The Rainy Season

When talking to my parents last week, they asked me why I haven't written a blog post in a while. My response was that I had nothing to write about. My daily routine seemed unchanged and I didn't think that anything exciting had been happening. After talking to my parents I started to realize that my blog didn't just have to be about me. Sure my experience in Turkey is exciting and unusual, but while in Turkey, there have been controversial events on the news, new fundraisers that have been brought to my attention, and a new App that I think are worth talking about. And yes, there has also been some new adventures in my life as well.

Last week in the news, Jonathan Martin, an NFL player for the Miami Dolphins was said to have left his team due to harassment and hazing going on from his teammate Richie Incognito. After watching the broadcasters on TV talk about this event, I felt disgusted. The broadcasters were justifying the behavior of Incognito, by saying that hazing is expected when you are a rookie and all of us went through it. I decided to write a post on Facebook voicing my opinion.

"This whole hazing thing going on in Miami is ridiculous. I can't believe these commentators/broadcasters are supporting any kind of hazing. These athletes are role-models for younger kids and if kids hear that their heroes are hazing, what do you think they're going to do? How can we possibly look at celebrities and criticize them on their behavior, but when it comes to an athlete, it's justified. Any kind of initiation to a new group should involve everyone on the same level to build a family within that team. No one should feel as though they are being forced to do anything, regardless of how old they are, professional or pee-wee!"

Once I had written this Facebook post, I realized that it would be an important topic to talk to my upper secondary students about. We discussed hazing and how it is OK to say "No". They should never feel uncomfortable doing something that a friend asks them to do. Whether it is within a sports team, at a party, or in college, people may ask/tell you to do things that you are not physically or emotionally ready for or comfortable with. I feel that all teachers and parents should have this conversation with their students/kids. Working at an international school, many students come and go every year and new students may try to get in with a group of friends right away, which can lead to a lot of peer pressure. This is an important topic that is not discussed until something bad happens. Make sure to discuss it before it is too late!

On a lighter note, at the beginning of the year, some of the male teachers asked me if I wanted to do Movember. I had no idea what they were talking about. After they explained what it was I was still a bit confused. I've heard of "No Shave November" and "Manuary", but never Movember. Maybe this is partially  due to the fact that growing facial hair is not one of my strengths. So by late October, I decided to do some research and found that Movember is a movement to raise money and awareness for men's health. Guys grow out their Mo(mustache) for the entire month of November while looking for donations and talking to friends, family, and on lookers about men's health. If you are interested in donating to my page or just to check up on my Mo progress, here is my Mo Space: http://us.movember.com/mospace/

For those of you who know me really well, you know that one of my favorite shows on TV is Shark Tank. A show where hopeful entrepreneurs present their business, product, or idea to a panel of 5 millionaire and billionaire investors to try and receive money or partnership to help grow their company. I believe it was last season, that a man came on the show presenting his company, Postcard On The Run, which is an App you can download. Essentially, wherever you are in the world, you can take a picture of yourself, the scenery, or whatever, and send the picture as a postcard to anyone in the world. It is sent as an actual postcard with your personalized photo on one side and a typed message on the other. Being in Turkey, I thought this would be a good App to download so I can stay in touch with my family in a unique way. And since my grandparents do not have the latest technology for some reason, they get to see and hear about what I've been up to. It's cheap, easy, and fun. I recommend it to everyone. It's great if you are traveling, living abroad, or if you are living on one end of the country and you have family on the other.

This brings me to my latest adventure. a few weekends ago, I took a short vacation to Samos, one of the Greek Islands with a friend from college. It only takes about an hour to get to the island by boat from Turkey, which makes it very easy to get to. The island was amazing. Since it was the end of the tourist season, the island was very quiet. We rented a car and drove all over the island exploring different beaches, restaurants, and sites. And after watching a few YouTube clips on driving manual, I perfected my driving skills by the end of the trip. The entire island was very picturesque. From the mountains to the small fishing villages, everything looked incredible. On the day that we arrived, we drove to the backend of the island to walk around and see what was around. We ended up stumbling upon a hotel that was closed for the Winter, only to open for a wedding in a few weeks. After talking to the owners, they allowed us to stay in their hotel for Saturday night (we already had another hotel booked for that night). Luckily for us, the owner let us stay in the Honeymoon Suite, which was beautiful and had a stunning view. Here's a picture of the view from that hotel -->
On the last day, before we headed back to Turkey, we laid on the beach and enjoyed the sun. Right before we left, however, a small dog came up to us and wanted to play fetch and lay down. Unfortunately, the dog did not run along when we were ready to leave. In fact, he kept standing in front of the car, making it impossible for us to drive around. We eventually got a stick, threw it, and tried to drive off once the dog went for the stick. But our furry friend was able to run faster than we could drive on the beach. We eventually gave the stick one last throw and sped off as fast as we could. For over a hundred yards, the dog was hustling after us as fast as he could. He eventually gave up. It was a bit bitter-sweet leaving our friend behind.

