Friday 22 February
I'm still a novice with Blogs. Each time I log on to update this Post, I strike problems. The last time and today my menu bar was in Arabic. Last time I must have fluked it and got to the new post section. Not so today ... But somehow, following numerous screens I managed to get the English version - and here you are. Lucky you!!!
Now the most wonderful news first. I have an Iqama (pronounced ikarma). This may seem insignificant to you reading this, but this allows me to travel in and out of the country, get credit on my mobile phone, get a bank account, hire a car (but NOT drive), and importantly sponsor family to visit me. Peter is travelling here during the university semester break and thus an iqama is critical. It is effectively a work permit, but can take ages to actually gain. During the lasting placement here, we were promised an iqama each week. Numerous passport photos were supplied, our academic qualifications were translated and stamped, letters from the school were supplied and still nothing. This time we have all come in through Bahrain and on 30 day visas. Somehow this has made the difference.
We have had a medical, which didn't endear one to the health system. This is part of the iqama process. Four of us were taken to a hospital and as we arrived during Maghrib (the 4th prayer time of the day) we waited outside the entrance - the foyer was used by medical staff and others for their prayer space. Once this was completed we were shown inside and taken to the dentistry section to wait for a nurse who would take a vile of blood for testing. As you know, I have had heaps of nurses over the past few years take blood with (generally) no lasting effect. The needle went in - a bit rough - blood was extracted into the vile and then the needle removed. All's well. The pain commenced later and i swear I had a knot in the crook of my arm where the needle went into the vein. The bruise came out over the next few days and lasted 10 days. Next, we were taken to another area where we would be examined by a doctor (or as it turned out doctors). We had our blood pressure taken - all good - and then moved to the bed where the doctor asked if we were well, looked at our eyes, pulling down the lower skin from the eye, looked in our mouths checking teeth (?), and felt our heads. then asked to lay on the bed he examined our abdomen with stethoscope and a bit of knocking with knuckles. All okay! but then the best and most unusual - we were requested to raise our abaya and trousers to just above the ankle. The ankles were examined and that was it. One in the group asked why this was important - it is apparently a method for checking for varicose veins! Now why aren't medical checkups that easy.
We all passed...
I shouldn't let you think the medical system is that poor. I have accompanied my housemate, Julie, to the dentist a couple of times in the past week (and still 2 more visits to come). The dentist is located at a hospital in the commercial district of Riyadh. The first dentist was a lovely young woman who was concerned that a number of Julie's teeth were 'mobile.' The wisdom tooth was very mobile. She also suggested that she see a paradontist. (sp?) He was available immediately for a checkup and determine the future process to prevent the 'mobile' teeth from becoming more mobile. He was very pleasant and the next appointments were made. Now I know that some people are terrified of the dentist, but I'm not one. However much of the following examination, that took 40 minutes, included much poking and probing with a sharp little tool, looked painful and couldn't be done with any pain relief. After this - it was suggested that the wisdom tooth could come out today. Go for it, I said from the corner of the room. Why wait until the next week just wondering about it. The tooth was removed and offered to her for the 'tooth fairy, but not taken!' I however, got a great deal of reading done, caught up with some work and didn't feel a thing.
This placement I continue to work with English teachers from Grade 7 to 12, but have a colleague to assist. Carolyn will be here for 2 years and before working in the Loddon Region as a teaching & learning support person in the Bendigo network (much like our School Improvement Person in our networks), she was an English teacher. We are working with all the English teachers now which is much better. We both work with teachers in the Intermediate school (Grade 7 - 9) working in the classrooms with our assigned teachers observing their practice and providing feedback and then working with those teachers together as a group. Carolyn then works with the teachers from the American Diploma High School and I work with the teachers from the National HS. The culture is such that they are excited when you come into the room and are anxious for the feedback. Comments are taken seriously and they really want to improve. I work with one new teacher who has only being teaching for 3 weeks. Prior to this she worked in an English Language school (private company) working with adults and teenagers. She is wonderful and is like a sponge with all feedback. She does have an extremely strong Manchester accent, so I asked how long she spent in the UK. She has never left the Kingdom! Her teacher at uni must have had the accent and that's how she speaks English.
We have also completed the Vice Principal selection process and the outcome should be announced in the coming week. We are about to commence the Instructional Leader selection process. The criteria is based upon our Leading Teacher profile. The usual structure in the schools here is to have Supervisors for each curriculum area. They are responsible for the curriculum delivery and support of their teachers throughout the school. There has been 12 Supervisors on the Girls side and 16 on the Boys. This will double to about 40 in the new structure. However they will have a teaching load. This has met with some resistance and some of the current Supervisors will not apply for the new positions. The Vice Principals will also teach a small load and have a role in leading teaching and learning practice. Something they haven't had before - and some have never taught! Once the next selection process is complete there will be a new classification of teacher implemented - Expert teacher. Lots of work but the progress is noticeable. The level of applications for the Vice Principals was generally very good, with some exceptional applications coming from a range of staff, not just those whose jobs had being spilled.
Got to close this now as I'm off to the supermarket - its an outing! Hope everyone at home is well and that you are enjoying the lovely weather. It is still coolish here with most days in the mid to high 20s, but then it is still Winter.
