Classroom snooping, pondering teaching

After being in Istanbul for a week, we finally got to visit our ISTEK school, Semiha Sakir, where we were given a tour and got to meet many of our new colleagues. I also briefly met with the primary school principal—and learned from her that I'll be teaching not only fourth and fifth grades, but also first!


Following the tour, we were free to wander around the school on our own, and so I stopped by all the classrooms for 1st, 4th and 5th grades, to get an idea of how they're normally decorated, and to take a few snaps. Above is one of four 1st grade classrooms that I peeked into, and below, just for comparison, is one of the two 5th grade classrooms. (Not all that different, I suppose, except for things hanging from the ceiling and different/additional visuals for the younger ones.)

With school still about a week away, most classrooms were in a bit of disarray, but I'm confident they'll be in pretty good shape by next week. I have to say that was a little weird seeing them so empty, with no students in sight. But at least I've got a glimpse into what my physical working conditions will be like, and for that my curiosity's been satisfied.

Now, I just need to get a handle on what exactly I'll be teaching in the first days of school. Apparently that's all been mapped out, following very clear government requirements. Still, we're expected to go above & beyond those requirements (especially so, since Semiha Sakir will be an IB candidate school), so it'll be interesting—and perhaps somewhat challenging—to juggle the Turkish and IB requirements for all these grades. Maybe I should take juggling lessons, alongside Turkish lessons?!

A lot of unknowns as of yet, but it's sure to be an adventure...