Tuesday, September 14, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
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.
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)
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)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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)
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)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
