Thriving and still teaching in Turkey!

 Yes.  I'll admit it.  I had no idea how much time I would spend, and how hard it would be, to teach English at Enka Schools in Istanbul, Turkey.  I climb out of bed at 5:00am and my day begins as soon as I sit at the computer.  The work day doesn't end until about 8:00pm.  But, my coffeepot is nearby. And I haven't far to travel to bed. We are totally on line now.  

I can honestly say: I love the work. When I am extremely tired,  the grading mounts,  and I see no end to the planning, I must remind myself, "I wanted this."  And I did.  

I am working with an extremely talented and professional group of teachers. Let me tell you about some of the lessons I'm currently involved in.

9th Grade - Students studied about racism and Apartheid in South Africa, now we are reading the play "Master Harold"...and the boys.  This week I am moving into a project to look at the UN 17 Sustainable Goals, do a problem-solution project, ending with a persuasive speech.

10th Grade - Students are in the thick of a unit which examines gender stereotyping in media.  We started with advertising which led to a class debate: Should gender stereotyping in ads be banned in Turkey? Now we are examining a film, "Boy, Erased."  This film unit is a work of educational art and the teacher who put it together is the heart and soul behind the it.  I love putting it in front of students and see what discussion comes up!

11th Grade - These students are experiencing the first year of the IB diploma program, so I teach how to do written assessments and the individual oral.  I enjoy teaching these skills.  Plus, we are reading and analyzing Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez(which I taught at Tates Creek) and The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, by  Ngugi wa Thiong'o- a play about a Kenyan man who lead a rebellion against British imperialists in the 1950s.  Fantastic stuff for anyone who loves teaching literature!!  These students inspire me every day.  This week they were deciding what topic and global issue to do for their in class oral and they came up with : the role of women in fights for liberation, the deification of leaders (a positive or a negative) and loss of cultural identify due to colonization. 

Any teacher knows there are intrinsic rewards that come with teaching.  (And if not, the salary won't sustain you!)  This week my ninth graders surprised me...utterly surprised me ...by turning on their cameras at the same time and holding up "Thank you Ms. Phyllis "  and "We love you"  signs!   I was speechless.  I didn't see that coming... which made it even more special.  

I am thriving as a US teacher in Turkey.  

Phyllis



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