My First Week of Teaching.
Hello hello my dear wonderful friends & family!
I think I may have started off the last entry like this, but I have not yet lessened my appreciation for my old faithful laptop nor the world wide web! It’s is so nice to have a medium in which I can communicate with you. Here I am in my dark tiny bedroom at 7 in the morning on a Saturday. Jocelyn gave me some very thick curtains she wasn’t using – so they help keep my room dark.. and I get to sleep in all the way to 7 on the weekends! : ) Usually I get up at 6:15, and leave for work/school between 7 & 7:15.
I am listening to Celine Dion’s Christmas album (My dear sister Catherine… I am surrounded by houses that give music lessons.. seriously there are 3 within 50 feet.. and APPARENTLY quite often they sing to Celine Dion! Exciting hey?) I try not to think about the fact that I will not be seeing Celine this October in Winnipeg with Catherine, because as silly as it may sound, one of my dreams is to see Celine Dion WITH CATHERINE!! And wow, just thinking of it I am laughing!
Let me fill you in on this past week: If you are uninterested in my ‘teaching’ lore and follies I invite to please skip through this part as it might be a bit of a bore – but I will try not to drag it on too long.
Monday = Teacher’s meeting.
I met all the teachers/staff of the school. We went over rules & policies, then I organized the classroom.. it is still a brutal mess with hundreds of books in cardboard boxes at the back of the classroom.
Tuesday = Stationary Day
Out here the kids bring LOTS of things that are not only for themselves, but for all the Art supplies in the school, and things for the Office/administration. For example one child would bring 8 scribblers, pens, marks, dictionaries, etc. but they would ALSO bring 12 rolls of toilet paper, 6 boxes of Kleenex, a big thing of computer paper, poster board, glitter, blue ink/dye, thick packing tape… and so the list goes on. Because there is so much stuff, the students come with their parents to bring everything to the classroom – where I go through the checklist and make sure they have everything, then semi-organize it. I got to meet many of the parents, and most of the children, it was exhilarating.
Wednesday = 1st Teaching Day!
Lisa Obirek says: “Good morning beautiful children!”
Grade 4’s say: “Good morning Ms Lisa” (Which, for us Canadians sounds like… ‘Gouude mowneeng meees leeza’) ah, it’s priceless.
okay, continuing on Wednesday – good day, mostly just organized ourselves (labeled books, go over rules, etc).. had a ‘sharing circle’ : )
In the grade 4 classroom we have 3 rules:
1- Love Vision Valley
2- Love Each Other
3- Love Yourself
Then we discussed what each of them means, and how we do that, it was nice.
Thursday: did a bunch of math – it’s a nice feeling to introduce a concept (for example – Place Value) and see the children learn it.. going from never hearing it.. to being able to answer questions about it – its nice : )
Friday: the day I realized I’m in way over my head. …..
Most of the kids in my class speak decent English (one new girl – doesn’t speak a word) but the comprehension level when reading I so low –and yet, because this is an English school – we are to ‘grade’ them according to the standard set by the school.. which is as if English were their mother tongue : ( … not one of these kids have English in their homes as they main spoken language – it’s actually quite beautiful the diversity in languages – I learnt a little bit of punjabe from some of the kids on Friday..
I had tears in my eyes when it clicked about the comprehension.. I mean, they read a sentence out of their grade 4 American text books and are struggling with each word.. so by the time they get to the end of the sentence – they have successfully read through the words, and they might understand the word – but definitely not the sentence. .. it is frustrating, and to be honest – really depressing. They want to prepare the children to be able to handle English university classes.
I have written a rant titled ‘O Mighty English – I serve only you’.. but it’s full of bitterness and judgment, it’s a bit funny but in a far from uplifting way. I tell you this only because that was my biggest quandary this week and the way I am dealing about it is my venting to my computer screen.
I love these kids!
Side note: Kidnapping is quite an issue here – I was told that one of the girls in my class has been kidnapped before… apparently it happens quite frequently – usually amongst the wealthy Indian families – and they hold the kids for a ransom. However, it’s not usually brutal violence, and 90% of the kids get returned home. Another kid in the school – her dad has been kidnapped TWICE – crazy eh?
Yesterday was Saturday – what a wonderful day! I slept in til 7 and wrote this and read so much! I read Francine Rivers’ first book of that triology she wrote about the Hebrew girl in roman times – ah I cried, and I really REALLY want to find the second book so I can read that this evening.
