The first day of school at Hong Kong International School (HKIS) was unique and memorable for so many reasons.
Perhaps the most memorable aspect of the first day is the fact that it was canceled by Typhoon Utor. The Hong Kong Observatory raised the Typhoon 8 warning at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday which forced HKIS to close its doors. I suppose a Typhoon Day is about as close to a Snow Day as I'll get in the tropics. During a Typhoon 8 Warning, the entire city shuts down. Mass transit stops and people stay home. Thus, I was forced to hunker down in my apartment and spend some quality time with my brother. (I'm very glad he is here to help me pass the time). We ended up watching Bloodsport; a vintage Hong Kong-based VanDamme movie. We also caught up on some American TV via the Slingbox. The typhoon warning was lifted at 2:00 p.m. so we ventured out to the city and grabbed a nice dinner in Repulse Bay.
Thursday arrived, and HKIS finally started; it was the first official day of school. It was nice to see kids on campus again; schools always feel a bit odd without the students. While the 7th and 8th graders arrived at 7:45 a.m. the 6th grade students arrived with their parents at 11:30 a.m. for a half day of orientation.
Friday was a full day, and I think I learned as much as my 6th graders did. I'm still wrapping my head around the schedule, the supplies, the curriculum, and the terminology. Chaminade and HKIS share a lot of similarities. For example, Mentor Group is called PCG (Pastoral Care Group), there are houses (and house shirts), and the portal is called My DragonNet. I teach 42 6th graders this year with a partner named Bev. She teaches math and science while I teach language art and social studies. Together we're known as the "Core" classes. I teach two sections of 20 students and I see each section for 2 hours every day. During that time, I'm supposed to work on both Language Arts and Social Studies. I'm still not sure how I'm going to divide the time, but I'm sure it will work itself out. A more regular schedule resumes on Monday, and I hope to get into a routine quickly.
Lunch at HKIS is pretty good. Faculty are welcome to bring a lunch or buy food in the cafeteria. The food is pretty kid friendly, so I like what I've had and it's cheap ($2.50 per lunch).
Of course, there are countless idiosyncrasies that I still need to adapt to. I'm hoping I can adapt quickly because it's stressful not knowing how to fire on all cylinders. I'm still feeling a bit out of place, but now that the kids are back I'm hoping to settle into a routine.
There's plenty more to come...
Perhaps the most memorable aspect of the first day is the fact that it was canceled by Typhoon Utor. The Hong Kong Observatory raised the Typhoon 8 warning at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday which forced HKIS to close its doors. I suppose a Typhoon Day is about as close to a Snow Day as I'll get in the tropics. During a Typhoon 8 Warning, the entire city shuts down. Mass transit stops and people stay home. Thus, I was forced to hunker down in my apartment and spend some quality time with my brother. (I'm very glad he is here to help me pass the time). We ended up watching Bloodsport; a vintage Hong Kong-based VanDamme movie. We also caught up on some American TV via the Slingbox. The typhoon warning was lifted at 2:00 p.m. so we ventured out to the city and grabbed a nice dinner in Repulse Bay.
Friday was a full day, and I think I learned as much as my 6th graders did. I'm still wrapping my head around the schedule, the supplies, the curriculum, and the terminology. Chaminade and HKIS share a lot of similarities. For example, Mentor Group is called PCG (Pastoral Care Group), there are houses (and house shirts), and the portal is called My DragonNet. I teach 42 6th graders this year with a partner named Bev. She teaches math and science while I teach language art and social studies. Together we're known as the "Core" classes. I teach two sections of 20 students and I see each section for 2 hours every day. During that time, I'm supposed to work on both Language Arts and Social Studies. I'm still not sure how I'm going to divide the time, but I'm sure it will work itself out. A more regular schedule resumes on Monday, and I hope to get into a routine quickly.
Lunch at HKIS is pretty good. Faculty are welcome to bring a lunch or buy food in the cafeteria. The food is pretty kid friendly, so I like what I've had and it's cheap ($2.50 per lunch).
Of course, there are countless idiosyncrasies that I still need to adapt to. I'm hoping I can adapt quickly because it's stressful not knowing how to fire on all cylinders. I'm still feeling a bit out of place, but now that the kids are back I'm hoping to settle into a routine.
There's plenty more to come...
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