The security guard thinks i'm a terrorist

We have a relatively new security guard and it has become pretty clear that she thinks I'm secretly trying to blow up the school. For months and months I've been on excellent terms with the security at our school- when I lived there I used to make them tea or bring them ice cream. And they were always extremely sweet. So every morning when I come to school they give me a sharp salute ( I jokingly saluted the guards once, and now I guess its our thing) and wave me on through the gate. BUT NOW there's a new gal, and she has thrown my entire morning out of orbit. She is both fierce, and scary. She could eat me in a single bite. Every morning she gives me the once over, and takes my bag and gives it a thorough search and then eyes me again- I laugh nervously and eye my freedom just inches away, "yep, still just textbooks and exams to hand back, no bombs today..sorry! That? oh that's just a pencil.. yeah it's a #2, it's no big deal.."

But the other day we had a big break through!

My classes had their oral presentations! Each teacher does the orals a different way. I give my students a minimum of three minutes to talk about whatever they want- as long as it's orignal material, not read from a paper, and not about their favorite football club(the first time I did this, 7 boys did their oral about Manchester United. Booorring.) This is an individual presentation. They can bring props, pictures, powerpoints, costumes, food, whatever they want. I give them ample warning, but no in class time to prepare. I looooove oral day, it's one less day I have to make a lesson plan for. They all get scared and hate it.

My first class absolutely rocked it this session, it was amazing. They all got together on their own time and helped each other prepare and make them interactive. One person would give her oral, and a few of her classmates would do a skit that followed along perfectly. Or one guy did his about the ritual ablutions before the five daily prayers- one student acted as the imam, calling out the prayer, as the other spoke and demonstrated how it was done. One girl taked about Aids- at first I thought she was talking about "Eid" the Islamic holiday after Ramadan.. then I thought she was talking about "aid" and charity organizations... then I decided to stop guessing and listen to what she was saying. She dressed up in a in a doctors lab coat, with a stethoscope and brought in a skeleton and a big skull. Usually my kids suck at the oral- they get scared, or don’t plan or take it seriously, or they really show their level (I teach level 104) but these kids really, really excelled. I was like a proud mama, beaming at all of them.

Two girls got special permission to work together, their topic: Traditional clothes for women. What women? This woman. I didn’t realize I was the prop until it was much to late. They dragged me off to the bathroom and dressed me up in a pink, purple, silver and gold flowing dress. They pinned some of that wilty green plant so frequently seen at weddings in my hair, and gave me a string of jasmine petals to wear around my neck. They taught me a hip-swaying, sashaying little dance. Then we went back to class(which I had left completely unsupervised. woops.) and as they spoke I did my little dance around a tub of burning perfumed incense. It was hysterical. I needed to show my boss, this was just too funny- I ran into the adjacent class, did a quick impromptu tap dance in front of the startled teacher and darted to the office to showcase my traditional Yemeni beauty. It caused a bit of a scene. Students, teachers, staff stormed my classroom to see, crowding around the sides, and hanging in the doorway- there were students from other classes lined up outside, their faces pressed to the window trying to see. I had to pose for about around a million pictures to cries, “oh teacher! So beautiful” and “you look perfect!” – I was wearing a GIANT, loose dress, I had a necklace of yellow flowers, and dead green leaves in my hair, my “loveliness” was much the same as the “rare beauty” I displayed at the Yemeni wedding. Everyone was asking why my class got to have a party on a normal school day. Party? Nahh… this is oral day! But guess who else showed up? The scary lady guard! She came over and got in several pictures with my students and I. And you know what else? She SMILED at me.