First Days of School

We have now had 8 full days of school (I have been a little bit behind) and boy has it been a whirlwind. Each day has brought its own challenges, but today, the feeling is frustration.

         Dani and I are getting into a routine now, just in time for her to leave on tomorrow. We teach Monday-Thursday full time and Fridays we are not in school for traveling and exploring the city where we are living. We have 4 different classes that rotate throughout the day together. We have 3 classes of grade 5 (5A, 5B and 5D) and one class of grade 7. Each day there are 8 periods; the learners rotate through all their subjects during that time and they stay as one class. It’s quite an interesting set up actually—a mix between middle school (rotating periods) and elementary (the same class).

Each subject has a different requirement for the amount of instructional time the learners receive each week. In math, learners have to have eight 40 minute blocks of instruction. Well, since there are only 5 days in a week, that means each class gets a “double period” three times/week. And, to top it off, we never see the classes in the same order. Today, three of our four classes had double periods and one class had a 40 minute period. Tomorrow, we will see each class for a different amount of time and one will have a double period. If you’re lost, don’t feel so bad…I am too! Every day we see over 130 learners for 40 or 80 minutes. Every class is at a different spot in the material, all of the classes have different homework assignments and I cannot keep it all straight!

Things had been going well. Last week, Dani and I finally felt like we were getting the hang of it. Students were getting used to our routines, they saw us as authority figures and even told us they would miss us when we said we weren’t going to be there on Friday. Then Monday happened. I had finally gotten a good night’s sleep, our lessons were planned and I was feeling ready for the day. During our first class, we talked about bar graphs (our unit is data handling), the kids were answering questions and weren’t having many side conversations. It went okay, but we knew, as always, the second class would be an improvement. The next class came in and it was a complete disaster. I hate teachers who stand up in front of the class and spoon-feed their students every ounce of information they need. They are basically doing the work for them. Well today, I was one of those teachers. I would give the learners instructions and they would look at me like I was crazy. I taught them the routine of turning and talking to their partner about a question, and all I got were blank stares. Pretty much anything I said went in one ear and out the other. I have learners who sit at the front of the room and raise their hand every time I ask a question. Then, there are learners who sit in the back of the room and do nothing but talk, sleep, or stare into space. They couldn’t care less about what I am saying. And then there are the few who speak hardly any English at all. How in the world can we teach a math concept to learners who don’t even understand the language we are teaching in? It’s a challenge to say the least.

Our learners sit in table groups, our teacher preaches about how she loves group work, and yet they stare at us like we are speaking Greek when we ask them to tell their partner something. I am dying to get them working in groups, to make them independent learners who enjoy coming to school, who make sense of concepts on their own, who have ah-ha moments. I am longing to provide support for learners who struggle and enrichment for learners who are getting bored, but with 130+ learners walking into my classroom for sometimes only 40 minutes at a time (and no passing period), I don’t know what to do. Not to mention, I am still learning their names and don’t have any sort of class list to keep track of progress or monitor learning.  

I am fighting feelings of frustration and defeat. We spend all this time taking classes to help us prepare for this. In the states, we are used to getting instant feedback, students who listen to us, and most who want to be at school. We are used to knowing students’ names and seeing them all day long as primary teachers. We are used to building relationships with our students. And now that we don’t have that, we feel completely defeated. Almost every night I have gotten home I have had to talk myself out of the idea that I am a bad teacher, that I can’t do it and that I will never be able to be a good teacher. I feel like I can’t give my students what they need and that they will never succeed.

I knew this experience would challenge me, and so far, it absolutely has. We have been plucked from everything we know, into a culture that has a completely different educational system. I struggle to pronounce names of my learners. The norms are different, the way of life is different and the resources are different. I am learning how to teach without a projector, without a copy machine and with much fewer resources than I learned with. I am learning to become stronger and more resourceful. I am having the absolute best time here and I am so thankful for this experience, but I’m sure it will only continue to be a wild ride. Each day it has gotten better, and by today I am truly starting to feel like I am growing my “teacher legs” as Paula says. But it continues to be a learning experience.