ALSO, Georgina (house mate/v.v. teacher/friend) and I went walking in some place I had never been before to try and find some shirts for me – I needed to have some long sleeved shirts for school – I have many Muslum students, and their parents as well (like head and sometimes face covered) so I just feel much more comfortable being more covered.. there are so many ‘used clothing’ places here – I really like it. I think people like us Canadians ship clothing over here like the stuff we don’t want – but then they need and want things other than these clothes so they sell them on the side of the road and then people like me buy them : ) and if any of you have shipped over clothing to Madagascar… thank you – maybe I am wearing one of your old shirts : )
After that we picked up some Madagascarian (is that a word?) chocolate, some THB (Three horse beer) FRESH, and Georgina bought a pirated movie – Sleepwalker.. oh my what a wonderful evening – us 4 girls in the house, watching an English dvd, drinking fresh, and eating chocolate. It was the most ‘chill’ its been since I arrived. (I taught the grade 4’s the meaning of the world ‘chill’ this week.. sometimes I say ‘okay guys its time to chill’.. and then they kind of slouch and pretend to be half asleep.. its funny AND they stop talking – bonus). I did a good chunk of prep work for school yesterday, and I’m still not nearly prepared enough.
Our First theme in this class will be Africa. This means our History, Geography, Science, Health.. it will all be related somehow to Africa – it is such a joy to research and prepare for this. I worked on that for many hours yesterday, and as soon as I have posted this – I will continue to do more work on it.
Hey for those of you that pray and read this – I would really appreciate prayer for God to give me wisdom and the direction when deciding how to approach this English Comprehension issue, apparently this is quite an issue in all of the grades, however I do not have any previous knowledge of how do this, and I’m reading a whole bunch and listening to advice.. but I still feel like I’m not doing enough. They have said many times they are so thankful that I have come and so on, and they know I do not have a teaching degree – and I will (and AM) working so much on preparing and learning, and trying to be wise in every decision – but I’m just in a bit of a down place right now – I am at peace.. but am feeling a bit lost in the position of ‘teacher’.
That’s it. Hope you all are well,
Love,
Lisa Obirek
dimanche 31 août 2008
dimanche 24 août 2008
Barefoot Babe in Old Market Square
Ah my to my dear Reader(s)!
I sit here with a huge grin on my face as i am sitting in Jocelyn's house using their wonderful North American Keyboard and relatively quick internet connection - i feel as if i have just entered some secret world where i can be right there with you - ah the internet is a wondrous thing in my eyes.
I have actually an entire blog written up at my place on my laptop - but i was not expecting to come here today (to J to the third's) so i did not save it : ( so i'll do my best to quickly fill you in.
The other day I went to a pavillion market (there are some cobble stone streets and it reminds me of Old Market Square in The Exchange District - Winnipeg) in the middle of the city with 3 women (Sarah, Colleen, Mbola - principal at vision valley) . After Colleen and Mbola had finished the 40 minute adventure of finding and bargaining 20 binders we left the market for some late supper. We were headed to the Korean place which i hear about on a daily basis because of how unbelieveably delicious it is, and to their shock and disappointment it was closed : ( So, we headed towards some other little side street for about 10 minutes, and this little girl - about 4 years old with no shoes came up to me with a huge smile (and of COURSE i smiled back and just wanted to pick her up and swing her around!) and i smiled and she held out her hand and walked right beside me, this barefoot babe, with an open palm saying something in Malagasy that was some sort of plea for money. I couldn't look at her anymore - and i walked into our nice restaurant (some tasty Mexican place) and she remained outside in the dark all alone with no shoes.
I did not give her a penny. I did not give her a even a word in a language she would understand. I gave her an honest smile, which later turned into a 'right now im so confused, right now i wish i wasnt born with so much priviledge, and i wish i didnt feel so guilty' smile.
I sat down in the restaurant, and ate my chicken fahitas and drank my .. i dont know what it's called.. but it's beer mixed with sprite (even though i don't like beer - it was very tasty). I felt very strange, and very horrible. This is the first time in my life that I walked away with money in my pocket - and i walked away without having a conversation - or sharing a meal.
Giving people money has been the topic of MANY conversations between friends and i - and i say do what you can. i have been told - but there are thousands of them - millions even - if we were to give something to that little barefoot babe - they all would come running and you would become like them.
The thing is, sometimes, quite often, i wish that i was 'like them'. Maybe this just sounds really foolish - like i don't know what i'm saying, or i have no idea what it is that would all entail. But it is something that hits my heart tenfold and i can't shake it that i can't do nothing.
