I’ve never been locked out of my workplace before, at least not deliberately, by the administration, who blocked off most of and put a heavy chain through the handles of not one, but all the entryway doors in order to contain students today. This was done, of course, with no notification to teachers, and I happened to be getting lunch when they did it.
There were three other teachers with me, and we all found ourselves looking through the glass door at the Filipino office assistant on the other side who shrugged and said, “Padlocked, no key.” So we seated ourselves and talked about the possibility that we might not have to teach another class today. However, another of the Filipino assistants noticed our plight and pointed us to a back door leading through the biology lab. The guys there threatened to charge us admission fees, but we made it through their gauntlet and got back to work.
Why the extra levels of inmate containment? Not sure, but the kids are getting restless, and I guess the administration sensed the likelihood of a mass escape attempt was high. I say mass, because they constantly manage to squeeze out in small numbers one way or another. At lunch, they sneak over the fence or get out in some other creative fashion. By the way, it’s pretty funny to watch boys wearing what amounts to dresses making their way over walls, as I did a few days ago. Maybe the cause of the restlessness is the Al Ain vs. Manchester City expo game that’s going on now? Who knows.
Anyway, all told, it was just another day. They unchained the doors and released us all when the clock reached the proper hour.
The chain and padlock of which I speak, here shown after the throngs were released.
Vantage Points 
hahahaha. I’m still in the U.S. (will be in the UAE sometime next school year, hopefully August), and I could see something like this happening at my school — until someone pointed out that might be a problem during a fire drill.
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The notion of safety is taken seriously in the States, happily. You should witness a fire drill in these parts. Usually it involves a fire being built so kids can gather around and watch firefighters extinguish it.
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I guess it’s a good thing Abu Dhabi never has fires. A night club in Connecticut, destroyed many lives for chaining it’s doors to keep people from sneaking in. I know I’m a worst case scenario kind of gal, but this could be dangerous.
I’m glad you got to continue teaching. No breaks for the weary. I think they need to find a safer alternative, or make all the escapee’s write reports on the history of the sport they are sneaking out to see.
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Obviously, you’re correct, Heather. Of course there’s a huge courtyard and lots of open air, so there’d have to be a truly massive fire to actually toast our buns. Nonetheless, it’s a bit unnerving, even if there isn’t much risk.
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