My first week of classes

 

Classes started Monday but there was still a ton of administrative tasks that needed to be accomplished to it was pretty hectic here. I think the major lesson I learned this week is to be flexible, creative and that it is easy to squeeze a lot of running around in the 15 minute breaks the students have. Need to check out 5o textbooks for 6 different grades in 15 minutes? No problem. Send out my intern minions to run around and collect the students, lecture them not to write or tear their books, get them to sign out there books and bam, done. On the other hand figuring out which students get books, who is going to pay and how we are going to manage the process of who gets loaned books and who have to buy them, that has taken several long conversations here, with the director in the States, a 5 tab spreadsheet and many emails and we still do not really have a solution. Overall it seems finding and agreeing and truly understanding what a new process will be is long and arduous. But once a decision is made, actually executing it has gone really well. Students come running when beckoned and seem to really understand what their roles and their responsibilities are.

The pretty view from the roof - the one place I get cell reception

The not pretty view from the roof, trash pile burned weekly

                                                     

So I am helping with the stage 4, 5, 6 classes helping the students that have fallen way behind in English, particularly reading. All the students here grow up speaking Ewe, but in school they also take English and French. So a third of their classes are languages so it is understandable that some are having a hard time. It is especially hard because t school teacher all its classes in English. But some of the grade 5 students do not know the sounds of the letters, and have tenuous verbal comprehension. No doubt part of that is my accent. One outspoken student Prosper, who I really like, raised his hand to the other English teacher and said “please sir, but we do not understand what she says” and we had a discussion about accents and about how it is great if they do not understand me, ask questions and have me slow down or use different words.

So Tuesday, the first day of English classes I was supposed to be pulling students out individually to evaluate their levels of reading, writing and verbal skills. Instead, the full time English teacher was over an hour late so I just had to wing it for the whole class. We went over when to use this, that, those and these. “This is my chalk” “That is the school bus” “These are my fingers” “Those are the mango trees” Then I got a picture book from the library, had them pull around too read it out loud and then found the characters, setting, plot and resolution. It was a good class and they are a small and very enthusiastic bunch. Then when the teacher showed up he asked if I could teach the same lesson to 5 and 6. It was fine but frustrating since on this first day he is setting such a bad example of how to be a teacher. I wonder if it would be better for these classes if I just taught the whole class, at least I would show up on time and be prepared, or if it is even more imperative to help the ones that are struggling if they are so far behind and will get no help from the regular teacher.

School lunch: yams and spicy fish sauce

I do not want to bad mouth all the teachers here. Many are adored and looking over Sir Oliver’s lesson book and observing Mme. Joyce Lynne teach the parts of the plants, there are definitely teachers that care and doing a good job. I am now sitting in the library where teachers take their break periods and are often talking with students or grading papers. But there is also that element of teachers that feel they are untouchable and it is not a problem to show up super late or not at all and just cleave a room of 4^th graders to fend for themselves.

Other things that were fun this week included the beginning of the worship service with students singing hymns with a bass drum and snare drum being help by one boy and played by another. A teacher lead a congo line around the singing assembly for the inevitable group of young boys that seem incapable of sitting still for a whole hour. I also had some great, impromptu lessons. Like during break today, for some unknown reason about 10 first graders all came running into the library where I was working. I suspect either their teacher told them that the new white lady was going to be helping with library time, or they had seen me in there this week and plotted their attack. I am sitting in a corner of the room, laptop in my lap, and they simultaneously drag a folding metal chair and pull into such a tight circle around me I am pinned. Seriously, it was like they were following a battle plan. Once pinned, the outer circle of students came back with stacks of books they handed to me. For the 15 minutes of break time I read about Tonka cranes, a frog that doesn't like flies and a Ghanaian picture book of all things red. I think reading out loud to kids is close to my favorite activity with kids. Thanks Mom and Dad for spending gobs of hours reading to us.

These are the crazy first-graders

They love posing for pictures but love viewing and grabbing at the camera after even more

I also brought some of the pages if stickers that Vanessa donated for my trip and while grading the in-class exercise of the 6^th graders put them in the books of students that got 4/4 correct. Again, the idea of privacy is nonexistent so all the kids are huddled around looking while I grade people’s books and either give them a sticker or not. Then, some that did not get a sticker, went back, took a new age and re-did it correctly just so they would get a sticker that said WOW, or Awesome! Or Great Work! These were the same kids that were too cool for school the day before with 2-3 putting their heads on desks and sleeping while I did the oral reading activity. It is amazing how much just a little extra smile, wave, sticker, pen, really seems to make all the students light up. 

Friday is half a workday and this week they were taking kernels of tried stalks of corn

So tomorrow is my first day introducing a girls club. So far only three older girls have signed up, but maybe if I bring the sparkle stickers, I can get more to come. Glitter, glue sticks, stickers and are the magic of school

Mmm, fried dough and J.R.R Tolkein

Not related to school but more of a P.S. I am currently stuffed for the first time since here. While rarely hungry, getting food is a bit of a hassle and with the ants and lack of refrigeration I do not keep that much food around the house. It is also so hot I have not been having heavy meals. When I got back from the half mile of so walk back from town Eva, my roommate’s cousin asked me if I had been jogging since I was so sweaty. Anyways I went to buy some phone credits and bought these little fried cracker things. Then I got home where Vivian was cooking dinner. After my little snack I come out and there is a massive plate of white rice with a tomato sauce topped with a huge pile of spaghetti (or macaron as they call pasta) and more sauce.  This after a plate of rice with fishy tomato sauce for my lunch. The diet here seems to be about 85% starch, 10% red oil, 5% other. I think a salad will be my first American meal when I return.

A more detailed post on the girls club will be coming but here is the brainstorm about what to call the club.