Back at school, the swim team started their practices. After coaching at Sunny Willow and at UDAC, this made me feel right at home. So far, it has been very fun coaching the students. Although they only practice once a week, you can tell they are learning a lot and progressing on their technique and endurance. Hopefully they will have a few meets throughout the year to compete against other schools and to show off  their speed.

Lastly, next weekend I will be traveling to Istanbul to try out for Turkey's Men's National Lacrosse Team. After the tryout I will update the blog on how it went and what the future looks like for Turkey Lacrosse.

The Art of Teaching

For the past month, I have been teaching students how to add and subtract, rotate, reflect, and transform objects, and what the economic problem is. While going through school studying economics and elementary education, I never would have thought I would be teaching both elementary and high school economics. I also never thought how difficult teaching would actually be. You hear all the time that teachers are undervalued and how hard it is to actually be a teacher. As a student teacher and a part time math aide, I went along with the idea that teaching is difficult and teachers are not appreciated enough, even though I was not a full time teacher. I experienced how hard teaching can be while student teaching, but even then I had the support of the classroom teacher in the room with me.

I went into this job thinking that I had teaching figured out. I thought I knew the obstacles I would be going through and the challenges that laid ahead. Soon, to my amazement, I realized how much I under estimated the profession. I know I am only a first year teacher and I am just beginning to set up all of my lessons, but no amount of training could have prepared me for the real world. Spending Sundays preparing for the next week or two only to find out that your lessons need to be changed because things didn't go as planned in the classroom or staying up all night to grade papers, to make new lessons, and to create a test, isn't exactly listed in the job description.

Along with staying up late and getting things done last minute, I had trouble planning through the language barrier that many of my students would have to go through. I was taught how to differentiate based on students readiness levels and ability, but differentiating based on language had yet to be covered. Many of these kids are very intelligent. Their readiness levels and ability are among the top in the class, but when they don't understand English, instruction has to be taken down a few notches, which can often lead to the entire class going down a few notches, regardless of language barrier.

This teaching thing had become very tiring with no light at the end of the tunnel, until yesterday. Yesterday we had our first parent/teacher conferences. I was ready to hear the complaints about how their child feel like they aren't learning anything or that their child hates my class. Instead of being hammered down with critiques, I was uplifted by the numerous amount of positive feedback and praise. I was told how much students enjoyed my class, that the new techniques I was teaching were paying off, and the material I presented was interesting. I can't say everything from the conferences was positive, but for the majority, it was. I was even told by one parent that they thought I was a great influence on their child, which really meant something to me. Any teacher in the school can teach their respective subject and give new information to the students, but having a positive influence on a child's life goes beyond the classroom.

August in Izmir

Where to start? These past few weeks have been jam packed with food, events, traveling. The first weekend the new teachers were all taken out to breakfast in a small town just about 40 minutes outside of Alsancak, the town we are living in, by one of our wonderful administrators. Our 5 star breakfast was over loaded with all types of food. Cheese, olives, tomatoes, figs, toast, eggs, sausage, and plenty of honey to go around. Once we had allowed the food to settle, we headed to a nearby cafe that sat right on the sea. There we relaxed, went for a swim, and had a lesson on how to play backgammon. After enjoying the warm weather, we headed home, only to first stop for some stuffed mussels and a fried anchovy sandwich, classic Izmir delights. As we pulled into Alsancak, we were taken back by the storm that came through town. The city had looked as if a hurricane came through. Mudslides filled the streets and under passes had been flooded. For Turkey, it hardly rains during the summer, let alone any kind of storm. Luckily the storm didn't hit where we were living, only along the bay. What a day huh?

The Monday after our fun filled weekend, we were introduced to the returning staff members at school. All the teachers were very warm and friendly and willing to lend us a hand while transitioning into our new roles. After a long day of meetings and prepping  our classroom, I was invited to play football (soccer) with a group of players that get together once a week for a bit of some friendly competition. After proving that Americans aren't as bad at football as the rest of the world, I was asked to come play again each Monday night.

