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Published: October 27th 2007
School officially “started” October 1st. I went to school at seven on the first day, only to find that none of the other teachers were in town. My principal was there, however, filling out paperwork for newly-enrolled students. The first day of school is the time to begin thinking about organizing classes, getting students enrolled, and making a schedule. Meanwhile any students who show up are put to work cleaning the school grounds - picking up garbage, cutting back weeds.
I had been told that this year I would continue teaching math and add a physics and chemistry class. I had carefully planned the course and had recently gone on a shopping spree to collect materials for physics demonstrations. I should have known that that was premature. When I got to school, I was told that plans had changed and they needed me to teach biology instead of physics. The regional director had sent our biology teacher to another school without sending us a replacement and the principal was scrambling to find someone to cover the class. So now I have two Life and Earth Science classes: ninth grade geology/biology and tenth grade human biology.
Thus far it’s been interesting teaching these subjects. I end up drawing a lot of pictures on the board, making posters, and describing things that don’t exist in the area. It’s bizarre teaching geology in a relatively monotonous landscape - I wonder how many of my students have even seen a picture of a mountain or of the ocean. (Anyone thinking of sending a letter or care package: could you throw in some photos of mountains, gorges, caves, etc?)
I’m enjoying the human biology class. The subject is more interesting and provides a lot of opportunities to discuss important issues such as nutrition and communicable diseases. The course material is comparable to high school biology in the states, but also includes the students’ first introduction to things we begin much earlier (the digestive system, the respiratory system, etc). This makes for a lot of information to absorb in one year. And the tenth graders have their huge standardized test at the end of the year: the one where you get into high school if you’re really good and really lucky, where you get to repeat the year if you’re lucky, or where you get kicked out of school forever if you’re the average student. So I’m doing my best to prepare them for the test…wish me luck.
Ramadan fell on Friday, October 12. The celebration wasn’t as extensive as the one I experienced last year in Guinea, but it was still an important day as my village is overwhelmingly Muslim. I let the teenage girls in my courtyard decorate my hands and feet with henna, which everyone loved. I got mad compliments on the black-and-reddish artwork I sported for the next week.
Ramadan is celebrated after the 28-day fast, and is therefore commemorated with a huge meal. The women in my courtyard prepared a huge vat of rice and sauce. After the midmorning prayer, they divided it into several bowls, some to eat and some to deliver to the neighbors. The neighbors did the same, so our courtyard received several bowls in addition to what they’d prepared to eat. So everyone ate well, all day.
That evening a party had been planned with a dance at the youth center, which has solar panels and a stereo system. However, an unfortunate accident caused the fete to be called off: a woman of about 20 was killed when she fell into a well and hit her head. She suffered from an illness that caused fainting spells (perhaps epilepsy), and she happened to have an attack while she was getting water from the well. The family rushed to get to her but they were only able to recover the body. She was buried the next day, and the village called off the annual fete to come to the family’s side.
After this woman’s death, a local man (who had never been in perfect mental health) became increasingly unstable. Though he had never caused any harm, he eventually attacked a couple of villagers. Five days later, he went into the courtyard of the family who’d lost their daughter and threw himself into the very same well. It was a grim week, but life goes on in Satiri.
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melissa
non-member comment
school supplies!
hey friend- let me know what i can send you for school. i will try my best to get you pics of mountains, valleys, etc. but let me know specifically. probably paper things would be the best to send... glad to hear you are doing well. :) keep on rockin! middle school social studies is pretty fun here in asheville. love, mel