So I (Jamie) am into my second full week of school, so I thought I would write a post about my 2nd grade class.  I have 27, yes 27 that is not a mistake, lovely 2nd graders from 9 different countries.  Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Belgium, Somalia, America, Canada, India, and South Africa. Well I say 9, but the actual number can change depending on what method you are using to determine it.  If you ask the students where they are from it is 9 different countries.  If you look at their citizenship it is 8 different countries.  If you base it on where both of their parents are from, their accent, and they way they look the number is a bit higher.  An example would be a Kenyan with a british accent that comes from Somalia, or an Australian born South African that comes from Canada.  You get the point, it can get confusing, but the bottom line is that it is an incredible experience to teach a variety of children from such diverse backgrounds.  The accents and cultures of these students are amazing and the experiences they have had at such a young age are inspiring.  Some students, at the age of 7, have already seen more of the world than I will probably ever be fortunate enough to see.  So this year I will be teaching them but I hope and expect that they will be teaching me as well.  One of my favorite experiences so far is of a young girl (who shall remain nameless) on the first day of school.  I asked her where she was from and she said that she was Kenyan.  I was a bit surprised because by looking at her and listening to her speech she was obviously Indian.  When she saw the look of confusion on my face she said, “Well, I am a Kenyan of Indian origin.”  That probably doesn’t have the same effect when read, but if typing could capture the same accent and fluctuation of voice as this precocious (in a good way) 7 year-old Indian girl when she said it, you would love it.  In my mind it set the tone for the entire year, and it is going to be a good year.