The Maldives - Elephant Alert! Elphant Alert! Elephant Alert!

I think I just saw an elephant on the beach in Holhudhoo!

Yup.... there it was! I'm sure of it.... just splashing in the surf..... or was it really something else?

Maybe it's that....
I've gotten way too much sun.....
Or maybe ...... it's
The insufferable humidity has gotten to me.....
Or even could it be....
Eating way too much tuna here in Holhudhoo....
Possibly.......
Too much time spent blogging?.... No, that's not it!

Whatever it is......

When I think I'm seeing elephants in the Maldives.... I think it is  time for a change of venue!

The real thing within an artificial setting

Following my demonstration with a 10th grade English class at Meynaa School, Anil taught the next class - using the same instructional strategies I'd just taught.

Following the two weeks of professional development workshops I conducted, the school's administration asked me to conduct a series of demonstration lessons that would then give the expat Indian English teachers, an opportunity to actually practice, in a classroom setting,  the strategies I'd taught them.

Island life, business, offices, and so forth



One of the three restaurants on Holhudhoo Island.




In addition to the regular meals served at the restaurants, these little snacks are always available.  Often taken with tea in the afternoon, they are delicious!  Some are like little sandwiches, others coconut based, some taste like pizza, and others fish.




Boat building and repair is one of the few industries on the island.



Here's the drug store.... usually opens about 6 p.m.  However the pharmacist is great... I needed contact lens cleaner and he did not have it available.  So he special ordered it for me from the capital.



The two story blue building is the island's indoor sports center.  Directly in front of the sport's center is one of the island's mosques.



The inside of the sport's center.



The island's administrative office.




The diesel powered electric power plant.




The island's cemetery. 



Fishing is both an industry in the Maldives as well as a sport.

Lots of little stores can be found on the island.  This one is selling mainly clothing.

Theses are almost like convenience stores, carrying a little bit of everything... bottled water, stationary, canned foods, soap, snacks....

A few of the little stores also carry fresh fruits (apples and oranges) and vegetables (potatoes, carrots, and onions).

I think I've counted three trucks on the island.  Few motorcycles and the health center has an ambulance.  One can pretty much walk along any street on the island and not worry about traffic.

The island's streets are made of a fine sand and  ground corral mixture.  When it rains, water often stands in the street.... eventually seeping down to help replenish the somewhat salty underground fresh water reservoir.

Many of the houses have large plastic containers for storing rain water.  This is the water that people rely heavily upon for their source of drinking water.

Crows are everywhere on the island.  I've not been able to get a photo yet of the huge flying bats.  Actually, the bats are larger than the crows!

Children's play ground area.



The island has a health center with one doctor.




Rajan is the health center's lab technician.



Eyes on Me!



Rules and procedures are important in the classroom.  They provide students with the structures they want and need to learn.

Here is a fantastic classroom procedure, which helps the teacher quickly gain students' attention, therein maximizing on task behavior as well as instructional time.


The phrase "Eyes on Me" when stated by the teacher, means students are to stop immediately what they are doing and focus their attention on the teacher.

Having gained the students' attention, the teacher can now check for understanding, provide additional directions, reteach a concept if necessary..... the lesson continues to flow with little to no wasted time.

Three simple words..... yet very powerful when used in the classroom!



Colour my house.....

The colors of simplicity...



Yellow for the sun, blue for the sea and pink for .....





The color of the horizon... blue on blue





Green for peace, white for the clouds, and pink for the sunrise.



Brightly and vividly for creativity....preschool gate.

 


Colour my house the colors of the rainbow, then let me sit and relax!



And colour my floating house.... the colours of the sunrise on the sea...



Spectacular views from Hulhudhoo Island!

A picture is worth a thousand words....



Notice all the little islands way off in the distance?