I know, I know. I've been terrible about updating this blog. I usually blog often when I travel, but I'm not traveling now--I'm just living abroad. But I will try to post more often this semester. It's always on my ever-growing list of things to do.
Things are going great. All of my seniors took the College of Micronesia Entrance Test (COMET) in February, to determine whether they will take classes at the local campus or at the national campus in Palikir. There was some scandal about the vocabulary section, so they may have to retake that part of the test, but I'm hoping they won't have to redo the math. It is nice to have that exam out of the way! But now that the COMET's over... what should we do? There was so much pressure to prepare for that test and now that it's all said and done, I've got to be much more creative in finding topics to cover in my Algebra II classes.
We went over functions for a couple of weeks--maybe you remember finding f o g (f(g(x)) or g o f g(f(x)) in your high school math classes--or maybe not. For some reason, my students really, really struggled with this, even though it's not especially difficult. The averages on the quiz were not good, so we went over the material again and again. I think most of them have got it now. But who knows whether they'll remember it for the midterm! We're working on graphing quadratic functions now. In class, we wrote a list of seven concise steps for graphing any quadratic function. I think they have the steps down, finally. We're taking the quiz on Monday. We also went over calculating velocity using quadratic functions. I did several simulations where I through imaginary objects across the room (safer than chucking tangible objects!) and modeled their trajectories using parabolas. My favorite airborne projectile: Paris Hilton's chihuahua.
On Friday, four students from my College Prep Program (CPP) took the feared TOEFL test. Who knows how they did... We won't hear the results for about 6 weeks. We have another one signed up to take the test in May and I'm hoping that a few others may change their minds and sit for the exam. I think that what's holding them back, more than anything, is a lack of confidence. All Amber and I can do is encourage them as much as possible and tell them that we know they're capable of attending school in the US. I'm very interested to see how CPP will turn out this year. I am really enjoying this project and I'm curious to see what our "results" will be--how many of our students will end up at school in the US next year. Either way, they're all gaining valuable skills--presentation skills, resume writing, essay writing, etc.
I've been here for almost 8 months now--my contract ends in June! I really don't want to leave. I've applied for a conservation job here that I think would be a fun learning experience and a great career move, but I won't know anything for two months. In the mean time, I'm just waiting to see what opportunities arise. I like being an expat! Although I miss my friends and family back in the states, I'm not sure if I want to go back. Obviously I'll visit, but now that I've had my taste of living abroad, I'm hooked! What's that word I have tattooed on my foot? Oh yeah, wanderlust.
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