Tired tired, 8:49pm. At least it isn't 9:11pm; although not for any 9-11 sentimentality or cause it's the emergency number. It's because, every time I look at the clock....it is 9:11 am/pm. This has afflicted me for years now, with the additional injury of it almost always being eleven minutes past the hour whenever I look at the clock otherwise. What it all means, I do not know. All I know is that it's a boring story, and noone cares about it but me and maybe my mom.
Didn't feel like responding to anything on facebook, felt a bit overwhelming. Although my work starts at 10:15am, I have to leave the house at 8:30 in order to get there on time; and it took me two looong hours to get home today. I burned with rage the entire ride home in my tuk tuk...it just seems silly to put a volunteer in a placement that takes so long to get to! I'm not here to power walk and share DNA with all the other millions of passengers squashed in to whatever form of transport I happen to be taking.
Also, does it seem cold of me to bring up the idea of travel stipends? Yes, I know my placement organization is an NGO,but 40 rupees a day does make a difference here. I figured that if lots of the other volunteers at our center don't actually have to take public transport, this just ends up being another thing a select few of us have to pay for. But obviously it's not going to kill me to shell out the dollaz. Just a suggestion folks; it's not like I'm asking to be reimbursed for all the photocopying etc. that my teaching requires.
And it requires quite a bit, I have found! The "rambunctuous" kids I'm teaching literally are unable to sit and work for more than ...7..minutes without asking me if we can play "Mr. 'eti" (Mr. Yeti, the replacement figure for Mr. Wolf in 'What time is it, mr. wolf?'), or shouting/hitting etc etc. And I'm not talking just about the little guys- who are insane, just so we're all on the same page. This extends to all the students, all the way up to age 14. So now I start the lessons with, 'First, you COPY/FILL THIS IN', and THEN we will color/play/sing'. It's much more effective than me getting pissy-especially when no kid at the school understands more than 40% of what I'm saying at any one time!
Also, these are not 'normal' students. For one, they live in a country where school is mandatory and many kids work instead of going. Secondly, their parents are almost all workers in the village brick factory, which means that they don't get a lot of face time with mom or dad. These kids, I have heard, also deal with the reality of living in small huts with their family, instead of in their native villages.
And the teachers are also part of their attitude towards school. At my placement, though a bell is rung to signal the start and end of classes, the idea of a schedule has little to no bearing on what the teachers will be doing at any given time. My first day, I had lunch outside with the other 6 teachers (who are rather lovely, by the way). When 1:45 rolled around, meaning that classes were meant to resume, not a person acknowledged this fact. While I didn't want to rock the boat on my first time there, by the time it got to 2:10 I decided to finally make a move, prompting the rest of the teachers to follow suit. They probably have certain strengths, these men and women, but routine? Continuity? Responsibility? Perhaps a bit weak. Or just not an issue to them; as is the same with hitting students, having kids wander around the school during class, and rote learning.
It may be working (in certain respects) for Chinese schools, but the way my students have warmed to any sort of fun change in the classroom norm, rote learning and strictly theoretical lessons are not really working here. I mean, even the older kids at school enjoy coloring and playing 'fruit salad'- and not because they're immature. I know I'm kind of rambling here, but basically my opinion is that the educational system here (at least in my village) is pushing kids away rather than drawing them in.
blah blah blah, xyz.
oh, and we've officially cranked it up to more hours without than with power. Some kind of bouquet is called for, I'm sure. Fourteen hours a day baby!
Didn't feel like responding to anything on facebook, felt a bit overwhelming. Although my work starts at 10:15am, I have to leave the house at 8:30 in order to get there on time; and it took me two looong hours to get home today. I burned with rage the entire ride home in my tuk tuk...it just seems silly to put a volunteer in a placement that takes so long to get to! I'm not here to power walk and share DNA with all the other millions of passengers squashed in to whatever form of transport I happen to be taking.
Also, does it seem cold of me to bring up the idea of travel stipends? Yes, I know my placement organization is an NGO,but 40 rupees a day does make a difference here. I figured that if lots of the other volunteers at our center don't actually have to take public transport, this just ends up being another thing a select few of us have to pay for. But obviously it's not going to kill me to shell out the dollaz. Just a suggestion folks; it's not like I'm asking to be reimbursed for all the photocopying etc. that my teaching requires.
And it requires quite a bit, I have found! The "rambunctuous" kids I'm teaching literally are unable to sit and work for more than ...7..minutes without asking me if we can play "Mr. 'eti" (Mr. Yeti, the replacement figure for Mr. Wolf in 'What time is it, mr. wolf?'), or shouting/hitting etc etc. And I'm not talking just about the little guys- who are insane, just so we're all on the same page. This extends to all the students, all the way up to age 14. So now I start the lessons with, 'First, you COPY/FILL THIS IN', and THEN we will color/play/sing'. It's much more effective than me getting pissy-especially when no kid at the school understands more than 40% of what I'm saying at any one time!
Also, these are not 'normal' students. For one, they live in a country where school is mandatory and many kids work instead of going. Secondly, their parents are almost all workers in the village brick factory, which means that they don't get a lot of face time with mom or dad. These kids, I have heard, also deal with the reality of living in small huts with their family, instead of in their native villages.
And the teachers are also part of their attitude towards school. At my placement, though a bell is rung to signal the start and end of classes, the idea of a schedule has little to no bearing on what the teachers will be doing at any given time. My first day, I had lunch outside with the other 6 teachers (who are rather lovely, by the way). When 1:45 rolled around, meaning that classes were meant to resume, not a person acknowledged this fact. While I didn't want to rock the boat on my first time there, by the time it got to 2:10 I decided to finally make a move, prompting the rest of the teachers to follow suit. They probably have certain strengths, these men and women, but routine? Continuity? Responsibility? Perhaps a bit weak. Or just not an issue to them; as is the same with hitting students, having kids wander around the school during class, and rote learning.
It may be working (in certain respects) for Chinese schools, but the way my students have warmed to any sort of fun change in the classroom norm, rote learning and strictly theoretical lessons are not really working here. I mean, even the older kids at school enjoy coloring and playing 'fruit salad'- and not because they're immature. I know I'm kind of rambling here, but basically my opinion is that the educational system here (at least in my village) is pushing kids away rather than drawing them in.
blah blah blah, xyz.
oh, and we've officially cranked it up to more hours without than with power. Some kind of bouquet is called for, I'm sure. Fourteen hours a day baby!
I LOVE these blogs and believe people read them but do not comment which must be annoying- um you are a good writer too- interesting informative material, humour.. still chuckling.. And it is sad too, so the laffs help
ReplyDeletecmwg
I agree!! Have just caught up on your blog entries - I wasn't aware until today you had a blog going.. (The DB story made me smile)
ReplyDeleteI hope you're having a great time despite the negatives (I'm not sure I could be you right now!?) And you have some fab stories to share. I will keep reading :)
Love Aisling xxxx
interesting observations on the teaching methods in foreign countries - and i completely agree with you on the rote learning. it serves only to make curious young minds disinteresting in some potentially awesome knowledge!
ReplyDeletejust know that your concern and efforts ARE making a difference - even if it's only in planting seeds in a bed of fertile young minds that may one day flourish into brilliant individuals