6 Month Mark

I have now been in Namibia for over six months! It doesn’t feel that way at all. Being here just feels right most of the time, which is really nice since sometimes it is hard being so far away from everything that is familiar. One of my fellow volunteers said that it will always be August 2010 for her until she goes home, and it does seem like that sometimes. That time has just stood still in a way, but on the other hand it’s going by so fast! I can’t believe February is almost over! Some things that are interesting about being here for six months.

In the past six months:

I have not used any heat products on my hair (blow dryer, flat iron, etc.)
I rarely wear makeup, except mascara which is a daily must.
I have not driven a car (and my license expires next month).
I now call sodas or any beverage a kool drink.
I walk everywhere and my feet are constantly dirty because of all the sand/rocks.
Rarely is there A/C on anywhere I am even though it’s 90+ degrees outside.

I’m sure I could keep going on the list, but those are the things that come to mind right now.

Last night I went to the Valentine’s Dinner at my school. One of my grade 8 boys asked me if I would go with him. And I of course said yes. I had to pay of course, but I didn’t mind. It’s a chance to get dressed up which is just nice to do sometimes. I wasn’t sure what time the dinner started, but I had heard it would be around 7 – which meant it would actually start at 9. Oh Namibian time…

The dinner was nice – candle light and all. And it was fun to see everyone dressed up. I was told I looked like a famous person and I looked – Mar-va-lous! My date came and picked me up to escort me to the dining hall and then we were seated with another couple at a table (a desk with a lovely table cloth). We had chips and sweets to snack on before dinner was served. Dinner was braai (meat on the grill) and two salads – a carrot salad and a pasta salad. All served with a kool drink. I was glad I got a plate, because they didn’t have enough for everyone at the dinner, but those people did get their money back. After dinner, the dance started. I was ready to call it a night, so I thanked my date for a lovely evening and then returned back to my room. I’m so glad my school has these types of functions because they are enjoyable to go to.

Teaching is going well. I need to work on noise control in my classroom because I’m constantly telling them to be quiet. I gave my first test on Friday and the average was 49% in two classes and 44% in the other. These are actually decent results seeing that the average for the past few years has been fewer than 30% passing. It’s nice to see that some are grasping the concepts, but others left questions completely blank.

My principal told me that some of the learners told her that they are really enjoying my BIS (library) class and Art class as well. I’ve been really happy with how the library lessons have been going. I give the same lesson 14 times over two weeks. Seven classes with girls one week and seven classes with the boys the next week. I definitely learn over the first few classes what’s working and what is not. We still need to work on putting the books back in the correct place, but it seems that most of them understand how to find books on the shelve now when given the code/label of the book. And a lot of learners are wanting to check out books! I even see them reading them during study (and sometimes during class). Even though the library causes me to stress out at times, it’s nice to see that there are learners who want to read and want to use the library.

First Weeks of School

It has now been three weeks since the school has opened for the year. The first week of school consisted of learners coming with their parents or guardians to register at the school. No classes took place that week and I spent my time in the library or sitting in a classroom full of learners with not much to do. The second week we had a tentative timetable (class schedule) which was set on a seven day cycle. This meant that after seven days, the cycle repeats itself. Every day has a different class schedule and because you are only in school five days a week, every Monday, Tuesday, etc. was different from the other. This was very hard for me to get my brain around and it freaked me out a little. I was glad that on Friday of that week we were presented with a new schedule that was on a five day cycle. Now my week looks the same every week – even though each day is different. Below is my current timetable:

Monday: Period 1 – Math 8A Period 5 – Art 9A
Period 2 – Math 8B Period 6 – Off
Period 3 – Off Period 7 – BIS 9A
Period 4 – Math 8C Period 8 – Off

Tuesday: Period 1 – Math 8B Period 5 – Math 8A
Period 2 – Art 8A Period 6 – Off
Period 3 – Math 8C Period 7 – Off
Period 4 – Off Period 8 – BIS 10A

Wednesday: Period 1 – Art 9B Period 5 – Math 8A
Period 2 – Math 8B Period 6 – BIS 8A
Period 3 – Math 8C Period 7 – BIS 9B
Period 4 – Art 10A Period 8 – Off

Thursday: Period 1 – Math 8A Period 5 – Art 10B
Period 2 – Art 8B Period 6 – Art 8C
Period 3 – Math 8C Period 7 – Off
Period 4 – Math 8B Period 8 – Off

Friday: Period 1 – Math 8C Period 5 – Math 8B
Period 2 – Math 8A Period 6 – BIS 8B
Period 3 – BIS 8C Period 7 – Off
Period 4 – Off Period 8 – BIS 10B

There are eight periods each day, each 40 min. long. We have a 30 minute break after period 4 each day. There is no time allotted for changing classes, so the actual class period is less than 40 minutes long. Sometimes the time moves so fast, it’s hard to get everything into the lesson. But some days, the time moves very slowly.

I’m still learning the best way to teach and it’s a trial and error process. It’s challenging not really knowing the level of each learner, but I’m sure that will reveal itself after the first test. I’m working on learning everyone’s name which is also a challenge since I have over 200 names to learn. My grade 8 math classes are about 36 learners in each class. For Art and BIS (basic information science), the classes are split where the boys come one week and the girls come the other. This makes it easy for lesson planning since one lesson lasts two weeks!

Other happenings during the past few weeks have included a back to school dance, movie night at the hostel, and a Miss New Comer Pageant. Each of these events was so much fun and it’s nice to see the learners outside of the classroom in a more relaxed atmosphere. All of these are also fundraisers for the school. At the Miss New Comer Pageant, I was responsible for collecting the money at the door. We charged N$3 per person and we ended up collecting N$700! All this money goes back to the learners in different ways.

Overall things have been good these first few weeks of school. At times, frustrating, as is with any new job, but I’m learning as I go and taking advice as it is given to me. I’m working on getting ahead this weekend by doing as many lesson plans as I can.