Two More Tuesdays

Tuesdays are great days for me! They're my "Teaching Tip Tuesday" day, so I get to hear from lots of volunteers, which is always great, a full suite of classes in the morning to keep me busy, nap in the afternoon, and then the afternoon classes. Now let me tell you, I don't have favourites.  But if I did, 8B art class, 8C pe and arts club would be them.

8B is simply hilarious.  We're drawing designs for T shirts for a printer in SA, and I was asked, "Miss, can I draw a butt?" How can you not just love that? "No. No, you cannot draw a butt." "But Miss! I wanted to write 'Wiggle' across it." *Thank you Derulo and Snoop...* "There's a rule in this: you can't use words. You know that's out. And no butts, either. Just to be clear."

Following 8B Arts, I pop next door to cue up 8C and we head outside.  These kids (yes, the same class from CTF), are SO committed to having fun and moving.  It's inspiring! They're involved, they're excited, they listen, they GET INTO IT. Diving in with both feet.  Not that other classes don't do this, but these kids put 300% into PE (and all things they do).  We're kickboxing this month, and I told them, "Kickboxing is all about control of your body and your emotions, so if you lose control, you'll have to sit out." One kid accidentally kind of swiped the girl's head in front of him, and he was so upset at the thought of missing a set.  But he sat out quietly and hopped right back up when I said he could.  Later in the class, I had them design sets as a group, and oh MAN, Paulus's face. I wish I had my camera to show you all his grunt face.  SO. INTO. IT. I can't wait to learn their moves next week!

Then I rush back to school for Arts Club. Today was our first day.  We talked about the different types of art we wanted to do. Cartooning, landscapes, portraits, and still lifes.  Cool.  So we started with landscapes today, and the grade 11 boys were really paying attention and producing some cool stuff already! I'm excited to see where this goes!

Today (even though I got up on the wrong side of the bed to begin with) was amazing. And I'm really looking forward to making the absolute most out of next Tuesday!

I only have two Tuesdays left here at RVS. I'm heading to Windhoek at the beginning of October to take on a new role in WorldTeach as the Field Director for the Namibia program.  I couldn't be more excited at the prospect of helping strengthen our partnership with the Ministry of Education and help volunteers navigate the world of volunteer teaching in Namibia.  And have my own apartment, and access to fresh fruit and a pool.

But I am going to miss the people at this school with the entirety of my heart.  They planted this seed of love in my heart in January, from when three little, shy girls came up and introduced themselves as Regina, Rebecca and Ida.  Now these girls, and their friends, are some of the most outgoing, inspiring, brilliant young ladies and gentlemen I know.  To quote the Ninth Doctor- "I don't want to go!"  But I know I must, as he did, and grow myself into my new role and let the school evolve, too.

CTF! CTF!

I have played Capture the Flag with all of my Phys Ed classes, and today, in honour of the FIRST CAMPER TRIBE SORTING OF THE SUMMER at CAMP HAWKEYE, a place that so quickly became a part of my soul, we played today in PE with grade 8C.

And let me tell you, they were AWESOME. They loved it. Laughing and chasing each other, and winning and losing with grace and an HONESTY that I truly didn't expect from that group.  When negative expectations are broken, it's even better than positive ones being met! My heart hurts from loving so much and laughing so hard.  They blew my mind with their pure, unadulterated childhood.

AND we got to chase away the grade 11s. They came late to PE, so they don't get the field!

