I’ve been teaching for a full month now. It’s been an interesting experience becoming a teacher. I teach three 8th and 9th grade classes in English Language and English Literature. I’m teaching kids to analyze full books and write their own poems. I never would have pictured myself doing this but I’m really enjoying it. Additionally, as a teacher and volunteer, I’ve inherited all kinds of other projects which keep me busy and entertained. Occasionally, I take a period to teach my classes ‘lifeskills’ which is a program set up to teach the students about health and self esteem and things. Pretty much the period where in American schools the guidance councilor comes in and talks to you about being safe and have a positive attitude about life. I also met the English club the other day that I will be mentoring. There’s a lot of work I can do with them especially since they are trying to tackle such a large variety of activities (drama, poetry, debate, speech). I think they will each have to break off into separate groups. Also, I will try to apply for a library donation from the African Library Project after March, so the students have something to actually read for fun. And, once a week I have to monitor the morning study period. This brings me back to how it feels switching into the role of the high school teacher.
School starts at 7 AM everyday. At 7 AM the students are supposed to be in their classrooms with a book open not talking at all. Like study hall in the library. I’m walking around room to room enforcing this on top of it I’m even telling kids to wear their uniform properly. That really takes me back to St. Mary’s, when I was a student at a catholic high school. I really wouldn’t say anything about their uniforms, but its just that they have their shirts half off neck ties on their heads. We got told to tuck in our shirts at St. Mary’s. Rambo? Really? The sad thing is I see the other teachers walking around doing this rod in hand.
Corporal punishment is widely practiced in Lesotho although policy and law is changing that. This is confusing; no one gets it, hold on. The country is currently considering in parliament, a law making corporal punishment illegal. The law on the books specifies that it is allowed with certain regulations on rod size and other things that are rarely (in my understanding) adhered to. The Ministry of Education (like our DoE) has a policy against corporal punishment right now which apparently has no teeth at all even in the public government schools. Most schools practice it. I think most parents consent of it and want it also. My school does practice but seems open to change. I think my school administrators are really progressive and open to new ideas, which is awesome.
A normal morning of study hall consists of slapping the late comers on the backs of their hands with these sticks. So, a side note, these rods aren’t anything fancy. They are branches of a very elastic and sturdy tree with the small branches just ripped off leaving in place little hard knobs. These things hurt. I usually try to stand there so the kids can skip the punishment. Anyway, the other day they decided to not hit the late kids and instead line them up at the gates all day in the sun where they are supposed to study. I think we can do even better than that but I’m glad they have stopped hitting the kids. There’s a lot more going on with this issue but I think I’ll leave it at that right now
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