Swarming Miss Dani with goodbye hugs! 

This week, 9 of the 10 of us have gotten head colds with coughs, fevers and the works. Many people stayed home from school (Paula told us we were crazy for going when we hardly had voices and felt terrible). I couldn’t miss school today, though, knowing it was Dani’s last day. We have been so lucky to have the opportunity to teach together these last few weeks and I will miss her dearly! We have spent every waking moment together over these past weeks, and I am so proud of how well she has adapted to the life of a teacher. It’s a lot harder than it looks, but man is it rewarding. Today, we said goodbyes and took pictures with our learners and even turned them into 12’s. We brought Nick’s Seahawks flag into class and told them all about our team. Here are a few pictures from our goodbyes and to prove that we have actually been teaching amid our fun

We really do teach here...

Our beautiful teacher Cynthia 

Our teaching team! 

Our new 5D 12's 

7C, also Seahawks fans now! 

…

First Day of School and Weekend up North in Opuwo and Etosha National Park

WARNING: Another poorly written blog post, but I wanted to get it in before we left on another adventure. Enjoy! 

       I really have no words to describe the first day of school! It was only slightly traumatizing, but we made it through. Last Wednesday we walked in just before 7 am and were all “herded” out to the court for the opening ceremony. One of the religion teachers gave a devotional to the whole school. All the students were lined up and parents were hovering around the edges. The principal talked briefly and then he passed the megaphone to Amy to introduce the 4 of us, which she was not prepared for. Then, the learners were directed to their classes without teachers. When I walked into my class my teacher instructed the students to set up the desks, as they were still all stacked in the back of the room. Then, she and I went to divide students in other classes. When the learners first go to class, they go to the classes they were in the previous year and then are distributed from there into their new classes. It is a very disorganized system, but it is what they know. Finally, we got back to class and I looked at my teacher to ask how long I would have these students, since they rotate in the upper grades like we do in middle school. She didn’t really understand my question and finally told me they would be there all day…YIKES! Dani and I had planned for 40 minute periods, not all day. Break was a huge relief and we were able to commiserate with Kelsey and Amy (also at our school) in the staff room before going back. I have never been more happy in my life to hear my teacher say school is out at one hour earlier on the first day (12:05).  The second most thrilling part of the day was when we saw Kenton driving up to take us home!

         When we got home, we had about 1 hour to get ready to leave on our trip up north. It was only a 2-3 hour drive that afternoon to Otjiwarongo (o-chee-wa-rongo) where we were staying that night. We drove straight to the hotel that night where we of course visited the bar and then had dinner. At dinner we met Betsie, an American who is now living in Namibia working at an elephant conservation location. She told us all about her work with elephants and how she came to Namibia. Then, we went to bed. I was absolutely exhausted that night and unfortunately the AC didn’t work in our room. But, the hotel was fancy and it was a fun night!

         The next morning we woke up and had a long drive ahead of us to Opuwo. Opuwo is where the Himba tribe is most densely populated. The Himbas are a very traditional tribe. Some dress in western dress and others are very traditional (pictures to follow). Many of the women are topless and they cover their bodies with a red rock mixed with butterfats. They also have very traditional hairstyles and more customs than I could name. I wish I could remember every detail about the Himba people.

