I'm officially on "winter" break. Ha, yea right. It's hotter than ever right now, and I wish I could just touch some snow. But they tell me we'll have about 15 days of cool Harmattan winds in January before the long hot season kicks in. Harmattan has actually already started up North (where I'll be travelling for Christmas and safari!!), so I guess I'll get a little break for the holidays.
So, two weeks before the break we had a week long of exams. All classes are cancelled and students take one of two tests per semester in every subject which will count for 1/3 of their grade. While there are no classes, professors are still expected to come in to "proctor" exams. I put the word proctor in quotes here because in the Beninese context it's a very loose term really only obliging the professor to pass out and collect the tests. I often saw professors standing outside of adjoining classes chit-chatting or walking 10 mintes to the admin building if they were one copy short and had already passed out the tests. Not exactly a strict no-cheating policy.
Given this set of circumstances you can imagine the incredible resistance and disrespect I received when I went in there and actually demanded quiet and watched them like a hawk for 2 hours. There's no pre-assigned proctor schedule (you just show up and take the set of tests at the top of the stack), so I proctored classes from 1st to 4th year. The older they got the more infuriated they were with me. When I told them they couldn't turn the test over until everyone had one they started screaming. I explained that's what's fair and some of them actually agreed and calmed down, but the others just kept protesting. Then I wouldn't even start passing them out until I had silence which just got them screaming again. Twice another (male) professor stopped in asking if I wanted help to which I replied "no", knowing they'd just take the stack and tell the chatty kids to take one and pass it, thus undermining all of my efforts.
Despite immense frustrations, the week turned out to be incredibly rewarding because I realized that my own students do actually respect me more than I thought they did. For both levels that I teach (1st and 2nd) I was tasked with writing the exams that all students in that level would take simultaneously. Given that the school's secretary doesn't speak English, she typed up my handwritten copy with numerous errors and so I had to go into each class and write and explain corrections on the board during the exam. I can't even describe how refreshing it was to walk into my own classes! For one, their faces all lit up and they seemed encouraged by me stopping by. But even better, in my own classes I actually got quiet when I reminded them talking was cheating, whereas elsewhere I was only greeted with laughter. Other classes wouldn't be quiet (nor would their proctors make them) and often would ask me ridiculous questions just so others could keep chatting.
Beyond the fact that my classes do actually moderately behave for me (respectively, anyway), the average grade in all of my classes was above the passing grade of 10 out of 20! In Benin, this is considered a success. Three classes had an average between 10 and 11, and the fourth was 12.6 (clearly an exceptionally bad proctor, there's no way that's feasible...). Generally, I was really happy and I'll admit pleasantly surprised with how it all turned out. Right after break we'll have to hit the ground running, though, because the 2nd set of big exams is in 3 weeks and then it's the end of the semester. Crazy how time flies! January 1st I will have been gone 6 months already!
Anyway, another cute story- this past week I taught all of me classes Jingle Bells and all about our Santa Claus. It was hilarious when I asked them where Père Noel (Santa in French) lives, because they all started naming the bigger cities of Benin and then arguing over who was right. Then some of them said he comes the day of Dec 25, while others said he visited the night of the 24th. So clearly there isn't really a solid story around his existence here in Benin, and I don't know if children ever actually think he's real. Anyway, when I explained that he lives at the North Pole with children-like elves with pointed ears I know at least half of them thought I was serious. Then I told them how he flies around the world and lands on everybody's rooftops (which led me to have to explain what a chimney is). I think (and hope) that by the end they knew it's just a story, but I guess you never know... Then they all asked for Christmas presents to which I explained that in the US it's the students who give the teachers presents. A couple offered to bring me some moonshine but the rest just said no.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Me blowing out my birthday candle at our awesome 80s bash! (note the sweet prom dress in the background)
AHHHH I'm so frustrated...I had this plan to upload a couple of random pictures but one takes so long that it turns out to be only one because I have to go now.
