6/17/10: “Can you please help me?”
Letise High school was without electricity today, which meant that no copies of the math diagnostic exams could be given. Instead, I taught the first lesson in math, which was numbers, sets, and notation. Overall I think it went pretty well; I mean there’s not much you can do to make math fun, but they all laughed at my not-so-funny jokes and smiled when I dropped the chalk and eraser too many times to count. Considering the fact that these are some of the most motivated students you’ll ever find, they did pretty well and didn’t mind the dryness of the math material mixed in with my crazy gestures and embarrassing clumsiness.
They had trouble with come concepts that never seemed hard for me, and I think I was just explaining things poorly. For example, the difference between union and intersection confused students a lot. I will try to find a better example to illustrate union and intersection for when we go over the diagnostic exam together.
At the end of the day I had about 20 more minutes left, so I asked the students to journal about an important event in their lives, a problem they are having, and something they like to do for fun. I was not prepared for the answers I received. First of all, the level of openness and trust that these students displayed for me in their writing was astonishing. Many revealed that they were double orphans and had to look after their own siblings as if they were parents. One has a drug-addict for a father (he attempted to get his own father into counseling but to no avail), and another believes that her father honestly does not love her (and after reading her journal, I sadly am inclined to agree with her). Many asked us for help in paying for school fees and tertiary education, so maybe over the next few weeks I can compile some data about government scholarships for orphans, student loans, or other resources they can avail themselves to for aid in paying for education.
No one forces these students to go to school. I can’t help to be ashamed of how much I took my education for granted during middle and high school. These students know that education is the key to their future and emerging from poverty (nearly a direct quote from one journal), yet poverty is what is preventing them from leaving. It’s an intangible plague, imprisoning these students to lives they desperately wish to leave. I strongly believe that determination, hard-work, and tenacity are three qualities that, when put to good use, can lead anyone to success. I don’t know more determined, hard-working, tenacious students than those at Letsie. I do honestly think that if they had better home situations, were able to attend school regularly rather than watching their siblings, and did not have to deal with debilitating hardships and depression at such a young age they could do anything. I truly want these students to succeed, and I believe that they could.
After class we went to SOS to teach a class on dating and sex. It was interesting to hear the Basotho teenager’s/20-something’s take on dating and sex. The home supervisor mentioned that pregnancy was an issue there, yet many students shared that kissing may not always be appropriate because it could lead to other activities, such as sex. They also “courted” better than most guys I know in America. Their ideas for courtship and getting to know the opposite sex included picking flowers, going on picnics and walks, and playing games together.
The children at SOS all seem very confident and happy, inside the classroom and outside. I honestly believe that they are better off there than most of the students in my Form E class at Letsie. Some of my students are double orphans as well but receive none of the social benefits that SOS provides. The SOS gang were all smiling, joking, laughing, and in general very happy. They are the happiest children I have seen thus far.
Speaking of children, I received a note from a little girl whom I pass every day walking to Letsie. She was hoping that I may accept her request to be her friend. She seemed to be around 6 years old to me. Another little boy ran full-speed towards me with his arms stretched to his sides and nearly tackled me trying to give me a hug. “My friend!” he shouted as he nearly toppled me over. The children just seem to adore us. I really want to give them candy or trinkets of some sort, but I feel that if I do that one time the entire under-10 population of Thaba Bosiu will catch word and I will be greeted by the masses.
6/18/10: “Only a few pass”
Today I searched for scholarships and sponsor programs for students who are double orphans or who do not have enough money for secondary education. Only those who pass the COSC tests and can move onto tertiary education are eligible for most government scholarships.
I told the students that I would search for programs and scholarships for them, but most of them were contingent upon success in the COSC exams. They all seemed very motivated and appreciative that I looked for information for them. I’m guessing that they don’t have access to Internet, the means to pay for usage at an Internet café, nor the knowledge of how to even go about a search for programs. The Internet is so integral in American education, but it is such a foreign entity to those in Lesotho. Although I do have the luxury of attaining a slow internet connection here, its extremely sluggish speed and unreliability often frustrates me; I definitely take the ease and access to the web in America for granted!
While researching financial information I spoke with a student named Justice; he attended Letsie for secondary school and is now a first year accounting student at the University. I questioned him about his education at Letsie and the COSC. He informed me that “very few” of his classmates went to University; it was mainly due to failure to pass the COSC exams (So I certainly hope our review course works!). He did also say that of the few that did manage to score adequately on the exam, due to lack of financial means, most simply returned to their homes or got menial jobs around the village. Matriculation at the University is extremely rare for Letsie students. Attendance at a college in America is the rule, but in Lesotho it is the exception. They all desperately want to continue their studies and secure jobs, but they seem to not be too convinced yet that it’s a possibility.