First day of school

Today was my first day of school. First day substitute teaching at Dalat, that is.

This is what I did for 2 hours:



I 'supervised' an e-learning online class. Meaning, I sat there to make sure students weren't on facebook or using their I-Pads. Yes, I said I-pads...every high school student at this school has one.

Dalat International School is a Christian institution that was started by the CMA church back in 1929 (I used my time during the class to brush up on the school's history) in Dalat, Vietnam. When Saigon fell they got kicked out and moved to Bangkok, then to the Cameron Highlands (mainland Malaysia), and finally to Penang in the 1970's. Since then they've rented a primo piece of property, right on the beach in Tanjung Bungah, under the shadows of the Paradise Hotel. They've made quite a name for themselves in the region, and it is a popular place for missionaries in Asia to send their kids to school (they also board students). It's also part of the reason why there are so many expat and missionaries families working here in Penang.

The school follows an American curriculum and calendar. All of the teachers (with the exception of those teaching modern language like Malay or Mandarin) are Western, they play Western sports, have prom, and even have American Boy and Girl Scout Troops (though I don't think they the sell cookies here, unfortunately). It's pretty much a little slice of America on the beach in Malaysia.

I'm substitute teaching here for the experience. Hopefully it will get better than just sitting at the back of a computer lab!