So instead of another random pic, I'll give you a random piece of information about Beninese culture- It is completely culturally acceptable to pick your nose. More than a few times I've been in a conversation with another adult and they totally stick their finger right up their nose. When I call on kids in class they always stand to answer, and sometimes they stand up and start picking their nose right in front of everyone. At first I was so tempted to laugh, but little by little I'm getting used to it. It's still so funny to think about in general though, and if I start picking my nose all the time when I get home you'll know why...:-)
Monday, December 8, 2008
goats & turkeys
So...I've realized that most of the pictures on my camera from the last three months are of my puppy, haha...so here are two of the most recent. The second one is of Jasper and my adopted goat. My neighbors bought this little goat right before I got there, and because it's from outside, the other goats shun it and they leave it out of the goat pen (I also think my neighbors dont really feed it as much). Anyway, when I first got Jasper he was half the size of the goat and I was terrified whenever he went near it. Well, as you can see now he's about the same size and we've all become great friends, I even named him "our friend the goat". When Jasper gets hyper he 
loves to run and jump on the goat, although goats play by ramming their heads together, so then Jasper tries to get away before the goat gets him in the stomach. It's hilarious. Jasper's food comes wrapped in manioc leaves, which I've started feeding the goat, so he's not so shabby anymore. They even take naps together on the stoop! It occurred to me last week that the holidays are coming up though, and I'm gonna be really depressed if my neighbors feast on our friend the goat!! I'm sure they appreciate how I'm helping to fatten him up though...I'll keep my fingers crossed...In other news, my birthday and Thanksgiving were fantastic. I was up north for a week long training with all the other English teachers, so I got to celebrate with a lot of people. The night of my birthday we cooked a delicious Mexican feast (brownie cake for dessert!) and had an 80s power hour, complete with the best 80s wardrobe you've ever seen. You cannot believe what you can find in the markets hear that people threw away in the states. Not only did we have leg warmers and off the shoulder sweatshirts, but full on prom dresses and very official looking shoulder-padded business suits. It was classic.
Thanksgiving was just as fantastic, complete with giant turkey legs, stuffing, mashed potatoes (made by yours truly), sweet potatoes, and so so much more. All 19 of us sang amazing grace beforehand and after we went around the table and said what our experience in Benin has made us most thankful for. I said it was my education, but not just my formal education, more so the overwhelming amount of knowledge we have that we don't even realize and the fact that more is available at out fingertips (thank you google). The average Beninese person can't afford a newspaper or a book, or even read a map, let alone use a computer or time at an internet cafe. Anyway, after giving thanks we played a really fun get to-know-you-better game by pulling questions out of our watermelon cornucopia...good times!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Not Your Typical Sunday Morning...
About two weeks ago my postmate and I were invited to a Voodun Sunday mass by a young girl we know. It turns out it was in her concession and her father is one of the leaders of the group (like a priest basically). We arrived around 10:30 to find about 50 other people there. All of the women and many, many children were seated on rows of benches watching two fairly young men giving the sermon and leading the ceremony. Not more than 30 years old, the two men were wearing white and blue robes and standing/sitting at a long table. Behind them sat all of the men very calmly and rather uninvolved in the ceremony. By the end of the mass at 12:30 there were well over 100 women crammed onto the benches and probably about 30 men in total.
Upon our arrival they were in the middle of telling a story, which they then translated into French just because Katherine and I were there. The tale was as follows...There once was a king and a small group of his followers wanted to kill him. So they went to his cook and offered him money to kill the king, which he accepted. But, when he went to kill the king he couldn't do it, and instead he apologized to the king and told him everything. The first moral of the story was presented here-- if you are good and true in life (like the king) all evils will be made known to you by Voodun spirits and no harm will come to pass. Well, then the king had a big party, and again the evildoers approached the cook to kill the king and again he accepted. But once again, the cook couldn't do it and apologized to the king, telling the king to kill him and the evildoers. But the king didn't harm any of them or even seek out the people trying to kill him, because Voodoo will sort everything out in this world. All those with bad "gri gri" will get what they deserve in the end.