I am not going to say how i view this - we should all view it like this - but i think we should be constantly re-examining why we approach situations such as these the way we do. Cause yeah, maybe that little girl would go and give it to some big ass pimp, or maybe she would give it to her mum so she could buy some potatoes and it would only feed them for that one meal and then again tomorrow she would beg, or maybe it would keep her mother from selling her out for the night, or maybe it would i dont know.. maybe it would be better than doing nothing at all.
I write this without having drawn any kind of conclusion about it, i do not want any kind of sympathetic messages please, or 'lisa you cant change the world' messages.. no thank you i will listen, but i simply believe that there is an honest love than has, does, and will continue to change lives, and as one life is changed the entire world is changed - so yes, i do want to be involved in this beautiful adventure of changing the world through love, and if you don't to, thats your business.. but don't tell me it's not possible, because i myself have been changed through the unconditional love of another.
but i would appreciate wisdom.
ah, now how to transition into a myriad of other things, how about i draw a line, and that will suffice -yes?
-----------------------------------------------------------
-i take baths, cause we don't have a showerhead. i don't particularily enjoy bathing in my own Malagasy filth - but perhaps it will grow on me (hahaha.. literally!)
-georgina (housemate) bakes.. often, she is a wonderful baker and her housemates get to be the recipent of so many delicious things like caramel cupcakes, or some foreign south african tea biscuit
-i have a teacher's meeting tomorrow - monday. and then on tuesday is 'stationary day' when all the kids bring their school supplies and then leave. and then wednesday the KIDS ARRIVE!
-i am very excited to meet the kids and the year started with them. I am excited to get to try and figure out the strengths and weaknesses of all 18 of them.. i have the biggest class in the school : S
-it has only been 1 week and 1 day since my arrival here, and even though it has only been about 5 days since i last saw the Pletts of Madagascar (isn't it so funny.. that i don't have to say which ones?!?!) i found myself really wanting to be with them these couple of days, just to i don't know hear the same accent, or share with them about what i have been encountering, or just having Judah sit on my lap and say funny things. i will definitely appreciate them more and more as the year goes on.
-our toilet in the bathroom doesn't have a toilet seat - it's awkward.
-Since my arrival here last Saturday i have completed reading Picture of Dorian Grey, Started and completed The Great Gatsby, and Started and completed The Shack... now for my next book
-today i met a guy - tommy who is from Chicago.. and he is heading to Mufulira, Zambia in about 1 week.. and he was in Mufulira at the EXACT same time I was there 2 years ago!!! wow - for those of you who understand how incredibly strange and almost impossible this is.. i hope it's blowing your mind like it did for me : )
-i should post some picture eh? unfortunately my camera is at my house, and i only have photos of the horse mural on the bathroom stalls in paris.. and a whole bunch of Judah playing in my suitcase. i know i said i'd try and take photos, but honestly, i know people want picture of the environment, and that would mean me taking pictures of strangers, and just don't feel like it's right at this point in time.. perhaps soon : ) i'll take photos of the school, and my class, and my house and so on for you and put them up here!
Sorry - i am told you need to have an account to leave comments on here - that is unfortunate, i meant to create one where you didn't have to - please e-mail me, or msg me if you have anything to say - thank you : )
invitation_2understanding@hotmail.com
i hope you all have a wonderful week! (it'll be my FIRST week at school - kids arriving, and teachers meetings.. ahhh) i am very excited.
I sit here with a huge grin on my face as i am sitting in Jocelyn's house using their wonderful North American Keyboard and relatively quick internet connection - i feel as if i have just entered some secret world where i can be right there with you - ah the internet is a wondrous thing in my eyes.
I have actually an entire blog written up at my place on my laptop - but i was not expecting to come here today (to J to the third's) so i did not save it : ( so i'll do my best to quickly fill you in.
The other day I went to a pavillion market (there are some cobble stone streets and it reminds me of Old Market Square in The Exchange District - Winnipeg) in the middle of the city with 3 women (Sarah, Colleen, Mbola - principal at vision valley) . After Colleen and Mbola had finished the 40 minute adventure of finding and bargaining 20 binders we left the market for some late supper. We were headed to the Korean place which i hear about on a daily basis because of how unbelieveably delicious it is, and to their shock and disappointment it was closed : ( So, we headed towards some other little side street for about 10 minutes, and this little girl - about 4 years old with no shoes came up to me with a huge smile (and of COURSE i smiled back and just wanted to pick her up and swing her around!) and i smiled and she held out her hand and walked right beside me, this barefoot babe, with an open palm saying something in Malagasy that was some sort of plea for money. I couldn't look at her anymore - and i walked into our nice restaurant (some tasty Mexican place) and she remained outside in the dark all alone with no shoes.