The rest of the week was filled with orientation meetings at school and a light dinner to follow. A few times we headed over to watch the U21 International Men's Volleyball Championships. Fortunately, the arena is on the same block as my apartment so I have been able to watch some pretty great volleyball these past two weeks. Once the weekend came around, two other teachers and I took a day trip to Kusadasi, where we enjoyed one of the wonderful beaches of the Aegean. Although the beach was a bit crowded, the cloudless skies and clear water was something I could definitely get used to.

Along with some international volleyball, Izmir hosts an international festival full of vendors. Although the food didn't seem very international, it was pretty cool to see how they make Turkish cotton candy and other Turkish delights. The night after experiencing the festival, we headed to Izmir's own Bazaar like market. With all the shops and people walking around, it was a bit overwhelming at times, but a great experience and a great place to find almost anything you need.

We even experienced a few protests in Izmir, which were pretty cool. Never seeing a protest before, I was caught off guard and weary of the situation. Fortunately, everything was non violent so we had nothing to worry about.

So for the weeks to come, school will be starting, hopefully I will get Izmir lacrosse up and running, and plenty more of adventures out in the city.

Nice?

For those unfamiliar with the south of France, the title refers to the city Nice in southern France. When I first arrived here in Izmir a few days ago, I realized that the Turkish coastal town reminded me a lot of the city of Nice. Both have many restaurants, right next to the sea, similar styles of streets and alleys, and amazing weather. So far, my time in Izmir has been amazing. Once I had gotten over my jet-lag, I was able to explore the city with the other new teachers. We adventured to different restaurants and bars knowing the food would be delicious. Even though we tend to point to random items on the menu, not knowing what we are ordering, each one has been very tasty. While walking around the city shopping for food or simply eating at a restaurant, we have noticed how kind and helping the people of Izmir are. Everyone seems to lend a helping hand whenever they can, regardless of how well they speak English.

We also had our first day at school, where we had breakfast/lunch and started our orientation process. The school sits in a cozy campus that allows for plenty of outside activities and learning opportunities. I was able to go into the classroom that I will be teaching in. So far, there are only 7 desks in my classroom, tough right...? But with teaching 3 Economics and 2 Math classes, I am sure I will be plenty busy.

So for now, things are going at a bit of a slower pace with all of us getting back on the right sleeping schedule and resting after our long walks around the city. As soon as we venture out to the beaches and the various other attractions around Izmir, I will be sure to post plenty of pictures.
                   

Why Turkey?

 


















When I first decided to start blogging, I had trouble thinking of what to write for my first blog post. Fortunately, I got a little inspiration from some of the swimmers I coach: Why Turkey?

Why Turkey you ask? In December, I came across a website that one of my professors had recommended to me, TIEOnline.com (The International Educator). See at Roanoke College, I had the opportunity to work in and experience a few international schools from all over the world: Monaco, Nice, and Philadelphia. One of my professors had taught in Germany for a number of years so I knew this website he recommended would help me teach abroad. After creating an account on The International Educator's website, I immediately saw the hundreds of teaching jobs listed from all over the world. My next step was to upload my resume so I could start applying for these jobs. Not only could I apply to these jobs, but schools could look up my resume if they were looking for something specific. Within a few weeks of applying, I received an e-mail from an international school in Izmir, Turkey. They saw that I majored in Economics and were very interested in hiring a high school economics teacher.

For me this was a dream come true. I loved studying economics at Roanoke, but I had received my teaching license in elementary ed. Once I graduated college I was torn whether to pursue economics or to go into teaching. Luckily for me, I now had the opportunity to do both. After having an interview through Skype, I was offered a job as the Secondary Economics and Middle School Mathematics Teacher. I accepted with great enthusiasm.

Outside of economics and teaching, another one of my passions is coaching. I have been the assistant coach for a summer swim team for the past 3 summers and have been coaching lacrosse since my senior year of college. After doing some research, I saw that lacrosse was becoming quite popular in Turkey. I reached out to the head of Turkey Lacrosse, telling him my interest in coaching. He responded with not only an opportunity to coach lacrosse in Izmir, but to play as well. Turkey is not yet part of the FIL (Federation of International Lacrosse). Meaning that Turkey's international team does not need to be comprised of only Turkish players. For the World Championships, the team cannot place higher than 24th, but it would give me an opportunity to play and to play in the World Championships in Denver next summer, if I make the team.

With all this said, I hope this gives a little insight on why I have decided to head to Turkey. I will be taking my knowledge of economics, teaching, coaching, and probably rainbow looms to a different part of the world in a once in a lifetime experience. Be sure to check in every now and then for updates on work, coaching, and life.

~Tyler