Next, they passed out a cola nut to everyone, which we had to hold only in our left hand. After a few minutes of standing while they praised the spirit to which we were about to pray (Tron), we all knelt down in the sand and spoke our prayers or fears or hopes or worries to our cola nut. It was so awesome to hear the loud murmur of everyone whispering into their left hands. After about a minute we returned to our seats and they collected the cola nuts so that they could be offered at the altar of the spirit to hear our prayers.
A few minutes later someone invited Katherine and me inside to see the altar and learn more about the religion. So... the spirit they worship is Tron, coming from the word "strong". Supposedly a white man came many many years ago and whispered his hope to a cola nut, which then came true. He deemed the nut "strong!" and I guess somehow it stuck? Not sure...anyway, Tron lives in the sea, so the colors of the "church" are blue and white. They offer him cola nuts because humans are too dirty to talk to hm directly. Because he lives in the sea, they also offer him water and a big hole in the ceiling above the altar allows rain water (from the sea) to reach it. The symbols of the church are also the star and crescent of Islam. This is because stars are bright, and where there is light, Voodun spirits are there and evil spirits cannot go.
As we returned to the service we found all of the women basically taking communion. They lined up down the middle aisle and moved forward to eat a small piece of cola nut and have a brown dot of crushed cola nut placed on their foreheads. This was no quiet procession, however. Loud drums and a choir led everyone in vibrant songs and all were dancing in sync as they moved forward down the aisle. Soon after taking their seats the procession began again (twice) with more songs and dance so that people could give donations to the church in a box at the front.
Somewhere in the break of all this one woman began sort of violently flailing with her eyes closed. She was escorted out by two women. We were told it was "the femme of Voodun", which could mean either wife or woman. Eitherway, she apparently "makes a scene" at every service, and this week chose that woman to temporarily possess. Not sure what happened to her after she was escorted into the building though.
After that lots of random people would go up to the front a few at a time to dance a little as everyone cheered them on. A few men joined in this dancing, but it was the only time I ever saw any of them participate in the festivities. Then an older man spoke for about 15 minutes and it was finished.
Overall, it was remarkable how the mass had so much in common with a Christian service yet so many differences at the same time. There was even something very similar to crossing oneself. The truth is of course that many of them also believe in God and likely accept some, if not all, Biblical practices. I'm not even sure if the spirit Tron is worshipped outside of Dogbo, which all just goes to show the fluidity and flexibility of religion here in Benin.
Upon our arrival they were in the middle of telling a story, which they then translated into French just because Katherine and I were there. The tale was as follows...There once was a king and a small group of his followers wanted to kill him. So they went to his cook and offered him money to kill the king, which he accepted. But, when he went to kill the king he couldn't do it, and instead he apologized to the king and told him everything. The first moral of the story was presented here-- if you are good and true in life (like the king) all evils will be made known to you by Voodun spirits and no harm will come to pass. Well, then the king had a big party, and again the evildoers approached the cook to kill the king and again he accepted. But once again, the cook couldn't do it and apologized to the king, telling the king to kill him and the evildoers. But the king didn't harm any of them or even seek out the people trying to kill him, because Voodoo will sort everything out in this world. All those with bad "gri gri" will get what they deserve in the end.
Next, they passed out a cola nut to everyone, which we had to hold only in our left hand. After a few minutes of standing while they praised the spirit to which we were about to pray (Tron), we all knelt down in the sand and spoke our prayers or fears or hopes or worries to our cola nut. It was so awesome to hear the loud murmur of everyone whispering into their left hands. After about a minute we returned to our seats and they collected the cola nuts so that they could be offered at the altar of the spirit to hear our prayers.
A few minutes later someone invited Katherine and me inside to see the altar and learn more about the religion. So... the spirit they worship is Tron, coming from the word "strong". Supposedly a white man came many many years ago and whispered his hope to a cola nut, which then came true. He deemed the nut "strong!" and I guess somehow it stuck? Not sure...anyway, Tron lives in the sea, so the colors of the "church" are blue and white. They offer him cola nuts because humans are too dirty to talk to hm directly. Because he lives in the sea, they also offer him water and a big hole in the ceiling above the altar allows rain water (from the sea) to reach it. The symbols of the church are also the star and crescent of Islam. This is because stars are bright, and where there is light, Voodun spirits are there and evil spirits cannot go.
