friday

I was on my own again with the 19…all of the second grade homework came in to me. Some of the first grade did…but it is only week 1 so we’ll try again next week. The second grade work was pretty good too. As was (I think) the first that came in. spelling test was the first order of business. Trying to do 2 classes in one room and at the same time could work in many other circumstances but here—not so much. Concrete echoes and kids whose English isn’t up to differentiating which class I’m talking to makes for some very confused children and papers. One of my second graders had numbers 3-5 as the first grade words. Most of the first graders didn’t get what they were supposed to be doing in that I handed them a paper numbered one to five and then said #1. in, sounded it out, tried to get them to write it…many of them just wrote 1 1 1 (which is what they had been doing on their math sheets so they were in a way doing something correctly). So the spelling test is going to have to be rethought…

math

Our math curriculum covers calendar, weather, counting, patterns, time, and addition. So everyday we do a bit of all of that. Counting on a hundreds chart (rows of 10 up to one hundred) from a random starting point to another random ending point and then backwards…still having problems going backwards from the 40 to 39 (well all of the _0 to _9)…so we just keep repeating. Time has been just on the hour but we’re getting that pretty well. Addition started with the double facts (1+1, 2+2, etc) and then did the +1 facts (0+1, 2+1, etc). I made them flashcards to take home and practice—since there were only 5 students that wasn’t too difficult or time consuming. We’ve been doing flashcards in class…even when I think they know the answers they count it out on their fingers (which drives me crazy). Even the +1 problems get counted out. And they don’t count out the way that I learned and probably most of you did. They count out each number on the sections of their fingers on one hand. So one hand can add up to 14 (each finger being 3). So 8+5: they will start with their pinkie of the left hand and count to 8 (middle of middle finger) and then count out 5 (one of the thumb sections) and then they have to count all of the sections again continuously to get 13. it takes ages and I’m not sure whether to teach them a different way to count it out on their fingers or try to get them to memorize and already know the facts.

science

Each day we go over the calendar and then try to decide if it is hot, warm, cool, or cold. Early in the morning it is almost always cool but it heats up very quickly. I’m not really sure if they know the difference between the 4 heats so one morning I brought in ice, cool water and boiled water and we did a little feel test. They loved it, just putting their fingers in the waters but I still don’t really know if they got the concepts…it moved into our science lesson on the 5 senses and more in depth on touch…brought in different items for them to feel without seeing to see if they could describe the objects and then tell me what they were. I think it was too easy as they gave me the name of the object without any descriptions but it was fun.

language skills

We’d been working on these language review sheets. 4 short questions that they have to answer and it gives you an idea of concepts to work more in depth on. One of the problems is Fix the sentence. And there is a sentence written that needs to be corrected:
the cat play with the ball
(needs capital letter and period at the end). And when they see it they don’t seem to know what to do with it. but when you ask, what does a sentence start with? They respond with a capital letter…and what do you put at the end of a sentence? A dot. Yes, a period. We’ve done one of these everyday since Wednesday of week one and they still don’t work on their own…I just keep telling myself it is early yet…

monday

Willeke was driving again today so I had the two grades…and of course all of the kids were there. Loud crazy day but we made it through. I asked my assistant to give the second grade a spelling pretest to see if they knew the words (-ck words). If they know them all we can skip them and continue on. When I walked in to check on them he was doing the wrong lesson! So I corrected that and then left again to keep 1st grade on task (as if that was possible). I went back in a little later and he had written the words on the board—WHAT??—when I asked he said that it is no problem, he erases the word and then has the kids spell it when he says it. oh dear. But then as it turns out I don’t think it made much of a difference to the tests as we definitely need to do this week’s lesson.

The other new thing we gave them were homework packets…ahh remember the days when you were excited to get homework because it meant you were growing up! When I passed it out I had to explain what was in it…a letter for the parents (explanation of this packet and future ones), a bible verse to be memorized (this week is Genesis 1:1—read the creation story for our bible time this morning), the list of spelling words, and math worksheets that correspond each day to the worksheets we’ll be doing in class. all to be turned in on Friday…we’ll see how that goes…

weekend lake

Rushed home in order to have lunch and jump on a minibus for the lake. Isabelle (works in the eye hospital) was doing follow-ups after cataract surgery in salima and staying in senga bay…we planned on spending the weekend there (she worked Friday and Saturday) and all driving back together on Sunday as she had a vehicle. No problem getting there—made very good time for public transport. Immediately into the lake to make sure we knew we had made it…beautiful. Great dinner of Kampango (fish) and garlic potatoes.

