a glass of wine or a beer, checking out a local live music show, or shooting pool. I am raising my virtual glass to making curry (or watching her make it lol) with Surekha and watching "So You Think You Can Dance" and bad chick flicks. I cannot tell you how much I miss nerding it up with Tamara talking about the latest teen fantasy novels we have read or standing in line to watch the latest Twilight Saga movie or playing Apples to Apples, or an awesome garage sale with a kiddie pool and too many drinks the night before.
So here I am counting down the days until the end of the school year when I get to return home for a month. And I know next year will be a breeze compared to this year because I won't have to reinvent the wheel I have everything I put together this year. I have a clear understanding of all of the things my employer requires so knowing this going in I shouldn't have too many surprises. I am thinking hard about our future after this adventure and I think this is healthy because as much as the free spirit in me would like to float around I am realizing my body, mind, and spirit needs some roots, needs to see family more often, and I need to make some friends in a long lasting community (this one feels so temporary). So I leave this blog contemplative....
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