As we returned to the service we found all of the women basically taking communion. They lined up down the middle aisle and moved forward to eat a small piece of cola nut and have a brown dot of crushed cola nut placed on their foreheads. This was no quiet procession, however. Loud drums and a choir led everyone in vibrant songs and all were dancing in sync as they moved forward down the aisle. Soon after taking their seats the procession began again (twice) with more songs and dance so that people could give donations to the church in a box at the front.
Somewhere in the break of all this one woman began sort of violently flailing with her eyes closed. She was escorted out by two women. We were told it was "the femme of Voodun", which could mean either wife or woman. Eitherway, she apparently "makes a scene" at every service, and this week chose that woman to temporarily possess. Not sure what happened to her after she was escorted into the building though.
After that lots of random people would go up to the front a few at a time to dance a little as everyone cheered them on. A few men joined in this dancing, but it was the only time I ever saw any of them participate in the festivities. Then an older man spoke for about 15 minutes and it was finished.
Overall, it was remarkable how the mass had so much in common with a Christian service yet so many differences at the same time. There was even something very similar to crossing oneself. The truth is of course that many of them also believe in God and likely accept some, if not all, Biblical practices. I'm not even sure if the spirit Tron is worshipped outside of Dogbo, which all just goes to show the fluidity and flexibility of religion here in Benin.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
"The New President of the World"
That's what my fellow Beninese professors were calling Barack Obama. "You will have peace now, you'll see," they assured me, "the terrorists, everyone, everyone will have peace. He is everyone's President and the world is happy!" While I doubt everyone in the world is suddenly pro-America, it's still amazing to think how in one day the international perspectives of so many can be transformed to optimism and activism. Not that the Beninese people are confrontational (they constantly remind me that they do not like fighting), but based on huge celebrations in countries across Africa and I'm sure the world, it's clear that many have found such hope in Obama's election. It's a little scary because it's a tall order for him and the U.S. to live up to, but it also shows the power of ideas. I've always liked the quote, "We can change things by simply believing them to be different". I think this is a perfect example. Obama hasn't done anything as president yet, but just the idea of him has inspired people to imagine and expect a better world. Even if he never did a thing, I think that inspiration could potentially lead to great things both at home and abroad.
While we'll have to wait and see what's in store for the world in the next 4 (and hopefully 8) years, for now it's amazing enough that the election is finally over and he won! Crazy that I met him over a year ago while volunteering at an early primary rally. That was so long ago! And although I was so sad not be with all my James Madison political junkies at MSU, I was lucky enough to watch 8 straight hours of CNN on satellite television. By chance I was in Cotonou (the capitol) on Tuesday for a PC conference and one volunteer arranged for about 12 of us in town to spend the night watching at the house of one of PC's administrators. Not only was it awesome for the TV, but also because her house was gorgeous, she had AC, and we had tons of delicious food to pig out on. I even used her oven to make Duncan Hines brownies...mmm!
It was also really great because she had some of her own friends over, including some fellow ex-pats but also Beninese people from the PC Bureau. One of our two PC doctors is from Ghana and lives right next door, so she showed up around 12:30 am to watch with us in her PJs. I spent a lot of time talking to her actually as I explained what all the different numbers meant and why NY, IL, and CA could be projected blue before a single vote was counted. She decided to go home in the middle of the night, but then came back 15 minutes later because she couldn't bear to miss it.
When it was finally announced at 5:30 am the Beninese were all cheering/crying as much as we were and during his speech I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. All day before on Tuesday strangers in Cotonou kept asking me if I had voted and I'd say, "yes, of course, who do you think I chose?" They all said Obama, but one volunteer told me she always got McCain because she is white. Well anyway, they were all just as eager as I was to stay up all Tuesday night to find out. I'm told that all of the major stations were giving very frequent updates in French and there were even some with continuous coverage. Since the elections people all over Dogbo have been giving me congratulations, and my host sister even called from Porto Novo to say "felicitations!" Of course it's all so exciting, but I'm also so relieved that I don't have to explain why he lost, because that's a conversation that would have come up a LOT!