Up early for the sunrise (as always when camping, and going to bed so early it isn’t hard to get up that early). Said bye to isabelle on her way to finish her follow-ups and spent the day lounging. It was very windy all day and the lake was so rough it looked like being at the ocean and felt like it when in the water (other than it wasn’t salt water at all). it was hard to get out of the water—current trying to keep you in…then we found out that Isabelle had broken down on her way back. She had to wait (almost 5 hours) for a driver from Nkhoma to find out that the problem (timing belt came off) couldn’t be fixed right there and they were going to have to tow it back to Lilongwe. Which they decided to do that night. She came back to pick up her stuff and I decided to return with her as that would be much more pleasant than going back in the dark by herself. (I’m assuming that my company was agreeable). Back to the broken vehicle where the hospital driver attached the ropes and off we went. Had to keep alert to navigate the car and apply the brakes so as not to ram our tow but other than that it was not really a stimulating drive. We enjoyed ourselves with stories and music and random observations and made it back in good time as there aren’t usually many people on the roads after dark.

So while my weekend at the lake was cut short I had a relaxing Sunday in Nkhoma. The rest of the crew had spent Sunday morning on the beach and then come back…most of them sunburned, so I considered myself lucky for coming back early.

friday

Rumor had it that it was a public holiday…and it turned out that it was at least for everyone other than Ebenezer…the end of Ramadan (Eid—I think) is a public holiday in Malawi but as it depends on the moon it wasn’t announced until Thursday afternoon. We went to school (I’ll admit I was hoping the kids wouldn’t show up because that would be the only way we’d have gotten dismissed by our principal). As it was Friday, Willeke was driving her older kids to school in town so I had the 1st and 2nd graders once again (why I was hoping for that holiday). As it turned out, I think about half the students came. At least I had 10 and by far the biggest class of the school. Spelling test, math, puzzles, break, story, art project (create a tree from cutting magazines and draw a boy—inspired by the book of the week), and music. Not a bad day though once again chaotic (I think this is my life)

week 1

Take that back…15 first grade and 4 second…but Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I had another teacher. Willeke took the first grade and asked if I would do the second grade at the back of the room. No problem…so the schedule: assembly with the whole school lined up on the concrete of the playground, then to our classrooms where we did a song, bible story, and calendar together. After that we did our separate things…spelling, math, language and it went ok but that classroom was so loud…even when they were listening to you and they were quiet the other grade was chanting or reciting…and with the concrete surroundings…well you can imagine. We let them go out for break and Willeke and I had a brainstorm of moving me into the last room of the second block which will be storage or admin or something but right now was an empty room with a chalkboard… perfect. So I moved my 4 students in there and was amazed at the difference…there were actually moments of quiet (granted not many but still)

Wednesday and Thursday went the same with the bible story and morning song together with first grade and then we went to our separate classroom and worked on our spelling (add, live, puff, well, doll, kiss, miss, will, you, egg) math (addition, days of the week, left and right) language (sentences, vocabulary) and reading. The last half hour of the day we would rejoin the first grade for a story…this week was The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (what I used to think was a very good, nice story but now see it as quite sad—boy taking taking taking and never giving back).

Wednesday afternoon we moved classes (again) the kindergarten and first grade made a switch. As the doorways were at opposite ends of the building and our door was right next to the kindergarten door we realized that when it becomes a split class or has only one teacher it would be very helpful to have them in the rooms with adjacent doorways… desks are heavy and not fun to move but we got it done (I’d say I was in a pretty icky mood by the end as I was hungry and getting cranky) and it really did confuse the kids the next morning!

back to school

1st day of school! And of course everything goes just as planned. We had known since we got out of school in August that our 1st/2nd teacher wouldn’t be here until Oct 1. (the school board decided to hire him in March or april but didn’t get around to telling him until July and he had to give 3 months notice at his job). So it had been decided that Willeke Ter Haar and Dorothy would teach that class. well, Willeke has to take her other children into Lilongwe for school 2 or 3 times a week and usually that is Mondays and Fridays. So it turned into the first day being me and Dorothy in that class for the first day of school. Dorothy who was a weekday school principal and never did elementary and me also never done elementary—in charge of a split grade class. And no Chichewa speaker in the room. (and we thought these were things we’d worked out).

