#sol- Here’s to a Tuesday (that felt like a Friday)
August 30. 2016
Today was our fourth Tuesday of the school year, but it felt a bit like a Friday. There were reasons both good and not so good for this. The not so good includes that the haze is back (haze is what they call the terrible pollution here that is mostly the result of the seasonal burning of land in the palm plantation areas of Indonesia. The smoke drifts here and makes the air TERRIBLE). The hazy weather makes everyone feel sick-symptoms range from sinus infections, to sore throats, wheezing, and more. It makes us feel sooooo sleepy! Yesterday the air was bad enough that the students were not allowed out for lunch recess. Today it was worse, so for the playtime that students usually have before school they were sent to their classrooms. Starting with students 20 minutes earlier than usual was hard when I had a parent conference scheduled for that same time. So my day began with a hurried conference in our team area while I kept an eye on my students as they started their day. No snack recess or lunch recess outside later either, which made for some disappointed students (and maybe some teachers too). Did I mention the grade level assistant was out, as well, so we all had extra duties? As it is so early in the year we had not really prepared the students for what indoor recess entailed, so it was (a bit) chaotic and things were left (in a bit of) a mess overall.
The good reasons today felt like a Friday? We have the day off tomorrow since it is Merdeka Day (the public holiday commemorating the independence of the Federation of Malaya from British colonial rule in 1957). There have been many military planes flying overhead the last few days as they practice for the big day, and I will be glad to have the skies a bit quieter. So, after a mid-week
So, after a mid-week holiday we will be back at school on Thursday before we have our next Friday. This sounds nice in theory, but in practice it is early in the year and it is hard to disrupt our routine. Our 6-day rotating schedule is confusing enough! Thursday will be Day 5. Our calendar has other mid-week days off in the future. This country that has people from many different cultures seems to almost always be preparing for a celebration!
We will be glad for the extra day of rest next week when Open House is on Monday night (why a Monday I ask myself- Thursday night is my favorite night for late at school evenings). Busy, busy, busy!