September 13th was our school open house. With only 2 weeks into the school year, feeling unprepared was a definite understatement for me. However, it went surprisingly well. There wasn't a huge turnout but I was pleased to meet the families/parents of 3 students.
The school is set about 2 miles outside the city, Pristina. Students arrive via school transportation- van or newly purchased mini bus. Parents do pay to send their child to PHS and it is not cheap for them. There are a small number of students on full scholarship. For the rest, their parents must pay and I believe that this is the largest deterrent from attending the school. While, ideally there would be no cost for attending, there just simply must be with all the different costs (including rent, utilities, maintenance and a few of the staff- those native receive pay for their work). The school is not making any profit- just holding on for as long as possible while trying to make an impact for the greater good of the city and country. |
| A photo-op of the new teachers + Shanae (2nd year) |
I have 18 students total in my 10th grade English class, but this is split over two periods- 10 in one and 8 in the other. I am indeed blessed with 2 small class sizes. Some of my colleagues have up to 22 students in one class. And to think of those even larger class sizes that are typical in most public schools- I don't know how they do it. I feel truly blessed to be given this experience- an insider's perspective.It is crazy to me that this last week was our 4th full week at the school- I have been an official teacher at the school for 4 weeks- crazy right? I have to admit, "Miss Flavin" does have a nice ring to it- especially when coming out of a whiny teenager's mouth. I'm not sure how this teaching role will play out in my future, but for now it is fun and challenging.
*In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps- Proverbs 16:9
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