Monday Morning - 3rd week in

Shelley and I had a lazy and busy weekend. We worked out Saturday morning and then lazed around until 3 and headed over to Sunway Pyramid for supper and pick up some grocery items. We were going to go to the show but the lineup for tickets was just way too long. Oh yes, Shelley got a new phone, this time a semi smart phone with a touch screen.

On Sunday, I went into Taylors as I had to do some Onsis work. I ended up spending the whole day there. Shelley took Sunday to learn her phone, import her contacts and start organizing the hundreds of photos she has taken.

This is a short week for us as we head out early Friday morning for Couching in Sarawak on the island of Borneo.

TTYL,

Jim

TGIF

It is finally Friday! This is our first full week and I must admit I am looking forward to sleeping in Saturday morning. Last Saturday we were up early as we had to give a PD session to 180 Malaysian teachers at the Taylor's Lakeside Campus. This weekend is totally unplanned except for the sleeping in on Saturday, followed by a workout in the gym.

It will also be a good time to go over long and short term planning for our courses now that class enrolments have settled down and we have an idea what we can hope to accomplish.  I have good students, but there are still 25 of them.  I am also missing 2 workstations at the moment which reminds me I have to put in a request to It to have them installed.

Next weekend Shelley and I are involved in the annual Taylor's vacation trip to Couching in Sarawak. We fly there, stay for 2 nights, get fed, and sightsee all for $200 ringgits. It is really nice that Taylors puts these staff vacations on each summer. I hope they have internet in teh hotel. I will have to check. The only downside is we have to be at the airport at 5 am! However we do get Friday off school.

TTYL,

Jim

34 Students :-)

I now have the largest class in the school with 34 students. I really have to learn to say no, but it is hard when they want to be in your class. Good thing the research shows that class size has very little impact on student performance.

The only classes over 30 are the 3 Computer Science classes. The students seem to be really enjoying the course and that is all good.

Tonight is my workout night and I really look forward to those nights. I am getting in really good shape and the more I run, the more weight I lose and the easier it is to run. I am also getting much stronger as well. I am currently at 196 lbs down from 220, eight weeks ago :-)

TTYL,

Jim

The First Real Week of Classes

This is it. Registration, add/drops, ice breaking, and meet/greet the students is over and into the curriculum we go. All 3 Computer Science classes are still at 32 so we are at capacity with other students waiting to get in.  Nice problem to have.

I am back into my routine of working out every second day. Shelley has been bad and has yet to make the trek up the road to the fitness centre so a little encouragement will be necessary.

TTYL,

Jim

The First Week has come and gone!

All in all, a great week. I have 32 students in my class and they are a wonderful mix. Lots of girls this term for some reason. Tomorrow is the big PDday for 180 Malaysian teachers that I have been planning. I think I finally have evrything nailed down and it has not been easy :-(

My session (which gets repeated 6 times is on Gen Y students and how to motivate them. I have done this workshop for the past 3 years so it is pretty easy for me. I may even take along a Gen Y student as a visual aid :-)

Sunday is a get together for all the newby teachers who live at Boulevard. It should be fun, but after Saturday, I would probably just want to rest and go for a workout.  Maybe I will duck out early.

That's it for news, weather is same as always,

TTYL,

Jim

Thursday, day 3 into a new semester

Computer Science class sizes have ballooned. We now have 3 sections of ICS4U with 32, 32, and 31 students. I guess we are doing a good job and students do talk. However, if you have ever taught CS then you know that anything over about 25 students is really difficult unless you really know the programming environment you are teaching with. I feel sorry for my teaching partner as he is just learning Adobe Flex and Actionscript 3.0. He seems quite flexible though so I hope he survives.

Other than that, not much happening as Shelley and I are just about over our jet lag. This Saturday I and 5 other teachers are providing workshops for 180 Malaysian high school teachers at Taylors Lakeside Campus. It could turn into anorganizational nightmare but hopefully not.

I will let you know how it went,

TTYL,

Jim

First Day of School

This is the first day of school but only for the new students. Enrolment is at its highest in the past 10 years. Tomorrow, actual classes commence for new and returning students. Computer Science enrolment is up and there are 3 sections with 29,29, and 30 students in a class.  That makes for one busy class in CS!!! I will survive but the rookie new teacher will find it difficult.

I am still a bit jet lagged as I woke up at 1 and 4pm last night.  Therefore I am a little sleepy at this moment.

Today is also a workout day and getting there will be tough. best to do it right after the van drops me off.

That's it for now,

TTYL

Back Home in Malaysia :-)

We arrived back about 8 ish on Saturday night.  We were on the same flight as Pam and Steve as well as Lindsay. It was great to see everyone altough we all looked like we had been sitting in an airplane seat for 24+ hours. The good news is I actually drifted off for an hour on the Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur leg.  I was in bed by 10 ish and woke up at 1:30, 4:00 (coffee and toast), and eventually got out of bed for good at 6:30 am (coffee and toast again).

I am going into Taylors for about 10 am to meet with Rowena re the scheduling. Apparently our enrolment is up again. I like to think it is because we have a great staff and program. In the internet age, it is much easier for 'word of mouth' (text of fingers?) to get around.

Both Shelley and I are looking forward to getting into our routines of teaching and working out. Eight more pounds and I will be back to my university football playing weight of 190 lbs.  It's all good from here on in ...

