Week 2

Week 2 began this way:

At the Primary School I showed the new AA all the computer systems I've been working with and definitely overwhelmed her.  The Principal, like most South Africans, cares too much about looks, he wants everything to be pretty (First World gleam over Third World reality) so he had the two of them spend all morning making the perfect cover pages and pasting wrapping paper on the jackets of notebooks.  Seriously used ToysRus Christmas wrapping paper to cover the books the department sent.  I've seen almost every kid's notebook similarly covered, so I know they get taught this young.  When I pointed out that they were wasting valuable time, making the school's Log Book look unprofessional and giving this toy store free advertisement, David looked sheepish and held off covering the rest until I'd left.

Mrs. B wants me to teach her class, so I asked to look at her lesson plans.  Luckily for her, the DOE sends out lesson plans now for all Primary Maths classes.  Sad but true, she hadn't even opened the binder yet.  Four days into the school year and she was surprised to learn that her students were supposed to be practicing multiplication tables with flash cards.  Once I explained what flash cards are and how we could have the students make them, she decided I should go alone to class and do that.  Again, I explained Co-Teaching, and she decided I was gonna be too much trouble to work with.  Too late, I'm asking her everyday now what classes she has and if she's ready for them.  This was our last conversation of the day:

Me: Mrs. B, why aren't you in 5A maths right now?

B: The period is over.

Me: No it isn't, not until 10:50.

B: I think the period is over.

Me: You had me type up the schedule 5 times last week, I know this period isn't over until 10:50.

David started laughing and she got embarrassed.

B: I have to go to a meeting.

At the Middle School, the Principal was already gone to a meeting, and when the cat's away the mice will play, so most of the teachers were goofing off in the copy room.  I helped the AA register a few new learners for school and then sat in the staff room to be sociable with the most calm teachers.  Sitting near me was one of my favorite teachers there because of his fun attitude and personality, but he still seems to get work out of the learners.  We started talking about the Bible and moral issues and I'm sure he thinks I'm a terrible person.  What I said conflicted with everything he's grown up believing in and he didn't know how how to handle it.  I said people should honor their own sexuality and respect their bodies by limiting their partners (few black South Africans are monogamous and some of the middle school teachers here brag about their own adultery).  Also I defended gay rights.  I will probably be stoned when I walk into that school yard tomorrow.  Not really, but I am for sure the only person in this village who'd say such shocking things. 

Speaking of adultery, another of the (married) male teachers came in and asked me to help him with Grade 9 English this year, since that teacher up and transferred schools last week.  I said I'd help, I'd Co-Teach with him.  So he bent down until we were eye-to-eye, put his hand on my shoulder, and said he could bring me the Grade 9 English book to my place tonight.  No words can adequately capture my horror and disgust, but I kept it professional with something like “I'll look at it here tomorrow.  What class are you supposed to be in right now?” 

Since there was no work for me to do and I felt like I needed a hot shower, I went home about an hour before normal where I continued the massive re-organization of my room and put the finishing touches on my mosquito-net-turned-window-screening I'd started yesterday.  Resego came to play catch with me, we didn't have a ball so we used his hat.  I was left home alone for a while and somehow the gate opened and our sheep and the neighbors cows came into the yard.  I'm an expert shepherdess now, so that was no big deal to me.  After dark, 2 boys came for homework help.  They brought their classwork assignment, but no pen or paper to write on.  We borrowed supplies from Lebo and mom had to translate, because even by Grade 8 most kids here don't have the English skills to communicate effectively.  Which really sucks come test time, since all the exams are written in English.  Anyway, they had been given questions but no lecture, no answers, and no book.  I ended up telling them to come for help during daylight hours next time, to talk to the teacher in the morning and if they still needed help to meet me after school and we'd go to the encyclopedias at the local library tomorrow.  Another Monday, another fine start to the week.