Kindred Spirits

Kindred spirits are interesting things.  No two people are exactly the same, and that’s what makes humans a beautiful species.  But sometimes, you find a person who just “gets you.” I don't think I believe in a singular kindred spirit that exists in one other person, like a soul mate.  The idea of kindred spirits is more transient than that.  In any given moment, your "other half" could be that girl on the dance floor who you have a blast with, smiling and dancing in sync the whole night.  Could be that colleague who you work really well and really hard with and then go home for tea and moan and feel self-righteous with about how hard you work compared to other colleagues.  Could be that colleague who feels as much pain as you do when he sees learners who are ill, or lonely, or sad.  Could be that woman in the combi who you share a seat with for 6 hours from Rundu to Divundu, and you feel exhausted, frustrated, but also somehow accomplished together.  Could be those learners who you are about to ask to do something, and you turn around, and they’re already doing it.  Could be that PCV who is so ambitious and who pushes you to set strong goals for yourself.  Could be that teacher who you can sit and plan a week’s worth of lessons in an hour with, because you are aware of the content and the best way to teach it.  Could be that man you can sit next to and read with until both of your eyes start to close after a long day.  Could be that little girl who you went to camp with when you were 11 and you still are thankful for her introducing you to the best place in the world.  Could be that farmer who you pull a calf into this world with.  Could be that young woman you met the first day of college who became your best friend.  Could be that colleague who pushes you to a whole new level on the tennis courts.  Could be that life guard who also has a heart attack with you every time he hears an air horn because of one too many missing camper drills.  Could be that little girl who is as Alive Alert Awake and Enthusiastic as you at seven in the morning.  Could be that young man who just wants to sit and be quiet with you for hours. And in those moments, you bond, connect; then the moment shifts.

And the crazy thing about all these spirits is that they’re American; they're brown; they’re Namibian; they're white; they’re Zimbabwean; they’re Indian; they’re Nigerian; they're black; they're yellow, red, blue, green; they’re people.  

Special Education

Part of my role as the WorldTeach teaching fellow is that I get to provide teaching support for the other volunteers.  After helping with orientation and our midservice conference, this basically consists of a mass text once a week for "Teaching Tip Tuesday." But sometimes, volunteers ask me for help with various issues they're facing in their classrooms, and it's always really rewarding to hear about stress turned success in their lives.  

That happened this week with one volunteer who is struggling with four learners documented with learning disabilities.  However, there is not any sort of system in Namibian schools for providing consistent support to these learners.  The structures in place in New York schools, like individualized education plans, case managers and resource rooms simply do not exist here.  These learners mostly get ignored and pushed along.   But for the volunteer, this wasn't good enough. He couldn't sit by and not help these learners in some way.  We talked it out for a long while, and he revealed more about these kids.  They're nonverbal in their home language and in English.  So I suggested drawing and colouring for these learners, since they always end up doodling anyway.  Their pictures can even be related to the work that is being done in class--colouring simple nouns etc. 

The volunteer bravely was worried that this wouldn't be enough for these kids, and I responded with one of the saddest things I think I could have thought of: Anything you do with these kids is probably more than they're getting outside of your class. 

Positively, though, he took my advice, and the feedback today was that the drawing went really well! I'm proud of the kids, proud of the vol and proud of myself! 

Disappointments and Proud Moments

Yesterday was a disappointment, and today, I was proud.

We had visitors come to the school yesterday to talk to our learners about "Saving the Rhino." They brought a very inspiring message about how important biodiversity is to environments, and how important the environment (especially the diversity found in Namibia) is great for the economy.  They also spoke about how inhumane and unsustainable rhino poaching is. Then the visitors had the learners draw pictures of rhinos to send to Vietnam, where people purchase rhino horn, to show the "Voices of the African Children" speaking up for the rhino.  The best drawing also won a bicycle!!

All in all, the kids had lots of fun and got to take tons of pictures and draw and take part in a mission to help their country's natural resources.  They also lost 3 hours of classes and their focus for the rest of the day.  Now I'm not saying that the goals of sustainability, conservation or ecology are bad. I think they are very important things.  But if you're going to come to a school to talk to children about these issues, then please be more empowering for the children who are there.  The undertones of the visit was "us-getting-our-drawings-from-you-is-more-important-than-whatever-teaching-you-were-planning-to-do-today," instead of "let's-work-together-to-get-these-kids-psyched-about-the-environment."  I think that what bothered me most about it was that the kids didn't get that subtle message.  And they're kids, so why would they? They're going to enjoy the drawing and the attention while it's there.

