cheetah

The cheetah is a hunter. It chases its prey. Many grassland animals are fast. The cheetah is the fastest.

english curriculum

So the English language curriculum we use is Evan-Moore and it is a daily review…not like the English books I remember having at school where we spent a week or two just on nouns…and then verbs…and then adjectives…then capital letters…then contractions…etc. This one comes with four problems each day…mix and match and bam done…and it is sometime’s quite confusing…of course it is also very American—so names and things that others don’t really know make their appearances quite regularly…for the things the kids already know I think it is fine as the review it is meant to be…but I can’t figure out what they are supposed to be reviewing from…of course even when I give them the answers they don’t usually pick up on that in the work…but I think that might be an age thing mixed with an English as a second language thing…maybe there is a curriculum we should have as well...so there will be a review part?

elephants

Elephants cross the savanna. They travel in a herd. The elephants walk single file. The same path is used each year.

observation class

In the teacher’s morning meeting Colleen (our headmistress) said she was going to observe a lesson in each of the grade classes…I gave a pause for the other two teachers to jump in and say when she should come to their class but they didn’t say anything so I jumped in for the math lesson (full curriculum and I was pretty confident for that one). We were doing subtraction of double digits (having to break up the tens to add to the ones as in 73-56=). Last week we started that with building blocks that stick together in lines of 10 and then we break them up to take away…it went pretty well and now it is just repetition to start with the ones and then the tens…during the beginning I am supposed to ask all sorts of random questions regarding graphs, weather, temperature, counting, date, money…and they do pretty well. We also tried counting by 4s. when we count by 3s we stand up, stomp both feet one at a time and clap for the number. Then for 4s we whisper the numbers as we touch our toes, then knees, then waist and then say the number as we touch our heads…we counted to 40 and then backwards…I thought it was a good stretching exercise…had my workout…
The feedback was that there was too much jumping about…but that is how the lessons are written and how am I supposed to know any different…next time I’ll have to get her the plan from the book so she can follow…

Birds

And another writing lesson. This time I was not there as I was taking someone to the airport but I think they turned out quite well (not sure if my sub wrote bird on the board wrong or if it was just the kids…

He was going to take there friends. Le’ts go in the tree so that they shood come Here? there babys was Just clying. Then baby duck and the mamy was going to the tree! your babys are clying home.

Ther are three brid in the tree. And one brid tocke to the second. And the brid was happe. The brid was play. And the brid go home.

They are find food. they want to give they babys The in the tree. the three bieid bhey just sat on the tree They are find they badys.

Esnate tell her freinds to go to The tree and find the food, He eat with her freinds. And go up and down and tell her freinds to go hom and sleep.
A brid we can sing. A brid is my freind. My dear brid. A your name is Mary. Freind brid. To the end

Brids lik to fly on the tree. brids lik to take food and give the baby Brids. Brids go to the tree and stay. Other brids go to the like. OS other brids go to the lik and swim.

The 3 bird fly. And they saw a beautifur tree. And they on and stated sing a beaurifur song. And the ather look for foob.

They went to sea and sat. David said lets go fishing. They went fishing. They went home. They went to aet.

Birds tell his fride and the other bird. And birds like fly in the tree. And they like to set on the tree.

The bird likes to be in a tree. The some birds fly in the sky. And one bird he can fly in the sky. And he can find his freinds. Some times the bird he can fly at night.

Again to the lake, this time with Miriam who works for USAID in Lilongwe. I left after school on Friday and went to her house where we packed her car with all sorts of food (quiche, berry pie, snacks and more) and her three dogs. So excited to be going on a trip they continually try to get toward the front seat…arrival at the lake before the sun went down and already the mosquitoes were horrendous!! But it was beautiful. Ben arrived a little while after and we feasted on quiche and roasted veg and drinks and chocolate cupcakes. We had been hoping for fish but couldn’t get them fresh at that time of the evening.
Saturday was a lazy day. From bed I could see the sunrise and so I would wake up and enjoy the view without moving and then go back to sleep. It was so nice. Swimming, sleeping, reading, and playing with the dogs. And eating way too much. We had thought more people were coming and would help us eat more of the food we brought but the family wasn’t well so they didn’t come…wow we had a lot of food to eat. (and didn’t quite finish). Sunday was the same…until we left and made it back in good time.