         On Friday we woke up and had a meeting with the principal of the Ondao Mobile Schools. This was a project that Paula and Steve (our profs) worked on many years ago to make schools more accessible for the Himba people. Opuwo is a big farming community. In fact, Namibia is in general. Many families use their children to help on the farms. Every so often, the cattle and goat farms must move because there is nothing left for the animals to graze on. This takes learners from schools. So, Paula and Steve worked to train teachers at mobile tent schools. There are over 40 in this “district” that move as the students move. We had the privilege of hearing about it from the principal and visiting two of the schools. Paula and Steve had actually trained a few of the teachers at each school. The first one was about 45 minutes off the main road and I am pretty convinced it wasn’t even a road. Uanee (our guide) knew a woman at the principal’s office who actually drove with us so we could find the school. We were driving through trees, river beds and doing a little bit of off-roading. It actually got to the point where we had to get out of the van and walk the rest of the way. That was actually a really incredible experience (and very hot), but it wasn’t far! When we got there, everyone kind of looked at us. They had already stopped school for the day because of the heat and were all waiting for their lunch (maize, sugar and oil). We got to meet the 2 teachers there and interact with a few of the learners. We saw a mix of traditional and western dress. Their English was just okay, but their singing was INCREDIBLE! When we got there we all sang a song that they participated in (a spin off Father Abraham) and then Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. By the end they had caught on and were doing it with us. Luckily, we got to go first. After we sang, they sang for us. They sang in the Himba language, with motions and harmonies that were beyond belief, especially for children. I couldn’t hold back my tears. When they finished, we asked the teachers what the songs meant, and they told us they were singing about spreading the news of the Savior. The commitment to Christianity in this country is amazing. I have never seen a community of people praise God for all they have in such a humble way. Not to mention, what they have is not much by our standards. Because their English was not good, it was hard to communicate. We asked to learn their names by saying “Ena” which is a Himba word. Even though communication was little, we were able to get a few of them to play some hand and clapping games with us. It was really incredible to see these children and they way they went to school. I really cannot even describe it to you. Finally, we had to leave in order to get to the next school. On our way out a few of the girls modeled their traditional dress for us as Uanee, our guide, showed explained. He is Himba and from Opuwo, so he was very knowledgeable and able to explain without putting them on the spot too much. We had brought them Sugar, Maize and Oil as well but could not get it there because the van didn’t make it. They had a car at the school and a few boys came with us to “guard” the supplies while they pumped up the tire of the car to go pick it all up. We were only about a 10 minute walk, but who knows how long those boys waited there.

         The next school was a totally different experience. This school is actually permanent and a little less secluded than the first. There were tons of kids that swarmed us as we arrived. We were able to interact a little bit with them before we gathered to sing. There were a few girls that I clicked with immediately, but one girl in particular. She was in grade 5 and was very sweet. She had the cutest outfit on and just wanted to know who we were and. She wrote down our names and talked for a few minutes. The English was better here, but still not as good as our learners in Windhoek. Once again we exchanged songs (they almost went first—thank goodness they didn’t!). Their singing is the most incredible thing I have ever heard and I don’t know if I’ll ever NOT be able to cry! Then, we had some more time to play with them. They were absolutely fascinated by us, especially our hair! It was sad to leave there—they were just so joyful it was contagious. That afternoon we went back to the hotel and enjoyed the pool. We were going to visit Uanee’s village that afternoon, but learned he wasn’t feeling well and actually wouldn’t be able to finish the trip with us. He had a friend (Mr. T) who came to finish off the trip with us. We enjoyed our dinner together and said goodbye.

         Saturday we drove to Etosha National Park! We drove into the eastern gate and drove to our first stop, Dolomite Camp. As soon as we got into the park, there were animals everywhere. I am pretty sick of seeing Springbok (similar to deer) and Oryx (the national animal) since they are just everywhere! But, we saw our first of many Zebras, and a few giraffes. When we got to the hotel we had lunch, swam for a little while in the infinity pool and went out of a game drive with Mr. T. Our biggest mission was to find an elephant, and we did at the first watering hole! We actually saw him in the distance and followed him to the watering hole. They are such incredible animals…so big but so delicate at the same time. On Sunday, we moved to Okakuejo, another resort where our chalets were right next to a watering hole. When we got back from dinner that night we found so many Giraffe at the watering hole along with Rhinos, Jackals, and later elephants (but sadly most of us missed the elephants).

         On Sunday we woke up and were planning to head out of the park and drive home, but at breakfast we learned (thanks to our guide, Mr. T) that the filling station at the lodge had been out of fuel for 3 days! We thought maybe we could make it to our first stop south on the ¼ tank of gas we had without air conditioning since we were also pulling a trailer. Or, we would have to drive further east in the park (you can only drive 60 km/hr) and then come back. So that’s what we did. They had gas at Halali, so we drove the almost 80 km east to Halali without our trailer an without AC, filled up and drove BACK to Okekuejo to pick up our trailer and leave, since the gate is just outside the resort there. It was quite an adventure, but at least we didn’t run out of gas again (thanks, Mr. T!)!!! It was an incredible trip, but it was good to be home and begin lesson planning for our true first day of school and student teaching on Tuesday!

