PFO So Far...

We are a week into PFO, and we have already received so much information. We've done everything from personality assessments to communication assessments to small group meetings to cultural differences activities to safety/security exercise to talking about Third Culture Kids (TCKs) to discussing the process of transition to brainstorming about what this would all look like in the classroom. It is a lot to take in. We are basically in sessions from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with one or two 15 minute breaks, plus lunch. It is a good thing we have a binder with notes, because otherwise all this valuable information would get lost just in the sheer amount we are hearing.

We also have some activities in the evenings, from school bonding time to a tour of the NICS home office to a Memphis Redbirds (AAA baseball) game. The evenings also give us a little bit of down time, which is essential in helping us get to know the other people that will be teaching at our school and in the rest of the network next year. We have had the opportunity to start discussing with other teachers in our same content/grade areas different techniques, challenges, etc. in the international Christian school setting.

The great news is that there's still one more week of PFO! I will get another week of good information that will be helpful as I start teaching. I've already started making lists of what I can use in the classroom and how I might implement it.

One fun thing that we get to do next week is the Almost Talent Show. As the name might imply, this is a chance for the PFO participants to share all their "talent," whether that's in song, dance, skits, or stupid human tricks. My school has decided to put together an act. We have been rehearsing a bunch already and still have a long ways to go before we are ready to perform. I won't tell you what it is right now (I'll let you formulate your guesses). Here's a hint, though: it's probably something you would NEVER predict that I would do.