I did not give her a penny. I did not give her a even a word in a language she would understand. I gave her an honest smile, which later turned into a 'right now im so confused, right now i wish i wasnt born with so much priviledge, and i wish i didnt feel so guilty' smile.
I sat down in the restaurant, and ate my chicken fahitas and drank my .. i dont know what it's called.. but it's beer mixed with sprite (even though i don't like beer - it was very tasty). I felt very strange, and very horrible. This is the first time in my life that I walked away with money in my pocket - and i walked away without having a conversation - or sharing a meal.
Giving people money has been the topic of MANY conversations between friends and i - and i say do what you can. i have been told - but there are thousands of them - millions even - if we were to give something to that little barefoot babe - they all would come running and you would become like them.
The thing is, sometimes, quite often, i wish that i was 'like them'. Maybe this just sounds really foolish - like i don't know what i'm saying, or i have no idea what it is that would all entail. But it is something that hits my heart tenfold and i can't shake it that i can't do nothing.
I am not going to say how i view this - we should all view it like this - but i think we should be constantly re-examining why we approach situations such as these the way we do. Cause yeah, maybe that little girl would go and give it to some big ass pimp, or maybe she would give it to her mum so she could buy some potatoes and it would only feed them for that one meal and then again tomorrow she would beg, or maybe it would keep her mother from selling her out for the night, or maybe it would i dont know.. maybe it would be better than doing nothing at all.
I write this without having drawn any kind of conclusion about it, i do not want any kind of sympathetic messages please, or 'lisa you cant change the world' messages.. no thank you i will listen, but i simply believe that there is an honest love than has, does, and will continue to change lives, and as one life is changed the entire world is changed - so yes, i do want to be involved in this beautiful adventure of changing the world through love, and if you don't to, thats your business.. but don't tell me it's not possible, because i myself have been changed through the unconditional love of another.
but i would appreciate wisdom.
ah, now how to transition into a myriad of other things, how about i draw a line, and that will suffice -yes?
-----------------------------------------------------------
-i take baths, cause we don't have a showerhead. i don't particularily enjoy bathing in my own Malagasy filth - but perhaps it will grow on me (hahaha.. literally!)
-georgina (housemate) bakes.. often, she is a wonderful baker and her housemates get to be the recipent of so many delicious things like caramel cupcakes, or some foreign south african tea biscuit
-i have a teacher's meeting tomorrow - monday. and then on tuesday is 'stationary day' when all the kids bring their school supplies and then leave. and then wednesday the KIDS ARRIVE!
-i am very excited to meet the kids and the year started with them. I am excited to get to try and figure out the strengths and weaknesses of all 18 of them.. i have the biggest class in the school : S
-it has only been 1 week and 1 day since my arrival here, and even though it has only been about 5 days since i last saw the Pletts of Madagascar (isn't it so funny.. that i don't have to say which ones?!?!) i found myself really wanting to be with them these couple of days, just to i don't know hear the same accent, or share with them about what i have been encountering, or just having Judah sit on my lap and say funny things. i will definitely appreciate them more and more as the year goes on.
-our toilet in the bathroom doesn't have a toilet seat - it's awkward.
-Since my arrival here last Saturday i have completed reading Picture of Dorian Grey, Started and completed The Great Gatsby, and Started and completed The Shack... now for my next book
-today i met a guy - tommy who is from Chicago.. and he is heading to Mufulira, Zambia in about 1 week.. and he was in Mufulira at the EXACT same time I was there 2 years ago!!! wow - for those of you who understand how incredibly strange and almost impossible this is.. i hope it's blowing your mind like it did for me : )
-i should post some picture eh? unfortunately my camera is at my house, and i only have photos of the horse mural on the bathroom stalls in paris.. and a whole bunch of Judah playing in my suitcase. i know i said i'd try and take photos, but honestly, i know people want picture of the environment, and that would mean me taking pictures of strangers, and just don't feel like it's right at this point in time.. perhaps soon : ) i'll take photos of the school, and my class, and my house and so on for you and put them up here!