But there is a silver lining that the learners here are starting to ask the bigger questions.  Today, I was sitting in on a Life Skills class in which they were discussing marriage, laws and tradition.  The teacher said something along the lines of two men or two women cannot get married because it's wrong. One learner from the back raised his hand, and asked, "But why?" The teacher responded, "Because it's illegal." "But why?" The teacher, shocked, retorted, "Are you questioning the law?" and to my immense pleasure and pride, seven or so learners responded, "Yeah!" There was no response to them, except a beaming smile on my face.

I know that this questioning of the system is a generally Western thing to do, and I'm not sure how it will effect blossoming countries like Namibia, but I hope it would effect things positively.  I am so proud of my learners.  If only adults would learn this, too.

General Update

I know I have been silent lately, and I apologize! Things are going along smoothly this term.  I'm working on getting some of the tasks I do to become more systematic within the school, and thanks to understanding management, I think it's working! Life Science and Biology are going really well, and my coteacher is a-maaaah-zing! We teach one week on-one week off switching between the two subjects, so she'll teach Grade 11 Bio, while I'm teaching Grade 8 Life Science.  It's working quite beautifully, and we're definitely able to get a lot done in both classes.

The sports teacher has been very proactive, and we've had a number of internal soccer games under the lights on Saturday night! That makes me miss football and lacrosse so so much.  We're having another school come to play our soccer team next weekend: our first competition  with another school.

I'm working with my director, Fritz, to get auditions going for a play.  We're hoping to put it on in a month's time.

Things have become very routine here and comfortable.  I really love the ease and regularity with which things happen these days. And all of our learners have finally received their uniforms so they're all lookin' sharp!

And I'm not letting stress get to me this term. Firstly, because there is a lot less stress in general, now that I'm not filling in for people who aren't here yet.  Having a full staff makes life much easier for everyone! Secondly, because I've started to distance myself from things a bit, to prepare the teachers for life without  me.  Not in a cocky-I-do-everything-and-now-I'm-sick-of-it way, but a I'm-not-around-much-longer way.  I take more weekends away from school, and I find a lot more time to relax.

Good times, good times.

UPDATES! Happy Namibian Independence Day!

RVS has experienced two major changes this year: double the learners, and almost double the teachers.  Our family is growing! The new learners are a riot.  I’m teaching new Grade 8 learners art and Life Science, and man, are they smart! This week, we’re preparing for gardening at the beginning of next term.  One of the things we look at is soil pH.  They really only need to know that pH exists, but class 8C was all “what’s pH, Miss?” and so we got really into it.  And then after 40 minutes, they were explaining to each other how negatively charged minerals in the soil could be held out of the root system by acids, and drawing diagrams on the board.  Seriously?! These kids are 13. And they ask questions. Good questions, not just “Miss, may I use the toilet?”

Speaking of “using the toilet,” I went home for my brother’s wedding. Bad transition, I know, but bear with me.  It’s really interesting to go back and forth to the States.  The last time I went, I made concerted efforts to tone down my Namlish, but this time, I was only in the States for 4.5 days, so it was not worth it for me.  Out for drinks with a bunch of Chicago friends, I said, “Oh let me just run to the toilet,” and I fully did not understand why everyone was laughing.  At least I didn’t say “ablutions.” 

The wedding was absolutely a blast! Mike and Kate are so incredibly happy, and the party was amazing! Great beer, fun dancing (though no P Square—Kate, we still have to find the person who took all the P Square off your wedding playlist!), great food, the best people anyone could wish for, all in one place. 

And then somewhat tearful goodbyes and heading back to Windhoek. 

Upon my return from my two week hiatus from school, I was told that the head office would be coming for an official visit to assist with the progress of this school.  Last year, this visit was very stressful, to say the least, so the Sunday I arrived was hectic.  Everyone was a bit on edge, not knowing quite what to expect this time around. 

