School & some history

It's now been two weeks since the start of classes, and school has been going well. The difference in student behavior and attitudes is really rather remarkable compared to what I was accustomed to stateside. I haven't had any serious behavior problems at all yet.. not even a tardy student. Perhaps it's just the honeymoon period with a new teacher that they don't know yet, but I can certainly get used to this.

Unfortunately however, for a school that sits on one of the most technologically advanced military facilities in the world, the technology in the school is rather... lacking. The computers in my lab are roughly eight years old, with some that are probably older.

They're labeled with Windows Vista stickers still, but thankfully have at least been upgraded to Windows 7. That said, the new contractor who recently took over the school was just as surprised as I was, and has indicated new machines will be in the pipeline.

Oh yes, that's a Parallel port and a Serial port on there. When did those ports die? Late 90's, Early 2000's?  

But all in all, that's a pretty minor complaint. The computers do work... and my classes are great. I do feel a bit like a new teacher again because I'm constantly making PowerPoints and assignments, but I don't really mind because the new content is fun for me to delve into.

When I'm not working though, I've been trying to explore the island a little. For a history nerd like myself, I came across quite the treasure trove of discoveries. Kwajalein was a WWII battle site where the US fought the Japanese, and the remains of that battle are littered across the island. I went for a bike ride this weekend and came across this...

ON THIS SPOT THE 7TH INFANTRY DIVISION
MAJOR-GENERAL C.H. CORLETT, U.S. ARMY
COMMANDING
 MADE THE FIRST LANDING INCIDENT TO
THE CAPTURE OF KWAJALEIN ISLAND
BY THE AMERICAN ARMED FORCES.
FEBRUARY 1ST, 1944.
THIS TABLET IS DEDICATED TO THE BRAVE
MEN WHO FOUGHT AND DIED HERE.  

Yep, that's a blown out Japanese bunker.

So now I'm on a mission to check out the rest of the WWII sites on the island, and eventually catch a free flight to another island north of here (Roi-Namur) where there are a few more WWII sites to see. But that's a blog post for another day...

School starts

So after about a week and a half of getting settled into island life and getting my classroom and curriculum ready, the school year has finally started here at Kwajalein Jr/Sr high school. Students started on Wednesday of this week, and so I just finished my first week of classes leading into the labor day weekend. Here's a few shots of the school and my computer lab...

I'm teaching quite a mix of courses this year. I've got Introduction to Business, Business Law, Computer Programming, Computer Service & Support, as well as a section of 7th grade computer class and a section of 8th grade computer class. So it's going to be a busy year, as a lot of those courses are new to the school and so I'll be working on putting together curriculum as the year progresses.

I'll also be helping with technology integration in the district (surprise, right?), as we're going 1:1 on Chromebooks for the first time this year. I've got the Chromebooks inventoried and mostly ready to go, but just working out a plan on how best to distribute them to students. The staff will also need some additional trainings and ideas on Chromebook use and Google Apps, so I'll be leading a PLC on Google Apps for Education this year as well.

So what about the actual teaching? This first week has been good. My classes are small here (largest group is 13 kids), and the students have been great. Most every kid has been polite, well behaved, and fairly active in doing their first assignments. I know a lot of that has to do with class size and the local culture, but it just proves to me (in my head at least) that class size absolutely makes a massive difference in how a classroom functions.

I know that seems obvious, but there are many in the educational policy world that argue class size isn't a big deal... I challenge them to make that claim after teaching a class to 34 students, and then teaching that same class to 12 students. If every educational policymaker did that for a year or two, then perhaps everyone can revisit the class size conversation.

Anyhow, it looks like it will be a busy but exciting school year. But for now, it's time to enjoy labor day weekend. It doesn't hurt that this is a short walk from my place...

Free time on Kwaj

I've now had two weekends on Kwaj, and so had a chance to experience some of the recreation options. On my first weekend here we got invited out on a boat to see the lagoon and some of the other surrounding islands. It was a cool experience for me because I'd never been on a small boat before... ever.

So once I got over the feeling that I was going to puke, it was an absolutely beautiful trip.  Seeing the smaller islands around the atoll was really cool, as most of them are undeveloped and so look like something out a national geographic magazine.

Once we got out on the water, I had a chance to try snorkeling for the first time. I'd actually never once swam in deep water before, so I chickened out a bit and wore a life vest this first time out. But once I got over my deep water nerves a bit, it was a really cool experience. The coral and various schools of fish were amazing to see, and we even spotted a shark about 50 yards from us.  All in all, it was a really neat experience. I want to try snorkeling some more, but will probably practice a bit off the beach to get more comfortable with it first.