My classroom is on the far right of this hallway 

Cheetahs at the Cheetah Conservation Foundation

Another beautiful cheetah! 

The learners at the first mobile tent school 

The second tent school that is now permanent 

The girl in the pink skirt stole my heart

watching the learners sing to us 

so many sweet learners that we got to talk to 

Elephants in Etosh thanks to Danay, our personal Elephant Whisperer (she spotted all but one of them!)

Warthog! 

Drove up on these this Bachelor Pride of lions

one of the three that stayed in the raod

this watering hole literally had every animal! 

the elephant wouldn't turn around for us! 

SO CUTE! 

This Elephant was right next to our van 

One of 30 lions we saw in one day! 

A photo doesn't do a Namibian Sunset justice...this one was something else! 

Love the sillhouette of the Giraffe eating! 

The was the elephant that showed up at our watering hole before we left Okakuejo on Monday morning (just outside our chalets). 

First Day of School!

Today is the first day of school! Everyone around the house is dressed up, some people nervous and some people really excited! I am a little more nervous today than I was to meet my teacher on Monday. We have heard how chaotic the first day of school is, since most schools do some sort of opening ceremony. However, nobody really knows what it will be like. I didn't sleep super well last night because I was a little nervous. Dani and I have a "team-building" activity for the students, but I'm sure it won't go as planned. So, we have a few books as a back-up! We don't even know how many students we are going to have. Should be quite an adventure...

After school we are headed up north for 5 days to visit Etosha National Park and a few other areas. We will be out of service until then, but I can't wait to tell you all about my first day when we get back!

Happy Namibian First Day of School from the student teachers of Saint Barnabus Primary School! 

Weekend in Sossusvlei and First Day at Saint Barnabus Primary School

On Friday morning we left for a weekend in Sossusvlei. Uanee picked us up and we went to the market (not the store) to pick up food and snacks for the long car ride. After about an hour, we were off paved roads and it was dirt/gravel roads for the next 4ish hours. We stopped on the way for a picnic lunch—it was extremely elaborate, more than I would have expected! We had homemade buns (not rolls) that were delicious, ham, a German loaf (cold cut), tomatoes, onions, lettuce, dressings, and fruit juice. We prepared and ate under a nice shady tree. Then, we continued on our drive for a few more hours. The bus we were in had no air conditioning, so we rode with the windows open so there would be a breeze.

When we got to the campsite we drove past the pool and found that it was not swimmable. We were all really excited to cool off, so it was very disappointing we couldn’t swim that afternoon. We set up our tents and Uanee went to take Paula and Steve to the lodge where they were staying. Paula and Steve checked with the management there to see if we could come on Saturday after hiking the dunes and swim in that pool. Thank goodness they let us! Before dinner, Uanee told us there was a short hike about 40 minutes to the top of a dune a few km away where we could watch the sunset. While he dropped off Paula and Steve we visited the bar at the campsite and had a few drinks before deciding if we would hike for the sunset. Alcohol is very cheap here—a Windhoek Lager or Savanna Dry Cider is only N$17-N$23, which is between $1.50 and $2.00 in the states. It’s cheaper than water! After a few beers, we all decided to hike to the top for sunset. It was beautiful and so worth the effort, although we were getting a little nervous for the harder hike we would do first thing the next morning. While we were gone, our other guide Manfrid made us a beautiful spaghetti dinner (a good carbo load!) and we all went to bed.

