Getting caught up!

My goal on this post is to get caught up on the days I was either too tired or too tired (LOL, sorry) to post while I was in Tbilisi. I've posted about our adventure on Monday and now on to the rest of the week. Tuesday started with a meeting the purpose of which was to explain the Georgian system of education. In a nutshell, they have a fairly centralized education system where the Ministry of Education and Science has the final say in all important decisions as well as some mid-level decisions. (*note - I have since found out that principals do have a certain degree of autonomy in their schools) 

We left this meeting and went to visit our first school. This was Tbilisi Public School #165. It serves grades 1 - 12 in one building. As we entered the school we were greeted by this pair. Little did we know how important they were going to be to our day!!

We went throughout the school, observing classes in every grade. As we entered each room the students stood and, in their finest English, said "Good Morning" and "Welcome". Delightful! After a while we went into a meeting room where we were able to visit with some of the grade 10, 11 and 12 students who were eager to answer our questions about the school and ask questions of their own. 

After a while of visiting with the students we were directed down to the school's small stage. We actually sat on the stage because the performance we were about to see needed the extra floor space. Boy - were we in for a treat! The PS #165 is home to a very well known traditional dance troop that performs all over Georgia and the region. They had just returned from a performance in Egypt and were back in time to treat us to their talent. 

These are super talented young people and one of the other teachers recorded portions of their dances. You can see the traditional wedding dance here: https://vimeo.com/122453805  and you can see the other traditional men's dance here: https://vimeo.com/122482849  Both videos are simply wonderful, so please take the time to show them in class!

Afterward I got to visit with students in the 11th and 12th grade English classes. They had all sorts of wonderful questions about American schools. I was so impressed with how well they all speak English and how much they practice with each other. 

When I showed them the class photos I took of you guys before I left they all smiled and said, basically - "WOW, your students look just like us!" 

We left the school and were off to a panel discussion with Georgian educators at the American Corner office nearest to us. This meeting was quite informative and they answered all our questions freely about the positive and negative aspects of the Georgian education system and some of the plans the Ministry has for the future.

On Wednesday morning we were off early to visit a private school. It is the Georgian - British School and it's interesting. The Georgian students who attend are on one track and the British and other foreign nationals are on the British track. This school is also serves grades 1 - 12 and we saw some really cute classes. At the end of our visit I had the BEST conversation with 4 young ladies in the 6th grade. Their English is so good and they are so poised and confident, I was impressed and delighted to spend time with them.

After the school we were off to the US Embassy where we met with the folks who promote teaching English in the schools, offer exchange programs and other types of activities. We got a surprise visit from Ambassador Nolan, who congratulated us on being in Georgia and who reminded us that we were better Ambassadors than him because we would be making memories with Georgian people. 

After the embassy we had a quick lunch and then we were off to the Ministry of Education and Science for a meeting to update us on future plans that have been developed for continued progress within the Georgian education system. After that, one last presentation and last round of questions before our travel day on Thursday.

I really have only a few photos from Thursday. After we arrived in Kutaisi we were led on a brief tour of the area where we're staying. It was a simply beautiful afternoon; sunny and cool - perfect for a nice, long walk.

The local fellow above was very nice to let me sit beside him for a photo - LOL. That's all until tomorrow!