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.