The following weekend we decided to take in a movie instead of venturing out much because we got seriously roasted on the boat trip. I thought I put enough sun screen on, but I was wrong. Very, very wrong. So a movie seemed like a good bet and the theater is neat because it's an open air building.

It was a cool experience sitting in the theater, but the picture and sound quality left a lot to be desired. Maybe it was just the movie itself, so I'll give it another try - but it was hard to enjoy with the low resolution picture and tricky to understand sound.

But the time for fun and relaxation will be ending soon, as the school year starts in just a few days. We have one more teacher work day, and then the kids start on Wednesday, so summer is basically over. Once I start going to work every day, this will probably feel a lot less like a tropical vacation... oh well.

Exploring Kwaj

I've been on Kwajalein for a little less than a week now, and so have had a chance to explore a bit more and learn my way around. First and foremost, the island is certainly bigger than it looks from the air. It's still not BIG - but everything is not within the quick walking distance I thought it would be.

My school is around a 20 minute walk from where I live... not bad. I made the walk a few times and it's an absolutely gorgeous walk in a beautiful neighborhood. I felt like I was strolling through a vacation resort.

But when I wanted to go out to a beach that I was told would be devoid of students (important for a teacher) on another part of the island, I wanted to check it out. But Google maps showed it to be about a 50 minute walk, one way (around 3 miles or so). So that was out... especially because the island is prone to absolutely random rain showers.

So it was time to get ahold of the ultimate Kwajalein transportation tool - the bicycle. Civilians are not allowed to own motorized vehicles on the island, so everybody just rides a bike. I didn't have one, so I picked up an aluminum frame bike (to prevent rust) at the Bike Shop a few days ago. Here she is...

I also had the chance to go out on a boat with some colleagues and attempt (poorly) snorkeling for the first time. I'll save that for another blog post, but for now I'll leave you with a picture of the sun setting off Emon beach. It's an absolutely spectacular view...

Arrival

After 2 grueling days of flying through Los Angeles, Hawaii, and Majuro, we finally arrived on Kwajalein yesterday. Coming from the mainland United States, there's no two ways about it - it's a LONG journey. There are no direct flights to the Marshall Islands, and so your only option is to fly to Hawaii. From there, you get on board what's called the Island Hopper -- a United Airlines flight that stops at Kwajalein, amongst an array of other Pacific Islands as it ultimately across the Pacific. So yeah... lot's of airplane time.

We arrived on a Saturday afternoon and it immediately began raining. Thankfully, by the time we processed through security, the rain had stopped. My principals met all of us new teachers with vans and so we were able to get our luggage to our new rooms and tour the island a bit. 

I'm assigned to what is essentially a studio apartment called a Bachelor's Quarters, which all personnel who are not married with kids, basically receive. Mine is in a building called Surf. The room's really aren't too bad, and were slightly bigger than I actually expected...

After putting my things down and getting a tour of the island, I essentially spent the day unpacking and exploring a bit. And this exploration took some time because moving quickly is hard when it's hot... oppressively hot. The temperature may say just 81 degrees, which sounds delightful - but with the massive humidity, it feels closer to 91 degrees. That said, once the sun started to set and an ocean breeze came in, it got much nicer, and the evening was downright pleasant. 

That's all for now - I just got here, so more information simply isn't in my brain yet. But I'll leave you with some pictures of my new island home (not the boring room). 

Getting ready to depart

I'm just a few days away from departing for my new adventure, teaching computers and business on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. So the first question is probably... huh? Where the heck is that?

Well, it's here... on that tiny little dot that you can't actually see. It's there though, I swear. Just look at the red marker. Or just search it out on Google Maps, and zoom in - a lot.

Basically, the island is home to the Reagan Test Site, where the US Army does a variety of missile defense tests, and has a wide array of fancy radars and such. The site is also used for some rocket launches and a variety of other research. Thus it happens to hold over 1,000 civilian personnel and their families. And those families have kids... hence a school system, and my new job.

Here...

And here's a better look at the island....

So - I leave on Sunday, August 12th, for my new company's deployment center in Texas, where I will go through some medical screening and do a variety of trainings. Then I'll fly out to Kwajalein sometime during that week. I'll post more about the trip itself and my time on the island once I get here.