Besides all the election festivities, my first trip down to Cotonou was fantastic. Everything is sooo expensive, but for a trip every month and a half or so, it's definitely worth it. The supermarchés are like Christmas. Too expensive to buy much, but nice to know it's there if I crack and absolutely need it! From Snickers to tortilla chips to mozzarella cheese (I bought a big piece!), they've even got packaged cake mixes, fajita sauces, and Bacardi rum :-). Like I said, super expensive, but I did buy a dark chocolate kit-kat, raisins, pringles, and thai sweet chili sauce. The restaurants in Cotonou are obviously fantastic as well. One day I had delicious chicken schwarma and hummus, then Tuesday night we got amazing pizza with real mozzarella cheese. Honestly I need to keep myself away becuase I'll spend all my money, but now that I've been there once I want to go back and try all the other PCV-frequented restaurants!
While we'll have to wait and see what's in store for the world in the next 4 (and hopefully 8) years, for now it's amazing enough that the election is finally over and he won! Crazy that I met him over a year ago while volunteering at an early primary rally. That was so long ago! And although I was so sad not be with all my James Madison political junkies at MSU, I was lucky enough to watch 8 straight hours of CNN on satellite television. By chance I was in Cotonou (the capitol) on Tuesday for a PC conference and one volunteer arranged for about 12 of us in town to spend the night watching at the house of one of PC's administrators. Not only was it awesome for the TV, but also because her house was gorgeous, she had AC, and we had tons of delicious food to pig out on. I even used her oven to make Duncan Hines brownies...mmm!
It was also really great because she had some of her own friends over, including some fellow ex-pats but also Beninese people from the PC Bureau. One of our two PC doctors is from Ghana and lives right next door, so she showed up around 12:30 am to watch with us in her PJs. I spent a lot of time talking to her actually as I explained what all the different numbers meant and why NY, IL, and CA could be projected blue before a single vote was counted. She decided to go home in the middle of the night, but then came back 15 minutes later because she couldn't bear to miss it.
When it was finally announced at 5:30 am the Beninese were all cheering/crying as much as we were and during his speech I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. All day before on Tuesday strangers in Cotonou kept asking me if I had voted and I'd say, "yes, of course, who do you think I chose?" They all said Obama, but one volunteer told me she always got McCain because she is white. Well anyway, they were all just as eager as I was to stay up all Tuesday night to find out. I'm told that all of the major stations were giving very frequent updates in French and there were even some with continuous coverage. Since the elections people all over Dogbo have been giving me congratulations, and my host sister even called from Porto Novo to say "felicitations!" Of course it's all so exciting, but I'm also so relieved that I don't have to explain why he lost, because that's a conversation that would have come up a LOT!
Besides all the election festivities, my first trip down to Cotonou was fantastic. Everything is sooo expensive, but for a trip every month and a half or so, it's definitely worth it. The supermarchés are like Christmas. Too expensive to buy much, but nice to know it's there if I crack and absolutely need it! From Snickers to tortilla chips to mozzarella cheese (I bought a big piece!), they've even got packaged cake mixes, fajita sauces, and Bacardi rum :-). Like I said, super expensive, but I did buy a dark chocolate kit-kat, raisins, pringles, and thai sweet chili sauce. The restaurants in Cotonou are obviously fantastic as well. One day I had delicious chicken schwarma and hummus, then Tuesday night we got amazing pizza with real mozzarella cheese. Honestly I need to keep myself away becuase I'll spend all my money, but now that I've been there once I want to go back and try all the other PCV-frequented restaurants!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Finally!
They showed up! This week each of my classes had atleast 55 kids and I was able to really get started. I have two classes of 6ème (first level) and two classes of 5ème (second level) and there's such a difference between the two! The 6ème kids are brand new to the school and English, so their mostly just scared right now. Most seem really engaged though and we've actually gone through all of my lessons faster than expected.