On Saturday morning we woke up at 4:30 to get ready to hike. We went and picked up Paula and Steve (who were dancing in the parking lot when we arrived) and drove about 40 minutes to the dunes. We had to get on a 4x4 truck to get to the base of Big Daddy. It took us about 2 hours in total to get to the top. Although the hike itself wasn’t long in distance, the sand makes it much tougher. Each time we thought we saw the top, there was a new peak that appeared that was the real top of Big Daddy. We had to hike Big Daddy (taller and harder than Big Mama) because the group before us did it and of course we couldn’t woos out after that. When we all got to the top, many of us ran down the face of the dune—2 hours up, about 5 minutes to get down. It was so much fun! Then, we went into Dead Pan (a flat of clay where no sand will ever stay if the wind blows it there). We got back on the 4x4’s and went back to the truck for an incredible brunch once again prepared by Manfrid. It was so yummy—eggs, bacon, cereal, bread, sandwiches, veggies and more! Then, as soon as we were finished, we cleaned up and returned to our camp to shower off the sand before hitting the pool and Paula and Steve’s lodge. We spent the entire afternoon in the pool (about 5 hours) and almost all of us walked away nicely sunburned!

When we got back, we hit the bar while we waited for dinner and had a few drinks while playing Spot It. Just after our chicken and rice dinner, we headed to bed after a very long and exhausting day.

The next morning we woke up and walked into Sessriem Canyon before heading back. The drive was extremely long and very hot. We came back a different way over a really dangerous and very tall mountain pass. It was a little scary but absolutely beautiful. We made it back to Windhoek and had just exited the B1 (Namibian I-5), turned the corner about 5 minutes from home and all of a sudden the truck rolled to a stop. We all looked at each other, stinky, exhausted, hot and covered in sand…Uanee and Manfrid got out of the car, looked around and chuckled a little bit before telling us we had run out of gas. Luckily we had some big empty jugs in the car and were close to a gas station where Uanee could get us some gas. When we got home, we all showered and had a little lunch. It was about 4 o’clock, so we were all starved. We have a paper due today, so we all attempted to work on that a little bit…some of us had better luck than others. The Disney music and bottle of wine were a little distracting, but we all had a great time.

This morning was our first morning in our schools. It was a teacher day—students don’t come until Wednesday. We met our principal around 7:30 this morning and he asked that we come back at 8:30 for the teacher’s meeting. Dani and I had emailed our teacher and received a response last night, so when she met us, she was very excited. We got big welcoming hugs, which was comforting! Everyone was very excited to see each other after their holiday…they all hugged and kissed their close friends on the lips (very different than colleagues in the states) and were very loud as they shared stories and welcomed each other back. When the meeting started, the principal actually stopped to have us introduce ourselves (which we weren’t sure would happen) and began his meeting. He talked in a very motivational way and seems to really have some visions for changing the school and making it better. We’ll see if that comes to fruition, but the energy is there. they talked about what they would do when the learners arrived on Wednesday and it sounds like it’s going to be complete chaos, which we were prepared to expect. During a break another administrator gave us a tour of the school and showed us where our classrooms would be. School starts in two days and many of the classrooms are empty, desks are stacked or there are very few in there. It doesn’t look ready at all for learners. One classroom even meets in the garage because there are not enough rooms. Our class meets in the library. I am supposed to be teaching grade 5-grade 7 math, but who knows! We also found out that they are short one math teacher, so there is a possibility we will all be shifted if the ministry does not appoint a new teacher in time. It was all extremely overwhelming and I had to hold back tears part of the time. I had no idea what Wednesday will be like and know that whatever we prepare will probably not go as planned. But, that is will all teaching, even in the states. We left around 10 this morning and have the afternoon free to get organized and catch up. Tonight, one of the cooking teams will cook us dinner and we will meet Mary Beth, the head of the BNC (volunteer center) where we will tutor twice a week after school. We will do a short hike in the morning near Windhoek and have another afternoon free to get organized and prepare. School starts Wednesday at 7:00 am! Say a prayer for us as we all prepare for some sort of unforeseen chaos on Wednesday….

Lunch on the drive 

During our sunset hike on Friday night

At the top of the dune--GO HAWKS! 

In Dead Pan (aka Deadvlei) after coming down the dune

The 4x4 that took us to the base of Big Daddy

The pool where we spent the afternoon after hiking Big Daddy 

We stopped at the Tropic of Capricorn on our way back from Sossusvlei

Uanee chuckling with his jug of gas

Uanee and Manfrid putting gas back in the car