The National Teacher Strike on Thursday was on a rainy, gloomy day. We are forbidden from participating in any political activities, so we stayed home in the morning. Other teachers said there was good support, and we are all hopeful that the education budget will be better funded by the government.
In the afternoon we went to school and put in some good work time. If felt good to get better organized and have some extended time to get a grip on our schedules, lesson plans, class lists, etc. We were pretty much alone, so it was a quiet and productive afternoon. We both finally have all our students' names in our grade books, and lesson plans are complete through next week. We each teach 10 different groups of students, in groups of 12-15, so we are really struggling to learn names. We also each teach seven different levels, each with a separate curriculum, and several have new textbooks this year requiring complete rewrites of the yearly plan. Carol went to visit friends in Bratislava through the weekend, and she is working on 2 of the curriculum plans, so that is a big relief. The yearly plans are due on Sept. 19, so after that we will be back to just normal teaching! :-)
When we got to school Thursday afternoon, we were surprised and delighted to see a big BOX on the floor by my desk. YAY!!! It contained our winter coats, boots, hats, gloves, and scarves, which I had packed up in August before we left. Paul mailed it from Ankeny last Friday, so it only took 6 days to arrive - WOW!! The nice thing is, the weather has just started to get colder for the first time, so an extra jacket I put in the box came in really handy that very day. Perfect timing! :-)
Friday was a full teaching day, with more classes than on most other days. We are definitely having fun with the students, and they are eager to practice their English. We did some errands after school, then later went out on a Friday night "date night" - pizza and Radler (beer flavored with citrus that really doesn't taste like beer - we really enjoy it!) We haven't been going out for dinner much lately, but we like this restaurant - the whole bill was only 6.80 Euros - about $8!! The school lunches are really hearty, with delicious soup and a main course with meat, veggies, and rice or potatoes, so we eat our big meal at noon very inexpensively. Then we just have a light supper most nights, consisting of sandwiches and fruits/vegetables. Every now and then I cook a meal at night, but not very often now. We think it's probably healthier to eat lighter at night anyway, and meals out are more expensive at night than at lunch.
It's a beautiful fall morning - cool and sunny - and we're heading out soon on our first solo adventure - to see some castle ruins near Ruzomberok. I washed towels this morning so they can hang on the line all day to dry in the sun while we're gone.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Tim's sister Deb in Clinton!! :-)
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