mountain

Church in the morning…one of the choirs sang Amazing Grace with a different tune which was so nice because they sing it so slowly and always the same way….for the whole time I’ve been here…I have really been missing the variety. Then I went for tea…tea after church is so nice…relaxing and comfortable…and I was greedy…I went to the Veitch’s and then to Barbara’s…but no one minds…then Becca, Brent, Richard and I went up the mountain. A great walk as always and we made it in very good time. Richard and Brent are scared of heights but came all the way to the top…and got scared when Becca and I walked around, or when the dogs would get close to the edge (we took Macky and Sproot up with us)

dedza

The outing planned for the group this year was to go to dedza for the day. There was a worry when they were planning that there would still be no fuel in the country so they didn’t plan the bigger trip but this was a good one. No real hurry as dedza is not too far away. So I had a relaxed morning then went up to meet the group…another minibus…only 12 of us in it. and off we went. To the pottery…we ordered lunch and then went for a tour of the facilities. They showed us the clay and rocks they grind to make the clay for their creations, the kilns, the wheels and potters (watched one woman who made a pitcher and a bowl in less than 5 minutes…she made it look so easy), and the painting area and glazing…as many times as I’d been to dedza I’d never taken the tour…then time for lunch (yeah). a beautiful day for eating outside…and great cheesecake…then shopping…we will just have to see what gets home in one piece…sometimes hard to travel with. Stopped at a few more artist shops…wood and paper and then the market where I got some vegetables and we found more baskets…everyone is now convinced I have a basket problem…but I don’t mind so much…it might be true…

school trip to the lake

Friday we took the teachers at school to the lake…off to senga bay early in the morning in a minibus…17 people in total. Many of the teachers had never been to the lake before and it was so much fun to see them there. It was quite windy so there were waves in the lake…not too big but enough to play in. everyone swam! Jumping in the waves taking pictures…big smiles the whole time. Beach balls, cake, Sobo (kool aid in malawi) and when we had all had enough fun (it is exhausting for those who have never been before) we went up for fish lunch. Well done with chips (fries) or rice and a great salad…then shopping on the way home. We stopped at the wood market in search of baskets, a wooden frog and maybe something else but being in such a large group the guys didn’t want to bargain and they started more than 4 times as high as I usually find. And he wasn’t willing to deal until I got back in the bus to leave…I told him it was too late by then. Then we stopped at the fish market as all of the teachers wanted to get some fish and that is where I found baskets for a reasonable price…good thing as I had asked the group if they wanted any and they did…it was a long day but a very good one…

coming home

So now I have purchased my ticket back to the US. I can’t believe I have only a month left here…I leave on the 15th of July and fly to Johannesburg and then New York. I will spend a few days there (I’ve never been to the city) before making my way down to NC with Ana…
from our walk last week

kamphata walk

Thursday was the first day of midterm break but no sleeping in. Reinette and I figured it was a good day to catch the school bus that goes to Lilongwe (615am) to Kamphata and walk back (16km). I was almost sure I was late and had missed it—a little worried but as it turns out needlessly…a nice ride out and a beautiful walk back. No big hills just a slight gradient all the way to nkhoma…we found it an easier walk than our normal walk around nkhoma with the hills and slopes…just took longer. Sadly reinette’s camera wasn’t working very well…it keeps telling her error 99…she thought it was a battery issue but the new battery didn’t help…she can take one or two pictures and then the error message reappears…so not as many pictures this walk…