The 5ème kids, on the other hand, are much more difficult to handle for a variety of reasons. My first 5ème class on Tuesday started protesting in French when I was speaking and giving all directions in English. Then they were mocking me and talking so much I made them stand until they were silent and ended up waiting 20 minutes. After that things went much smoother, and much to my surprise my second 5ème class that afternoon was actually very respectful and well behaved. Another challenge I face with my 5èmès is that they only got halfway through the 6ème book, and I'm finding that review exercises are turning into re-teaching exercises. I'm hoping this week might move a little quicker and hopefully we can begin with some new stuff next week.
A very interesting challenge is a Nigerian boy in one 5ème class. Since they speak English in Nigeria, my class is basically useless for him. While he doesn't need the basics of 5ème, I know his more advanced English does need work, and although it's nice to have my own personal helper when nobody else understands, I want him to be challenged. So I'm really going to sit down and think about what types of things I can do with him. I asked him to think about it as well and whether he might like to write stories or read books or work on more advanced exercises. It's a fun opportunity to do something a little outside the box and I'm pretty excited to see what we come up with. I asked the other English profs if they've ever faced this and/or if they had any ideas. They didn't seem to understand the problem and so I left it at that.
This week was also the first meeting of the English dept. It's scheduled weekly from 10-12 on Thursdays (so we started at 10:45) in the "teacher's lounge". The teacher's lounge is an open cement platform covered by a tin roof in the middle of the school grounds. There is a large table and about 8 chairs. During breaks, teachers sitting here send female students to buy them food from the Mama's selling food at the school's entrance (I fully intend to do this with male students on occasion). Anyway, so at the meeting I found out there is a new female English teacher. This is her first year teaching and they told me I was in charge of teaching her how to teach the material. Now, this is ironic not only because I myself am a first year teacher, but also because we had just finished a discussion about how I won't be using the English book and they were a little upset by that. (Peace Corps encourages us not to use the book because they find that volunteers often create more dynamic and effective lessons on their own, and kids don't have books anyway). I'm pretty sure there is no experience or certification necessary to be a teacher in Benin, so I'm happy to help her get started, but it won't be at all helpful in explaining the rigid structures that profs here feel bound to follow. She'll also be teaching another 5ème class, so it'll be interesting to see how the two of us progress.
In other exciting news...word around town is "la lancée" (the tall one) speaks Aja! The French doctor who I take Aja classes with every week told me that someone at her church told her that, and I'm so excited! For one, it's nice that people are so happy with me for trying to speak and practice Aja, and for two, it's nice to know that people are saying good things. Dogbo is also in no way a village, so the fact that my Aja is getting around the town is a little surprising. I've still got a long, long way to go, but so far just practicing little by little has made me lots of friends and is a fun addition to marché visits.
The 5ème kids, on the other hand, are much more difficult to handle for a variety of reasons. My first 5ème class on Tuesday started protesting in French when I was speaking and giving all directions in English. Then they were mocking me and talking so much I made them stand until they were silent and ended up waiting 20 minutes. After that things went much smoother, and much to my surprise my second 5ème class that afternoon was actually very respectful and well behaved. Another challenge I face with my 5èmès is that they only got halfway through the 6ème book, and I'm finding that review exercises are turning into re-teaching exercises. I'm hoping this week might move a little quicker and hopefully we can begin with some new stuff next week.
A very interesting challenge is a Nigerian boy in one 5ème class. Since they speak English in Nigeria, my class is basically useless for him. While he doesn't need the basics of 5ème, I know his more advanced English does need work, and although it's nice to have my own personal helper when nobody else understands, I want him to be challenged. So I'm really going to sit down and think about what types of things I can do with him. I asked him to think about it as well and whether he might like to write stories or read books or work on more advanced exercises. It's a fun opportunity to do something a little outside the box and I'm pretty excited to see what we come up with. I asked the other English profs if they've ever faced this and/or if they had any ideas. They didn't seem to understand the problem and so I left it at that.