I think it went surprisingly well for the first day for all of us. of course, all our worksheets took ages longer than we imagined but we did it and I was still standing at the end of the day. 14 1st graders and 4 2nd graders. One new face who was able to do the worksheet very well. I had the first grade doing a page on consonants and the first sounds of the pictures. Look at the letter and cross off the picture that starts with that letter. The only problem was the pictures and their names. But we went through it and some seemed to get it which was encouraging. The 2nd grade did a math addition and subtraction worksheet. As they finished they could get a puzzle and sit quietly (there is once again not much on the walls and everything echoes so quietly is impossible really). After break we did a calendar exercise and then more worksheets. I was surprised when I heard the bell ring for school to be over. Not that I wasn’t exhausted, I just thought I was going to have to last much longer since I didn’t have a clock in the room yet.

school prep

Spent the last week of school getting ready for the new school year (as you do…should possibly have spent a little longer but I think you’re never really ready for school to start again even when you think you are). The school team has hired the new teachers for this year and done some restructuring:

3 year old or reception class- Teacher Rebecca and Teacher Lawrence
4 year old or pre-k class- Teacher Patience and Teacher Grace
5 year old/ kindergarten class- Teacher Esta
1st and 2nd grade split- Teacher Gift

As you can see I’m not on this roster—good as I’m leaving in December and the classes will need to be covered. Also means I don’t know what I’ll be doing when school starts again. Dorothy has told me that I’m to be assistant administrator or director or principal or whatever she is…but that doesn’t really tell me what I’ll be doing.

So the first order of business I was given to do was to stamp and enter all the books in the library into my computer so that we have a list of what we have and the teachers can use it easily to find what they need. Easier said than done I’d say. I do have my computer to take with me so that isn’t a problem but there is no electricity at the school so I can only work for the 2 ½ hours that the battery holds up…all the while coming up with the categories of where the books go and how to find them again and to stamp them with the official Ebenezer Institute stamp. Needless to say this is going to take a while. I get to work and the first part is easy. As we’re a Christian school lots of our books are religious and biblical…easy to categorize and shelve—bible, old testament, new testament, devotions, etc. but then we get into the regular books and learning to read books and which classes they might need to go into and where they should be on the shelf if they stay in the library…I think I know why people go to school for library sciences now. I thought it would be so easy (sorry to have underestimated what you do!). Dorothy and all the teachers were in and out all week setting up classrooms and getting things ready as well so I asked advice but still have oh so many questions. (I am almost through putting the books into the computer! Though where they are on the shelves are still good questions)

on our bus ride back

Lake (Thurs-Sat)

Headed to the lake for some relaxation before returning to nkhoma. decided that leaving livingstonia was downhill so we could start and then flag the first thing headed that way…well we made it 8 of the 10k to the bottom before getting a ride from some kind of security people…looked like there was a money counter and safes in the back (where they put us before telling us to squish in the front. So rhona was up front in between the driver and a man in full military garb complete with large gun (AK??). I was in the back with 2 suits and 1 military man. We were very appreciative of the ride (even only 2k).

We didn’t move off the beach other than to go in the water on Friday and on Saturday headed back to nkhoma. it was a nice trip (now that it is over and we are still alive and kicking)

the falls
david livingstone (with medicine box at his feet)
view from our tent

Livingstonia (Wednesday)

We awoke to find the view from our tent at the edge of a cliff (we were warned when we were shown our site and setting the tent up in the dark). 2 steps out the door was ok but 3 and you’d have a bit of a free fall. Amazing vista of the lake and the valley and mountains to the north. Leisurely awakening before walking in the historic village of Livingstonia. It is a mission station like Nkhoma (also with a hospital) that was started at Cape Maclear (very south of the lake) but was moved to higher altitude due to malaria. A nice walk through fields and gardens to the very top (5k from where we were staying). We saw the Stone House where Dr Robert Laws lived when starting/running the mission, the church with its stained glass of Dr Livingstone (complete with medicine box at his feet). On the walk back down we stopped at Manchewe waterfall (125m high into the Rift Valey Escarpment) that also has great views of the valley and lake. There are caves behind the falls where people used to hide from slavers as that was a large problem in Malawi as chiefs would even sell their own people into slavery. (a major reason the missions were started—to bring in commerce of a different commodity and stop slavery). Spent the afternoon recovering from our holiday in hammocks on the cliff edge. After dinner we sat around a campfire with 4 french people, 3 south Africans, 1 canadian and 1 australian telling stories, making friends, and listening to the guitar—one of the French guys has been playing for 12 years and is amazing at classical and gypsy jazz…

dusty

truck rides, bike rides, walking...this is what we were in the middle of