I'm still a novice with Blogs. Each time I log on to update this Post, I strike problems. The last time and today my menu bar was in Arabic. Last time I must have fluked it and got to the new post section. Not so today ... But somehow, following numerous screens I managed to get the English version - and here you are. Lucky you!!!
Now the most wonderful news first. I have an Iqama (pronounced ikarma). This may seem insignificant to you reading this, but this allows me to travel in and out of the country, get credit on my mobile phone, get a bank account, hire a car (but NOT drive), and importantly sponsor family to visit me. Peter is travelling here during the university semester break and thus an iqama is critical. It is effectively a work permit, but can take ages to actually gain. During the lasting placement here, we were promised an iqama each week. Numerous passport photos were supplied, our academic qualifications were translated and stamped, letters from the school were supplied and still nothing. This time we have all come in through Bahrain and on 30 day visas. Somehow this has made the difference.
We have had a medical, which didn't endear one to the health system. This is part of the iqama process. Four of us were taken to a hospital and as we arrived during Maghrib (the 4th prayer time of the day) we waited outside the entrance - the foyer was used by medical staff and others for their prayer space. Once this was completed we were shown inside and taken to the dentistry section to wait for a nurse who would take a vile of blood for testing. As you know, I have had heaps of nurses over the past few years take blood with (generally) no lasting effect. The needle went in - a bit rough - blood was extracted into the vile and then the needle removed. All's well. The pain commenced later and i swear I had a knot in the crook of my arm where the needle went into the vein. The bruise came out over the next few days and lasted 10 days. Next, we were taken to another area where we would be examined by a doctor (or as it turned out doctors). We had our blood pressure taken - all good - and then moved to the bed where the doctor asked if we were well, looked at our eyes, pulling down the lower skin from the eye, looked in our mouths checking teeth (?), and felt our heads. then asked to lay on the bed he examined our abdomen with stethoscope and a bit of knocking with knuckles. All okay! but then the best and most unusual - we were requested to raise our abaya and trousers to just above the ankle. The ankles were examined and that was it. One in the group asked why this was important - it is apparently a method for checking for varicose veins! Now why aren't medical checkups that easy.
We all passed...
I shouldn't let you think the medical system is that poor. I have accompanied my housemate, Julie, to the dentist a couple of times in the past week (and still 2 more visits to come). The dentist is located at a hospital in the commercial district of Riyadh. The first dentist was a lovely young woman who was concerned that a number of Julie's teeth were 'mobile.' The wisdom tooth was very mobile. She also suggested that she see a paradontist. (sp?) He was available immediately for a checkup and determine the future process to prevent the 'mobile' teeth from becoming more mobile. He was very pleasant and the next appointments were made. Now I know that some people are terrified of the dentist, but I'm not one. However much of the following examination, that took 40 minutes, included much poking and probing with a sharp little tool, looked painful and couldn't be done with any pain relief. After this - it was suggested that the wisdom tooth could come out today. Go for it, I said from the corner of the room. Why wait until the next week just wondering about it. The tooth was removed and offered to her for the 'tooth fairy, but not taken!' I however, got a great deal of reading done, caught up with some work and didn't feel a thing.
This placement I continue to work with English teachers from Grade 7 to 12, but have a colleague to assist. Carolyn will be here for 2 years and before working in the Loddon Region as a teaching & learning support person in the Bendigo network (much like our School Improvement Person in our networks), she was an English teacher. We are working with all the English teachers now which is much better. We both work with teachers in the Intermediate school (Grade 7 - 9) working in the classrooms with our assigned teachers observing their practice and providing feedback and then working with those teachers together as a group. Carolyn then works with the teachers from the American Diploma High School and I work with the teachers from the National HS. The culture is such that they are excited when you come into the room and are anxious for the feedback. Comments are taken seriously and they really want to improve. I work with one new teacher who has only being teaching for 3 weeks. Prior to this she worked in an English Language school (private company) working with adults and teenagers. She is wonderful and is like a sponge with all feedback. She does have an extremely strong Manchester accent, so I asked how long she spent in the UK. She has never left the Kingdom! Her teacher at uni must have had the accent and that's how she speaks English.
We have also completed the Vice Principal selection process and the outcome should be announced in the coming week. We are about to commence the Instructional Leader selection process. The criteria is based upon our Leading Teacher profile. The usual structure in the schools here is to have Supervisors for each curriculum area. They are responsible for the curriculum delivery and support of their teachers throughout the school. There has been 12 Supervisors on the Girls side and 16 on the Boys. This will double to about 40 in the new structure. However they will have a teaching load. This has met with some resistance and some of the current Supervisors will not apply for the new positions. The Vice Principals will also teach a small load and have a role in leading teaching and learning practice. Something they haven't had before - and some have never taught! Once the next selection process is complete there will be a new classification of teacher implemented - Expert teacher. Lots of work but the progress is noticeable. The level of applications for the Vice Principals was generally very good, with some exceptional applications coming from a range of staff, not just those whose jobs had being spilled.
Got to close this now as I'm off to the supermarket - its an outing! Hope everyone at home is well and that you are enjoying the lovely weather. It is still coolish here with most days in the mid to high 20s, but then it is still Winter.
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