This week was also the first meeting of the English dept. It's scheduled weekly from 10-12 on Thursdays (so we started at 10:45) in the "teacher's lounge". The teacher's lounge is an open cement platform covered by a tin roof in the middle of the school grounds. There is a large table and about 8 chairs. During breaks, teachers sitting here send female students to buy them food from the Mama's selling food at the school's entrance (I fully intend to do this with male students on occasion). Anyway, so at the meeting I found out there is a new female English teacher. This is her first year teaching and they told me I was in charge of teaching her how to teach the material. Now, this is ironic not only because I myself am a first year teacher, but also because we had just finished a discussion about how I won't be using the English book and they were a little upset by that. (Peace Corps encourages us not to use the book because they find that volunteers often create more dynamic and effective lessons on their own, and kids don't have books anyway). I'm pretty sure there is no experience or certification necessary to be a teacher in Benin, so I'm happy to help her get started, but it won't be at all helpful in explaining the rigid structures that profs here feel bound to follow. She'll also be teaching another 5ème class, so it'll be interesting to see how the two of us progress.
In other exciting news...word around town is "la lancée" (the tall one) speaks Aja! The French doctor who I take Aja classes with every week told me that someone at her church told her that, and I'm so excited! For one, it's nice that people are so happy with me for trying to speak and practice Aja, and for two, it's nice to know that people are saying good things. Dogbo is also in no way a village, so the fact that my Aja is getting around the town is a little surprising. I've still got a long, long way to go, but so far just practicing little by little has made me lots of friends and is a fun addition to marché visits.
Friday, October 17, 2008
My "First Week of School"...
Or should I say my first week of school?
The national school year officially began on Monday, October 6th, but as of yet, I'm the only professor at school to be holding classes. I showed up the first day at 8 am just to see what was going on to find the school yard empty. Over the next 2 hours, most professors showed up to pick up their schedules and mingle. As for students, there were about 15 around to check if they'd passed into the next grade (a good portion of kids can't predict if they'll pass or not after exams, and they find out the next year). Turns out the students are smart not to show up because the first week of school is reserved completely for manual labor. About 3 feet of brush has grown across the entire school yard (about 3 acres) and the youngest students are expected to clear it. The older students are smart not to show up because their professors aren't there anyway.
In the following days more and more kids were hanging around to clean but mostly to get their schedules. Tuesday morning I walked around to each of my rooms to write on the board when English class would be held. During the first week, profs write when they will be there and then the students must come to figure out their schedules. I asked the head of the English department when we would start and he replied, "Don't be in such a hurry! Next week maybe..."
The delay in the start is very much a self-fulfilling prophecy because the professors say, "well, the students won't come" and the students say, "the professors haven't started." So, I showed up Wednesday at 8 am w/a novel prepared to sit alone in my class just to get the ball rolling. Much to my surprise (I didn't have a lesson planned!), about 12 kids (out of 70) showed up to each of my two classes. After my initial shock and terror, my impromptu lessons on basic greetings went well, and I welcomed the chance to memorize a few faces and gauge their abilities. I was better prepared for my classes on Thursday, and again only had between 12 and 16 students. Even w/so few students, after an eight hour day I was so exhausted I didn't think I'd make the bike ride home!
After my classes I'd run into another prof or two sitting in the school yard and they'd say, "Oh, you began your classes?" Some with a slight smirk, others with a surprised but approving nod. I wonder if they think I'm being snooty or stubborn or just stupid. Regardless, the first few classes were an interesting test run and I really looked forward to 40 or 50 kids come week two.
Much to my dismay, I showed up this past Tuesday to find 2 students. Turns out the all the profs were having regional "formations" all this week to learn how to teach the material and nobody ever told me. That was extra obnoxious because I was incredibly sick but went to school anyway because I thought more kids would be there. :-(
So, the rest of this week I spent at the formation, which turned out to be really interesting. We practiced writing plans for different types of lessons (writing, listening, reading, etc.). We also discussed the fundamental goals of the lessons and how to build such skills in students. I found it very enlightening not just for the actual information I learned about skills development, but also to realize how such skills are often taken for granted as obvious in our own system and yet are very new to teaching and education here. For example, we spent four hours discussing and designing lessons to teach children how to identify a topic sentence. My foreign language teachers at home would never have done such a thing, because that was already done as a basic and essential part of English class. I realized that a big difference here is that every language in school is a foreign language. They are slightly more advanced in French, but French is still usually only begun in grammar school. Because most Americans already know how to speak English long before we enter an English class, we can move onto writing and reading skills much earlier.
