I thought I was finished with school...

            It seems like no time has passed since I last wrote but at the same time it seems like it has been weeks...oh right, it has. I am now an official teacher, having completed two weeks of instruction at Tiping Secondary School. The school year commenced with a faculty meeting held the day before the first day of classes, parents registering their sons and daughters for school the first week of class (and some even during the second week) instead of during break when the office was open, as well as herd-boys showing up a week late due to ‘traditional schools’ (I’m not exactly sure what goes on when they are attending traditional school but I’ve heard rumors that they are taught how to take care of their wives, among other things, and they also get circumcised-- because you aren’t a man if you haven’t been circumcised).

           

            Back on topic. Sort of. I remember being taught in school that in many Latin cultures it is customary to arrive late to any social event, and we dubbed it ‘Latin time’. Welcome to ‘African time’. Our LCFs during training explained to us that where Americans believe time equals money, the Basotho people believe it is better late than never. If you can imagine, my first week of classes began without a timetable drawn up for classes. I am fully embracing this ‘African time’ though. I am learning to roll with the punches (corny! But true). I didn’t know what classes I was teaching or when I was teaching that first Monday until 6 pm on Sunday, and that was a tentative schedule. I didn’t know what or when I was teaching on Tuesday until Tuesday morning. Catch my drift?

           

            Needless to say, everything worked out in the end. No need to sweat the small stuff (wow, I am full of cute little colloquialisms today). So, the first day went smoothly enough. I think the Form B class (equivalent of 9^th grade) was almost able to keep up that first day, but I’m pretty sure the Form A class was lost. When asked by another teacher why they were so quiet in my class they replied that they didn’t know English.

           

            In addition to not knowing what time to teach, and when, and where, one of the teachers decided, on a whim, the first day, that I should take another class in order to be well rounded in the Forms. Thus, I am now teaching Life Skills to a Form C class (honestly, not a bad amendment because I originally wanted the chance to teach Life Skills anyway). Life Skills is an odd compilation of mental and physical health, social skills, environmental issues (??), and social issues like population growth and poverty. It also places a heavy emphasis on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. For those who had no idea, like myself, Lesotho is the 3^rd worst country in the world for percentage of population infected with HIV.   

           

            The remainder of the week passed without incident. I’m not entirely sure yet how many students I have in each class though. It fluctuates from day to day. I think I have around 40 Form A students, maybe 35 Form B students, and possibly 35 Form C students. My Form A class has started to warm up and my Form B class has begun playing tricks on me. Whether or not the students understand me is still up for debate. I sent a From A student to retrieve the class’ exercise books from my desk, as I had finished grading them. He left the room and returned empty handed. When I asked him where the books were he told me, in broken English, they weren’t there. After class I returned to my desk and found the books precisely where I had left them. The teacher who sits next to me informed me that a student had come in looking for my box but it wasn’t there…

           

            For those interested, the school day is set up in 40-minute periods. There are ten periods on Monday, nine Tuesday through Thursday, and six on Friday. There is a twenty-minute break after the third period of the day, and an hour for lunch after the sixth. Often, because Math, Science, English and Sesotho have seven periods a week, they are turned into double periods—80-minute classes. Way too long. If any of my former teachers happen to be reading this, I would welcome suggestions for making this bearable for 8^th and 9^th grade students who have to sit through 80-minute lectures after lunch.

           

            Every morning at 7:45 the students line up for Assembly. This is by far my favorite part of the day simply because the Basotho can sing! Honestly, singing is innate for them. They begin singing in their cribs. It is absolutely beautiful. If I could take these children to the States, they would put every pop artist to shame. They would be rich--no doubt in my mind. Anyway, they begin the assembly with a song, normally a hymn. The hymn is followed by a reading of scripture which is then interpreted by the student who read the passage. Finally, they close with the Lord’s Prayer and any announcements for the day from the faculty. Now, here is the catch: I work at a government school.

            I will close for now as this is becoming another lengthy post. If there are any topics that you would like to hear about please post a comment and I will be more than happy to fill you in! I hope all are well! Family and friends are constantly on my mind. Thank you all for your support!

Best wishes,

Sadie