Finally Edition

At last!

This will be my last entry while standing on this rock called Qatar.  We are holding our breath each day, waiting for the next shot across our bow.  I’ve been called in twice and yelled at just to make sure I still know who is in charge. All I got from that was I still know who is crazy!  I got told that I had no right to share grades with my students.  That they would be given grades on the last day of school and not before – so much for transparency and reflection!  I was also told that I had no right to tell them anything about next year – the students have no right to ask questions that don’t concern them like who their teacher might be next year.  The statement that caused me to bite my cheek was, “there are too many questions being asked and no learning happening in the class.” The director told me that she “will” make changes just so they don’t know and “she” will tell them when they walk back in next year.  Wow!  Who’d of thought?  Got a letter from the principle yesterday saying that all my comments were wrong and I needed to retype them – strange since they had already been approved by the HOD and MYP coordinator – just another show of authority.  During the last reporting period, my comments were used as an example of how they “should” be written.  However, only 5 more days of bi-polar education left.

We still haven’t been paid and that has been a stress for the past few days.  It will get to a point that we can’t get our money out of the country before we leave.  They limit the amount we can send out each day and we are restricted on how much cash we can carry.  The school is still telling us it is so that we don’t run away – just another control game, because they still are holding our passports and have not issued exit visas.  We are supposed to close our bank accounts before we leave, but will not be able to get our money out – we just get the shoulder shrug when we ask.

Shippers come tomorrow after school, so that will be one more thing off the worry list.  We have a little more than we thought, but still less than half of what we brought.  We have been taking stuff to school every day to give to the workers – amazing how much happiness that brings to them. 

It sounds like we have some HOT weather on the way.  Dust storms in Central Saudi Arabia are having temperatures in the 60’s (140+ F) and the storms should be here later this week, time to go!

5 more days - 6 and we will be home.

Lesson of the Week: Can’t fix stupid.

Love you all,

Doug and Missie