TTYL,

Jim

16 Hours until we fly.

It won't be long now until we board and start the journey back to our second home.  I am packed already. I never like leaving the packing to the last minute and being rushed. I have more 'stuff' going back because I had to buy new clothes as I have lost about 20 lbs over the last month.  Mostly working out, running, and eating half what I normally eat.  The running is getting much easier now so I will probably drop another 9 lbs which will put me at my football playing weight of 190 lbs. I will be happy to stay there :-)

Shelley, jaime, Jordan, and Lauren are visiting my Mother this pm. I plan on taking one last motorcycle ride and will go visit her by myself tonight. We also have a barbecue dinner planned for 3 pm which is just before Jordan has to drop Lauren off at the airport for 4:30 pm. She has to fly back to Vancouver as she works this weekend.  It has been fun to have her visit for the past 5 days.

Jordan will prep my motorcycle for the year when he leaves at the end of the month because he plans to use it while he is here for the rest of July.  That saves me doing it, although it does not take long.  The less it sits the better.

It has been 35 degrees all week so Shelley and I will feel comfortable slipping back into Malaysian weather.

It has been a blast seeing everyone!  The invitation is always open to anyone who wants to come visit. The longer the better :-)

TTYL,

Jim

3 Days and we board ...

It's Tuesday, our last one in Canada,  already and we still have dinners to attend and people to see. It will be nice to get back to our daily routine in Malaysia. Up at 5:30, coffee and peanut butter toast for 30 minutes; 1 hour to shower and get dressed; and then downstairs for our van ride to Taylor's. Sounds kind of boring, but it is far from boring.

300 new minds to warp (sorry, educate :-)), and 10 new rookies (teachers) to break in. We also have a new vice-principal that we will be kind and gentle with (maybe).

Apparently registration has gone much better than we anticipated and there could be problems with scheduling of teachers as we try to juggle our teachers and classes to meet the needs of our students. I will find out Sunday if I manage to stay awake (jet lag).

It will be great to see the students I taught last semester. They grow and mature so fast at CPU and it's wonderful to see them become more confident and outgoing.

I really should go and get a new science fantasy book to get me through the witching hour of the 14 hour flight from Toronto to Himg Kong. That is the time period from 7 pm  to midnight that usually occurs about 6 hours into the flight after I have watched 3 movies. I can usually drift off to semi sleep after midnight and before you know it, they are serving breakfast and we are landing.

I am enjoying my last few days in Canada,

TTYL,

Jim

5 days until I head Back :-)

Wow, 5 more days and we will be boarding the plane out of Ottawa into Toronto. Then comes the iron butt 14 hour into Hong Kong. Four hours later and we are back in KL. Then comes 2-3 days of jet lag and we are right back into teaching.

I always find the first week of school so exciting. New minds to explore and personalities to understand. We also have 10 new teachers on staff who will need to be mentored and most of them are in my department.  It should be a busy first month.

I hope the initial scheduling is solid and there is only a little fine tuning to do on Sunday. I am not quite sure how long I will last. Lots of caffeine may help somewhat.

Shelley and I are also in our new condo and we are finally done with our old landlord. I can hardly wait until she finds out we owe her money. I just may make her wait as long as she made us wait for the air cons to be fixed.

Tomorrow is Sunday and we are off to see Father Tom and say goodbye again for another year. We saw him last Sunday and we hope to convince him to come visit us for a month next year when he retires.

Monday is dinner at my sister Ann's place on a lake in the woods. It is always a pleasant time and is quite peaceful.

Tuesday is back to the optometrist to pick up my new reading glasses and then Wednesday is a little bit more shopping. Thursday is packing and goodbye's all around. I will visit my mom on Tuesday and Thursday as well.

Lauren, Jordan's girlfriend just flew in from Vancouver and it was a real surprise for Jordan. Hopefully he was behaving himself at the keg party he was at!

I also hope to see John McGrath on Thursday night before we head out.

That is just about it for now,

TTYL,

Jim

Friday, July 2nd

We have one week left in Canada.  The time is flying by, but the good news is that Shelley and I have pretty well managed to get everything done that was necessary to do.

Today I went shopping and picked up new running shoes, 4 new shirts, and 2 new belts. That just leaves some pants and regular shoes to purchase.  Good thing I arrived with a half full suitcase.

We have about 2 more dinner dates and then we are home free to do whatever we want.  The weather is warming up to the low 30's with some humidity over the next few days.  That should acclimatize us for our return back to Malaysia. It should be interesting to hear everyone complain about the heat here, except for us :-)

We fly out eary Friday am, July 8th and arrive in KL at 6:30 pm the next day due to the date change. I work Sunday as the admin staff has to finalize the class and teaching schedules.

TTYL,

Jim

Canada Day - July 1st 2010

It is Canada Day today and so far it has been very quiet.  I had a meeting with Brent this morning and Shelley and I are going to Rheal's for a pool party. Probably too cool for the pool as it is in the low 20's but sunny.

The one thing we won't be doing is heading downtown for the Canada Day celebration on Parliament Hill. It is mostly tourists that do that as 'seen it, done it, before, and don't like the crowds!'

Jordan has planned a garage party and is having about 6 buddies over for a barbecue and game console night.

TTYL,

Jim