library

The kids are so excited to read. And I think they really get tired of the books that we have copied and put together to send home everyday to read…so I asked the second grade if they would like to go to the library to check out a book for a week. and the answer was a resounding YES! So we went to the office to find books that would hopefully be on their level or a little above but as I didn’t do the prep work they could get pretty much anything they liked…we talked about taking care of the books and bringing them back in a week. the next Wednesday 7 of the 10 brought back their books and got to find new ones. Some of them said the books they chose were too hard and they would ask me if the one they picked might be better…so I think we are getting a better grip on what they should take out and what they will enjoy. Great day in class…even had time to finish some puzzles and now it is midterm break! Thursday thru Monday off!! No big travel plans but I will be busy…

clinic

In the clinic there are very often guardians who come in without the patient. Sometimes that is ok…the seizures are controlled and it is for a refill of medication. But the patient should come in about every other appointment so we can see that the medication isn’t having adverse side effects. Of course often the guardian comes in and the patient has been having seizures and they left them at home…if it is because they have run out of meds that is one thing…but often they seem to think that we can just give meds and it will work…maybe the traditional healers can do that but doctors from the west like to see and examine their patients…

volunteer

put up at the guest house for those who are interested in getting out of the hospital for a little while (as most are medical students)

puzzles

Since last week I’ve been teaching and at the end of the day I have 30 minutes (at least) of extra time. I don’t know what I’m forgetting to teach or if the kids are getting faster (and maybe smarter) but I have used it to have puzzle time…the kids love it. they seem to always pick the same ones—we have a big round globe floor puzzle and I have just found a map of Africa…I think we are going to need more puzzle time actually. So I sat down with some of the puzzles that the kids never get out…hundred pieces—one is a soccer team on a bus, another is Simba and Mufasa from the Lion King…I am trying to get the strategy of putting the straight edge pieces together for a frame—lining up the straight ones isn’t in their sphere of puzzle solving…and then putting like colors together to see if the pieces fit. Slowly slowly we are getting there. Pang’ono pang’one ndi mtolo.

writing

here are samples of our writing in class...i asked for at least 4 sentances:


Noel was siwning he saw the shakes weated to eat him. He run in the water. He was thing abou he eat what. I will eat coconut.

Noce important time they are the waman. The waman was swiming. He so two shek. She ran on the lake. And sit bown and he start think was think the will eat what.

Kondwani he went to the lake. Kondwani he start swimming. Kondwani he saw the shakes. Kondwani get out of the water. Kondwani sit down and then think about the food. I can eat these coconut.


He went for a swim in the lake and swam. He saw a litle land end then he went to the land. He sat on the land. He saw two shark a round the litle land.

A man was swming and. He saw shaks and he ran away. He sat on the sand he thik what will i eat I will eat this coconut.

Thokozani was swimming. Then he saw some shake. then he wanted to eat some fruit.

Trevor he was in the watre. He went away in he saw the shacs. he went out into watre And he was thinking adawt the food, he sayd I eat that he stadap (stand up) and he take that froot and he ran away fram the stone.


aaaa I Will go to the Sand. What can I eat? oh I can eat this food. wen it will go in the water, then this will fite me? oKay I will go back home, to eat coconut. but How can I go home it iS Steal (still) night I will Sleep here I will go back toomolo (tomorrow). I am Kod (cold) I will back home I am kod I can go home I can a jezeer and will not came again.

James was swimming in the lake and he saw two shak and he went out of the lake. And he whant on sand. The tree is on sand. And he thiked (thinked) what can I eat. And he saw some coconut. And he eat it.

A story of Adam: What is your name? My name is Adam. What are you doing? I want a coconut.

Lions

Lions are hunters. They wait near water holes. Other animals drink carefully. They know lions may be near.

zebra

Zebras gallop across the plains. They graze on grasses. Water holes dot the plains. Zebras stop to drink at them.

hangman

In class we now play hangman…I think that soon we will try to have the kids pick words but so far it has just been me…I picked words that were around the room (days of the week, months of the year, spelling words) and then threw in a couple of ones like rainbow and the Netherlands (we had talked about it that day). They love it and are relatively well behaved while we play…I was thinking of trying “heads up, seven up” but with only 10 in the class I would have to change the numbers…and I really don’t see it working but I also remember loving to play. We’ll see.