classroom mgmt: behavior ladder

So, i'm trying a new behavior management technique (positive reinforement, hopefully): o scară comportament (a behavior ladder). It has 10 steps and all 5 classes (each a different colored clothespin) started at the bottom step. 9th grade gets the best deal cuz i teach them twice a week, whereas the other classes i only teach once a week, so 9th grade can potentially go up 2 steps a week. 

Once they reach the top step, we're going on o excursie (an excursion) to the Nistru River, which is within walking distance. 

It's working OK...not great, but not completely worthless either. 5th grade is the only grade that is still on the bottom step (this picture is a little old, currently 5th is still on the bottom step, 6th & 7th are on the 3rd step, and 8th & 9th are on the 4th step...obviously 9th grade doesn't realize their fullest potential...).

I'll give it this semester to see if i keep it for next year or not! 

Classroom management can be so difficult here! There aren't any consequences for actions and no incentives for students to behave (unless they're naturally inclined to do so). So i'm trying my own positive reinforcement techniques. I also have un sac de bunătăți (a goody bag) for individual students who do well during class.

...if anyone wants to donate kid-friendly stuff (stickers, fake tattoos, American candy, little games [cards, puzzles, those airplane-friendly magnetized games of checkers, chess, etc], different colored pens/pencils/markers, yo-yo's, mini booklets of paper [possibly different colors], little toys [ball on string to catch in cup], cheap nail polish, glitter, slap-stick bracelets...whatever!) Anything and everything is appreciated and i thank you (but PLEASE don't feel obligated)! I've been surprised how quickly i'm going thru stuff! 

competiție poezie (poetry competition)

Poetry is a BIG deal in Moldova...and memorizing it means receiving a certificate! ...Only about half of my students show up to my health class (including all of the judges), but when it comes to poetry memorization and recitation, it's ON!

real life for realz maple syrup!!

There is NO maple syrup (or even fake maple syrup) in Moldova! NONE! AT ALL! ANYWHERE!...til i found this grocery store! The one on the right is 100% Maple Syrup from Canada (so it says) and the other also seems like it's pure maple syrup, but i can't read Russian, so who knows? But regardless...there is at least 1 maple syrup in Moldova, and i found it!!! YAY! ...I didn't buy it tho, cuz 1) it's too expensive and 2) i'm waiting til i get home to revel in all the things (foods) i don't get here (or at least not supposed to!). 

A Lovely Sunday

Today was a hot, sunny day. I decided to take advantage of the dry weather and go for a walk.

When I visited my site last July, Ryan (the PCV I was replacing) and I walked to this really pretty scenic viewpoint. I've tried to find it, without success. However, today I think I found it. I'm not sure it is the exact spot because everything looks so much different now due to the rains. Either way, it was a splendid view.

It actually stayed sunny and dry all day today, which is unusual. I made pancakes, read, worked on a couple things for school and did some weeding in my garden. It was a lovely Sunday.

care packages!!

When i went to training in Chișinău last week, i was welcomed with 3 care packages!!! I wasn't able to get pictures of all of them since space was limited and i needed to pack it all into my backpack and pungă (Moldovan carry-all bag), but below is one from Dr.J!! It's PERFECT! It was full of super terrific toiletries (like Hempz and Philosophy), hair ties, chapsticks, body/face wipes (which i use waaaaay more than i ever thought i would when i first arrived in Moldova...they basically replace bucket bathing...ya), lotions, and even a mini brush, which i have been needing so i can stop taking my big brush with me whenever leave site! And look at that cute polar bears card...it's hanging on my closet door with my other cards, making a pretty cool collage to look at everyday! Thanks Dr.J!!! 

I also received a package from John and Kathy Copeland! It was full of all kinds of neat stuff (& candy) from Japan (which i shared with the other ravenous PCVs), chapsticks, beanie, gloves, scarf, and other odds and ends...all of which i appreciate with all my heart!! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!! (Sorry no picture :o[)

...and then there was even this package...sigh...where do i even begin...? Well, here in Moldova, instead of Secret Santa for only the month of December, we do Winter Wizards from December 1 - February 28. I signed up to be one, which means i also received one. Similar to Secret Santa, we don't know who our own Winter Wizards are. The 1st time i heard from my Winter Wizard was 3 weeks after Winter Wizard announcements, right before i left for Turkey, s/he left a 3-pack of hair ties(?)/elastic bracelets(?) in my PC mailbox. The 2nd time i heard from her/him was when i got back from Turkey, and s/he left a chocolate bar and mints in my mailbox (which i appreciated :o])...then when i arrived back in Chișinău for training, there was this...the above package...it's wrapped so nice! I was so excited to open it! So i did...and behold, 2 shirts from Loot-Me! (Background: Loot-Me is a closet-like space where PCVs bring their unwanted stuff and other PCVs take it...hence the term "Loot-Me".) I just started laughing. That's the most obvious re-gifting i have ever seen! ...So, if nothing else, at least my Winter Wizard caused me to laugh in confusion. ;op

Apparently it's still Christmas in Chișinău

I came across this cute Christmas tree with a Mr. & Mrs. Snowman during training in Chișinău last week...it was the last week of ianuarie (January). If you look closely, you can see me standing between Mr. & Mrs. Snowman ;o]

biscuit (cookie/wafer thingy)

If there is one thing Moldovans love, it's sweets! So far i haven't liked any of the ones i've tried enough to go out and buy them. One of the most popular sweets people eat are wafer-like cookies. They're OK...until i discovered the one below in Mama-G's bomboane (candy)/biscuiți (cookies) jar! It was a wafer-like cookie covered in dark chocolate (dark chocolate is more common here than milk chocolate...as it should be everywhere!) and was pretty delicious! I only took a picture of the wrapper cuz it's so darn cute! 

...Supposedly there are wild foxes in Moldova...the only wildlife i have seen (besides birds) have been 3 red squirrels...maybe they were all the same squirrel i saw 3 times, who knows...