Academic Competitions

Teachers do a lot in Mongolia, there’s no doubt about that. In addition to the paperwork, lesson planning, and classroom instruction, teachers are expected to take part in various competitions. Victory can mean great prestige and rewards from your school, while defeat can raise questions about your effectiveness on the job. In the fall, there […]

Sports Competitions

Competitions are serious business here in Mongolia. Teachers take off days, sometimes weeks, to compete in a plethora of competitions. Today, let’s talk about the sport variety. For some reason, October seems to be packed with competitions. While I cannot discern if there is an official competition season (aside form the Olympic tests in March/April), […]

First Day of School

September first is a national holiday in Mongolia: It commemorates the first day of school for children across the nation. Everyone gets dressed up, comes to school with their parents, and meets their teachers in order to usher in the new academic year. If it falls on the weekend, everyone still meets. This year, it […]

Bell Day

The school year has come to a close at my school, and with it, the graduation ceremony, or Bell Day, as it is known. The graduating classes gather in the auditorium to listen to speeches, receives awards, listen to musical performances, and receive their graduation papers. The graduation papers, the equivalent of our diploma, looks […]

Parent Teacher Extravaganza

When my supervisor told me about the parent/teacher conference that was going to happen at my school, I mistakingly thought it would just be a large meeting of parents and teachers. I should have known that I can’t expect things like that out here. She informed me that because we have so many students and […]

Managing Expectations

Teacher’s Day is a particularly popular holiday for teachers. It usually includes a multitude of events culminating in a large party where teachers gather together to celebrate their hard work. One of the events leading up to the big celebration is a day when 11th grade students take over teaching responsibilities for teachers. In my […]

Conjunction Junction

Since I mistakingly overlooked World Teacher’s Day, I thought I would remedy such oversight with a post on what it is I do exactly. I’m labelled a “Teacher Trainer” with the Peace Corps. This means I work with teachers to improve methodology, English speaking and writing ability, and to help them come up with more […]