Besides all the formal discussions and work, the formation was worthwhile because during our downtime (which was overly abundant), I got to start getting to know the other English profs at my school and in my region. In our boredom I taught some of them tic-tac-toe and dots, and during one short morning break the facilitator invited me up to teach a song. I offered a tongue twister instead, and it was pretty hilarious to hear 45 African men trying to say "How much wood would a wood chuck chuck..."
As for class, I've been assured they'll show up next week........
The national school year officially began on Monday, October 6th, but as of yet, I'm the only professor at school to be holding classes. I showed up the first day at 8 am just to see what was going on to find the school yard empty. Over the next 2 hours, most professors showed up to pick up their schedules and mingle. As for students, there were about 15 around to check if they'd passed into the next grade (a good portion of kids can't predict if they'll pass or not after exams, and they find out the next year). Turns out the students are smart not to show up because the first week of school is reserved completely for manual labor. About 3 feet of brush has grown across the entire school yard (about 3 acres) and the youngest students are expected to clear it. The older students are smart not to show up because their professors aren't there anyway.
In the following days more and more kids were hanging around to clean but mostly to get their schedules. Tuesday morning I walked around to each of my rooms to write on the board when English class would be held. During the first week, profs write when they will be there and then the students must come to figure out their schedules. I asked the head of the English department when we would start and he replied, "Don't be in such a hurry! Next week maybe..."
The delay in the start is very much a self-fulfilling prophecy because the professors say, "well, the students won't come" and the students say, "the professors haven't started." So, I showed up Wednesday at 8 am w/a novel prepared to sit alone in my class just to get the ball rolling. Much to my surprise (I didn't have a lesson planned!), about 12 kids (out of 70) showed up to each of my two classes. After my initial shock and terror, my impromptu lessons on basic greetings went well, and I welcomed the chance to memorize a few faces and gauge their abilities. I was better prepared for my classes on Thursday, and again only had between 12 and 16 students. Even w/so few students, after an eight hour day I was so exhausted I didn't think I'd make the bike ride home!
After my classes I'd run into another prof or two sitting in the school yard and they'd say, "Oh, you began your classes?" Some with a slight smirk, others with a surprised but approving nod. I wonder if they think I'm being snooty or stubborn or just stupid. Regardless, the first few classes were an interesting test run and I really looked forward to 40 or 50 kids come week two.
Much to my dismay, I showed up this past Tuesday to find 2 students. Turns out the all the profs were having regional "formations" all this week to learn how to teach the material and nobody ever told me. That was extra obnoxious because I was incredibly sick but went to school anyway because I thought more kids would be there. :-(
So, the rest of this week I spent at the formation, which turned out to be really interesting. We practiced writing plans for different types of lessons (writing, listening, reading, etc.). We also discussed the fundamental goals of the lessons and how to build such skills in students. I found it very enlightening not just for the actual information I learned about skills development, but also to realize how such skills are often taken for granted as obvious in our own system and yet are very new to teaching and education here. For example, we spent four hours discussing and designing lessons to teach children how to identify a topic sentence. My foreign language teachers at home would never have done such a thing, because that was already done as a basic and essential part of English class. I realized that a big difference here is that every language in school is a foreign language. They are slightly more advanced in French, but French is still usually only begun in grammar school. Because most Americans already know how to speak English long before we enter an English class, we can move onto writing and reading skills much earlier.
Besides all the formal discussions and work, the formation was worthwhile because during our downtime (which was overly abundant), I got to start getting to know the other English profs at my school and in my region. In our boredom I taught some of them tic-tac-toe and dots, and during one short morning break the facilitator invited me up to teach a song. I offered a tongue twister instead, and it was pretty hilarious to hear 45 African men trying to say "How much wood would a wood chuck chuck..."
As for class, I've been assured they'll show up next week........
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