It couldn’t have been more pleasant or helpful.  The biology department had a supervisor from the curriculum development teams in Windhoek, and he was remarkable! He brought us so many resources and we had great discussions about assessment strategies, problem based learning, inquiry based learning and team-centered teaching approaches.  It was like being back in my Masters program—geeking out over teaching.  It was a blast! Overall, it was a crazy first week back, with the visit and preparing for Independence. 

Today was Namibian Independence Day.  This morning, the learners and teachers came together for songs, poems, skits and speeches about the day and the history.  It’s interesting, because it’s so fresh for so many people.  All of the teachers were around when Independence for Namibia was gained in 1990, so they find it really important to get the “born frees” to try and imagine what a lack of independence even means. Because they know. 

After the formal morning celebrations, we had a really relaxed/busy day with sports and dancing, and now, in the evening, the learners are back to study, because, as the principal reminded us this morning, Independence isn’t a one-off thing.  To paraphrase his speech from the morning: Namibians must continue to earn it and fight to keep it every day through hard work and education, because now the fight is for economic freedom.

Personal Thoughts on Freedom and Independence

NB: This is a personal thoughts post, not reflective of the official opinions of RVS or WorldTeach (none of my posts are!).  It’s also slightly a personal confession, rather than a glance into my day-to-day interactions at RVS.

                Today is Namibian Independence Day, so as a school, we have been celebrating with many discussions on freedom and what independence means to people.  In 1990, it meant freedom from political and social oppression for Namibian people.  Today, it means freedom from economic hardship and suppression in Namibia. 

                For me, though, it means freedom from sadness. This past year, to put it in Namibian terms, I have been “suffering.”  Even when everything little thing is gonna be alright, my heart was sad.  Like a tight knot in my chest, bringing me close to tears about seventy percent of the time.  It was all I could do to greet people some days.  And I felt guilty about it all the time.  I’m surrounded by children who have lost both parents, have lost siblings, have no food to eat at home, nor soap to bathe with.  And yet, they manage to smile and soldier on, hopeful of a bright and happy future for them.  What reasons do I have to cry? It’s not fair of me to be sad, when I’m surrounded by so much hope in such dismal conditions. 

                But in the words of Princess Elsa, I am starting to be able to “let it go.”  The guilt, the heavy heart and the worry.  I am listening to my brain, which is telling me that things are going to work out, and every little mistake is not always my fault.  I was drowning in guilt from silly little mistakes, instead of learning from them and moving on.  I was drowning in anger at others, instead of learning from them and moving on.  I was constantly worried about what would happen next, instead of allowing the future to take its course and moving in the moment. 

                I am stronger for it, now.  And happier for it, now.  And more appreciative of it, now.

                My mind is strong enough to tell my heart, “Everything is going to be alright.” And my heart is strong enough to listen. I am free.

Flexibility

This weekend has been all about flexibility.  Saturday, the Learner Representative Council arranged a really amazing performance of singers and dancers and speakers to welcome the newest members of our Rukonga community.  Starting on Wednesday, groups were registered to perform, and our LRCs were so on top of everything, that the program was set on Friday night.  This is something which usually doesn’t happen until about 30 minutes before the event.  All of the groups’ music was planned for and prepared before afternoon study on Saturday (again, something which is usually super last minute).  Everything was smooooooooth sailing.  I couldn’t have been more proud of the LRCs and group members for their preparation and forward thinking. 
 

But nothing can go that smoothly. 

Dinner came, and some of the LRCs were busily setting up the audio equipment.  But the connection between the amplifier and computer wasn’t working properly.  Trouble shoot: OK how about this computer? What if we turn it this way? Let’s take off the tape and see if we can put it back together. Nope. Damn.

Back-up plan: Microphone sitting on the table in front of two small speakers.  Worked like a dream… sort of. Only we couldn’t quite get things loud enough for the dancers to hear sometimes, and the rapping was out—because the microphone was occupied.  Although one learner did hold the small speaker in his hand with the mic, so that he was rapping with the speaker in his face.  That was hilarious.  But everyone did a remarkable job.  And the learners in the audience were respectful and sweaty and sharing water bottles with each other.  A pretty beautiful evening, overall. 