Sorry - i am told you need to have an account to leave comments on here - that is unfortunate, i meant to create one where you didn't have to - please e-mail me, or msg me if you have anything to say - thank you : )
invitation_2understanding@hotmail.com
i hope you all have a wonderful week! (it'll be my FIRST week at school - kids arriving, and teachers meetings.. ahhh) i am very excited.
mardi 19 août 2008
fdqs
so this computer is quite different than what i am used to . different buttons everywhere - in advance i tell you this because i will not spend time correcting the spelling or punctuation bits _ so you enlish grammer snobs better just hang in there!
august 17 _ day 3_in antananarivo, madagascar;
write not in complete sentences because i am so frustrated at this internet connection; slow speed, and different keys i could spit, spit alot, all over carpet;
here we go;
i am so happy_ i was born to do this, be here, love this at this moment, i love the smell, the colors, the people, the food, the public transit, even the horrible gutter sewer pee rat smell i love, i love the vision valley school, i love the weather, i love the hills; the roads; my new home, my beautiful housemates (sarah, georgina, colleen)
this is community living _ eat together, work together, so much sharing (ideal for me _ i love sharing so much!)
apparently a lady comes once a week to clean the house and everybody pitches in to pay her _ i am SO THANKFUL for that!
vision valley church is held in the same as the school that i will be working in (classes begin next week _ wednesday) the church is very similar to the vineyard and saturday night church _ i could write so much about it but will save that for when i can go to joce,s and use their sweet internet connection and keyboard.
there has been a change in plans... they are still in need of a grade 4 teacher, and because that is a wee bit more essential than an art teacher - that is what i will be doing! i am so excited! if you are laughing just have a little faith i am sure there will be a great many challenges - but theyre just going to be some funny stories and great learning experiences in the end! i am so thankfu that i will be with one group of kids the whole time _ yay _ better chance to build relationships.
fruit and veggies are rediculous cheap _ all organic! woohoo!!!
i speak french everywhere - huge asset here!
it is much cleaner than i expected, not near as much visible extreme poverty as i expected
i feel very safe
i go to school tomorrow - and get to figure out just what i,ve gotten myself into!
i love babies and i want one _ there are some good looking rasta frenchmen here ; )
( that is kind of a joke for you dad... but you know that 50% of every joke is the truth!)
the house i live in is right in the city on a busy street among so many people _ i just love it so very very much
i went to the market yesturday with jocelyn and judah _ im going to learn malagasy with the girls from a lady at the school.
please do email or leave comments _ i will not respond until i have access to a better internet and compuiter;
i wish you all well, i hope you are full of joy _ i sure am!
august 17 _ day 3_in antananarivo, madagascar;
write not in complete sentences because i am so frustrated at this internet connection; slow speed, and different keys i could spit, spit alot, all over carpet;
here we go;
i am so happy_ i was born to do this, be here, love this at this moment, i love the smell, the colors, the people, the food, the public transit, even the horrible gutter sewer pee rat smell i love, i love the vision valley school, i love the weather, i love the hills; the roads; my new home, my beautiful housemates (sarah, georgina, colleen)
this is community living _ eat together, work together, so much sharing (ideal for me _ i love sharing so much!)
apparently a lady comes once a week to clean the house and everybody pitches in to pay her _ i am SO THANKFUL for that!
vision valley church is held in the same as the school that i will be working in (classes begin next week _ wednesday) the church is very similar to the vineyard and saturday night church _ i could write so much about it but will save that for when i can go to joce,s and use their sweet internet connection and keyboard.
there has been a change in plans... they are still in need of a grade 4 teacher, and because that is a wee bit more essential than an art teacher - that is what i will be doing! i am so excited! if you are laughing just have a little faith i am sure there will be a great many challenges - but theyre just going to be some funny stories and great learning experiences in the end! i am so thankfu that i will be with one group of kids the whole time _ yay _ better chance to build relationships.
fruit and veggies are rediculous cheap _ all organic! woohoo!!!
i speak french everywhere - huge asset here!
it is much cleaner than i expected, not near as much visible extreme poverty as i expected
i feel very safe
i go to school tomorrow - and get to figure out just what i,ve gotten myself into!
i love babies and i want one _ there are some good looking rasta frenchmen here ; )
( that is kind of a joke for you dad... but you know that 50% of every joke is the truth!)
the house i live in is right in the city on a busy street among so many people _ i just love it so very very much
i went to the market yesturday with jocelyn and judah _ im going to learn malagasy with the girls from a lady at the school.
please do email or leave comments _ i will not respond until i have access to a better internet and compuiter;
i wish you all well, i hope you are full of joy _ i sure am!
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