Are there a lot of teachers your age at the school?
The teaching staff at Woodstock is quite varied. About half of the staff comes from South Asia and the rest come from all over the world. There is also a good variety of ages and experiences. We have been able to start some good friendships with teachers our age that have been here for only a year or less. But we've also been able to get to know some older staff members that have been here for a decade or more. It has been a great experience to meet teachers from all over the world, too.
Is there anything you're missing that cannot be found where you're living?
We've been surprised at how much stuff is available if you are willing to pay for it. If you want crunchy Skippy peanut butter, it can be had but it is expensive. We've been able to make do with most of the things here. One thing that has been difficult to match is the food back in the states. It is next to impossible to get any beef here (though there are shady ways to procure comparable buffalo meat). Most of our meat is chicken and mutton and, occasionally, pork. We were able to find mozzarella sticks in Dehradun this weekend, but a nice Giordano's pizza would be a welcome break from the rice and dal that we are served most days at lunch.
What grades are you guys teaching?
We are both teaching in the middle school. Beth is teaching English (imagine that) to the seventh and eighth graders. She is also doing art for both of those grades. Dave is teaching social studies to all three middle school grades. In addition, we have an advisor group (like a homeroom) of ten sixth grade students that we take care of.
How long is the school day?
The academic day here at Woodstock is comparable to a school in the US. We start school every day at 8:30am. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we have 5 class periods of 65 minutes. On Tuesday and Thursday we have 7 class periods of 40 minutes. The schedule is different every day, so it has taken some getting used to, but the end of classes comes at 3:30 each afternoon. The days seem very long because we usually have after school clubs, sports, meetings, or other activities when the day is done. We usually don't make it home until about 5:00 or 5:30pm. We've had a lot of busy weeks.
Do you guys teach year round?
Our school year is very long by American standards, but that is mainly because of our extra long winter holidays. At a boarding school it is important to give students enough time to travel home (whether it's India, Nepal, Korea, or anywhere else) over holidays. School started the first week of August and we go until the middle of June, but we get almost 6 weeks off in December and January. We are planning on coming back to the midwest during that time to visit.
Why did you eat Chinese food your first night?
Because it was there.
Why did your maid make lasagna?
Our aya has worked for a lot of western families over the years so she is adept at making a lot of western dishes. She has proven to be an excellent cook and we usually just have her make whatever she feels like.
What kind of student do you work with?
The student body at Woodstock is split, more or less, into thirds. About a third of the students come from India, a third come from the rest of Asia, and the final third come from the rest of the world. This helps to give a truly international flavor to the school. Woodstock began as a boarding school for missionary kids whose parents were working in south Asia. Today, there are still some students whose parents are serving in India, but most of the kids' families pay full tuition rates...which are pretty expensive. So some of our students are quite wealthy. It has been an adjustment switching from poorer students on the south side of Chicago to wealthy students in northern India, but we are managing.
How's the weather in India?
So far, the weather here in Mussoorie has been rainy and damp. The monsoons are just about completely over, so we're looking forward to more pleasant weather. In the plains of India, it is hot and humid. We experienced some of that when we flew in to Delhi and when we went to Agra this past weekend. We are thankful that we are up in the hills and will have some relief from the heat. They tell us that it even snows once or twice a winter in Mussoorie (nothing like Chicago or Michigan snows, though).
Hopefully, that gave you a little more insight into what our life is like here. If you have more questions, let us know.
Dave and Beth
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