Which was really good preparation for today, because we woke up with no power.  This happens a lot on Sundays in Kavango.  Throughout the day, old and new students were totally on top of their time! Very few late comers to the dining hall, study periods or hostels (dorms).  Even without too much water for drinking, the learners were content to work and play.  Around seven, the power usually comes back on when these outages happen.  But today it took an extra hour.  Even through that hour, (dark, now), learners were laughing, studying, hanging out. Without showers, phone calls home, or washing which usually happens at this time, they were prepared for the long haul.  They were ready to fetch water from the river, if needed. 
 

But (obviously) the power did come back on, and still, the learners were patient! It was like Christmas when the water started flowing.  But the girls were patient. Toilets were flushed and water bottles were filled, but showers waited. Washing waited.  And now they’re all calling home without complaining to parents, just smiling faces talking to their loved ones.

I know a lot of these issues are not new to these kids, or don’t sound like a big deal to readers at home.  But I am constantly impressed by these learners’ never-ending flexibility and ability to push themselves in novel situations and rebound from setbacks.  They’re inspiring.

Teachers here are also flexible.  As we finish our hiring process for 2014, we are currently short a lot of teachers in the classrooms.  But was is so impressive is the willingness of all teachers to step up and teach extra courses, subjects and classes in the afternoons and evenings, sacrificing personal time for the sake of these learners' education.  I am so lucky to have such a wonderful and supportive group of colleagues to work with here. 

End of Orientation is the Beginning

Orientation this year was eye opening for me, again.  This new group of volunteers has so much spirit and energy and dedication, and I am so incredibly excited to see all of the wonderful work each is able to accomplish.  I feel like I’ve continued to grow as a person, this orientation, discovering weaknesses and strengths and learning from mistakes.  As the volunteers left this morning (Kavango picked us up last, of course), it was so bittersweet.  After such a long three weeks together, we’re all headed out into our own adventures.  We’ll integrate into our communities and make new friends.  We’ll focus on our communities’ needs and teaching our kids. We’ll stay in touch.

I think the major thing I’ve learned this OR was that it’s not about me.  I tried to focus on giving to others so that the program can be successful.  I don’t need to be the center of attention and that is a really refreshing place to be.  I’m hoping I can continue in this mind set at my school, where I am focused on the needs of the school, and not necessarily what I think the school needs.  It leaves me more relaxed and able to actually make things happen.  I'll be teaching Grade 8 Life Science and Grade 8 and 9 Arts this year!  I'm going to use Ahlquist-style organizers/summaries for note taking, which I'm really psyched about doing.  I think it'll be really good to have the learners generating their own notes, because usually here what happens is the teacher will write out a summary of a topic on the board, and the learners will copy it down, so making them go to the textbook and write out the information in a way that makes sense to them will be really helpful (I hope!).

Leaving Windhoek was hard this morning.  The volunteers scattering around the country, and friends staying in Windhoek are difficult to say goodbye to.  But I am excited for that feeling I get every time I walk through the gate to the girls’ hostels. That feeling of pride in my learners and belonging in my school.

PS: This part is mostly for last year’s vols.  WT2013, I miss you all like crazy!! This year’s volunteers wrote Bret a song and sang it to him at the goodbye dinner. Hilarious.  It will be posted soon. J Additionally, it’s super interesting how adding men to the group of volunteers changes the group dynamic.  It’s super refreshing to have more male humor and presence around. I think it created a more social group from the beginning, because people we’re afraid to go out and stuff from earlier on in OR.  And these volunteers are super-de-duper.  But I don’t have anyone to sing Granite State of Mind with, or reminisce about Ithaca with, or geek out about Dewey or Montessori with, or share every day ups and downs with, or I can go back and forth between wanting to be a social worker and teacher with, or whose insanely good trip planning skills I can take advantage of for a month. I love you all so much!