Travels with my Angst

I’ve been here at the new school, Singapore National Academy, for a little less than two months.

Teachers come from Singapore,China,Britain,Australia,Indonesia and Canada. The curriculum is Singoporean. For the most part it works.

The students come from a rarified and isolated upper-middle class. Their parents want the best for them, but the need for high marks is often contrary to the need to realistically assess ability and direct energy. Students need to be more focused on skills development,not only on grade-attainment.

Things are not all bad.
In general the staff and teachers are easy to get along with and I like most of my students.
We’re just finishing the second term. One more week and then exams. My big concern is how well I’ve prepared my students. I’ve seen improvement in some, both academically and behavior-wise. It’ll be interesting to see how the year plays out.

Family is well.
All the best,Wayne,Emily and Wyatt

September has come to Surabaya.

Not the bracing chill of autumn,but the pressing heat of the late dry season.

I miss seasons.

I was just remembering how beautiful autumn could be. I look forward to rediscovering the colors and smells of a September morning. I’ve told Emily, the kids and my students about the long walks.

How difficult to communicate the long moments spent admiring the golds, reds and greens and browns. To feel the last warmth of the year on your face.

To stare unashamedly into clear autumn skies. To breathe deep of the cooling breeze. To taste greedily of the clean air.

How to explain looking up at the sky and knowing that this brief, transitory experience has to be embraced and then tucked safely away as winter’s approach is heralded in the ever-darkening skies.