10.02.07 A Productive Week

Hello all. I'm very excited, as I have loads of emails - lots of news from home. Thank you. I'll probably do replies next week but I thought I'd blog today. Then again, its not sunny at the moment, so I may just stay here. It costs about GBP1 per hour so, its an affordable luxury.

This week has been fantastic. I suppose this is Newsflash #2 of the week - I can teach, and I love it!

I get to school just before 7 in the morning. Class starts at 7. Miss M - no George, it is not me! - turned up on Weds morning and announced out of the blue she would be leaving at 8 hours (the local alternative to "o'clock") and wouldn't be back. She kindly left me her lesson prep for English, Maths and Science and disappeared at 7.45. I did have a few minutes of "oh gawd, what am I doing?" but then, in true Mendelsohn style, just got on with it. I LOVED IT!!! The kids were great, they all seem to understand my accent as long as I speak reasonably slowly - which I do anyway (people here finish my sentences too, its soooo annoying) - and it was such a productive morning. When they do exercises normally, Miss M writes them on the board and then goes out of the room. I walk round the classroom, checking what the kids are doing and making sure they answer the questions. A good half of the class only managed to copy the questions, and didn't understand what they are supposed to do. Well, they know now.

On Thursday, Miss M came over to me as class started at 7 and said she was leaving for the whole day as she had to go on a training course. Bye. Again, at least she left me with her workbooks, and away I went. I had the whole class to myself for 5 hours, and again, it was fabulous. I was doing long multiplication with them, and at first I forgot how to do it, but it soon came back. When I marked their work, I did check my answers were the same as Stephen's (the brightest kid), which fortunately they were. All of the Grade 6 teachers were on the same course, and one of the other volunteers was struggling a little with her class, so after break I went in and stamped my authority - well, shouted quite loudly at them for a good few minutes. That was on Thursday and they were quiet as mice for the rest of the morning and all Friday. Hee hee - I'm so mean!

By the time Friday morning came, I was ready to chuck Miss M out and get on with it myself, but we did quite a good double act. The only lesson I don't contribute to is the local language lesson, for obvious reasons, although they make me say some words and then laugh at my pronunciation. I made them learn to say my surname in revenge.

We did art again on Friday. This time I let them loose with the glitter. Most of them had not seen glitter before and some of the kids ended up covered in the stuff. I wonder what their parents thought when they went home. I have to say, to Miss M's credit, we absolutely trashed the classroom. It was covered in glue, paper, glitter, and mucky kids. The transport truck turned up early so I didn't have time to clear up before leaving. When I walked out the door I apologised to her and she just shrugged, and said it was OK, that was what art is about. We are warming to each other!! I think it helped that I bought her a set of pens on Wednesday to defrost her a bit. I was really disappointed that we can't stick the glitter covered animals on the walls as the church visitors (I don't understand what they have to do with it, but take it that they can interfere) will make us take them down. Another stunning coup for Christianity in Africa. Sorry.

I have also asked her if I can do a remedial reading group as there is about 1/4 of the class that can hardly read, which is a huge handicap to them in every lesson. While I was covering the kids and classroom in glitter and glue, she streamed the kids and now every Tuesday and Friday we are going to split the class, and I will take about 1/3 of them in a reading group. I'm teaching reading at the orphanage using phonics based materials, so I'm quite comfortable in doing it in the morning as well. It is a huge opportunity to really make a difference to these kids. I've also picked out a couple who can't really write and will keep them in for a few break times to practice writing.

Out of the 55 kids in my class, I have about 45 names programmed into my brain, and the rest are nearly there. There are some fantastic wee characters and as they are getting more used to me and my teaching style we are having fun. We practiced times tables the other day. Lots of the boys don't answer the questions so I took in a tennis ball, and threw it at the person who answered the first question correctly. After someone had answered the next question, I asked the person with the ball if they thought it was right, and if they did to throw the ball to the child who had just answered. That made all the boys pay attention and want to take part. I also did a quiz - they wanted boys v girls. The boys won by a big margin, so even though the girls take part more and there are more of them there is a significant number who are not engaged or are so far behind that they might as well not be there.

Talking of breaks, I practically have to push some of the kids out of the door at break time. They are so keen they want to carry on working, but I make them go out and run around to get some fresh air. I also need a few minutes break and some air, but some of them are so dead set on carrying on working that they won't budge.

By the time Friday evening arrived I was totally exhausted. I love being with the kids, but it does take a lot of mental and physical energy. I'd spent Thursday and Friday afternoons at the orphanage doing the reading club. It rained on Friday and it is quite bizarre to be inside and be rained on - the roof leaks terribly. There were some visitors from the organisation that runs the local feeding programme out of the community school, which is attached to the orphanage. They give the food to families that have girls at the school to encourage the education of girls. Is it good?

Anyway, I'm going to chill this weekend - I need to, I wake up in the mornings doing lessons in my head! I've had a coffee at Wonderbake this morning - a local cafe/bakery, and we'll head off to the hotel to lie in the non-existent sun in half an hour or so. Tonight we are going to the only seafood restaurant in town. Amazingly, to me at least, it is possible to get fed up of veggies and rice. I buy tins of tuna as well, but haven't succumbed to eating mammals. There are 2 lapsed veggies in the group - it is hard not being in control of what you are eating.

That's all for now. Keep emailing.